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Nasstar’s Hosted Desktop won Business Application of the Year 2008 at the prestigious CNET Networks UK Business Technology Awards held last night in London. The judges praised Nasstar’s pioneering work in the fast developing cloud computing space, saying “Everyone talks about the potential of remotely managed virtual desktops to deliver enterprise quality support – Nasstar is doing it.”

“Few small or medium-sized businesses can afford to carry a dedicated in-house IT department. One solution is to outsource the whole operation, which is where Nasstar and its Hosted Desktop comes in.Employees’ desktops and data can be delivered to anywhere with an internet connection from one of Nasstar’s secure, state-of-the-art datacentres, with management (including patches and updates) handled by a team of engineers on a 24/7 basis.”

Charles Black, Nasstar’s Chief Executive, said “We are delighted to win this award, we’ve been developing Hosted Desktop since 2004 and the world can see that the future of desktop computing now lies in the internet cloud. The team here have worked so hard so its great for everyone at Nasstar to receive this award as recognition that the product we have developed is a winner in the exciting and fast growing hosted desktop space.”

In a pandemic who wants to go to work?

What are you going to do if public transport is halted, how many businesses can stand the loss of their work force for one week? Customers will go elsewhere, the business relationship they have been clinging onto now has the perfect excuse to move on. The companies with disaster plans will be the ones that really show their professional quality in times of crisis and these will be the ones who will benefit. Many companies have a limited plan for this in place, such as web access to email or remote access into the company’s servers for a number of staff. Strategies like flexible working practises, company-wide home working schedules and resilient IT services all form part of a well organised and executable disaster recovery plan. Disasters of IT are about more than losses of data or hardware failures. If a company’s staff cannot work is that not the ultimate disaster? Business continuity should be available to all companies whatever is thrown at them.

Commenting on the potential business repercussions of a Pandemic, Charles Black, Chief Executive of Hosted Desktop provider Nasstar said,

“No one is going to give a three month warning that there is going to a be a threat of a dangerous pandemic, or major health risk associated with travelling to work on overcrowded public transport. The time to prepare is not 24hrs before the risk is official, but now.”

Without the availability for the whole workforce to work remotely is any company really prepared for an unforeseen event such as a major disruption to public transport because of a public health emergency or the imposition of travel restrictions because of perceived threats to national security. Only companies where staff have access to their desktop with all of its files and software can truly say they are ready and able to offer full business continuity, even under the most extreme circumstances. Enabling your  staff  with the ability to work from home will guarantee that your customers continue to receive the same high levels of service they expect. With limited  time available to implement a strategy, alternatives  such as on-demand Hosted Desktop may be the only solution.

Financial Directors suffering from cloud computing phobia

- Irrational fear of IT means budget holders lose out on cost cutting opportunities -

In these troubled times all the chatter is of cutbacks, redundancies and retrenchment into secure and trusted business dynamics. To some there is no alternative. In the changed financial climate that we now find our self-enduring, the way businesses think has changed.

No longer can a Finance Director plan for future growth to fund strategic IT projects or upgrades to services and or equipment. The plan will invariably lead to a “down size” or the new business buzz word “right size”.

All too often businesses shy away from strategic investment in cost saving IT due to fears of not being able to afford it.

“What tosh”, says Charles Black CEO of Nasstar the SaaS provider.

“You can afford it and the IT upgrades and enhancements you need to keep ahead of the competition. SAAS frees up the budget and that oh so tight cash flow. Pay on demand with no upfront costs and get the enterprise grade solution that you were always looking for.”

IT for most businesses is a business enabler but is not the key business. The embattled FD would rather invest his scant resources in developing his business and emerging from this downturn in pole position to capitalise on his less imaginative peers.

Nasstar’s Hosted Desktop is the solution the FD would choose if the cloud had the public acceptance that it should. Why does the cloud still hold fear for some? The answer is probably a mixture of old fashioned thinking and lack of understanding as to what is the cloud.

Nasstar’s customers save between 15 to 30% on their IT spend and have no lumpy upfront payments to make and suffer no savage depreciation on the kit they have just bought. Why should they?

Imagine the scenario at the Board meeting for the Finance Director.

CEO, “Is it cheaper? Is it smarter? Is it more secure? Is it more scalable?”

FD, “Yes”

CEO,  “Where do I sign?”

Charles Black goes on to say, “To change perceptions firstly there needs to be an education process through the media and exposure to cloud delivery. That many aspects of our daily lives are about to come into contact with the cloud may come as a surprise to some. Who uses Google and Salesforce? Nearly everyone.”

BACK in 1993, I worked for a firm which had around 200 employees using Apple Macs. We only had a part time IT manager because – with Macs – simply rebooting the computer normally solves any problems. It was magic.

