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 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.

Last month one of our followers Fiona Battersby won a  fantastic iPod Nano – nice present just in time for Christmas. This month we’re offering a Microsoft Wireless Desktop Kit comprising of wireless mouse and keyboard.

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.

Why should you follow us on Facebook ?
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!

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!!

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!

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!

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!

This month you could win an fantastic HP Colour Laser Jet Printer worth £169.00 We’re even throwing in free installation.

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!

We all know we should do it, most of us do, but how we do it can make a huge difference when we need to get it all back.

Traditionally we have used various methods to back up our data: Magnetic tapes, Hard disks, Optical storage such as CDs and DVDs, Solid State storage (Flash drives, memory sticks etc) but now we’re seeing the emergence of the new kid on the block – Remote Backup, also known as Cloud Storage. Now that Broadband is getting faster and more reliable this is becoming the best way to backup your precious files.

Cloud Storage
There’s no way to know what sort of disaster might be just around the corner. Your locally stored files could be wiped out at any moment. Uploading copies to “the cloud” is now the number one way to protect them.
A fire, power surge, or leaking pipe could fry your system – disasters both natural and human-caused can threaten your files at any time. Even if you avoid these, there are many other ways to lose your locally stored data: hard drive failure, accidental deleting, or a lost or stolen laptop could spell disaster.

Small businesses rely on the availability of their data to keep running, so data loss without a reliable backup is a catastrophic event. The top causes of small business’ data loss include hardware/software failure, accidental deletion, computer viruses and theft.

Online backup services providing “Cloud Storage” securely store your data files away from your premises on off-site servers. As a result your data will stay intact and available even if your local disks are stolen or your premises suffer some disaster.

Why choose cloud backup?
Off-site and tape backup are quite expensive methods to backup data, and the volume of data increases, so it becomes harder to manage. Cloud backup gives you an infinite data repository of your backups so you can design the schedule and data you wish to backup to suit your organisation. The simple and clear pricing structure helps you determine the costs up front and you also have the ability to restore the data to any other decide, giving you must faster recovery than having to build an identical spec machine.

To find out more drop us a line or call 01539 898 125

OK, so you have had “sort back –up of data” on your To Do list for months now but never quite got round to it. Or you thought your data was being backed up each day but when it all goes wrong you realise that your back-up wasn’t working. Loss of data can be absolutely catastrophic to you or your business, so what can you do when it all goes wrong.?

There are many types of damage that can cause you to lose all or some of your data. The most common are:

Fire damage, water damage, impact damage, DIY data recovery gone wrong, animals, overwriting data, accidentally deleting data, OS failure, Hard disk failure, media storage failure.

Whatever the cause and extent of the damage your data can often be recovered when you think all is lost.

Data recovery is basically the process of recovering data from damaged, failed or corrupted hard disks or storage devices. Often the data needs to be salvaged from internal or external hard disk drives (HDD), solid state drives (SSD), USB flash, storage tapes, CDs, DVDs, RAID, and other electronics.

Recovery may be required due to physical damage to the storage device or logical damage to the file system that prevents it from being accessed by the operating system (OS).

OS failure
The most common “data recovery” scenario involves an OS failure – typically on a single-disk, or partition, in which case the goal is simply to copy all wanted files to another disk.

Disk failure
Another scenario involves a disk-level failure where the data cannot be easily read. Recovering data in this case typically involves repairing the file system or hard disk recovery techniques ranging from software-based recovery of corrupted data to hardware replacement on a physically damaged disk.

The latter process can often be expensive because technicians may need to disassemble your hard drive to fix the problem. Hard drive data recovery is usually done in a ‘clean room’ as hard drives are sealed to avoid errors caused by dust or other particles. Also hard drives are finely tuned machinery and it takes specialist equipment to read the platters from a physically damaged drive.

Recovering accidentally deleted data
We’ve all done it, accidentally deleted files and then emptied the recycle bin. However if this happens it can often be recovered.

Another very common scenario is when files have been accidentally “deleted” from a storage device. Usually, these deleted files are not erased immediately; initially references to them in the directory structure are removed, and the space they occupy is made available for later overwriting. If you realise that you’ve accidentally deleted files early enough the original files can often be restored.

Whatever the cause of data loss we are experts in helping you to fix the problem and in many situations, recover the lost data. If you have the need for data recovery due to any of the above then get in touch with us as soon as you can and we may be able to help you.

If this happens it may also highlight the need for you to review your back-up systems, something else we are experienced in and can help you to set up and run.

Call us on 01539 898125 or email us at info@itekcomputersolutions.co.uk to see how we can help you with your data recovery needs.