Zen Bytes - Residential - September 2015

ZEN BYTES A regular update fromZen SEPTEMBER 2015

THE FUTURE OF BROADBAND

PLUS: The Revolution of TLS1.0 Is IPv6 for you? Technology Blogspot

WWW.ZEN.CO.UK 01706 902912

THE REVOLUTION OF TLS1.0

Hello Welcome to Zen Bytes.

Important Security Update

T he summer here at Zen sees many of our team head off on their holidays. It means the office is a little quieter than usual - but not by much. The team left behind continue working extremely hard to ensure you still receive a super level of service! One of the recent projects we’ve been spending a lot of time on is our IPv6 trial. Originally launched to our Partners, wehad a huge number of customers getting in touch want ing to be involved , so we extended the trial across our entire customer base. Many home-based web users will find a host of benefits from working with IPv6. Unsure of what IPv6 is, or want to sign up for the trial yourself? Read on to find out more.

In this issue, we’ll also be looking at ultrafast broadband G.Fast, and we’ll be introducing you to a key member of our team - Saf. We’ll also be sharing another of our self-help videos and as usual, you’ll be able to take a look over the newest technologies set to catch your eye in the coming months. Until next time, it’s goodbye for now. Enjoy Zen Bytes.

At Zen, we believe security of information is of utmost importance.

our in-house activities to further step-up security and we’ll provide guides on updating your browser, checking your settings and how to make the required settings if they are not enabled by default. For you, it could be as easy as flicking a switch. This change in online security is being made worldwide from 30th June 2016 (although we’ve opted to implement the changes several weeks earlier to help our customers during the crossover), so if you don’t take the steps to upgrade your online security before then , your online experience will be drastically interrupted.

There's an industry-wide security update taking place, that will affect your online experience if you don't take a few simple steps to prepare. In-built within your browser and operating system on your computer or laptop are a number of security measures and encryption tools to protect you while you're online. These tools can eventually become out of date, so updates need to be made to ensure your browsing is secure - particularly if you make payments online. As a business, we need to make these security improvements too ; so recently, we retir ed some older encryption protocols and ciphers and next year on 1st of June 2016, Zen will disable both SSL 3.0 and TLS1.0 encryption protocols - a month before they become out of date.

Both SSL 3.0 and TLS1.0 are old encryption protocols now, and it is widely accepted by security experts that they are no longer considered 100% secure for data transfers including online card payments. Because we promote the use of more modern cryptography which ensures data is as secure as it can be, we feel it necessary to update to TLS1.1 and TLS1.2. However, we want to make you aware that from 30th June 2016, anyone whose browser still has TLS1.0 enabled will be unable to access online shopping websites . This doesn’t just apply to pages on the Zen site ; i t applies to every website worldwide which takes card transactions. Tomake things as easy as possible, over the coming months we’ll issue further updates about the changes,

Richard Tang CEO and Founder, Zen Internet

V isit our website for an easy guide on how to update your browser today.

VISIT HERE

Is IPv6 for you?

SCREAM IF YOU WANNA GO FASTER

As the world’s IPv4 addresses continue to diminish, calls for the option to switch to IPv6 have become louder.

The response we received was overwhelming; endless numbers of Partners wanting to get involved so they c ould start to benefit from everything it offers.

32-bit IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version 4) is the fourth revision of the Internet Protocol (IP) used to identify devices on a network – almost like an addressing system for your phones, laptops and tablets. It’s the most widely deployed internet protocol used to connect devices to the internet, and there were over 4 billion addresses to choose from when it first became available. However, as the world becomes increasingly connected, we’re reaching a point where IPv4 addresses are in short supply. For some time, Zen had been receiving requests from customers to make IPv6 - the newest version of IP addresses made up of 128 bit s - available, so around a month ago we opted to launch a trial of IPv6 to our Partners.

The future of broadband.

H ere at Zen, we like to stay one step ahead of the latest technologies ; trying and testing newproducts so we're ready to bring them tomarket.

