Congratulations Alex Last

We are very pleased to congratulate Alex Last on completing his Linux Systems Apprenticeship.

Alex now holds…

  • City & Guilds Certificate in IT Systems and Principles
  • City & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in IT Professional Competence

We are even more pleased that Alex has chosen to continue his career with Dogsbody Technology as a permanent member of staff.  Alex is now looking forward to continuing his education with professional qualifications from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the Linux Foundation.

If you are interested in joining the Dogsbody Technology team as a Linux Systems Apprentice please apply at https://www.dogsbody.com/jobs/

Why did the jelly wobble?

I’ve loved organising the Camberley, Bracknell & Crowthorne Jelly events for the last 2 years but all things must come to an end.  Dogsbody Technology is growing, I now have staff and and office (OK, a small room) so it’s time for me to concentrate on growing the business.

I do plan to be back though! Jelly helped me hugely while setting up Dogsbody Technology and I want to pay it forward again as soon as possible. Probably when we manage to get a meeting room of our own.

Enter your email below and I’ll let you know when we start it up again. Your email will not be used for anything other than to tell you about future Jelly events.

It was great to meet so many interesting people. If you’re a freelancer looking for a place to work and have some free time, look at organising your own Jelly. The lovely folk at UK Jelly have some great information.

…and in answer to the title of this post; Because it saw the milk shake! 🙂

2013 Christmas Shutdown and Giving

Camberley ChristmasA very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you over the holidays.

We’ll be taking some time off over Christmas, however we’ll continue to be monitoring our customer’s servers 24/7 as usual and customers should all have our emergency mobile number in case of urgent issues.

Our office will be closed on the following days and response to emails maybe slower:
Wed 25th Dec 2013 – Public Holiday
Thu 26th Dec 2013 – Public Holiday
Fri 27th Dec 2013 – Office Closed
Mon 30th Dec 2013 – Office Closed
Tue 31st Dec 2013 – Office Closed
Wed 1st Jan 2014 – Public Holiday

This year we are again making a donation to two charities instead of sending Christmas cards; they are:

The Restart Project – A London-based social enterprise that encourages and empowers people to use their electronics longer, by learning fundamental repair and maintenance skills. Electronic waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in many countries including the UK. While recycling is important, The Restart Project prefers intervening before disposal – encouraging consumers to buy for longevity and diverting electronics from “end of life”.

Open Rights Group – The UK’s leading voice defending freedom of expression, privacy, innovation, creativity and consumer rights on the Internet. ORG is a member organisation of European Digital Rights (EDRi).

We hope you all have a great winter and see you in the new year.

Please welcome Alex Last

Alex LastWe are very happy to announce the addition of Alex Last to the Dogsbody Technology team.  Alex is joining us a Linux Systems Apprentice and comes with a lot of enthusiasm for new technology.

A self confessed fitness nut, Alex can often be found at the gym or up a mountain somewhere, he’s recently climbed mount Snowdon as part of a 5 day expedition.

For the last two years Alex has been completing a BTEC Extended Diploma in Uniform Public Services however in true geek style he’s also been teaching himself Linux in his spare time.

Alex will mainly be looking after first line support as well as taking on some of the fun projects we’ve been storing up for him… seriously, the rest of us are really jealous, he gets to play with Raspberry Pi‘s and everything!

Should you get to talk to Alex, do say hi and ask him about driving the Nürburgring 🙂

We’re still looking for more talented people for our company, could you be our next apprentice? or do you have a skill you think we can use?

There’s no place like ::1

It’s an old joke (which we updated to IPv6) but it’s true, there is no place like home.  After a year of sharing an office with the wonderful Orcare Web Design it’s time to spread our wings and go it alone.

We haven’t moved far, approximately four miles to Farnborough and the beautiful Ferneberga House.

