The Consultancy Blog

Windows XP No Longer Generally Available

2008-07-01T10:24:08.25+01:00

Microsoft's Windows XP operating system will become increasingly difficult for consumers and small businesses to get hold of as from today.

Microsoft will no longer be providing OEM licences to manufacturers, such as Dell and HP, which means that the Windows XP operating system will not be sold pre-installed, once current stocks sell out.

Firms will be able to downgrade to Windows XP from Windows Vista and they will be able to buy licences for the operating system through Microsoft's volume licensing programmes.

This weblog is produced by Revell Research Systems.

Chartered IT Professionals (CITP) are Top Earners

2008-06-14T14:23:16.562+01:00

Following my recent article on Chartered IT Professionals (CITP), I was interested to read a report by Computer Weekly (published on 12th June 2008) that covered the recent IT salary survey undertaken by research firm Celre, which stated:-

BCS Chartered IT Professionals (CITP) are the top earners with an average salary of £54,080, indicating that companies are paying top price for business and IT experience.

Revell Research Systems has long understood the importance of combining business and IT expertise. We believe that the Chartered IT Professional (CITP) qualification, which is equivalent in status to other chartered qualifications, such as Chartered Accountants and Chartered Surveyors, is extremely important.

All professional work undertaken by Revell Research Systems is closely managed by a chartered professional, which ensures clients that our work is executed to the highest of professional standards within Information Technology.

This weblog is produced by Revell Research Systems.

IT Support in Exeter

2008-05-24T08:36:48.64+01:00

Revell Research Systems provides IT support to an ever growing number of professional service firms in Exeter. Many of our clients in Exeter have been using us for more than a decade for IT support and we have established a reputation for being flexible and more than prepared to go the extra mile when needed.

An important factor in choosing Revell Research Systems for IT support has consistently proved to be our impartiality and our independence. We do not sell any products or accept inducements for recommending one solution over another. Our clients simply get what is best for them.

IT support draws on our systems engineering discipline, which covers the installation, configuration and maintenance of both servers and workstations. We have considerable experience in managing IT systems and have adopted approaches that reduce downtime considerably for our clients.

We only employ graduate calibre consultants, who are assisted by well-qualified technicians when appropriate.

Some clients look to us to run their IT systems completely, while others use us as a technical resource for the own internal team and see us as a deep pool of expertise that they can dip into when necessary.

Another important aspect to the IT support we provide is that all the work we undertake as a practice is always supervised by a Chartered IT Professional (CITP). This provides assurance to our clients that the work is being executed to the highest of professional standards.

If you would like to know more about our work in this field, please do not hesitate to contact me on (01392) 259797 or by email to enquires@rrs.co.uk.

This weblog is produced by Revell Research Systems.

Chartered IT Professional (CITP)

2008-05-18T11:03:36.234+01:00

I was recently asked what Chartered IT Professionals were. Well, the answer is they are the computing equivalent to Chartered Accountants or Chartered Surveyors, etc.

Chartered IT Professional (CITP) status is awarded on the basis of peer assessment by The British Computer Society, which is the only IT body in the United Kingdom empowered to grant chartered status to IT professionals under its 1984 Royal Charter.

The fact that The British Computer Society’s authority to confer Chartered IT Professional (CITP) status derives from its Royal Charter means that the award is seen to be on a par with the other chartered professions by HM Government within the United Kingdom and is recognised by the British Government as the paramount qualification within IT in Great Britain.

The criteria and requirements for chartered professionals in any field must be approved by the Privy Council.

This weblog is produced by Revell Research Systems.

Alastair Revell elected to BCS South West Branch Committee

2008-05-16T07:37:08.062+01:00

The Consultancy's Managing Consultant, Chartered IT Professional Alastair Revell, was elected to the Committee of the South West Branch of The British Computer at its AGM on Tuesday, 13th May 2008.

The branch is geographically one of The British Computer Society's largest, covering both Devon and Cornwall, and has over 800 IT professionals amongst its membership.

This weblog is produced by Revell Research Systems.

My Role in a firm of Computer Consultants based in Devon

2008-03-25T13:43:58.671+00:00

I am often asked what my job is and who I work for. This is often followed by "So what do they do?" Well, here's the answer...

I'm the business development manager for Revell Research Systems, which is a management and technology consulting practice, specialising in IT and computer consultancy. The firm is based in Exeter in Devon, but delivers its services across the whole of the United Kingdom and increasingly further afield.

