What's on this website?
This website contains resources for some of Sue Brandreth's current Web-related courses.

Joint Bedford College-British Computer Society Event - Wednesday 15 May 2013 - "Business Applications of Mobile Apps"
Speaker: Dr Harin Sellahewa, Senior Lecturer and Director of Postgraduate Programmes, Department of Applied Computing, University of Buckingham
Mike Corbridge, MA, Founder of The Social Media Black Belt (http://thesocialmediablackbelt.com/) and MobileApps4Bizness (http://mobileapps4bizness.com/)

Time:  6.00pm for 6.30-8.00pm

Continuing the programme of highly successful events held at Bedford College, there was another joint British Computer Society (BCS) and Bedford College free evening lecture on Wednesday 15 May 2013.

“Business Applications of Mobile Apps” was the topic of talks by Dr Harin Sellahewa, Senior Lecturer and Director of Postgraduate Programmes, Department of Applied Computing at the University of Buckingham, and Mike Corbridge, MA, founder of The Social Media Black Belt (http://thesocialmediablackbelt.com/) and MobileApps4Bizness (http://mobileapps4bizness.com/)

This event was ideal for anyone interested in finding out how smartphone apps could help their business.

Both Harin and Mike have kindly supplied copies of there presentations which can be downloaded from here:

"Business Applications of Mobile Apps - Harin Sellahewa" (PDF 1,213KB)
"Business Applications of Mobile Apps - Mike Corbridge" (PDF 752KB)

• It has been projected that mobile devices will overtake desktops by 2015.
• Mobile is the fastest growing industry… EVER.
• The mobile app industry is expected to grow 1000% to 58 billion by 2015.

Mobile has taken the world by storm largely because of the applications that users are able to download and use on their smartphones. These provide instant information and provide customers with a direct way to contact a business from their smartphones.

Your business needs to compete for customers with many other businesses on a daily basis.  Mobile Apps allow you to reach your customers directly and gain a competitive advantage.  Now small business can develop mobile apps that are affordable and designed to give customers a rewarding experience, deliver higher level services to current customers, keep customers engaged with the brand while they are on the move - as well as attract even more new customers.

Mobile phones have become an integral part of our daily lives.  It is estimated that there are over 6 billion mobile phones in use today.  The technology – celebrating its 40th anniversary this year – has evolved from the employment of uni-functional mobile communication devices to fully-featured, context-aware smartphones now even being used in space exploration.

Combined with the latest communication technology and protocols, smartphones are capable of delivering a rich user experience and a variety of services to the user.  Much of the current success of smartphones is attributed to their ability to download third party apps onto the phone – a successful model introduced by Apple for iPhones.  By the end of 2012 over 25 billion Apple and Google Android apps had been downloaded.

The ability to run third party as well as web-based apps on smartphones presents small businesses unique opportunities. This talk will focus on how smartphones’ capabilities and apps could be harnessed to enhance the activities of small businesses.

The talk provided an overview of existing business apps, ideas for new apps and how you can go about developing an app to support your business.

Mike Corbridge is the force behind The Social Media Black Belt and MobileApps4Bizness.  Before establishing these businesses, Mike spent 12 years in corporate retail, distribution and logistics working for TKMaxx and Sainsburys followed by setting up MK KickBoxercise.  For this venture, Mike tried various marketing techniques to promote the business but it was only when he discovered social media marketing that the business really took off - increasing revenues by 250% in just 6 months!

Mike’s mantra is to help businesses experience the success he has achieved without having to do all the research and feel the frustration that he went through.  Over the last year, The Social Media Black Belt has built in excess of 100 social media platforms, coached many clients and provided quality content and engagement that is guaranteed to generate leads for businesses.

Mike’s journey led him to mobile marketing realising that the future really is mobile - and so MobileApps4bizness was founded.  MobileApps4Bizness delivers quality mobile apps for iPhone, iPad and Android smartphones at competitive prices - making these products available to small to medium size businesses.

Mike is also delighted to be involved with Expo 3.0 2014 as a headline sponsor.

Computer Security - Ethical Hacking - 9.00-12.00am Tuesday 26 March 2013
Lecturer: Geraint Williams, Information Risk Consultant and Trainer, IT Governance Ltd., Honorary Visiting Fellow at the University of Bedfordshire.

Over the past few years, Geraint Williams has become a regular visitor to Bedford College – either addressing packed audiences of local business people and students at recent Joint Bedford College – British Computer Society events, or sharing his expertise with our Computing students with lectures on Ethical Hacking, and on Securing Web Applications.

For the third year in succession the department was delighted to welcome Geraint to talk to our students about Computer Security and Ethical Hacking on the morning of 26 March 2013.  To a packed room of full-time Level 3 Computing students, Foundation Degree students and part-time students, Geraint shared his experiences illustrated with’ real-life’ hacking demonstrations.

Geraint Williams is, without doubt, a leading expert and authority in the field of computer security and forensics.   The talk was designed as an introductory session on computer security and ethical hacking and included a demonstration of how a weakness in an operating system could be exploited to take over the machine - allowing the attacker to gain full control.