Ferneberga

 

Our new address is:
Dogsbody Technology Ltd.
Ferneberga House,
Alexandra Road,
Farnborough,
Hampshire,
GU14 6DQ

Edit: We have since moved again. Please see our contact page for our new address.

 

Ferneberga is actually the original name for Farnborough as listed in the Doomsday book. Over time it changed from Ferneberga to Farnburghe, Farenberg, Farnborowe, Fremborough, Farneborough and eventually Farnborough. Ferneberga House used to be the town hall, a historic building that has stood here for over 100 years.

So, if you’re in the area and fancy a chat then do feel free to give us a call and pop in.

Foundation Degree Accreditation

This week our Director (Mr Dogsbody to you) was asked to be an industry expert for the revalidation of a Foundation Degree in Computing for University Centre Yeovil.  This was a fascinating experience which showed the commitment that education has to make to it’s students.

Computing is a fast changing industry.  What is taught at a Master’s degree level one year can soon be taught at a Foundation Degree level a few years later.  It is vital that academic institutions keep up to date with what is going on in the real world.

The revalidation of Yeovil’s foundation degree came after a complete re-write of the unit specifications for the entire course.  Independent people are bought in to help with the revalidation and make sure the content is at the right level.  As part of the event the panel get to talk to students at the institution as well as local employers that hire them.  The day showed how it was possible for the students to learn what the employers needed while employers could gain skilled people and support the local economy.

What impressed us the most was how the Yeovil College and University Centre Yeovil had tied their courses together allowing for an easy progression from an Apprenticeship to a Foundation Degree and hopefully soon a Full Degree.  We use Yeovil College for our apprentice scheme and actively encourage all of our staff to further their education 🙂

 

Press Release: Bracknell Jelly

bracknell-jelly-logoFor immediate release
07 February 2013

Free Jelly Co-Working Event For Bracknell Home Workers and Self Employed To Launch Next Week at Enterprise and Innovation Hub

A revolutionary co-working ‘Jelly’ event for freelancers, home workers and small business owners in Bracknell and surrounding areas will take place at the Bracknell Enterprise and Innovation Hub next week after massive success in the United States.

Set to take place on the second Thursday of every month, Bracknell Jelly is a free event where the region’s self-employed, small business owners and home workers can work, chat and collaborate with each other without having to pay for meeting rooms or office space. It gives local people the chance to get out of the (home) office and work alongside other like minded people for one day every month for free.

The Bracknell Jelly has been organized by local consultancy firm, Dogsbody Technology. Founder Dan Benton said, “For some people it’s having a different chair to sit on, for others it is having someone saying bless you when they sneeze. I was a home worker for many years and know how lonely it can get and how useful having other people around as a sounding board can be. I was inspired after hearing about the success of Jellies in America and decided to organise one in Bracknell as a way of giving something back.”

Registration for the Bracknell Jelly is free and sessions are scheduled every month throughout the year. The meeting room space has been donated by the Bracknell Enterprise and Innovation Hub, giving home workers the opportunity to work in a professional environment for the day without sacrificing internet access or productivity.

Each Jelly is a mixture of work, chat, helping others with business issues, passing on tips and perhaps even collaborating on a new project. There are thought to be around 30 active co-working Jelly events around the UK. Bracknell home workers feeling isolated or lacking inspiration can register for free to attend any Jelly event at the Bracknell Enterprise and Innovation Hub. Spaces are available for the next event, which takes place on Thursday February 14th. To register, visit http://www.bracknelljelly.com

About Bracknell Jelly: Bracknell Jelly is a free monthly informal co-working event where freelancers, home workers and small/micro business owners can and work, chat and collaborate with each other.

About Dogsbody Technology: Dogsbody Technology Ltd is a Linux consultancy company providing bespoke solutions that help clients get the best out of technology. Previous work has involved security control, virtualisation platforms, cloud computing and high availability networking. Its services are not limited to Internet facing technology or networking and it has previously consulted on electronics and automation.

