The Advantages Of Online Backup: Why Is It Better Than Local Backup?

It is known to all that backing up mission critical data is the key to success of an organisation. However, many companies still decide to back up data locally in order to save money. There is nothing wrong with this decision, if you look at it from a financial point of view. A few boxes of dual-layer DVDs or even an external hard drive or two will cost much less than opting for the services of a rather expensive backup service provider. However, from the point of view of technicality and security, everything is wrong with this strategy.

External backup media, such as external hard disks, or optical discs, can easily get corrupted on prolonged storage. It does not matter if you keep DVDs locked up in a safe. Prolonged exposure to moist air is enough to harm the layer of dye inside the optical discs, leading to data corruption. External hard disks are not completely safe, either. No matter how safely you store these, one single accidental impact or static electric discharge is enough to make the data irretrievable.  

The best way to avoid such a disaster is to opt for an online backup service. Online backup can be of two types, one that you can set up locally, and another, where your files are stored online at some secured server hosted and maintained by the service provider.

Local online backup servers are powerful, high end PCs with terabyte after terabyte of storage space. These PCs are not used for any other purpose except data storage. Some backup software is installed in all the PCs, which keeps backing up files as the users work. The backup is absolutely transparent to the users; they do not have to do anything about it.

The only drawback is that these servers are often very expensive to set up. You will need to enlist the help of a sufficiently qualified system administrator to make sure that the server is maintained properly. Also, in case of a natural calamity or an accident at your workplace, the server will be affected along with all the other systems. If you wish to avoid this inconvenience and expense, it is best to opt for a third party backup service provider.

Backup service providers usually have secure servers for keeping backups of user data. The service may be provided either free of cost, or for an annual fee. The provider takes care of everything – be it providing security for the stored data, or taking backups periodically. There are several good providers who offer backup services at reasonable rates. If you are not confident about maintaining backups of your data internally, it is best to employ a specialist company.

How To Choose Your Desktop Support Provider

Outsourcing your desktop support tasks to an external service provider is certainly a logical business decision in these times of economic recession. Most desktop support providers try to deliver as flawless service as possible to their clients, but undoubtedly, their capabilities vary. That's why it is essential to screen your prospective service providers before handing over the service contract to them. Here is how you can verify whether your chosen organisation is the right one for you.

1.Ask about qualifications of support staff: When you are approaching a service provider organisation, be sure to inquire about the qualifications of the members of their support teams. In order to be able to provide the best possible service, these organisations must have personnel with sufficient technical qualification. Do not be embarrassed to ask this directly. If they are being defensive about this enquiry, reconsider hiring them at all.

2.Inquire about response time: Ask them how fast they will be able to attend to your problems. For example, a 4 hour response SLA means that they will respond to your problem within a time period of four hours, counted from the time you make the call for support.

3.Ask for a long term personal contact: Ask whether they will be able to spare at least one person to be a dedicated resource working on your systems. It is even better if that person is a senior employee. That way, you will always have someone at hand who knows everything about your systems, and who can also guide other junior employees when they work on your systems. This will ensure that problems get fixed faster, with minimum downtime.

4.Find out about helpdesk/ remote support services: Ask whether they have a helpdesk to attend to problems via remote terminal. If the provider has good help desk with technically qualified employees, it will ensure that they can solve your problems from their offices. Then they will not have to send someone down to your business facilities every time a problem arises.

5.Do a background check: Always ask for references, and follow up on those leads. Ask the provider whether they have provided service to any major business organisation that is still operational. Visit the offices of that organisation or send someone over to verify the provider's claims.

The Benefits of Outsourcing Desktop Support Services

If you are running an organisation with a sizeable workforce, maintaining all the workstations in peak performance conditions at all times can be quite a task for an internal IT support team - assuming that you have one in the first place! Benefits 1. Cost saving on services: This is perhaps the most desirable result that can be achieved by outsourcing desktop support. The ongoing economic recession necessitates lowering of expenditure, while boosting productivity. Most desktop support providers offer their services at reasonable costs, while guaranteeing 24/7 support. This ensures a boost in productivity of your employees, while also making sure that your budget stays within acceptable limits. 2. Additional skilled workforce: As long as your service contract is valid, you can rest assured of getting the best service from your provider. Desktop support providers hire only the most qualified experts for the job. All support personnel are certified professionals, who have years of experience in the field. They not only give support when required, but can also serve as an extension of your existing IT support team. There may be a lot of problems that your in-house team is unable to solve. In that case, your external desktop support group can back them up. 3. Continuous support: You cannot expect your in-house support team to work 24/7. But, your external desktop support team will be there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. So, you are guaranteed to get non stop support, no matter when you need it. All you have to do is make a phone call, and your problems will be attended to. 4. Remote support: An external IT support team will not need to come over to your business facilities in order to solve small problems. When you opt for the service, simply inquire whether they provide remote desktop support. That will ensure that your problems are fixed faster with lowest possible downtime and for significantly lower fees as well. 5. Response time: Your in-house IT support team may not be around all the time. They may be on leave, or call in sick on the very day when you face a critical problem. With your external support team, this is not a problem. If you have a constant support contract, you can be sure of getting excellent service whenever you require. Desktop Support Desktop support can give your business excellent quality service at reasonable prices. Providers can put a highly specialised workforce at your disposal, ensuring that you get nothing but the best service in the industry, whenever you require. Contact one of these providers today to ensure that you make big savings in your expenditure and boost employee productivity at the same time.