Our Broadband Product Manager, Andrew Sayle, said: “This is the future of broadband. As the technology weuse inour personal andprofessional lives progresses, internet users are demanding more bandwidth - which is where G.Fast and FOD2 come in. We want to see how these new broadband services perform in real-world scenarios, so have made customers in the trial areas prepared and we hope that, shortly afterwards, these technologies can be made available to our entire customer base.

potential speeds of up to 1Gbps (FOD2) for a minimum of six months - starting from the last week of August - to assess the accessibility and capability of the technologies so that, further down the line, we can deliver this tried and tested technology to our entire customer base. G.Fast and FOD2 can support unfathomable amounts of data and the next generation of content - Super HD . This will make huge differences to both home and business owners, transforming the speed of connectivity, communication, data transfer and web-powered applications.

Shortly after, we launched it to our entire customer base.

Predictions around the benefits IPv6 can bring to internet users bothat home and inbusiness are – if they prove to be true – rather transformative, including easier management of networks and improved security features. So, we’re thrilled to be inviting all our customers to take part in the trial before we roll IPv6 out across our services at a later date.

That’s why we’ve opted to work with BT to deliver the fastest possible broadband speeds to customers

by launching a trial of two 'Ultrafast' internet services - G.Fast and FOD2.

Existing Zen customers in Huntingdon and Gosforth – two locations selected by BT – were recently offered the chance to sign up to the trial and benefit from

Ready to sign up? VISIT HERE

WATCH THIS SPACE!

Let us know how your trial is going if you're taking part!

Checking your usage Over the last few months, we’ve been sharing our new range of self-help videos - this month, it's how to check your broadband usage .

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF… Mohammed Sarfaraz – Zen’s Provisioning and Customer Services Manager

T he very start of my day previous day – reviewing the number of calls taken, the number of emails we received, how quickly we reacted to any faults and any disruption to service. If something has caused an increase in the queries we’re receiving, I work to discover exactly why it’s happened. Our focus within Provisioning and Customer Service is to surpass – not just meet – customer expectation bydeliveringapersonal, understanding service which causes minimum disruptionand enhances their service with Zen. We’re a small but hugely effective team. I carry out Daily Touchdowns, where I speak with every member of the team to ensure they’re not facing any challenges, and have everything in place to guarantee effective and efficient calls with customers all the time. involves going through the team’s performance for the

Part of my role is to ensure every process is streamlined – whether that’s between Zen and its suppliers, team to team or between the team andour customers. If there’s amember of our team who thinks we could improve a process to make the customer experience better, I encourage them to stand up and challenge the status quo. Too often, habits can become embedded and we don’t challenge what could be transformed for the better. I hope the team feel empowered to speak up when they have an idea, because their ideas drive great change. Thebest part ofmy job is the interaction I have with other people – the team, customers and suppliers. We have an exceptional teamof advisors in the Provisioning and Customer Service team and we have the same set of beliefs: delivering customer service excellence, with a human touch. Any positive feedback I receive is testament to the work of my team; they do a great job every day to ensure Zen continues to stand out as delivering the best service in the industry.

We’re always here to help you – no matter the time of day or night – but we know you don’t always want to placeacall in. That’swhywe’ve devised these videos to help you DIY when it comes toyour internet package. This month, we’re giving you the lowdown on checking your broadband usage. Let’s face it, when you start enjoying a new series on Netflix, or rediscover an old music artist and you just HAVE to download ALL their albums, it can be easy to lose track of where you’re up to with your download usage. That’s why, if you’re not on an Unlimited download package, this video tutorial is super valuable. With just a few clicks you can see how much usage you have left during that particular month, and if you need to you can easily download extra capacity to ensure there are no surprises when you receive your bill. We’re constantly trying to make your lives easier. This is just one way of doing that.