Geraint has kindly supplied a copy of his presentation which can be downloaded from here:

Computer Security: Ethical Hacking (PDF 2.36MB)

Joint Bedford College-British Computer Society Event - Wednesday 27 March 2013 - "How understanding social media can help your business"
Speaker: Eric Swain, Client Services Director at Equinet Media, Broadcaster of ‘The Social Media Show’
Time:  6.00pm for 6.30-8.00pm

Continuing the programme of highly successful events held at Bedford College, there was another joint British Computer Society (BCS) and Bedford College free evening lecture on Wednesday 27 March 2013.

“How understanding social media can help your business” was the topic of a talk by Eric Swain, Client Services Director at Equinet Media, broadcaster of ‘The Social Media Show’.

To a packed and lively audience of local business representatives and students, Eric Swain, Client Services Director at Equinet Media, and Broadcaster of ‘The Social Media Show’ explained how to run a social media programme that will achieve definite, measurable results. 

Eric wowed audiences with his informative talk about how global giants used the internet to create communities, of customers and influencers, and how the same principles could be applied to even the smallest one-man businesses.

This talk was part of the continuing programme of highly successful events held in Bedford College’s Studio Theatre.  You can follow the comments made on Twitter both during and after this event at #bcsericswain.

Eric can be heard regularly on The Social Media radio show http://www.thesocialmediashow.co.uk/show-8-professional-firms-and-social-media/

Eric has kindly supplied a copy of his presentation which can be downloaded from here:

"How understanding social media can help your business" (PowerPoint 27,096KB)
"How understanding social media can help your business" (PDF 4,085KB)

You’ve probably noticed: The internet has gone social.  And it’s changing the way we communicate. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are buzzing with conversations about brands, products and services. Blog posts are commented on. YouTube videos are shared. And it seems like everybody is tweeting.

The Internet, social technologies and mobile ubiquity have brought about profound changes to the way we interact, communicate and do business.  Modern companies need to understand what that means for them and make the changes necessary to compete and thrive in today's marketplace.

But where do you start; and how can you be certain you are getting the right results? This talk by Eric Swain, Client Services Director at Equinet Media, broadcaster of ‘The Social Media Show’, showed you how to run a social media programmethat will achieve definite, measurable results.

Topics covered:

• Why social media
  • Understanding the importance of the social era
  • Growth in channels
  • Growth in adoption
  • Examples
• Before we think about using social media
  • Culture
  • Craft the “Why”
  • Case studies
• Success with Social Media – how to deliver business results/good outcomes
  • Leads -> Revenue
  • Customer care
  • Product development
  • B2B vs B2C
  • ROI
  • Case studies
• Building a social media programme – professional, structured approach
  • Processes and best practice
  • 5 steps, diving into each
  • Case studies

With a background in marketing strategy, social media and mobile technologies, Eric Swain helps clients make meaningful sense of the brave new world where the customer controls the business ecosystem like never before. He’s been knocking about the place for the past 20 years as a consultant, agency head, director, head of marketing or sales (or both) for companies from tech startups and mobile app developers to brewers and vending machine brokers.

Once described as “smart, good-looking, athletic, persuasive and brilliant” on an anonymous feedback form he claims to have found, Eric is enthusiastic about real, honest communication and enjoys writing his own online bio whenever he gets the chance.

NEW (26/2/2012)
New Page - Student Recommended Resources

Interesting Web Resource - The Evolution of the Web - Browsers and Technologies - The Growth of the Internet (http://evolutionofweb.appspot.com/)
The web today is a growing universe of interlinked web pages and web apps, teeming with videos, photos and interactive content. What the average user doesn't see is the interplay of web technologies and browsers that makes all this possible.

Over time, web technologies have evolved to give web developers the ability to create new generations of useful and immersive web experiences. Today's web is a result of the ongoing efforts of an open web community that helps define these web technologies, like HTML5, CSS3 and WebGL, and ensure that they're supported in all web browsers.

The colour bands in this visualisation represent the interaction between web technologies and browsers, which brings to life the many powerful web apps that we use daily.

Joint Bedford College-British Computer Society Event - Tuesday 26 February 2013 - "WiFi Networks: The Practicalities of Implementing A WiFi Network"
Speaker: Geraint Williams, Information Risk Consultant and Trainer, IT Governance Ltd., Honorary Visiting Fellow at the University of Bedfordshire

Secure configuration is becoming ever more important as an increasing number of devices are incorporating wireless technology - from laptops, smartphones, tablets, projectors and cameras, to multimedia entertainment systems and games consoles.  The growing demand for allowing BYOD (“Bring Your Own Device”) within the corporate network means that larger numbers of organisations are implementing wireless networks.  

The wireless network standard 802.11 was originally released in 1997 by the IEEE and, by computing timescales, is a mature technology with a large base of manufacturers and both commercial and domestic users.  Despite initiatives like Wireless Protected Setup (WPS) to make installation easier, there are still issues in implementing a network using wireless technology in both the corporate and home environments.

The courts have already convicted paedophiles for piggybacking neighbours wireless networks to download material, and hackers for using wireless networks for pirating software, music and films and for spying on occupants using their own security cameras.

