6 Valuable Tips to keep your IT Running Smoothly

IT is increasingly becoming a consumable service, and we aim to provide the most efficient service available. The way in which we do this is to use Best IT Practices to keep our clients' systems running as reliably as possible and to ensure that we are able to recover your systems as swiftly as possible when they fail. 

Like a lot of good practices, the procedures themselves aren't complex. If there is any magic to managing IT efficiently, it is in ensuring that the procedures are followed rigorously.

Even if you don’t yet feel that the time is right for you to outsource the running of your IT, the methods that we use will help you to make sure that you are on the right track if you manage your own IT. The practices listed below are no great secret. The question for you to answer is whether you want to employ your own staff to manage your systems, or outsource the process to a company like us:

Managing Workstations - Create a standard build for workstations on the network and store it on a network storage device. You can then use this image to rebuild workstations when necessary. This reduces rebuild time from 6 hours (by the time all of the Windows patches are installed) to less than 60 minutes.

Data Backup - PC's and servers will fail from time to time, and when they do you need to make sure that you can recover your data as quickly as possible. Server data should be backed up to online storage to ensure that you are able to recover in the event of flood / fire / theft as well as to an onsite server to ensure swift recovery in the event of a server failure. Workstation data will then be backed up to online or onsite storage as appropriate. 

Routine Maintenance - You should ensure that routine tasks such as disk defragmentation and clearing out temporary files is carried out on a regular basis to ensure that you get the best performance from your IT Systems.

PC Security - Check your PC's regularly to make sure that the latest Windows patches have installed properly and that your endpoint security / antivirus software is up to date. It is vital to keep Windows patches and virus definitions up to date to protect you against Internet threats. When a PC fails to install updates automatically, it is likely that some malware has infected your PC. In all probability, it will already be running more slowly than usual as a result of the malware infection, and the system should be reloaded as soon as it is practical to do so.

Keep A Spare PC - When a PC fails, the highest cost will be in loss of staff productivity while you are waiting for the system to be rebuilt. A spare PC preloaded with your company's standard build eliminates lost staff productivity. You simply restore data to the hard disk from the latest backup and your employee an be back up and running while the faulty PC is being repaired / rebuilt.

User Rights Management - Minimise the number of people who can install software onto your PC's. PC problems generally only arise when changes are made . By managing the change process you will be in a much better position to minimise and identify the source of system problems.

Many small businesses simply don’t have the time or resources to ensure that these essential housekeeping tasks are carried out on a regular basis, and that can be where the trouble starts. If you don’t have the latest Windows patches installed, your PC’s and laptops will be vulnerable to internet threats which can steal your employees’ identity and cause your systems to crash. If you don’t test that your backups restore properly, how can you be sure that they aren’t corrupt and that they will restore when you most need them?

That’s where we can step in as your outsourced IT Department, making sure that your systems run as smoothly as possible, and providing you with a single point of contact to resolve all of your IT issues.

If you would like to know more about our IT Support services, please visit our web site, or download our Managed IT Services White Paper. Alternatively please send an email to info@clearview.co.uk . We would be happy to answer any questions that you may have.

Moving Your Business To The Cloud

Cloud computing is a hot topic for large and small organisations at the moment, but as with any new technology, it can be difficult to see past the hype and potentially confusing marketing messages. The promise of cloud computing is to deliver access to the IT applications that you need to run your business from any PC, tablet device or Smartphone. If that isn’t justification enough, you won’t need to install any expensive servers, pay for disk space and processing that you don't currently need, or employ skilled technicians to manage those systems.

Planning Your Migration To The Cloud

Migrating to cloud computing will be a journey rather than a transformation, and it is likely that most companies will run a hybrid of cloud computing and on-premises systems for a number of years. There are also applications which aren’t a good fit for a cloud computing environment, so don’t try putting square pegs into round holes … just leave them as they are. Some applicatons are a better fit for cloud computing and far easier to migrate, so why not start with applications such as email security and data backup first? In many ways they are better suited to cloud deployment anyway. Once these simpler migrations have been completed, a more considered approach needs to be taken in migrating mainline business applications.

