Itek Computer Solutions Kendal, Cumbria and Lancaster : Specialising in IT Support, Consultancy, Network Installations, Apple Macs, Microsoft and Data Recovery

How a Hosted Microsoft Exchange e-mail system could be a smart move for your business.

Since writing our blog about Hosted Exchange email in January we have had a lot of interest and many of our clients moving onto this very flexible system. So what is all the fuss about?

Basically Hosted Exchange 2010 is a secure business-class email messaging and collaboration service that makes it possible for you and your employees to work anywhere, at anytime.

• Collaborate within your organisation
• Mobile working
• Flexible service options
• Easy setup, simple management
• Access to enterprise technology
• Security, availability and data backup
• Anti-Virus and Anti-Spam protection

Hosted Microsoft Exchange 2010 key business benefits

1. Business email – including your calendar, document repository, contacts list, collaboration tool and even a historical archive.
2. Benefits of a Microsoft Exchange Server – without the overhead of purchasing and managing the server in house.
3. Remote storage – All the emails are stored on the servers in a centralised data repository allowing users to connect from multiple machines such as laptops, PCs and mobile devices at the same time and keeping all devices synchronised.
4. iTek will deploy a complete Microsoft Exchange infrastructure without you investing in mail servers, software licenses, security, in-house email expertise, and ongoing system administration & maintenance
5. Email to suit your business – iTek’s IT support allows you to fully utilise the business benefits of using a hosted exchange e-mail set up.
6. Enhanced Security and efficiency – With enhanced security, Anti-Virus and Anti-Spam, automated and timely installation of anti-virus, security patches and other software updates, you will be able to fully focus on your core businesses.
7. Email Anywhere – With iTek Hosted Exchange you can access your information anywhere, enabling you access to your emails, calendars, and contact information via a mobile device, or from any PC or Mac with an Internet connection. Mobile Access via ActiveSync/Direct Push.
8. Fully managed solution – you do not have to worry about the security, integrity or delivery of your email again.
9. Guaranteed uptime of 99.9%

Great Value
Our affordable pricing makes it easy for companies of every size and any budget to take advantage of Microsoft Exchange’s power and flexibility and experience significantly lower cost of ownership.

Simple Pricing
iTek’s Hosted Exchange is priced on a ‘per user, per month’ basis, so you can grow or shrink the number of users each month to meet your company’s needs.

The price is £6 per month per mailbox and £8.50 per month per mailbox with an outlook 2010 license. The mailbox size limit is 25gb per mailbox. As above, all mail is SPAM filtered and virus check upon arrival and as part of the this price we also provide webmail and push e mail to all your current and future mobile devices.

Please contact us with any questions or for a quote on 01539 898125 or use the enquiry form on our website.

1. IT support Cumbria and Lancashire – iTek Computer Solutions offers the highest quality IT computer
   support in Cumbria, from Kendal in the South Lakes, to Penrith and Carlisle in North Cumbria. To the south we cover North Lancashire including Lancaster & Preston. We provide an IT consultancy service for small and medium sized businesses
2. Quick response times – As we are fairly local to most clients, we’re well placed to respond quickly in the event of a site visit being necessary. In most cases however, we can usually resolve most issues remotely.
3. Wide knowledge of systems, experienced engineers – with years of experience we have developed an extensive knowledge of IT systems with both Microsoft and Apple Mac. As a result we are able to recommend the best system set up for your business, including back-up and anti-virus protection.
4. Good diagnostic skills – our years of experience has given us the ability to diagnose problems quickly and accurately, saving you money and getting you back up and running in the quickest timeframe.
5. Data recovery skills that are second to none – at iTek we are renowned for our ability to recover data when others say it can’t be done. We’ve invested heavily in technology to help us achieve a high level of success in the complex field of data recovery.
6. Proactive approach – with our IT support contracts comes a proactive approach to server and network maintenance. As a result our clients enjoy far less system interruptions and downtime, this saving them money in the long run.
7. Cost effective – we work smartly and so prevent issues before they turn into problems. We encourage our clients to take up one of our IT support contracts as this saves money and ensures a faster response time if and when you need this the most.
8. Keep up to date with the latest developments in technology – OK, so we’re geeks at heart and love the way technology is developing so quickly. Even 5 years ago we would never have anticipated the leaps technology has made in such a short space of time. By investing in us you are also investing in the knowledge that keeps you one step ahead of your competitors and saves you the hassle of trying to keep up to date with all the changes. We’ll tell you what’s important and show you the best ways to get the most out of your IT systems.
9. Experts in both Microsoft and Apple Mac systems – That means that whatever your preferred platform we can offer the same great service backed by our extensive knowledge and understanding.
10. Plain English speakers – We don’t hide behind jargon and technical terminology. We try to explain everything to you in terms that you will understand. We won’t blind you with IT tech talk, just make sure know what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.