Wireless networks have a history of security problems with flaws in the implementation of WEP and recently with WPS.  This talk looked at these issues, the (open source) tools that can be used, and how these apply to the wireless environment.  The talk included practical demonstrations of the tools and techniques discussed in the presentation and served to unravel the alphabetic soup of the available standards.

Feedback following the talk ranged from “That was awesome” to “The lecture was incredibly interesting and informative.  These lectures are inspirational from the point of view of an IT student, as they contain such quality of information, and display what is currently possible.”

Geraint has kindly supplied a copy of his presentation which can be downloaded from here:

"WiFi Networks: The Practicalities of Implementing A WiFi Network" (PDF 2,852KB)

Web Server Security - Securing Web Applications - 6.00-9.00pm Wednesday 9 January 2013
Lecturer: Geraint Williams, Information Risk Consultant and Trainer, IT Governance Ltd., Honorary Visiting Fellow at the University of Bedfordshire.

Is Your Website Secure?
“Web Server Security - Securing Web Applications” was the subject of an excellent talk held on the evening of Wednesday 9 January 2013 between 6.00 and 8.00pm.  The lecture and demonstration was delivered by Geraint Williams, Information Risk Consultant and Trainer, IT Governance Ltd., and Honorary Visiting Fellow at the University of Bedfordshire.   Geraint, a regular guest lecturer at Bedford College, is an exceptional speaker combining vast industry and academic experience with the unique ability to engage and enthral his audience.

Geraint has kindly supplied a copy of his presentation which can be downloaded from here:

"Web Server Security - Securing Web Applications" (PDF 2,835KB)

University of Bedfordshire Networking and Security Expert Shares his Knowledge with Computing Students - 2.00pm Monday 17 December 2012

We were very fortunate to have been able to welcome Dr Gregory Epiphaniou, Lecturer in Computer Science (Enterprise), University of Bedfordshire, PhD BSc(Hons) CSTA CEH IPTX MBCS FHEA as a guest lecturer on the afternoon of Monday 17 December.  The title of Dr Gregory’s talk and demonstration was "System Hardening against ARP Poisoning Attack to PureFTPD".

Dr Epiphaniou illustrated his talk by setting up a so-called “man-in-the-middle” attack where a hacker can eavesdrop on network traffic between a user and an FTP server and detect passwords being sent in the clear (or unencrypted).  After successfully obtaining the password, Dr Epiphaniou then went on to harden the network against further attacks of this nature by configuring a digital certificate to be used with TLS communication between the user and the FTP server.

The demonstration involved the use of the command line entirely and Dr. Epiphaniou’s great skill in typing long commands with precise syntax showed how quickly quite sophisticated systems could be set up and configured - without using a mouse or windows. This was one of Dr. Epiphaniou’s main points – that, more than ever, expert knowledge of the command line was demanded nowadays by the IT security and networking industry.

Although highly technical, Dr. Epiphaniou’s talk fitted in well with the curriculum of our Level 3 and Foundation Degree students who were able see that what they had been learning in class could be successfully applied to a real world scenario.

Joint Bedford College-British Computer Society Event - Tuesday 27 November 2012 - "The Way The Cookies Crumble "
Speaker: Karen Mason, Founder and Managing Director of Novalex Solicitors (http://www.novalex.co.uk).

"The Way The Cookies Crumble” was the topic of a free evening lecture by Karen Mason, Founder and Managing Director of Novalex Solicitors (http://www.novalex.co.uk). This talk is part of a programme of highly successful joint British Computer Society (BCS) and Bedford College events regularly held in the Studio Theatre at Bedford College.

Privacy has been a hot topic since the Internet became publicly available. More recently cookies have been in the news with requirements being imposed at a European level. The Information Commissioner’s Office here in the UK took the unusual step of delaying enforcement of the relevant regulations for 12 months, allegedly to allow website providers a period of time to put their houses in order. But what is the position now?

Are you confused by the definitions of "opt out" and "opt in"? Do you love or hate pop up boxes warning you about cookies on web sites? Are you interested in privacy as a basic human right?

If you run a website, what are your obligations? If you use a web designer, what do you need them to do to make sure your web site is legal?

This seminar covered all these issues and more.

An experienced solicitor with commercial expertise and specialist skills in IT, e-commerce and intellectual property law, Karen Mason trained at Clifford Chance and qualified as a solicitor in 1993.

Since then Karen has worked as an in house lawyer at the BBC and was Head of Legal Services at Demon Internet. Karen was a senior manager at Andersen Legal and a partner at two large Milton Keynes law firms before founding Novalex in 2008.

We are very grateful to Karen for giving up her valuable time to share her knowledge and experience of the latest cookie legislation.  I am sure that there were quite a few local websites that underwent a cookie audit first thing he following morning!

Thanks to all who attended the event and also for contributing to making it such an interactive and informative meeting.

