17th Dec 2013 | Salesforce, Security and Safety
It’s a big, bad world out there. There are people who would claim to be things that they were not! (And I don’t mean claims like Sir Bruce Forsythe being entertaining on Strictly Come Dancing.) With Salesforce, until now, you had no way to find out if your Salesforce consultant was qualified or not.
Shock! Horror!
Salesforce has now brought in Certificate Verification. You can find it at:
https://certification.salesforce.com/verification
Of course, I am quite proud to have held my certification since 2011. The details are here:
https://certification.salesforce.com/verification?&fullname=John%20Dray
You can check up anyone, using either their full name, or their email address.
This should help you avoid dealing with people who are other than they claim to be.
Wishing you safe IT,
John
27th Nov 2013 | General Information, Salesforce, Web Hosting, Websites
Here at Cloud Genius we use our own products… this means that we have a website developed in the way that we would develop one for a client. We use Salesforce in a way that we would set it up for a client. We use the same (excellent value) website hosting that we use for our clients.
Cloud Working, in the Salesforce sense, means that we do it all online. I could be based in Timbuktu or Brazil and I could still work on Salesforce (as long as I had an internet connection). Similarly, I could configure Salesforce for charities and small businesses. I can even offer support through remote-control software. (This is where I temporarily take control of a client’s mouse and keyboard to show them things. They have full control to block me at any time, but it means that I can offer support instantly, rather than visiting their office. This is a lot greener – far fewer travel miles.)
One thing struck me as ironic:
Why is it, when I can do all my work through the web, that most Salesforce consultancies are based in London? (with its inherent sky-high rents and living costs)?
Cloud Genius Ltd is different.
We practise what we preach. We do not ignore the world outside London.
We are proudly based in Wales. (The header picture of rolling hills is from a few miles away from our office.)
We will come to visit you to discuss your needs and deliver training.
The rest of the time we can do everything while in (the rather beautiful surroundings of) Wales.
All our work is cloud-based. We do not need a server room, or expensive air conditioning. Our data is protected in far more ways than if we had it in our office.
If you are in Wales and you have database needs, especially if they are customer relationship based, give us a call.
…and I forgot to mention. The lower running costs of working in Wales can be passed on to you!
13th Jul 2013 | Defeating spam, General Information, Salesforce, Web Hosting
I could not help but have a chuckle when I saw this article: Kremlin to revert to typewriters. Even the secret services are having difficulty keeping their information to themselves. [ss_screenshot width=’300′ site=’https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/10173645/Kremlin-returns-to-typewriters-to-avoid-computer-leaks.html’]
To my mind this means that security is not an absolute, but a best effort. Reassuring then, that we use Salesforce, which is regularly audited as secure enough to hold credit card details (in properly designed apps). That I have been trained in security and hold a CompTIA Security+ qualification. In my past I have designed and set up security for financial transactions for boutique banks, private equity companies and hedge funds. We always use strong passwords and store the gateways to our clients’ worlds in securely encrypted stores with two factor authentication. If our computers are stolen, the hard disks are fully encrypted – inaccessible without the correct password. They will be automatically wiped the moment they re-connect to the internet.
Do criminals go after hard targets or easy ones?
What security do your IT companies use? I have seen scary cases where clients’ passwords were stored in unencrypted spreadsheets and databases!
We keep our clients secure, they sleep at night and do great business in the day.
19th May 2013 | Charity, General Information, Salesforce
As you may know, Salesforce directs 1% of its time and profits to helping in the charity/non profit sector. Salesforce is thriving, so that is a huge gift! Most of this work is channeled through the Salesforce Foundation. The Foundation has been doing some research on what makes for smooth implementation. Here are the results. Enjoy
Salesforce Foundation Survey Results
30th Apr 2013 | Salesforce
I am just on my way to the Salesforce Customer Company Tour. This is a chance to find out about the latest innovations at Salesforce. They are continuing to push the idea of the social web – knowing more about your customers and donors by making use of the information they put out on the web. Most obviously this information is there for all to see in people’s Facebook pages and Twitter feeds. The other aspect of the social web is that your team on Salesforce can communicate efficiently and easy using the various features of Chatter. I am also looking forward to finding out about the continued work of the Salesforce Foundation and how they continue to help charities to achieve their aims. In all, it should be exciting and interesting. Perhaps I will see you there?
Itinerary
28th Jan 2013 | General Information, Salesforce, Web Hosting, Websites
The good news is that we have survived the move!
The even better news is that, with the business based in the cloud, there were no servers to move. Even our removal company, who seemed intent on damaging as much as possible, could not compromise our data – it is all safe on servers in data centres.
As far as the business is concerned, it is business as usual. Until the landline internet is connected, we are working off the local 3G signal. The 3G in this area gives us a similar speed to that expected off the wired internet. Thanks to Virgin Mobile, we have unlimited internet at a very reasonable price.
If only all the office furniture were based in the cloud! Much of that is in need of unpacking. For you, our loyal customers, it is business as usual. Even our 0800 number is automatically forwarded to our new line. (Thanks to Telecoms World for that.)
I suppose that you do not really need to know where we are located, as we can work from anywhere. For the curious, we are in a village near Ammanford in the county of Dyfed, just off the end of the M4. The full address is on the Contact Us page.
