As we look to the skies to see what the final month of Summer has in store for us we thought we'd quickly run through some changes and also some developments here most of which will hopefully make your life easier.
Security
We've always taken security seriously at NetWise as many of you know. Those of you who have been clients for many years may remember the days of our firewall being over zealous and banning you from the server frequently. In recent years we've had to employ more sophisticated methods of security that not only detect potential intrusion attempts whilst not causing genuine users any unnecessary firewall blocks.
Since the conflict in the Ukraine, we've seen an enormous spike in malicious traffic to the servers, not least because we host hundreds of government websites. Not only has this traffic increased exponentially but we're also seeing more sophisticated attacks.
We've responded to this increased threat with updated external firewall protection that filters traffic before it even reaches the servers. We've increased the frequency of security and software updates and we scan the servers every few days for potential risks. We've added more layers of software security and also issued bulletins to all our clients asking them to be vigilant with phishing emails and to contact us before clicking on any email link that they think could be suspicious. You can read our announcements on your client portal here https://netwiseuk.com/portal/index.php/announcements
New Tutorials
As we continue to add new features to NetWise V2, we've realised that we need to make some more short tutorials. Based on the support tickets that we receive we have a list of common requests for video tutorials such as:
- How to edit the footer information
- How to add, edit or change the content boxes on the home page
- How to add dummy menu items with drop downs
- Activating and using the Gutenberg page editor
- Creating agendas and minutes directly on the website and enabling an PDF download button automatically. (in line with GDS recommendations for publishing in HTML)
- How to create and administer email accounts
We expect to start uploading these to our video tutorials page this coming week and have most of the new content rolled out by the beginning of September.
Inflationary Pressures
We're fully aware that you're constantly juggling finances and so it's perhaps a weekly occurrence that you're seeing price increase notices given the current situation.
Despite constant investment in software development, hosting and security, we've resisted increasing our prices for the past six years as inflation has been relatively low but even at the low figures we've all enjoyed until late, that's still over 12% in cumulative increases that we've absorbed over six years, add to that the current 9.4% (forecasted to go higher still) and the figure is well over 22%. A figure that no amount of optimism can ignore. And so, regretfully, because of global inflation we're no longer able to hold off. As a result, and regretfully, some of our products will be increasing on invoices due from Sept 1st.
Many products aren't affected and we'll be holding the current price on these products such as .gov domains, Also our setup fees remain unchanged. It is the costs beyond our control that need to increase. Domain names other than gov.uk will increase to £20 per year. Annual fees will rise by 10% as it's the hosting costs and the associated security features that have changed dramatically.
As an example, our Standard package was £250.00 per annum and from September it will rise to £275.00 per annum. We're confident, that we still offer the best value compliant product, along with the best UK hosting, security and support at the best possible price point.
We trust that you'll understand the circumstances that make this increase necessary and we thank you for your continued support.
Developing a NetWise Community
As you can imagine, we've worked with so many Clerks, RFO's and Council Officers over the years that we've learned a great deal and forged some wonderful relationships along the way. The features on V2 are largely created by demand and it's you, our clients that have shaped the way it's been developed. On occasion we've been able to recommend a Locum Clerk purely because we've worked with them for years and they know the NetWise system well and this has got us to thinking. Why don't we create a NetWise Community Group on Facebook. This would be a private, invitation only group for Clerks, RFO's and officers and could act as a resource for Q&A, advice, tips etc. not just for NetWise websites but for all aspects of local government admin and compliance. We'd also be involved and would look to give short workshops on various topics relevant to the industry such as accessibility, getting the most from your website etc. Naturally the group would be closed to the public.
What do you think? Is it something that you'd feel was beneficial? We've created a short survey here. We'd love to hear your thoughts.
New Features
You may notice little features that are automatically added to V2. We update the theme often with small improvements. We thought we'd give you an insight into a couple of the new features that we're working on, these will be rolled out free of charge to all V2 users once they're ready.
Quick Announcement bar - this will be a customisable bar across the top of the website that can be used to make quick announcements that deserve attention.
Option to have clickable links / button on the carousel images on the home page - this will enable you to use a headline on the home page carousel and link to internal pages, for example, you might need input on a public consultation or possibly promoting an annual event.
We're hoping to create a wish list (possibly using the Facebook group that we mentioned earlier) so that you're able to suggest and vote on new features. In the mean time, please using the survey link above to let us know if you have any specific ideas or email us on info@netwiseuk.com
Thanks for taking the time to read this, we hope you've found it useful. Enjoy the remainder of your Summer!
Assuring you of our best attention at all times
Adam & Steve
Monday, August 1, 2022