Karen has kindly supplied a copy of her presentation which can be downloaded from here:

"The Way the Cookies Crumble" (PDF 132KB)

Joint Bedford College-British Computer Society Event - Thursday 4 October 2012 - "Getting your business found in the search engines - what's new and what's important? "
Speaker: Ann Stanley, Managing Director, Anicca Solutions (http://www.anicca-solutions.com)

If you run a business but were not sure of the best ways of getting your website found by search engines, and if you were not familiar with the recent Google updates – and had never heard of Penguin, Venice and Panda - you certainly would have been by the end of this talk!“

Getting your business found in the search engines - what's new and what's important?” was the topic of a free evening lecture by Ann Stanley, Managing Director, Anicca Solutions Ltd (http://www.anicca-solutions.com). This talk is part of a programme of highly successful joint British Computer Society (BCS) and Bedford College events regularly held in the Studio Theatre at Bedford College.

During a very comprehensive, fast-moving and informative talk to well over 90 delegates, Ann focused on Search Engine Marketing techniques, highlighting a host of tips on SEO including the importance of blogging and leveraging social interaction and engagement.  She also covered Paid Search or 'Pay Per Click' techniques including using AdWords for lead generation, and conversion rate optimisation to maximise ROI on Paid Search campaigns.

From the large number of people making comprehensive notes during her talk many delegates took the advantage to keep up-to-date with digital trends and left the meeting with the necessary tools and knowledge to optimize their business websites and to stay one step ahead of their competitors!

Ann Stanley is the co-founder and Managing Director of Anicca Solutions Ltd. She is a chartered marketer and has a wealth of online marketing and web development experience, having started in the industry in 2001. Ann oversees all the online marketing activity at Anicca Solutions, from Pay Per Click and search engine optimisation to social media, e-commerce, email marketing and everything else in-between. Although her real geeky passion is Google AdWords!

Ann is also a respected authority in the local online marketing industry, regularly hosting workshops in conjunction with Chamber of Commerce, CIM and Leicester De Montfort University; as well as speaking at national and international conferences including SMX, TFMA and Internet World.

The full slide presentation can be viewed on Ann’s blog at http://www.anicca-solutions.com/blog/

"I just wanted to say a big “thank you” for arranging such an informative talk last night. Ann was a brilliant speaker and her presentation was wonderfully informative. I’m sure it will have saved several businesses from making potentially costly arrangements with agencies that are not necessary for them. It also delivered so much information that enables business people to talk confidently when obtaining quotes for this type of work."

"I'd just like to say thanks for all the information you provided regarding the Google talk that was held on Thursday. It was very informative and helpful, particularly as I have just started working with Google Adwords and Analytics at [work]."

Joint Computing and Business Department Higher Education Study Skills Day - Wednesday 19 September 2012

During Higher Education Induction Week in September 2012 Computing and Business department staff got together for the first time to arrange a very successful full-day of HE study skills for the benefit of new recruits. The rationale behind this was the delivery of many relevant topics as short, sharp sessions!

We were pleased that a large group of over 30 students attended including Foundation Degree, HNC, and HND students as well as Higher Education Apprenticeships and an enjoyable and useful time was had by all. Topics covered during the day included time-management, goal setting and overcoming barriers, preparing and delivering presentations, report writing, referencing and plagiarism, creating presentations using Prezi, and using TurnItIn for assignment submission and originality checking.

The team challenge, without doubt, proved by far the most popular topic requiring students to demonstrate their combined skills in group-work, project management, planning, engineering and construction using the well-known building blocks of spaghetti and marshmallows!

Computing Department Higher Education Induction Week - Thursday 20 September 2012 - Visit to The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park

Recognising that there are very few opportunities for Computing Higher Education students studying on different programmes, groups and levels to get together during the normal academic year, an educational and social visit was arranged during our Higher Education Induction Week in September to The National Museum of Computing (http://www.tnmoc.org/) at Bletchley Park (http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/).

A small group comprising many of our new Year 1 students on either our Foundation Degree in IT Networking and Security or the new HNC/HND in Computing and Systems Development together with Year 2 and 3 Foundation Degree students, were given an extremely informative guided tour of the Museum.TNMOC enables visitors to follow the development of computing from the ultra-secret pioneering efforts of the 1940s through the mainframes of the 1960s and 1970s, and the rise of personal computing in the 1980s - including a newly rebuilt and fully operational Colossus, the world’s first electronic programmable computer.

Computing HE Students viewing the Harwell Dekatron / WITCH computer restoration project

We were all very impressed by the enthusiasm of all staff involved in this project including the many volunteers who regularly give up their valuable time to ensure that this ever growing collection is restored and maintained.

Joint Bedford College-British Computer Society Event - Thursday 28 June 2012 - "Hollywood Effect on Digital Forensics"
Speaker: Geraint Williams, Information Risk Consultant and Trainer, IT Governance Ltd., Honorary Visiting Fellow at the University of Bedfordshire.

Geraint has kindly supplied a copy of his presentation which can be downloaded from here:

"Hollywood Effect on Digital Forensics" (PDF 1,508KB)

Audio recording of talk on Hollywood Effect on Digital Forensics by Geraint Williams on 28 June 2012 at Bedford College (MP3 88,127KB)

The success of forensics-based dramas like CSI, Numb3rs, and NCIS has ensured there is no shortage of applicants to study forensics. Hollywood and its public are enamoured by the apparently supernatural potency of the discipline. The ludicrous feats of deduction often scored by the stars of these shows have convinced many that modern forensics is fast-paced, glamorous work.  The "CSI effect" has given the public and particularly some members of juries inflated expectations of computer forensic analysis. This talk looked at Hollywood and the TV interpretation of digital forensics and gave an insight into how it is really done.