DID YOU KNOW? Our Live Chat is open every week day from 9am until 6pm. You can gain instant access to anadvisorwho’ll talkyou through any issues you might be struggling with, so you can get your problems solved even more quickly. Visit zen. co.uk, click onto Home, then the ‘Contact Us’ tab at the top of the page, before clicking on ‘Live Chat’ to speak to a member of the team. LIVE CHAT NOW

TECHNOLOGY BLOGSPOT

PODCASTS STILL GROWING AUDIENCES

INSTAGRAM FOR MAPS

MAJOR FUN IN THE MIDLANDS

Another miscellany of selected news, views and tips for independent professionals, business owners and home users collected from across the Web

By Rod Fielding

RANDOM BITS & BYTES Created at the School of Computer Sciences and Statistics, Trinity College, Dublin, Random.org has generated

Since its first buzzword appearances ten years ago, the term 'podcasting' seemed to all but disappear for a time when social media began to win big audiences. Podcasting's perceived fall from public consciousness came about when media buzz moved on and filled with talkof newer technologies like Facebook and Twitter. But behind the scenes, podcasting continued to grow its audience year on year, actually rivalling numbers claimed by the most successful social media platforms. Even up to the present day, in both the US and UK, around 15 per cent of the adult population are counted as podcast listeners. The vast attractive selection online at the BBC in particular (bbc.com/ podcasts) has helped to maintain the medium's popularity in this country and now major news outlets like The Financial Times, BuzzFeed, and The Guardian are building audiences for their own podcasts.

Currently open 24/7 online, "Map Stack" allows educators, students, or anyone fascinated bymaps to create exquisitely tailored cartographic images via an easy to use web-based interface. The tool uses a systemsimilar toPhotoshop's classic menu of layers and palettes, allowing users to design their own maps without having to know any code, install software, or even do any typing. "The idea is to make it radically simpler for people to design their own map styles. We provide different parts of the map stack, like backgrounds, roads, labels, and satellite imagery, and straightforward controls for manipulating things like colour, opacity, and masking", according to Map Stack. "Within five minutes you can have, say, a map of anywhere in the world with purple satellite buildings and orange roads, if that's your fancy". Making it evenmore like "an Instagram

Eurogamer Expo (EGX) - at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) 24-27 September - is the UK's biggest games show and offers visitors the chance to test drive upcoming best-sellers and try out a whole range of spanking new consoles and PC games before they're released. Everything from AAA games from the world's biggest publishers through to left-field indie titles by one-man enthusiast developers will be available. Other activities on offer include tournaments indie games, cosplay, a retro zone, board games, mobile games and the usual array of gaming geek merchandise to buy. Also at the Expo, the GamesIndustry.biz Career Fair presents opportunities to speak directly to recruiters and leading games industry professionals, aswell as take part in career workshops and more.

many purposes is better than the pseudo-random number algorithms typically used in computer programs. People use Random.org when running lotteries and sweepstakes, todrive online games, for scientific applications and for art and music. Many of the services on the site are free, but visitors can also use the Third-Party Draw Service for a small fee. Readers might also like to explore the Learn About Randomness section, where they can find much more about the history of randomness.

over two trillion truly random bits in its nearly two decade history. As the site explains, true randomness is not as easy to come by as you might think.

Most computers generate only pseudo-random numbers using

mathematical formulae. But Random. org offers the real thing, completely unpredictable and available to anyone on the Internet. It generates randomness from atmospheric noise, which for

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SEARCH ENGINE OF THE MONTH

Instagram has boosted search support for its web user fans. Following recent improvements around the Discovery tab of its mobile apps, the updated web searchnowhunts throughhashtags, users' accounts and general terms for anyone who prefers browsing on the desktop to fiddling on the phone. You might not get all the frills of the Instagram app's Explore tab - there are no trending tags shown in the browser version and you won't get suggestions about accounts to follow or photos to view - but it will make sharing content a little easier, allowing linking tohashtags along with locations. Note that youwill need needan Instagramaccount to access Web-based search: the site requires you to log-in before the search box appears.

for maps", the site also makes it easy to share completed images via Pinterest and Tumblr.

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