-ENDS-

Press Release: Camberley Jelly

Camberley JellyFor immediate release
15 January 2013

Free Jelly Co-Working Event For Camberley Home Workers and Self Employed To Launch This Month at Basepoint Camberley

A revolutionary co-working ‘Jelly’ event for freelancers, home workers and small business owners in Camberley and surrounding areas will take place at Basepoint Camberley later this month after massive success in the United States.

Set to take place on the fourth Thursday of every month, Camberley Jelly is a free event where the region’s self-employed, small business owners and home workers can work, chat and collaborate with each other without having to pay for meeting rooms or office space. It gives local people the chance to get out of the (home) office and work alongside other like minded people for one day every month for free.

The Camberley Jelly has been organized by local consultancy firm, Dogsbody Technology. Founder Dan Benton said, “For some people it’s having a different chair to sit on, for others it is having someone saying bless you when they sneeze. I was a home worker for many years and know how lonely it can get and how useful having other people around as a sounding board can be. I was inspired after hearing about the success of Jellies in America and decided to organise one in Camberley as a way of giving something back.”

Registration for the Camberley Jelly is free and sessions are scheduled every month throughout the year. The meeting room space has been donated by Basepoint Camberley, giving home workers the opportunity to work in a professional environment for the day without sacrificing internet access or productivity.

Each Jelly is a mixture of work, chat, helping others with business issues, passing on tips and perhaps even collaborating on a new project. There are thought to be around 30 active co-working Jelly events around the UK. Camberley home workers feeling isolated or lacking inspiration can register for free to attend any Jelly event at Basepoint Camberley. Spaces are available for the next event, which takes place on Thursday January 24th. To register, visit http://www.camberleyjelly.com

About Camberley Jelly: Camberley Jelly is a free monthly informal co-working event where freelancers, home workers and small/micro business owners can and work, chat and collaborate with each other.

About Dogsbody Technology: Dogsbody Technology Ltd is a Linux consultancy company providing bespoke solutions that help clients get the best out of technology. Previous work has involved security control, virtualisation platforms, cloud computing and high availability networking. Its services are not limited to Internet facing technology or networking and it has previously consulted on electronics and automation.

-ENDS-

Christmas Shutdown & Giving

Camberley Christmas

Camberley Christmas

Is it really December already!

Just a quick post to say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you over the holidays.

We’ll be taking some time off over Christmas, however we’ll continue to be monitoring our customer’s servers 24/7 as usual 🙂

Our office will be closed on the following days and response to emails maybe slower:
Mon 24th Dec 2012 – Office Closed
Tues 25th Dec 2012 – Public Holiday
Wed 26th Dec 2012 – Public Holiday
Thur 27th Dec 2012 – Office Closed
Fri 28th Dec 2012 – Office Closed
Mon 31st Dec 2012 – Office Closed
Tue 1st Jan 2013 – Public Holiday

We considered sending Christmas cards or presents this year for our customers but we’re really not sure you want another bit of paper cluttering up your desk or some chocolates to add to your snack shelf.

This year we have made a donation to two charities instead; they are:

Crisis – A national charity for single homeless people. It’s not nice being homeless at any time of year but winter has got to be the worst time.  Now imagine being homeless, in winter and alone.  Crisis does amazing work to both help people in this situation and help stop people from getting into this situation and we are very happy to help them.

Creative Commons – A non-profit organization that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools.  We are sure you have all heard of Creative Commons.  Many people use it on a daily basis but few really think about the work that goes on behind the scenes to make CC work. Knowledge is a powerful thing and any tool that allows people to share knowledge while retaining protection in this mad legal world that we live gets our vote.

We hope you all have a great winter and see you in the new year.

We Are Hiring

Yes, Dogsbody Technology is hiring its first member of staff!

If you are a 16-19 year old with good grades in and around the Camberley area that would like to work for a small Linux specialist company then please do get in touch.

Full details are on our jobs page.