Geraint Williams is an Information Risk Consultant and Trainer for IT Governance Ltd. and an Honorary Visiting Fellow at the University of Bedfordshire.  Geraint is a knowledgeable and experienced Information Security consultant with experience including vulnerability testing, digital forensics, secure networking, and wireless security issues.  Geraint has a strong technical knowledge of security and IT infrastructure including high performance computing.  Geraint has a number of certifications in security and digital forensics including CISSP, CISA, CEH and CHFI.

Further information is available at:
http://www.bedfordtrainingservices.co.uk/forensics

Mobile Application Development / Mobile Games Programming

In response to student and industry feedback and in order to enhance our Computing courses, the Computing department are introducing mobile application development / mobile games programming into the higher education and Level 3 curriculum starting in September 2012.  With this in view, lecturing staff attended HEA STEM workshops at the University of Buckinghamshire (Mobile Application Development: from curriculum design to graduate employability ) and at the London Metropolitan University (Teaching and Learning Programming for Mobile and Tablet Devices) during 2011-2012 - allowing them to explore opportunities and learn from other organisations' experiences.  In addition, with the help of the University we arranged for an industry expert in this area, Ian Masters, to deliver a short staff development workshop on Monday 25 June.  Ian's credits include founding mobile games specialist company, AirPlay, where he created the BAFTA nominated Super Yum Yum. Ian currently teaches games programming part-time at the University of Bedfordshire. This very successful workshop focused on the Corona SDK utilising the programming language Lua and was attended by staff, HE students and Level 3 programmers.

This promises to be an exciting 2012-2013!

University Experience Day, University of Bedfordshire, 28 March 2012

A very successful University Experience day was held on 28 March at the University of Bedfordshire for all full-time and part-time students studying on Foundation Degree in IT Networking and Security.  Sessions included careers and progression opportunities, developing study skills, research activities supervised by student associates, and a tour of the new Computing facilities with a focus on the Networking, and Security and Forensics laboratories. Students even had the opportunity to attend a Year 2 lecture on Security and Countermeasures.  All agreed that the day gave them an enhanced insight into University life, a better understanding of the study skills required to be successful in their chosen career and the opportunities available to them following graduation.

Joint Bedford College-British Computer Society Event - Wednesday 18 March 2012 - "Selling Products and Services Online – What do Amazon Really Think About?"

James Dening, Founder and CEO of Finesight, Lecturer at Doug Richard‘s School for Startups, Angel Investor, and ex-Head of Enterprise Sales, Amazon UK, has kindly supplied a copy of his presentation which can be downloaded from here:

"Selling Products and Services Online - What do Amazon Really Think About?" (PDF 1,554KB)

It’s all too easy to get caught up in the hype and buzz about new online technologies and trends – whether it’s flashy website technology, social commerce, mobile payments, tablet shopping or any of the multitude of ideas and approaches competing for your attention.  However, the really successful online companies – Amazon, Apple, Dell, Rakuten – take a very different approach.

In this talk, James dived into what really matters to the giants of ecommerce – what they focus relentlessly on.   He showed how a rigid approach to executing properly can make the difference between being the next Amazon.com or the next Boo.com.

James has over 15 years experience as a highly successful sales and business leader in the telecoms, online and retail spaces.  Originally trained as a software engineer, James held a series of sales positions in the telecoms industry, including establishing and building the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) presence of the streaming video specialist Widevine Inc, recently acquired by Google.  James went on to lead the commercial operation at Cambridge startup AlertMe, and was responsible for planning and executing a shift in strategy growing sales 30 fold and securing $13m in new funding.

In early 2009 James moved to Amazon UK as Head of Enterprise Sales, running the UK sales and marketing operations across a variety of B2B products, including launching both the Webstore and Checkout by Amazon products in the UK

2011 saw a new challenge with James founding and launching a portfolio of companies in the telecoms, retail, training and consultancy spaces.  His main commercial vehicle is Finesight (www.finesight.co.uk), an ecommerce and sales process consultancy, which helps companies to succeed in the online world and to get the best out of both their sales teams and leaders.

James has a clear goal, to use his extensive industry experience to help companies get the best out of both their sales teams and their leaders.

James is currently collaborating with the world renowned and leading internet entrepreneur, Doug Richard (the original Dragon on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den’s) on the Department of Business Innovation and Skills supported programme ‘School for Startups’ whose overarching mission is to foster economic development and innovation by training entrepreneurs and supporting ‘young businesses’ worldwide. 

"Just a quick note to say how much I enjoyed last night's speaker evening with James Denning. All very informative and thought provoking. Please do get him back later in the year to talk about issues such as payment systems and the use of social media in e-selling."

"I really enjoyed Wednesday. James Dening is a brilliant speaker. I could have listened to him for another two hours!!"