For 15 years, I’ve struggled to recreate that easy experience. And I think I just have, after my firm started using Nasstar’s Desktop Now. In the middle of this global financial crisis, it is also important to remember we are experiencing the biggest change in the IT marketplace since the advent of the internet.

The emergence of high-speed, low-cost internet over the last few years has enabled a shift of power from the desktop computer to the web.

Charles Black founded Nasstar in January 1998. I first experienced the firm last week, after it took Ariadne’s burdensome local IT system, which was being poorly maintained, and delivered a brilliantly simple “hosted desktop” solution. The Nasstar team managed a flawless transition, moving our firm from history to the future.

For example, on a Sunday I sometimes forget that it’s 11am, and call people I want to speak to. Andy Kyriakides, our project manager, wasn’t phased by the out-ofhours call and spent 10 minutes sorting out my question.

What other Aim-quoted professional services firm do you know that can give you that kind of service?

Nasstar Hosted Desktop is part of a huge revolution, which involves delivering IT services over the internet; and the vision has huge implications for the delivery of TV, radio, and music.

The revolution has seen casualties at Microsoft, which recently announced it was laying off 5,000 employees. The other winner from the migration to the “cloud” – a reference to the fact that a computer’s power is no longer on a desk – is Google. Last week, it announced the launch of the GDrive, an online hard disk that will allow users to store their files in the “cloud”.

Similarly, there is a suite of Google web applications, which provide an off-desktop alternative to Microsoft Office. The clever thing about Nasstar is that it doesn’t try to change what people use – but the way they use it, the way they buy it, and the way they feel about it.

Thanks to Hosted Desktop, I can now access my company PC from any place, and at any time. It has also slashed Ariadne’s IT costs. Nasstar have about 50 companies using Hosted Desktop now, from small, two-man outfits to organisations which have over 800 employees.

By eliminating the IT manager – or getting them to focus on something core to the business – you can start to see real savings. And if it’s good enough for the Easy Group and Allied Healthcare, it’s good enough for my firm.

 For those looking to cut costs, it’s a good place to start.

Julie Meyer is the chief executive of Ariadne Capital.

Financial Times, By Philip Stafford

Aim-listed Nasstar is effectively a bet on a future trend in computing. It is developing a hosted desktop, whereby customers can access all their desktop applications through the internet, rather than have companies spend cash on their own IT servers and systems. This is a trend that Google and Microsoft are both betting on. This week, Nasstar’s technology was recognised as “Business Application of the Year” at the CNET Networks UK Business Awards and in September it won a four-year deal from Allied Healthcare. House broker Ambrian is now forecasting full-year revenue to March 31 to double to £2.2m with a pre-tax losses narrowing from £348,000 to £18,000. The absence of a profit warning this week also suggests Nasstar has met interim expectations. Its shares have dropped 30 per cent in the last three months, but its technology may make it a takeover target for a big company looking for a route into a fast-growing market.

Nasstar are delighted to have been selected as a finalist for the CNET Networks UK Business Technology Awards 2008, Business Application of the Year, 2008.

Full details can be found at:

http://www.onlineawards.co.uk/cnetawards2008/finalists.asp

Nasstar calls on UK business to ditch the IT department drain

The days of the traditional IT department are numbered. That is the stark prediction of Charles Black, CEO of Nasstar. 

Budget, man-hours and productivity are currently being sacrificed to the management of desktops and on-premise systems. But Black claims that on-premise will soon be a thing of the past with the internet being used to deliver all a businesses’ core computing services, making the traditional IT departments redundant.

Within five years, predicts Black, the vast majority of office workers will log-on to the internet to access everything they need, from their own desktop and day-to-day applications, such as Microsoft Office, to accounting software, CRM systems and even bespoke applications.

“IT has become a utility. And in the same way companies don’t have a chief electricity officer to help people plug in and power their devices, so the costly overhead of IT management will be replaced by a simple plug-and-play approach over the internet.”

Black believes by accessing applications in this way, companies will eliminate capital expenditure on core computing services and reduce headaches such as support, installation and the bugbear of software asset management. Workers will also become more mobile as they access all applications and their own desktop from anywhere.

“The IT industry is in the middle of an industrial transformation, which is ending the need for IT staff who install and support traditional on-premise desktop computers.”

But 2020 need not be unlucky for techies, however, admits Black.

