Message from the Managing Director
Hello and welcome back to Newsbytes. Although it may seem we have been away on sabbatical because of the large time-lapse between editions, we have never been busier! All of the wheels and cogs have been turning at rapid speeds here at Adam Internet - since our last update in April we have launched a new WiMAX network, built the Adam Data Centre and created more competitive product offerings while continuing to service our growing customer base.As we head towards the end of 2009 I am pleased to say that Adam Internet has travelled well through the economic downturn. Our solid foundation and strong work ethic has seen us not only remain stable, but continue to grow and invest both in our people and in our network. We increased staff to 150, enabling us to better service our customers across all facets of the business. Our impressive growth in the South Australian market is a result of satisfied customers and the word of mouth that comes along with them.
Thank you to all of our customers who are spreading the word about our great services. A huge thank you also to all customers for continuing to support Adam Internet throughout 2009.
We are looking forward to further growth in 2010, remaining Adelaide’s Internet Service Provider of choice, always ensuring we have the best valued products partnered with reliable service and customer support that is second to none.
We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year!
Christmas Opening Hours
Our Helpdesk will be maintaining normal service hours throughout the Christmas holidays, only closing for the public holidays on 25th and 28th December and 1st January and operating from 9am until 6:30pm on 24th and 31st December. Our phone support service will be available during their normal business hours from 8am – 10pm for all other days.
The Business Solutions sales team will be unavailable from 5.30pm Thursday 24 December and will resume regular business hours as of 9.00am Monday 4 January.
For all business enquiries during this period please call (08) 8423 4020 or email business@adam.com.au.
AdamMax: Shining light on broadband blackspots
Adam Internet with the support of the Commonwealth and South Australian Governments have begun rolling out Australia’s largest metropolitan WiMAX network – AdamMax. Federal Minister for Communication, Senator Stephen Conroy and Minister for Science and Information Technology, Michael O’Brien officially launched the network on 10 November 2009 celebrating the first customers on the AdamMax network. Adelaide’s southern suburbs are first to access the network with the rollout continuing across metropolitan Adelaide into 2010. Once the network is complete a total of 55,000 blackspot homes and businesses will have access to metro comparable broadband.
Any homes and businesses who have previously been unable to receive a metro-comparable service and are in a "broadband blackspot", may be eligible for a subsidy under the Australian Broadband Guarantee program. For more information regarding the Australian Government’s Australian Broadband Guarantee Program call 1800 883 488 or visit www.dbcde.gov.au/abg.
The AdamMax service has been made possible with the support of the Australian Government's Australian Broadband Guarantee program and the Government of South Australia's Broadband Development Fund.
For more information on AdamMax visit www.broadbandblackspots.com.au
GamingSA moving to 3FL
Adam Internet is excited to announce their popular GamingSA Network has joined with the large, national 3FL Games Network. From 15th December 2009 Adam Internet customers will have full access to a further 500 game servers and Steam traffic including 3FL’s new Hypernia Servers, all which are marked as ‘unmetered content’ for Adam Internet customers. By forming the SA point of presence for 3FL, Adam Internet gamers will now be able to rent game servers which will also be unmetered.For more information visit:
http://www.3fl.net.au/ - To check out the servers, forums and online gaming community.
http://www.adam.com.au/info/unmetered - For a list of unmetered content for Adam Internet customers.
Adam Data Centre: Business colocation solution
After identifying a desperate need for more disaster recovery and data storage space in Adelaide, Adam Internet undertook a $6 million investment project to build the Adam Data Centre. From concept to completion this project has spanned only 8 months of 2009 meaning some fast work to get the 350 rack capacity centre ready for business.
Strategically located in Mile End, the Adam Data Centre adds another dimension to what Adam Internet is able to offer business customers. The Tier 3 grade Data Centre is a state of the art facility with 4 layers of security providing businesses with co location and corporate web hosting services.
Press releases are available for viewing at http://www.adam.com.au/support/downloads/Data%20centre.pdf
To see more details and specifications on the Adam Data Centre, visit www.adam.com.au/adambusiness/adamdatacentre
Panda Fever at Adelaide Zoo
Adam Internet has caught Panda Fever with the arrival of Wang Wang and Funi at the Adelaide Zoo on 28th November. We warmly welcome the two lovable Pandas to Adelaide and look forward to following their journey over the coming years.