This is just some of the excellent feedback following the evening lecture giving by James Dening at the recent Joint Bedford College-British Computer Society event held at Bedford College on 18 April.  James, ex-Head of Enterprise Sales, Amazon UK, founder and CEO of Finesight, Angel Investor and Lecturer at Doug Richard‘s School for Startups, shared his wide experience of ecommerce with a packed audience in the Studio Theatre – even giving a practical demonstration of how easy it is to set up an e-commerce site within minutes. James is truly an excellent and engaging speaker and we hope that he will return to talk at Bedford College in the near future.

Computer Security: Ethical Hacking
PowerPoint Presentation from talk and demonstration on "Computer Security: Ethical Hacking" given by Geraint Williams, Information Risk Consultant, IT Governance Ltd at Bedford College at 9.00am on Tuesday 6 March 2012

Computer Security: Ethical Hacking (PDF 4,361KB)

Audio recording of talk on Computer Security: Ethical Hacking by Geraint Williams on 6 March 2012 at Bedford College (MP3 181,877KB)

For the second year in succession the department was delighted to welcome Geraint Williams, to talk to our students about Computer Security and Ethical Hacking on the morning of 6 March 2012.  To a packed room of full-time Level 3 Computing students, Foundation Degree students and part-time students, Geraint shared his experiences illustrated with’ real-life’ hacking demonstrations.

Geraint Williams is, without doubt, a leading expert and authority in the field of computer security and forensics.   The talk was designed as an introductory session on computer security and ethical hacking and included a demonstration of how a weakness in an operating system could be exploited to take over the machine - allowing the attacker to gain full control.

The talk was not only very educational and motivating but really 'hit the right' note - perfect content, level and length.  The department suddenly seems to have a large number of students who want to develop their careers in computer security and forensics!

We are very pleased that Geraint has also agreed to talk at the next Joint Bedford College-British Computer Society evening event on Thursday 28 June.  The subject is the “Hollywood Effect on Digital Forensics". 

Joint Bedford College-British Computer Society Event - Thursday 9 February 2012 - "Hitting the Mark - Effective Email Marketing"

This event was aimed at every marketer who wanted to learn the industry secrets, tricks and techniques for creating email campaigns that get delivered, opened, read and acted on.

To a packed Studio Theatre Tink explained how dotMailer’s ‘Hitting the Mark’ - an email marketing benchmark study of 41 major e-retailers’ email marketing campaigns - has caused waves in the press. Tink Taylor discussed the report’s results - both surprising and revealing - that demonstrate the practical lessons to be learnt by every e-marketer.  

You should ensure you have the checklist for email best practice, hints and tips - as well as the industry must read – “Hitting the Mark” email marketing benchmark report.

Tink is one of the founding directors of the dotDigital Group PLC (www.dotDigitalGroup.com), established in 1999 as a full-service digital marketing agency.  With offices based in south London, central London, Manchester, Scotland and Northampton they drive site traffic and sales through strategy and design, providing smart, easy to use but sophisticated digital marketing products along with creative and consultative services.  Tink is also an elected member of the Email Marketing Councils at both the DMA and IAB.  Tink is also a hugely popular speaker at digital and email marketing events.

Tink Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, dotDigitalGroup, has kindly supplied a copy of his presentation which can be downloaded from here:

"Hitting the Mark - Email Effectiveness in Practice" (PDF 1,599KB)

You can also download a copy of the report "Hitting the Mark 2011/2012" (PDF 1,714KB)

or directly from http://www.dotmailer.co.uk/email_marketing_resources/downloads/hitting_the_mark.aspx

"A 'must read' report for all e-marketers. Reading this report will increase sales for you."

"I just wanted to send my thanks for the E-Marketing seminar last night. I thought it was a really helpful, friendly atmosphere and a great event."

"Thank you very much for a very informative evening. Tink Taylor's presentation was excellent!!

Computer Security - Securing Web Applications - Wednesday 25 January 2012

The importance of guaranteeing security of web applications was highlighted last year and the resulting major PlayStation Network outage may have affected even you!  Was the primary suspect primary suspect - the Anonymous group – responsible? Was your personal information at risk?

The IT security expert, Geraint Williams, talked to students at Bedford College about Web Server Security and the importance of Securing Web Applications on the evening of Wednesday 25 January.

Geraint Williams, Information Risk Consultant, IT Governance Ltd, has kindly supplied a copy of his presentation which can be downloaded from here:

"Securing Web Applications: Web Server Security" (PDF 2.62MB)

Audio recording of lecture by Geraint Williams on 25 January 2012 at Bedford College (MP3 155MB)

Joint Bedford College-British Computer Society Event - Thursday 15 December 2011 - IT Security for SMEs - Who wants your information, why and what you can do to keep it secure

David Pybus, Head of Security Governance, Risk and Compliance, Diageo, has kindly supplied a copy of his presentation which can be downloaded from here:

Information Security for the SME (PDF 1,190KB)

Continuing the programme of highly successful events held at Bedford College, another joint British Computer Society (BCS) and Bedford College free evening lecture took place on Thursday 15 December 2011.

“IT Security for SMEs - Who wants your information, why and what you can do to keep it secure” was the topic of a very lively and informative talk by David Pybus, Head of Security Governance, Risk and Compliance, Diageo.

