Your business needs expert IT support to keep your business running, and you expect good value for money, but what services should you look for from a potential supplier to keep your systems in
good health?
There are a number of components of IT support that need to be costed and catered for to keep your IT running smoothly, protected from
internet borne malware, and also to ensure that any IT issues can be rectified as quickly as possible.
1. Hardware Asset Management
By maintaining accurate records of our customers’ installed hardware, we are able to arrive on site ready and prepared to set about the task of repairing or rebuilding the system that has failed. Without this information, it can take an hour or more from the arrival of an engineer on site for them to identify the problem, work out which item needs to be replaced, and then buy a replacement from PC World (the most expensive place to buy replacement parts) before coming back to your office to effect the repair. All this time, the clock is ticking costing you money unnecessarily.
2. Software Asset Management
By maintaining accurate records of our customers’ installed hardware, we are able to arrive on site ready and prepared to set about the task of repairing or rebuilding the system that has failed. Without this information, it can take an hour or more from the arrival of an engineer on site for them to identify the problem, work out which item needs to be replaced, and then buy a replacement from PC World (the most expensive place to buy replacement parts) before coming back to your office to effect the repair. All this time, the clock is ticking costing you money unnecessarily.
2. Software Asset Management
Software auditing allows us to monitor licence usage within your organisation on your behalf and better manage software upgrades that are required on your
systems as old versions of software become unsupported. We can then advise you of recommended upgrades to be undertaken as part of a regular review
programme.
3. Antivirus / Antispware Management
Maintaining up-to-date security software is an essential discipline in keeping your IT systems running reliably. Although endpoint security software is self-updating, modern malware can deactivate it in the event that your PC is infected. Indeed, antivirus software that is out of date or deactivated is a warning sign that the PC may have suffered a successful malware attack.
4. Windows Update / Patch Management
Maintaining up-to-date security software is an essential discipline in keeping your IT systems running reliably. Although endpoint security software is self-updating, modern malware can deactivate it in the event that your PC is infected. Indeed, antivirus software that is out of date or deactivated is a warning sign that the PC may have suffered a successful malware attack.
4. Windows Update / Patch Management
Windows and application patches are the front line battleground in combating internet malware that causes your PC’s to run slowly and crash. Sometimes
Windows updates fail to install, and it is essential to monitor these events and take corrective action to make sure that the relevant update is installed
as soon as possible. Also, when a WIndows patch continues to fail to install, it is a sure sign that something is wrong. When this happens, it’s time for
a rebuild, and by catching the problem early we can schedule the support work so that it has a minimal impact on your business.
5. Desktop Policy Management
5. Desktop Policy Management
Your PC’s will run a lot more reliably if you ensure that you only have software that is essential for your business installed on your PC’s. We monitor
software that is installed on your PC’s, and identify any unwanted software that we find. We then either agree a change to your policy with you if it is needed
to run your business or take action to remove it.
6. Scheduled Maintenance
6. Scheduled Maintenance
To keep your PC’s running at peak performance, you have to do a little maintenance on a regular basis. We make sure that routine maintenance is carried out
to clear out temporary files and defragment your hard disk to make sure that you get best performance from your systems. We also make sure that a full
antivirus scan is run overnight on your PC’s on a weekly basis.
7. Helpdesk Support
7. Helpdesk Support
All IT Systems fail sometimes, at which point the support process starts and we will employ telephone, remote or onsite support as necessary. The benefit
of diligence in undertaking all of the above processes however is that they will minimise the amount of times that your systems fail. The most expensive
component of providing IT Support is the cost of sending an engineer to site, and it only makes sense to do whatever is possible to minimise this expensive
activity.
Our approach is very different to self employed consultants who may charge cheaper hourly rates because they don't provide these essential preemptive maintenance services. Lower hourly charges may appear attractive
initially, until you find that you are regularly writing cheques for £200 for ad-hoc support. Our approach is to do everything possible to avoid onsite
callouts which are not only costly, but also result in lost staff productivity for you while your staff wait for an IT repair to be undertaken.
If you would like to know more about our IT Support services, please visit our web site, download our IT Services white paper, or contact us by telephone on 01707 255060
or via email at info@clearview.co.uk.
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