Your next step now is to call us on 01539 898 125 and we’ll take it from there.

What to look for when searching for an IT support company

There are loads of IT Support companies out there looking for your business so how on earth do you wade through the choices and select the right one for you? How do you make sure they have what it takes to give you the support you need?

We’ve got a few suggestions to help you get what you need…

Location, location, location
Your IT Support Company may need to visit your business on occasions to install new hardware or fix a physical problem so it is a good idea to choose a company that can get to you within an hour’s drive. If you are based in Cumbria for example you don’t want to be relying on a company in Birmingham or London to drive up the M6 to fix your issues. Keeping it local can be an advantage.

Cost savings
Look at your budget for IT and work out how much it would cost you to directly employ an IT specialist. By outsourcing your IT support to a good IT company it is usually possible to save money compared to employing an IT department yourself.  They will take care of keeping their qualifications up to date, keeping up with technology and will usually have a much broader knowledge of IT systems and how to maintain them.

Understand what it is you need
If you have a basic understanding of your IT support needs this will help you to choose the right IT support company.  You don’t need to be too technical as a good IT company will give you good honest advice and talk to you in plain English.

A useful start would be to work out what your requirements are for desktops, laptops, printers, scanner, software and other peripherals. If you have a system already, then work out what your support requirements are and maybe what changes you are looking for.

Some companies will offer you a Free IT health check which might highlight potential issues with your current system.

Ask lots of questions
Once you’ve compiled you list of requirements, don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you can. Ask about accreditations like Microsoft Partner status and ask for customer testimonials.

Choosing the right IT support company is extremely important as you may need to rely on them to act swiftly in a crisis. Your business will rely on them to help you in times of stress, but also they should be proactive in maintaining your system and advising you on new technologies that could benefit your business.

iTek Computer Solutions provide IT support for businesses in Cumbria and across the North West. We are based in Kendal, Cumbria but also cover Lancaster and Lancashire. We offer a FREE IT audit and would be happy to visit your business and give you our honest opinion on your set up. Call us now on 01539 898125 and speak Ben.

IT Computer Support – Spend Money To Save Money

I know this might sound a bit crazy but actually spending money on a good IT support contract will in fact save you money! In other words a proactive IT support contract will keep your IT system in good shape, make it much easier to manage and make it more reliable.

Resource efficiency
With an IT support contract in place you don’t need to employ technical IT staff in order to keep your network running. Also you won’t need to give one of your employees the task of looking after your system, taking their time and effort away from their main job.

Cost benefit
There is a clear cost associated to your time or someone else’s time within the business when your key staff are looking after your IT. If you work out the actual cost, it will be a lot more than you may have imagined and money can be saved by taking out an IT support contract with an external, expert provider, such as iTek.

Resolve Issues quickly
A service plan gives you access to our expertise whenever you need it – we won’t be impacted by your staff holidays or absence. Here at iTek, we are up to date with the latest technological developments and, more than likely have already experienced your problems, hence being able to provide speedy advice. A good IT support contract should provide the necessary support to resolve issues quickly, before it significantly impacts your business in lost productivity and in turn, revenue.

Reduced maintenance costs
Good quality support lowers the cost of maintaining your IT network over time, saving you money that you can then invest in other areas of your business. This is because proactive support by your provider means that as a business you are receiving the most benefit from your IT equipment and can consider any costs in advance.

Be a client, not a customer
Finally we also find that some businesses still opt for ad hoc support terms. That’s fine, but such support is priced at a higher level, meaning that you are always paying a premium for the service required. It also means that we won’t necessarily know the ins and outs of your system and it may take us longer to diagnose and resolve any issues – again costing your business time and money. This method of support is also ‘reactive’ rather than ‘proactive’. iTek’s unique proactive support has been proven to detect and resolve issues before they impact on your IT systems. The lack of a long standing business relationship can mean that there is little continuity with your IT function- certainly a benefit that a regular support contract would provide for you.