David has been working in the field of information security for over 10 years.  He currently works for Diageo, a global beverage alcohol company.  In his role at Diageo, David has written security policies, managed information security risks and managed the security incident team.  David’s background in security incidents and the security incident community gives him a powerful insight into the latest approaches taken by hackers in stealing users’ information and the protection measures that can be used to keep them out.

Bedford College Foundation Degree Induction - 15 September 2011
Introduction to the Foundation Degree in IT Networking and Security (PowerPoint 1,671KB)

Joint Bedford College-British Computer Society Event - Wednesday 5 October 2011 - What is Cloud Computing and what does it mean for your business?

Huge crowd for Cloud Computing

Continuing the programme of highly successful IT seminars, a joint British Computer Society (BCS) and Bedford College free evening lecture was held on Wednesday 5 October 2011.“

What is Cloud Computing and what does it mean for your business?” was the topic of a talk by Ted Shultz, Business Development Manager, Cloud Services, Microsoft Corporation.

Cloud Computing has been suggested as the next major change in business IT.  It promises the use of IT without the cost of owning and maintaining the hardware and software infrastructure.  It promises access anytime, anywhere, and from any device.  It promises the use of IT without the expenses of keeping IT staff.  Is this a real revolution in IT or another technology mumble jumble from the vendors?  The meeting aimed to help non-technical persons to learn about the possibilities and ask an expert for information.

Ted explained to the audience the case for moving business computing to the Cloud.  This could be a compelling proposition to use IT like electricity and water, without the special expertise to keep the complex machine running behind the scene. 

Ted explored the business benefits, issues around security, internet access and service level.  There was also robust discussion at the end of the meeting on the relative merits and disadvantages.  A great time was had by all.Ted has over 15 years of experience in the telecommunications and IT industry.  He is currently evangelising Microsoft’s Cloud Services to Microsoft’s partner community in the UK.  He previously held roles within AT&T, Level (3) and Verizon and has a BS in Accounting and MBA in International Business.

“Thanks for organising the event on Wednesday.  It was interesting both to hear what can be achieved with the cloud and to have it so well presented.”

“Thank you for a very useful evening last week regarding Cloud Computing.  We are now very interested in the IT Security presentation in December.”

Ted Shultz, Microsoft Cloud Services, has kindly supplied a copy of his PowerPoint presentation which can be downloaded from here:

Cloud Computing and Your Business - Ted Shultz, Cloud PTA (PowerPoint 18,431KB)

Computer Security - Securing Web Applications
PowerPoint Presentation from talk on "Computer Security - Securing Web Applications" given by Geraint Williams (Infrastructure Manager for the Computer Science and Technology department at the University of Bedfordshire) at Bedford College on 15 June 2011
Computer Security - Securing Web Applications (PDF 1,609KB)

For the second time within a few weeks, Bedford College students were again given the opportunity and, indeed, privilege to benefit from Geraint Williams’ vast industry knowledge and experience in the realm of computer security.  At extremely short notice, Geraint, Infrastructure Manager for the Computer Science and Technology department at the University of Bedfordshire, agreed to talk to a selected group of part-time evening class students and Foundation Degree students on Wednesday 15 June.  The theme was Web Server Security and Web Scripting Issues. 

Geraint is an exceptional speaker combining vast industry and academic experience with the unique ability to engage and enthral his audience.  This was evidenced by the large number of very relevant and wide-ranging questions that came from the floor both during and after his talk.

Geraint began by setting the picture and emphasising the importance of securing web applications using the recent Sony hacking incidents as an example.  He then went back to basics explaining how important it is to start with a good understanding of the HTTP protocol, cookies and sessions.  A description of common web server security problems was followed by a detailed explanation of the role of Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) and OWASP’s top 10 security errors.

Geraint then covered web server testing explaining the methodology of penetration testing of web applications.  The ‘nuts and bolts’ of web security and ethical hacking were covered by considering facets of web server configuration, and the talk was concluded by summarising a range of web server security principles.  All in two hours!!

“It was a very interesting and intriguing talk and I was shocked at how unsecure some websites in general are.  It was a definite eye opener!”

Joint Bedford College-British Computer Society Event - Wednesday 18 May 2011 - Online Business Marketing for the Non-Technical

Stefan Drew, Stefan Drew Associates, also known as the BBC's Marketing Magician, has kindly supplied a copy of his presentation which can be downloaded from here:

Online Business Marketing for the Non-Technical (PowerPoint 6,952KB)
Online Business Marketing for the Non-Technical (PDF 2,916KB)

Marketing Magician Draws in Crowds
How to make the most of on-line marketing - at almost no cost, was the general theme of an outstanding talk by the man the BBC call “The Marketing Magician”.

On the evening of 18 May, Stefan Drew pulled in a crowd of nearly 200 to the Studio Theatre at Bedford College’s South Bank Arts Centre.  The event attracted every sort of business from architects to aero-industries. 

Stefan specialises in using low cost and free marketing -much of it online - and has helped businesses win “more customers, who spend more money, more often”.  Stefan agreed to share the secrets of his magic ways with Bedford businesses and in the course of 45 minutes demonstrated some free, or low cost, ways in which organisations can market themselves without needing any technical skills. 

Afterwards, Stefan said: “I was very pleased with the numbers - not only did people ask questions during and after - but people have been emailing me ever since.”

