UK Microsoft Partner - IT Consultancy, Support, Disaster Recovery

0845 838 5505

Consultancy, support and disaster recovery services either on site.....

Or remotely over the Net using our secure client here

	AUDITING - An independent evaluation of your environment can without doubt be a useful exercise. Is everything configured properly and performing as it should be? An audit will pinpoint any problems whether they are current or potential, and focus on any areas for improvement. A detailed report will be prepared for the client documenting existing infrastructure, any areas of concern and any remedial work that should be undertaken. It will also detail other areas such as how the environment could be improved in terms of performance, security and redundancy and have scope for growth.
	CLUSTERING can be an effective way of increasing server/service availability. Exchange 2000 Enterprise Server onwards can be clustered to provide a robust redundant solution (clustering although possible with Exchange 5.5 was not as mature as it is with later versions). A clustering solution needs to be carefully designed to afford good performance and reliability. Choice of hardware is very important, as is storage design, Exchange optimisation and using add-ons which are verified as cluster compatible. Our consultants have deployed clustered solutions on both a large (3000 users+) and small scale. Clustering can also be very used for high availability file, print or SQL servers. A Windows Clustering configuration provides high availability, scalability, and manageability. The cluster is designed to avoid a single point of failure. Applications can be distributed over more than one computer, achieving a degree of parallelism and failure recovery, and therefore providing more availability. You can increase the cluster's computing power by adding more processors or computers. The cluster appears as a single-system to end-users, applications, and the network, while providing a single point of control to administrators. This single point of control can be remote.)
	DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE is a crucial part of the implementation process - a badly designed solution will never perform satisfactorily, particularly when under heavy user load. We have worked on simple single server solutions right through to complicated distributed clustered solutions. We consider Network design and capacity Number of users at each location Mailbox size required and estimated user email usage Email accessibility - LAN only or Outlook Web Access and/or mobile access Hardware platform and storage platform Importance of redundancy and data availability Storage group design, Exchange database (and other key files) location What storage - SAN or SCSI Security, both internal and external Scalability and capacity planning - how much growth will the solution allow? Cost Service availability and redundancy required
	DISASTER RECOVERY - Many companies today lack a solid backup and recovery plan. What would happen today if a natural disaster or a simple hardware failure destroyed all of your vital data? We can work with you to recover and rebuild your infrastructure. We have experience in recovering Active Directory and Windows Server, Exchange Server, Small Business Server and other MS Server technologies. We can also help you plan to limit the impact of a disaster and be prepared for it
	EMERGENCY COVER - Not everything occurs during office hours! We offer an out of hours emergency cover service, covering 24x7 operations.
	IMPLEMENTATION - After a detailed design process, the next step is implementation. We can build and commission the entire infrastructure or one server, as required. The build will be fully documented for handover to the client and sign off. Testing of the solution will also be carried out to verify its performance.
	MIGRATION - Every migration project varies in size, scope, and objectives. There are three types of migrations that are typically required:- From an earlier version of Windows server to Windows 2000 or 2003. And/Or from an earlier version of Exchange to Exchange 2000 or 2003. Or from a non Microsoft email system to Exchange. We have experience of all of these migration types. Things to consider in an email migration are:- Establishing and maintaining connections. Converting messaging applications. Maintaining external addresses. Establishing naming conventions. Handling migrated messages. Maintaining directories. Moving scheduling information. Moving distribution lists. Routing external messages. Moving remote users. Creating a contingency plan. Testing your plan.
	NETWORKING - A well designed network infrastructure is key to the performance of any server/client solution. Optimum configuration of Windows networking services such as DNS or DHCP is important, as is the configuration of routers and switches etc. Most businesses now require permanent connection to the Internet - we can configure this for you as well.
	REMOTE ACCESS- Do you need to access the company network from home? If your business is connected to the Internet, connecting securely and reliably to work from home is possible. We can configure your network for virtual private networking (VPN), which will enable you to log on to your office network wherever you are. It could also enable remote support of your IT infrastructure. If you require remote email access, this can also be achieved by VPN, or by implementing Outlook Web Access if you have Exchange server
	SALES - We sell most Microsoft Server software. We can tell you the type of Microsoft license you need and determine the best purchase or leasing option for you. Many customers qualify for significant savings by acquiring multiple product licenses. We also sell a wide range of non-Microsoft software and some network infrastructure hardware, such as servers, firewalls, switches and routers. Our aim is to provide the complete solution for the customer as required.
	SECURITY- Typically we get involved in securing Exchange server, both internally and from external threats. This involves making sure that permissions are correct for the operating system, Exchange databases and other Exchange objects (such as public folders). It is important to minimize risk from the Internet, which might require the installation and configuration of a good firewall or siting a relay server between Exchange and the Internet. Other considerations are anti-spam and anti-virus measures. Equally important is to make sure both the operating system and Exchange server are running the latest patches, particularly those related to security.
	SUPPORT - We offer "Pay As You Go" support for most Microsoft technologies, either on-site, or remote by VPN or telephone. Companies will sometimes need external support as is not cost effective to have specialist staff with the level of expertise necessary to fix a complicated problem. Typically, a consultant can be on-site within 24 hours or less. Where the client has VPN facilities (which we can set up and maintain) support can be done remotely - response time will be much faster. Support is offered under a "Pay As You Go" arrangement, which is usually far most cost effective than expensive support contracts.
	TRAINING - Your staff may require their skills updating to be able to work with the latest Microsoft technologies. We offer an on-site training service, where a consultant can work with your staff in your particular environment to tailor training to your exact needs. This will give your staff the knowledge they need to support your infrastructure.