Here at iTek we understand the business benefits of regular IT support and a contract for regular maintenance is the best policy for you in terms of cost, quality, availability and continuity.

iTek provides businesses throughout Cumbria and Lancashire, as well as further afield, with IT support contracts that keep them up to date with the latest IT developments, security and give them the peace of mind that if something should go wrong we are right there to fix it.

If your company is based in Kendal, Carlisle, Lancaster or Preston, or anywhere else in Cumbria or Lancashire for that matter we can provide you with the IT computer support contract to fit your exact needs.

Call us on 01539 898125 for a chat about how we could help your business and to take advantage of our free IT systems audit.

Hosted Exchange Business Email – Goodbye server… hello Cloud!

Hosted Exchange 2010 is a secure business-class email messaging and collaboration service designed to make it possible for you and your employees to work anywhere, at anytime.

Simply having email is no longer enough to work efficiently and intelligently. For better or worse, business email is no longer just email. It has become a calendar, document repository, contacts list, collaboration tool and even a historical archive.

iTek’s Hosted Exchange solutions give your company the benefits of a Microsoft Exchange Server without the overhead of purchasing and managing the server in house. Exchange server 2010 is Microsoft’s enterprise email system which boasts a host of features allowing groups of users to share messaging, calendars and contacts among themselves.

Unlike POP3 mail, the system stores all the email on the servers in a centralised data repository allowing users to connect from multiple machines such as laptops, PCs and mobile devices at the same time and keeping all devices synchronised.

Hosted Microsoft Exchange 2010 business benefits
Instant deployment and a better way to share email, calendars and contact information. iTek will deploy a complete Microsoft Exchange infrastructure without you investing in mail servers, software licenses, security, in-house email expertise, and ongoing system administration & maintenance.

Email to suit your business
With iTek support we work closely with companies to ensure they fully utilise the business benefits of using a hosted exchange e-mail set up.

Enhanced Security and efficiency
With enhanced security, Anti-Virus and Anti-Spam, automated and timely installation of anti-virus,  security patches and other software updates, you will be able to fully focus on your core businesses.

• Anti-Virus / Anti-Spam
• Fully secure access via Outlook 2010 Anywhere and Outlook Web App
• Fully featured Anti-Spam and Anti-Virus protection.

Email Anywhere
With Hosted Exchange you can access your information anywhere, enabling you access to your emails, calendars, and contact  information via a mobile device, or from any PC with an Internet connection. Mobile Access via ActiveSync/Direct Push.

Delivered as a fully managed solution, you do not have to worry about the security, integrity or delivery of your
email again. With a guaranteed service level of 99.99% and predictable monthly costs you can experience significantly lower cost of ownership for your messaging and collaboration needs.

• Collaborate within your organisation
• Mobile working
• Flexible service options
• Easy setup, simple management
• Access to enterprise technology
• Security, availability and data backup
• Anti-Virus and Anti-Spam protection

Great Value
Our affordable pricing makes it easy for companies of every size and any budget to take advantage of Microsoft Exchange’s power and flexibility.

Simple Pricing
iTek’s Hosted Exchange is priced on a ‘per user, per month’ basis, so you can grow or shrink the number of users each month to meet your company’s needs.

The price is £5 per month per mailbox and £7.50 per month per mailbox with an outlook 2010 license. The mailbox size limit is 25gb per mailbox. As above, all mail is SPAM filtered and virus check upon arrival and as part of the this price we also provide webmail and push e mail to all your current and future mobile devices.

Please contact us with any questions or for a quote on 01539 898125 or use the enquiry form on our website.

We are very proud to be sponsoring Kendal Rugby Union FC this year.

If you get the chance to watch any of the home games you’ll see our ground advertising board up, and you may have already seen us in one of the  match programmes a little while ago.

iTek are a local IT company and we are big rugby fans. Adam in particular is a huge Kendal Rugby Club supporter so it seemed like the right thing to do to offer our support to such a well established and well respected local club.

We’re keeping a keen eye on how they are doing in the league this season and if you see us down at any of their matches please come over and say hello.