Finding The Right IT Support Company In The UK

If your business is in the UK and you are experiencing problems with your computer systems, you may be forced to seek an IT support service from a professional support company. To help your business to success, it is recommended to find a service provider that can advise on improving systems and procedures, using the latest technologies. This will ensure that your business runs as smoothly as possible and has access to the technologies that will help you focus on your core business activities anywhere in the world. It is essential to find a reliable and trustworthy company for your support as they will be looking after your critical data, applications and hardware. It would certainly also help if your chosen IT support company has offices in the major cities of the UK, such as London, and also a presence in the smaller towns as well. Having a reliable source for your IT support in the UK would help you focus on your business, secure in the knowledge that any problems would be handled by a dedicated team comprising of support analysts, engineers as well as consultants that will look after your information technology needs. It certainly helps to have IT support that is tailored to your specific needs and you should seek out a service provider that specialises in the building as well as maintenance of IT infrastructures. Once you are able to locate a suitable IT service company, all that remains is to sign a contract, so that your chosen support provider can deliver it’s services so that your staff are free to concentrate on their main activities instead of being bothered and sidetracked by unrelated work such as fixing computer related problems. The hallmark of a good IT support company would no doubt include services such as having an engineer at the site within two to four hours of reporting problems, having a 24 hour service desk that operates during normal working hours, being able to provide remote server monitoring and having a team of dedicated support personnel. Having a head office in a city like London and other offices in outlying cities and towns in the UK would help the service provider in providing speedier and more meaningful IT support throughout the UK. This is especially important when computer problems strike at the most unexpected times and you need quick reaction times. Having an IT support company with presence in more than one location would certainly cut down the downtime of your computers.

IT Support - Why Is It Important?

If you run a business, then you will definitely have to use information technology, in one way or another. However, high tech products are not without their fair share of trouble. Your may lose internet connectivity, hard drives may crash, taking invaluable client data with it, or in the worst case scenario a natural disaster may strike your offices causing major damage to your business infrastructure. IT support: The silver lining in a dark cloud It is at these times that a competent IT support provider comes is of true benefit. They not only solve problems, but also help you get your business back on track. In fact, if you enlist the services of a good IT support organisation, then you may not run into critical problems in the first place. Here are the services that competent IT services will usually provide: 1. Data backup/ restore services: Good IT support service providers will usually provide the option to back up your critical business data on remote servers, from where you can restore it in case disaster strikes. Whether your hard drives have crashed or a fire has destroyed your office, you can always rest assured that your data is safe elsewhere. All that remains to do is call up your IT support company and ask them how you can restore data to the new hard drives. 2. Database management: Managing the databases of employee information, client orders and project work can be quite a hefty and specialist role. Good tech support providers will often offer to take care of the database management as part of their service package. It is worth considering opting for this service as an alternative to having a qualified database administrator on your payroll full-time, or even calling one in on a consultant basis. 3. On site support: Many technical support organisations provide on site support as part of their service plan. This involves sending a team of qualified and experienced support engineers to your business offices, in cases where the help desk is unable to deal with the issue remotely. If you get this service from your provider, you can actually do away with most, or even all of your in-house IT support team, saving a substantial amount in the process. 4. Training employees: If you are purchasing some new management software that your employees are not familiar with, it always makes sense to ask your IT support provider to train them. Some support organisations can also provide training about safe computing, proper usage of internet, etc. 5. Service Level Agreements (SLAs): When you opt for IT support, you will be given a guarantee on response times. Any time you call them up, they will respond to your problem within that time period. This will give you some peace of mind, in case you run into some trouble with your IT infrastructure. IT support: Providing service in your language A good IT support organisation will provide flawless service round the clock, at prices that are simply unbelievable. With these organisations, you get service in your language, thus enhancing comfort level, while also ensuring that there is no data lost in translation. Opt for a reliable IT provider to back you up in case of trouble with your IT infrastructure.