Moving Business Applications To The Cloud

In moving business applications to the cloud you need to decide whether you want to simply take your existing business applications and make them accessible via a web browser (Hosted Desktop), or whether you want to adopt Software-As-A-Service (SAAS) applications such as Google Apps For Business (Email / collaboration), Workbooks.com (Customer Relationship Management), or Xero (Accounts). If you choose the SAAS option, you need to be prepared for a change in business practices and the associated training requirement to ensure that the transition to cloud services does not adversely effect your business.

Whichever approach you choose, we would recommend that you either take some time to research the options available to you or take advice, and always run a pilot to make sure that you are able to prepare your staff for the change in the way that they will be working in future.

There are no prizes for moving your IT to the cloud in record time, but the cost benefits and ability to access your line of business applications from any internet connected device make it worth investigating how Cloud Computing will work best for you sooner rather than later.

If you would like to learn more aboutout our IT Support or cloud computing services, download our Cloud Computing White Paper or contact us on 01707 255060 or via email at info@clearview.co.uk .

How should your growing business manage IT?

Small businesses now rely heavily on IT, and the proliferation of Apple and Android tablet devices only serves to increase reliance on technology that many business owners don't fully understand ... But it sure needs to work!

As companies grow it becomes impractical to rely on ad hoc support contracts to keep their systems working reliably. IT Systems need regular maintenance to perform at their best and remain protected against internet malware, so business owners need to take a decision to either employ a full time IT Manager or outsource to a Managed Service Provider.

Why IT Management is difficult for small businesses.
Larger companies can cost justify employing a full time IT team including teams of first line support engineers, experienced systems professionals and an IT manager. The system is proven and works well because junior members of staff have clear opportunities for career progression, senior technicians can roll their sleeves up and get to grips with new technology, and the IT Manager can occupy himself with developing IT strategy to meet the businesses' needs and managing his team. Unfortunately, it’s a different story for SMB’s. Skilled IT staff are thin on the ground and command good salary packages, so you need to make sure that you are going to be able to keep them busy.

IT Managers Need A Challenge
SMB’s are not always attractive employers for good IT professionals as they have fairly simple IT needs. Since most IT Managers are techies at heart, they like to be able to get to grips with the latest technology. Given that most of the tasks required to keep your systems running smoothly are routine in nature (e.g. updating antivirus software and ensuring that required Windows Updates are installed) , a small company is unlikely to be able to offer an IT professional the opportunity to build the infrastructure of their dreams. There is therefore a relatively high rate of turnover amongst IT staff in SMB organisations with IT staff leaving to seek new challenges in larger companies where they can gain experience in the latest technology. 

Losing an IT Manager causes its own problems. Suddenly, the one person who knows the ins and outs of your systems is gone, so it can be a turbulent time while you go through the process of finding a replacement which in itself diverts you from the process of running your business.

Should You Use A Managed IT Service Provider?
The alternative to employing your own staff to run your IT systems is to employ a Managed IT Service Provider (MSP). For a fixed monthly fee, a managed service provider will perform all of the functions that you would expect from an IT Manager, but at a lower cost. What’s more, you don’t need to worry about keeping them occupied, or whether they may leave your company.

Equally important is that an MSP is equipped to carry out the routine system management tasks required to keep your systems running smoothly and to do so as efficiently as possible using automation software. Unlike a break/ fix contract, an MSP gets paid no more money for sending an engineer to site to re-build a PC that has crashed, so they will do everything possible to make sure that they don’t.

Because of this, many larger companies with their own IT Manager (50 - 100 staff) use a Managed Service provider to support an in-house IT Manager. This way, your IT Manager can concentrate on the bigger picture of how you can use IT to make your business more efficient, and leave the routine maintenance tasks to the MSP who can carry out the work more cost effectively than employing additional staff.

What About Cloud Computing?
he move to cloud computing will undoubtedly be an accelerator to the adoption of managed IT services by medium and larger sized organisations. Organisations who run their business applications as cloud services will have no need to employ a full time IT Manager, but PC’s, printers and firewalls still need to be maintained, and an MSP is perfectly positioned to provide these functions efficiently and cost-effectively.

Want To Know More?
If you would like to know more about our IT support or managed IT services, please download our white paper or contact us at info@clearview.co.uk .