Come on Kendal!!

LIKE us on Facebook and you’ll automatically be entered into our monthly prize draw. All you need to do is go to our Facebook page and click the LIKE button at the top.

Last month one of our followers Ellie Wright won a  lovely iPod Shuffle,  2GB and in iTek green. This month and in time for Christmas our prize draw is for an iPod Nano.  8GB storage and a 1.54-inch (diagonal) colour TFT display and now comes with a built in FM radio. A great little device that has the same clip on the back as the iPod Shuffle so ideal for use when running.

Why should you follow us on Facebook though?
Well, apart from the chance to win each month, we use Facebook along with our website to regularly post useful and interesting information that could help you to improve your IT systems.

We also share interesting things we’ve come across that we think you might enjoy, and let you know about new technologies. We’ll even tell you what we think.
You can use our Facebook page to get in touch with us or ask us a question about something. It means we don’t have to send you loads of emails to keep you informed – although we may send you emails occasionally we don’t want to clog up your inbox.

You can also get all our latest special offers and information on great deals from our Facebook page.

So don’t miss out any more! Pop along to facebook.com/iTekCS and click that LIKE button at the top of the page. If there is anyone else that you think might want to be kept up to date with all the latest from the IT world, and maybe the chance to win a great prize each month, then please tell them about our page and suggest they LIKE us too.

You can also get social with us on Twitter!

So What is Microsoft Exchange Server?
Simply put, it provides businesses with email, calendar, and contacts on the PC, phone & web, allowing your staff to stay connected and in sync.

Why should my business be using Microsoft Exchange Server?
Efficient email systems, communication and remote access – all things that will help your busness to run smoothly and efficiently.

OK, but what does it really do?

• It brings an enterprise level of security and reliability and provides email, calendar and contacts on your PC, phone and web browser.
• Exchange server Supports the most common web browsers, including IE, Firefox, Safari and Chrome and allows you to work and collaborate anywhere.
• Remote access – You can access and update your info while away from tyhe office with the ability to mobile sync to hundreds of devices, including Windows Mobile, iPhone, and Android.
• Anti-spam filtering helps guard against spam and phishing threats.
• Microsoft Exchange Server willl save you money and time.
• Feature packed it equips your staff with the latest tools to help increase productivity.
• It offers dramatic cost savings in storage, with new high availability, disaster recovery and backup solutions.
• Exchange ActiveSync allows you to avoid device management costs and support users on virtually any mobile device.

Some great features:
By using Exchange, your staff can access their emails from wherever they are, with full support for Outlook and access from a wide range of mobile devices. More storage options make it possible to offer users low cost, large mailboxes so they can access all their essential information in one place. Calendar sharing allows users to share free/busy information with colleagues and clients, even if they work at another company. With great built in security you can create approved mobile device lists, enforce PIN lock, and remotely wipe data from lost phones.

Here at iTek we have a wealth of experience in managing, maintaining and implementing Microsoft Exchange collaboration systems……..why not give is a call on 01539 898125 and see how a Microsoft Exchange collaboration system can help your business communicate better!

LIKE us on Facebook and you’ll automatically be entered into our monthly prize draw. All you need to do is go to our Facebook page and click the LIKE button at the top.

Last month one of our followers won a fantastic Laser printer. This month you could win this lovely iPod Shuffle,  2GB and in iTek green, it’s a stunner, hell, we’ll even engrave it  for you.

Why should you follow us on Facebook though?
Well, apart from the chance to win each month, we use Facebook along with our website to regularly post useful and interesting information that could help you to improve your IT systems.

We also share interesting things we’ve come across that we think you might enjoy, and let you know about new technologies. We’ll even tell you what we think.
You can use our Facebook page to get in touch with us or ask us a question about something. It means we don’t have to send you loads of emails to keep you informed – although we may send you emails occasionally we don’t want to clog up your inbox.

You can also get all our latest special offers and information on great deals from our Facebook page.

So don’t miss out any more! Pop along to facebook.com/iTekCS and click that LIKE button at the top of the page. If there is anyone else that you think might want to be kept up to date with all the latest from the IT world, and maybe the chance to win a great prize each month, then please tell them about our page and suggest they LIKE us too.

You can also get social with us on Twitter!