Stefan Drew commented: “10-20 years ago most marketing was offline and consisted of adverts, brochures, leaflets and direct mail.  Today 600 million people have signed up on Facebook and 50% of them visit the site every day.  There are 5 billion mobile phones in the world, which means billions of people have a “computer in their pocket” and most people regularly Google for information on products and services.

“Being on Page One of Google is an essential and yet, with this much competition, is very challenging for most businesses.  In this event we demonstrated how Bedfordshire businesses can compete in this global online market and win”.

“Amazingly, most of what I demonstrate is effectively free, so as the economy slowly comes out of recession, cost isn’t a factor.  It is more about knowing what to do and getting on with it.  My challenge to local businesses is to do just one or two things online each week to grow their businesses”.

"I just wanted to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the above event.  Stefan Drew was a great speaker, with a lot of knowledge of the subject.  Six members from a business network group I attend also came along and all remarked what a great event this was.  Very informative for those who already have websites. Looking forward to ‘Clouding’ in October." 

 “I was amazed at how popular it was with local employers.”

“100% - could not fault it.”

 “Congrats on pulling such a big audience in Bedford, and keep up the good work.”

This event was the second highly successful event in a series of evening sessions aimed at local businesses and hosted jointly by the local branch of the British Computer Society and Bedford College.. 

Joint Bedford College-British Computer Society Event - Thursday 21 October 2010 - Digital Marketing: From Google Tools to Social Media Networks

Jeremy Chatfield, Founder and CEO of Merjis Ltd, Bedford, has kindly made available a copy of his presentation - together with other information - on his blog at:
http://blog.merjis.com/2010/10/22/search-marketing-essentials-talk/

Mark Cook's (Search Marketing Director, Further Search Marketing Ltd) talk was similar to the excellent presentation he gave at the Fourth Chartered Institute of Marketing's (CIM) Digital Marketing Conference in July, 2010 at Duxford Imperial War Museum, Cambridge.

A copy of this presentation is available on Further Search Marketing Ltd's website at:
I Like This (#digiconf)

We were very pleased with the success of our recent Digital Marketing event in the Studio Theatre at Bedford College - and delighted with the high turn out of over 110 delegates. 

The meeting started with an excellent talk on Search Marketing Essentials by Jeremy Chatfield, Merjis Ltd, Bedford.  Even with the rise of social media, search is still an enormous driver of online business and in his talk Jeremy discussed free and paid search and the relationship of display advertising.  Jeremy has extensive industry experience and a wealth of knowledge in the areas of search engine optimisation and pay-per-click advertising and this was evidenced in his comprehensive coverage of the subjects and in the response of the audience.

This was followed by an equally excellent talk on Social Media Marketing by Mark Cook, Search Marketing Director, Further Search Marketing Ltd, Norwich – advertised as “an exciting journey exploring the nuts and bolts of online interaction and how it’s possible to use people-power to fuel your marketing campaigns.”

Since Social Media is subject to discussion and debate within marketing departments across the globe – some for, but many against - it was appropriate that Mark started his presentation with ‘Why you should care about social media’ dispelling a number of myths and clouded thinking along the way.  This was then followed by a few warnings on how ‘not’ to use social media before finishing with a whistle-stop guide to building a social media campaign.  Mark provided a commonsense approach to a very important current topic which the audience could both learn from and engage with.

We were also grateful to Peter Dennis, Director of e-Marketing for the Swiss Investment Bank, UBS who join the question panel to share his experience of regulatory issues relating to online communications for corporate and institutional clients.

“I just wanted to say that I found the seminar last night very informative.  I thought both speakers were absorbing and highly relevant to what I'm involved in at the moment.”

“I just wanted to say thank you for the SEO/Social Media event last night.  It seemed to go down very well with some really interesting points, and you had a great turnout.  It has given us a bit to think about!”

“The event was really informative and will really help me out with the websites I am currently working on.  I thought it was amazing - and seeing so many people there with a similar interest really made me feel part of a community.”

“Thank you and well done to you and the team for delivering a well organised and worthwhile event.  Good to see it was so well attended.”

Foundation Degree News
PowerPoint Presentation from talk on "Foundation Degree Career and HE Progression Options" - given by Marie Da Silva (Careers Advisor, Careers and Employment Services, University of Bedfordshire) at Bedford College on 12 May 2011
Life After Your Foundation Degree (PowerPoint 3,428KB)

First Android Mobile Apps (developed with Corona SDK and Lua)

Simple Calculator
Simple Calculator - Demo
Alpha Fun
Button Fun
New Orientation
Vector Graphics
Sprites and Masks
Beat Box
Group Movement
External Library (Hi Fred)
Splash Screen
Using Force
Playing with Gravity
Wrecking Ball
Game - Star Explorer

Download from http://www.brandreth.org.uk/android_apps

Miscellaneous YouTube Videos

What is ACA?
An Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) credential certifies that individuals have the entry-level skills to plan, design, build and maintain effective communications using different forms of digital media.

For further information visit http://www.bedford-college.co.uk/aca or call 01234-291000

Dreamweaver 8 Extra (ZIP 60,992KB)

Flash 8 Extra (ZIP 110,219KB)