“As with any industry where technology transforms the way things work there’s going to have to be re-deployment of skills. IT staff should have their skills focused on delivering competitive advantage for their businesses rather than being retained to deliver standard computing services that are a utility and delivered over the internet. Companies should be quick to change the focus of their IT department to be business development departments that ensure business success.”
(313 words)

NOTES TO EDITOR

About Nasstar plc
Nasstar plc, an AIM-quoted company, makes computing a simple internet subscription service, enabling subscribers of its hosted desktop service to do all of their computing in the internet cloud rather than on a local computer. Nasstar’s Hosted Desktop provides subscribers with access to their desktop, files, applications and email over the internet providing a real alternative to traditional on-premise computing.
 
The company vision is that everyday computing is becoming a utility in the workplace – just like mobile phones – and should therefore be a simple subscription service. Nasstar’s vision is to use the internet to deliver everyday computing, removing the need for traditional on-premise IT.
 
Nasstar is fast establishing itself as a disruptive force within the IT industry, and customers who have already adopted this service approach to the desktop include Stelios’ easyGroup.
 
Nasstar was founded in 1998 by Charles Black. Nasstar plc was admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market in December 2005 (AIM: NASA).
 
For further information about Nasstar, please contact: 
Steven George or Laura Nettley at LEWIS 
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7802 2626 
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7802 2627 
Email:  
Internet: http://www.nasstar.com

Nasstar plc (“Nasstar”, AIM: NASA) has been appointed by Pinnacle Staffing Group plc Pinnacle”, AIM: PCL), one of the UK’s leading suppliers of temporary and permanent healthcare staff, to provide cloud computing to replace its current locally-installed computer system.

The appointment of Nasstar will enable Pinnacle’s staff to access their computer and software applications over the internet rather than using an on-premise computer with locally installed software.

The contract, which commences in March 2008, is for an initial period of 3 years and covers subscriptions for over 150 of Pinnacle’s current staff.  Nasstar’s services will be provided on a per user per month subscription basis.

Charles Black, Nasstar plc Chief Executive said

“We are delighted to have been appointed by Pinnacle. With large numbers of staff spread across over 30 offices, Nasstar’s cloud computing means that they can work from anywhere with access to their computer and company files over the internet. This approach removes the need for complex networking and data sharing technologies as well as removing the burden of installing and maintaining local computers which is both costly and time consuming.”

Jacqui Skinner, Chief Executive of Pinnacle said

“With over 30 office locations around the UK maintaining the computers in each office is costly and inefficient. Nasstar’s cloud computing service enables us to provide all our staff with the latest enterprise technology accessible not only from any of our office locations but also from home. The appointment of Nasstar will produce substantial cost savings whilst providing the latest technology and maximum flexibility for our geographically diverse operations.”

Nasstar plc (“Nasstar”, AIM: NASA) which provides software on demand has been appointed by the easyGroup, the private investment vehicle of Stelios, the serial entrepreneur, to provide hosted desktop, hosted exchange email, hosted BlackBerry and hosted sharepoint services to easyGroup including licensees easyCar, easyBus, easyHotel and easyCruise.  The easyGroup is the owner of the easy brand and licenses it to all of the easy branded businesses.

The contract is for an initial period of 1 year with an immediate requirement in excess of 130 users subscribing for a combination of Nasstar’s on demand services namely hosted desktop, hosted exchange email, BlackBerry and hosted sharepoint.

Stelios said: “We are always looking to drive down cost and do things better – with Nasstar we can do just this. Nasstar’s services will allow us to concentrate on managing our businesses rather than our IT. Nasstar reflects our core values of innovation, accessibility and great value.”

Charles Black, Nasstar plc Chief Executive said “We are delighted to have been appointed by easyGroup. Our services will allow easyGroup and its licensees to focus on growing their core business without diverting capital and management resources away from their business objectives. Our services enable easyGroup and companies to access their desktops and email from anywhere in the world for a monthly subscription, making IT simple and great value.”

Half of Britons could not exist without e-mail – with 30 or 40-somethings more addicted than teens, a survey finds.

Fifty per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds told ICM researchers they would not be able to carry on without e-mail.

Forty one per cent of teenagers said they relied on e-mail, while 44% of 35 to 44-year-olds said e-mail was vital.

The South East was the most e-mail-reliant region, with 43% of people telling the poll for software firm Nasstar they relied on it.

Wales was the lowest, with only 34% saying e-mail was vital to them.

‘Mobile reliance’

More women than men – 41% compared with 38% – said they would be lost without access to their inbox.

Chief executive of Nasstar, Charles Black, said: “The first wave was the mobile phone, and many of us would admit we rely on our mobile and can’t remember how we ever survived without it.

“This poll shows that the next phase is the growth of mobile e-mail.”

“While teenagers are passionate about their mobile phones and texting in particular, the older generations are relying more and more on e-mail because of its use in a business capacity.”