| Here’s
some common problems for a small office with 2-5 computers without
a server.
1. File Storage.
Files are stored on different computers and various flash
drives. There are different versions of the same file in different
locations. Files are difficult to find.
There is no backup policy and backup is not verified.
Solution – Network Drive (about
£150)
Network Drive or and external hard drive is connected to the
office network and all files are stored in one central location
for easy access and backup.
2. Printers.
Colour printer is connected to one computer and black and
white laser printer is connected to another computer. You
can only print to the printer connected directly to your computer.
To print to a different printer you have to go to a different
computer.
Solution – Shared Printers (from
£35)
Printers are shared on the office network – you can
print to any printer from any computer.
3. Internet Connection.
You have broadband in the office. Some of the computers are
connected to the broadband, others are not.
Solution – Internet Connection
Sharing (from £35)
All computers are connected to the local area network, Internet
Connection Sharing is enabled.
4. Computer or Laptop Running Very
Slow.
A fairly new computer is running increasingly slow.
Solution – Computer Maintenance
(from £35)
Your computer is most probably infected with spyware (programmes
running in the background and taking up a lot of computer
resources). Uninstall unnecessary programmes, remove spyware,
update computer, update antivirus, defragment hard drive,
etc.
Maintenance
There are several essential steps to smooth, fast and virus
free running of your computer.
Your computer operating system (Windows XP, Windows Vista,
Windows 7) should have latest patches and updates –
keep your computer updated.
You should have anti-virus software installed (Norton, McAfee,
Sophos), correctly configured and updated regularly –
preferably on a daily basis. Your computer can be running
very slow even if you have anti-virus software installed and
up-to-date. Anti-virus software does not always detect SpyWare
(Programmes running in the background and taking up most of
your computer resources). Spyware often requires expert help
to remove.
We would also suggest that you review and remove unnecessary
programs from you computer.
Troubleshooting
Printer is not working?
Cannot connect to the Internet?
Your computer is taking to long to start?
A programme installed on you computer is not working properly?
You are not receiving any new e-mail?
Most of these simple problems can be resolved within minutes
and in many cases over the phone or using remote assess software.
Virus
Removal
Some viruses can be extremely difficult to remove.
Virus removal might involve getting the latest removal instructions
from the Internet, creating an emergency virus removal disk,
rebooting computer into the safe mode, running virus removal
program, etc. If you think your computer is infected please
give us a call on 0141 416 1096 or use contact
page to send us your details and we will call you back.
Printing
Problems
You checked that your printer has paper, that the cartridge
or toner is installed correctly but your printer will not
print. In many cases printing problems are resolved within
minutes – make sure all the cables are connected properly,
if it is a shared printer (connected to a different computer)
make sure that computer is turned on. If you are still experiencing
problems please give us a call on 0141 416 1096 or use contact
page to send us your details and we will call you back.
Windows
XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
You purchased a new computer or you are thinking about purchasing
a new computer or laptop and you need to make sure that it
will work properly on your network or domain. Or you need
to make sure that software you are using now will work properly
on your new computer.
Perhaps you need help with transferring data, software, email,
and other settings from your old computer to the new one please
give us a call on 0141 416 1096 or use contact
page to send us your details and we will call you back.
Severs
– Installation
If you are thinking about installing a server on your network
or upgrading an existing server please give us a call to arrange
a free consultation for impartial advice.
Most small networks with 3-5 computers will benefit from installation
of a server.
Here just some of the benefits:
• Central management of all user accounts
• Central management of computers
• Central data storage and backup
• File management and access control
• Exchange Server – for professional internal
and external e-mail system
• SharePoint Server for Intranet solutions
• Outlook Web Access – access you work email/outlook/contacts
from any location
• Remote Web Workplace – access your work documents
from any location
Servers
– Configuration
Before server installation we work closely with our clients
to gather information and requirement for the most efficient
server configuration – the number of the computers on
the network, internal network domain name, company domain
name, Internet Service Provider, firewall configuration details,
current e-mail system details, number of users, and any other
relevant information that might be useful when making server
configuration decisions.
Servers
– Troubleshooting
A properly installed and configured server should not require
much attention apart from regular maintenance. In some cases,
especially when a server has not been serviced for a long
time, or has not been configured properly, your server may
require some troubleshooting or re-configuration.
E-Mail
Systems
Here we can help with anything starting from domain name (www.yourbusiness.co.uk).
This is required for the second part of your e-mail address
(sales@yourbusiness.co.uk; info@yourbusiness.co.uk; john@yourbusiness.co.uk)
to fine tuning your existing e-mail system. We can offer a
range of solutions to common e-mail system problem –
including spam filters, remote access to you Outlook, sharing
Outlook folders, e-mail templates, integrating text messaging
and outlook and much more.
Exchange
Server
Having your own in house email system bring professionalism
and flexibility to the way you communicate within your company
and with your customers, business partners and suppliers.
Create and remove multiple addresses as needed, connect to
you Internet Service Provider e-mail system. Share calendars
and contacts. All employees have individual e-mail addresses,
group e-mail addresses, distribution groups.
Networks
We can offer a wealth of expertise in setting up networks,
expanding networks, upgrading network hardware, wireless networks,
network security and more.
Some of the common network solutions we offer:
Routers and switches setup
Router configuration
Shared Internet Connections
Network Storage Devices
DNS and DHCP setup
Troubleshooting network connectivity
Firewalls
and VPN
If your network is connected to the Interned you must have
a firewall. Sometimes you need to configure your firewall
to allow access to your network resources (Outlook Web Access
for example) from the Internet. Your firewall can be configured
to block users accessing certain sites on the Internet. You
can use firewall to connect remote offices with Virtual Private
Network (VPN).
Remote
Access Solutions
One of the most popular remote access solutions is integrated
with Microsoft Small Business Server. It allows you to connect
to your business from anywhere – access your files,
desktop, and business applications from anywhere. We can help
you to identify the best and the most secure way to access
your files, email and other resources on your business network.
Backup
Solutions
We will help you identify resource you need to back up, location
of these resources and backup strategy.
One of the easiest and cost effective ways to back up your
files is an external hard drive. Most external hard drives
come with backup software that allows you to automated backup
process. However, this solution is not very effective if your
files are located on different computers or if you need to
back up your email.
Another common backup solution is tape backup. It is most
effective solution for backing up resources on your server
and on your network.
We find that many companies back up their data but they don’t
test their backup.
Part of a successful backup strategy is regular testing of
your backup. We will help you to find out if you back up works,
we will test back up by recovering random files from backup.
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