We are pleased to report that Adam Internet will be delivering PandaCam where anyone can view the Panda’s online 24/7 via the dedicated website www.giantpanda.org.au. The live streaming will be active in January 2010 so you can follow the Pandas from the comfort of your home for FREE! All Zoos SA websites are part of Adam Internet’s unmetered content meaning anything viewed on these sites does not count towards your monthly peak or off peak data allowance. To see all of Adam Internet’s unmetered websites visit http://Adam Internet has caught Panda Fever with the arrival of Wang Wang and Funi at the Adelaide Zoo on 28th November. We warmly welcome the two lovable Pandas to Adelaide and look forward to following their journey over the coming years. We are pleased to report that Adam Internet will be delivering PandaCam where anyone can view the Panda’s online 24/7 via the dedicated website www.giantpanda.org.au. The live streaming will be active in January 2010 so you can follow the Pandas from the comfort of your home for FREE! All Zoos SA websites are part of Adam Internet’s unmetered content meaning anything viewed on these sites does not count towards your monthly peak or off peak data allowance.
Fresh faces at Adam Internet
With the high levels of growth and investment throughout 2009, Adam Internet continues to recruit new talent to ensure all areas of the business are running smoothly and our customers continue to receive the highest levels of service. Recruitment has occurred across all departments with the most recent including the technology and customer service departments. With 35% of the new roles filled being newly created, we are pleased to see our staff numbers grow through what has otherwise been an economically unstable year.
TOUR DOWN UNDER: Adam Internet Major Sponsor
Adelaide is ramping up for the Tour Down Under which kicks off the start of the world cycling year in exhilarating style on 17th January 2010. Adam Internet are proud to be Major Sponsors of the 2010 and 2011 event which showcases Adelaide to the rest of the world via live streaming on the TDU website and via live broadcasts on international television networks.
We already know that Lance Armstrong and Cadel Evans will be riding in Adelaide but the question is will you? The Mutual Community Challenge is the official recreational ride of the Tour Down Under on Friday 22nd January. Team Adam is set to go the distance with our staff riding the ProTour race route from Norwood to Goolwa.
2010 PAFC Update: Mark Haysman
The Power is proud to have Adam Internet back as Technology Partner of the Port Adelaide Football Club for their 5th season. We are thrilled to have the support of such an emerging and successful South Australian business.
The Port Adelaide Football Club is entering a new era, adopting the new ‘Back in Black’ guernsey for the 2010 AFL season and beyond. The change of jumper has been driven by unprecedented member support and positive feedback on the design worn earlier this season. The powerful black jumper with a teal and white ‘V’ will be worn by the boys in both home and away matches in 2010. The jumper epitomizes ‘Port Adelaide’ and there is no doubt it has been fully embraced by the playing group. We look forward to running out in the jumper at AAMI Stadium in round 1 (March 28) and eventually wearing it with pride at our new home, Adelaide Oval, from 2014.
The whole club is delighted about the move to Adelaide Oval and although there’s still plenty of work to do to finalise the agreement between the SANFL and SACA by 1 July next year, we have absolutely no doubt it will happen. This is an exceptionally exciting opportunity for our Club but it is also a great result for football in South Australia.
Interestingly Port Adelaide already has a great history of success at Adelaide Oval, having won more than 20 SANFL premierships at the ground, including the famous six-in-a-row in the 1950s, we look forward to building on that history.
Also exciting was the recent AFL National Draft, where we had three first round selections (picks 8, 9 and 16). The three 18-year-olds we selected are all from Victoria and bring different qualities to the squad – John Butcher is a key forward prospect, Andrew Moore a versatile utility, and Jasper McMillan-Pittard a developing young left-footed half-back. In addition to our new coaching recruits – Dean Laidley and Garry Hocking – we are going into the new year with a positive outlook and a great deal of anticipation.
From all of us at the Port Adelaide Football Club, have a safe Christmas and a very happy New Year.
Mark Haysman CEO, Port Adelaide Football Club
PS - To be part of the history of moving back to Adelaide Oval join the Power now to secure your place – existing members will have preference. Visit www.PortAdelaideFC.com.au or phone 1300 GO POWER (that’s 1300 467 693) to join now!