Although the business is based in Exeter, I actually work most of the time from Torquay, which is about 45 minutes away on the beautiful English Riviera in South Devon.

So what does this Devon-based IT consultancy do? We effectively specialise in four areas: IT strategy development, systems engineering, networking and software development (including web design). The consultancy can deliver its expertise in these fields at any point along a spectrum of involvement, ranging from consulting (where we provide advice), through training and support, to implementation (where we actually do all the work).

Our clients blend our expertise and the methods of delivery we offer to their own particular requirements, which makes us extremely flexible. We also offer standard solutions, such as IT support, strategy consultancy and web design as well as traditional application development.

We are different to many computer consultancies and solution providers because we are organised along the lines of a traditional professional service firm and adhere to the same values commonly associated with these businesses.

Several other things stick out about Revell Research Systems. Firstly, we do not sell anything but our expertise, so do not sell hardware or other people's software. Secondly, we only ever provide independent, impartial and unbiased advice. We never accept inducements to recommend one particular solution over another. Thirdly, all of our professional work is always supervised by a Chartered IT Professional (CITP).

My intention is to expand on some of these aspects of our work in future articles.

This weblog is produced by Revell Research Systems.

Windows Server/SQL Server/Visual Studio 2008 Launch

2008-03-19T18:46:09.187+00:00

Microsoft will formally launch their latest products in the United Kingdom today. These include Visual Studio 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008.

As software developers, we are obviously quite excited about the launch of Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008. From what we have seen, there are some very interesting new technologies, such as LINQ.

We are obviously also quite interested in Windows Server 2008 from an IT support perspective. We won't be recommending it for deployment until the released version has been thoroughly tested in the field.

This weblog is produced by Revell Research Systems.

IAP Spring Seminar 2008

2008-03-07T19:05:13.109+00:00

The Institution of Analysts and Programmers (IAP) are holding their Spring Seminar 2008 at the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden, London, on Thursday, 17th April 2008.

The IAP is Britain's leading professional organisation for those working in the development, installation and testing of business systems and computer software.

The seminar will see David Broughton, an ex-RAF navigator and currently the Director of the Royal Institute of Navigation in London, present an overview of satellite navigation. Nick Ford, a Transport Consultant to Advanced Transport Systems, will talk on Driverless Cars, while Ian Arthurton, Chairman of London Transport Museum Friends and a former Director of Passenger Services for London Underground, will talk about the work of the venue.

More details for those interested are available from the IAP's web site:-

http://www.iap.org.uk

This weblog is produced by Revell Research Systems.

Welcome to The Consultancy Blog!

2008-03-04T20:01:55.921+00:00

Welcome to The Consultancy Blog!

My name is Fiona Burgess and I am the Consultancy's Business Development Manager. I am going to be the editor of this team blog, which aims to provide useful information about developments involving the practice as well as issues that catch my eye or those of my colleagues.

I've been with Revell Research Systems since 2006, but this is definitely a new and rather exciting development for me. I have a confession - I have never blogged before!

Alastair Revell, our Managing Consultant, already blogs at http://blogs.rrs.co.uk/revella. His blog is very widely read and is syndicated to IT Director as well as a number of other well-respected sites.

Revell Research Systems is definitely a very happening place to work. It is certainly challenging and there is always something to keep me on my toes.

We are quite unusual within the IT industry. We don't actually sell anything other than the practice's expertise. We are totally independent, impartial and unbiased. We simply do not accept any form of inducement to promote one product or service over another. I find that this sometimes throws people. They find it hard to believe that they can actually get IT advice without the feeling they are being sold something!

The Consultancy is modelled along the lines of a traditional professional service firm, with all our client assignments being supervised by a Chartered IT Professional (CITP). This is a really important quality standard for our clients. The qualification is awarded by The British Computer Society (BCS) under its Royal Charter and is recognised as being the equivalent to the other chartered professions (such as chartered accountants, architects and surveyors) by HM Government.

I am looking forward to this blogging experience (although with some trepidation!) and to sharing with you various aspects of my work and the exciting developments that are occuring here at the Consultancy.

I would very much welcome any feedback about whether I am hitting the mark, either by email or more publicly by using the comment facility for each posting.

This weblog is produced by Revell Research Systems.