Windows 7 Overview and Review
After much anticipation Windows 7 finally hit the shelves back in October this year. Windows 7 is dubbed the “Service Pack” which Vista was meant to be and a bit more.
The fantastic news is Windows 7 is the only operating system Microsoft has released which does not state a requirement for new hardware to run the system effectively. This is probably one of the best reasons to upgrade if you are still on XP system with older hardware. For those who like to run NetBooks, Windows 7 has been streamlined to run well on those devices with Atom based processors.
A full list of supported hardware/computers is outlined on the Microsoft website at http://windows.microsoft.com/systemrequirements
Microsoft has also placed a big emphasis on parental controls with parents now able to restrict time periods of when children can access the Internet and also what content is viewed.
Coinciding with the release of Windows 7, Microsoft has also released their ‘free’ Anti-Virus/Malware protection suite, Security Essentials which supports Windows 7 and previous version dating back to Windows XP.
Those who have more than one computer in their household will benefit from the Windows 7 HomeGroup networking feature which enables you to connect your home computers quickly and easily.
Microsoft has also introduced a Windows task bar into Windows 7, allowing users to roll the mouse over the application to preview the content in a smaller screen. This also works for documents, photographs and other content which may be open.
As more people are choosing to store their media on their personal computers, people can experience difficulty with playing it back on other devices. Usually to do this you need to either copy it to another external device or sit at your machine. In Windows 7, Microsoft has incorporated a couple of new features to address this. The first is Play-To which allows you to network and share your music around the house to devices such as other computers, TVs, Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and so on.
The above is just a snippet of the new and improved features incorporated into Windows 7. For a further comprehensive overview check out http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features
As with Vista, Windows 7 comes in various editions, with each varying edition you will find a different feature set. To find out which best suits your requirements check out the Microsoft “Which one is right for you?” page found here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/compare
TweetDeck: the easy way to manage your Social Media
If you are wrapped up in the latest craze of social media sites, you will know keeping up to date with your friends and updating your own profile can be time consuming. With TweetDeck, streamline your usage of social media sites by personalising your browser for staying in touch with what’s happening now, connecting you with your contacts across Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and more.
With TweetDeck anyone can tweet like a Pro. Customise your Twitter experience with columns, groups, saved searches and automatic updates helping you to effortlessly stay updated with the people and topics you care about.
You can also connect with your Facebook and MySpace friends directly from TweetDeck by updating your status, posting photos or videos, commenting and group your friends to make it easier to follow only those you really want to see.
TweetDeck shows you everything you want to see at once, so you can stay organised and up to date with minimal effort.
Download at www.tweetdeck.com or download on your iPhone from the AppStore.
Flavours of Adelaide
As a local company we know that Adelaide offers the best of the best when it comes to dining out. Here are some picks for CBD eatery’s to visit over the festive season covering off 3 meals a day.
Breakfast – East Terrace Continental (East Tce, Adelaide)
While East Terrace Continental (aka ETC) is a great place to pop in for something to eat, it's their breakfast menu which really shines. Opening at 7am, you can get just about anything from healthy Bircham Muesli down to a good old fashioned mixed grill. Favourites include Eggs Benedict or their French Toast served with crispy bacon, sautéed apple and maple syrup.
Lunch - Butterflies Cafe (Pirie St, Adelaide)
Butterflies is a gorgeous Parisian themed, fully-licensed cafe offering a delicious selection of hot, home-style meals at affordable prices. The dining area feels like a Parisian sidewalk, with cute wrought-iron tables and chairs, set back from the busy street itself. They also have a gorgeous range of desserts for those who want to indulge.
Dinner - Barendoe (Hutt Street, Adelaide)
Barendoe is a newly opened restaurant offering fine Mediterranean cuisine with an extensive wine list to match. Situated in the Hutt Street cafe precinct in the eastern fringe of Adelaide, you will be spoilt for choice with their extensive menu offerings. Ranging from delicious Tapas to gourmet Pizza’s and seafood mains you will have no trouble finding something to suit your taste buds.
Barendoe is a new hot spot for generous homestyle food flavours with attentive and helpful staff service.