IT Support

IT Support

Windows 9: Is your Business Ready for Another Migration?

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The Windows OS hasn’t been doing so well of late. Windows 8 and 8.1 were both prone to errors and now it seems that Microsoft will be releasing a newer version of its famous OS. Windows 9, codenamed Threshold, which is scheduled for release in April 2015.

That’s if you believe the rumours of course, but if it’s true the OS will arrive just 18 months after the launch of Windows 8.1. Many businesses are still struggling with the news that Microsoft intends to drop support for XP in April and those organisations are scrambling to transition to Windows 7. Some businesses will have only just migrated its systems to Windows 8/8.1.

With the possibility that Windows 9 will be released next year, it seems that the current trend for migration and upgrades for users of the Microsoft OS will continue. This is bad news for IT departments as OS migrations are one of the most costly, stressful, time-intensive and manpower heavy projects possible. It appears that software has a shorter lifespan these days, but what does that mean for businesses?

IT Support

5 Reasons to Use Hosted Exchange

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Microsoft Exchange has become the main business class email and collaboration solution available to businesses. Without a doubt email is the most collaborative and communicative tool for businesses regardless of size. Microsoft Exchange is the most widely adopted hosted service; however, it’s also the most complicated and costly to manage.

That said it’s a powerful tool that can reduce costs from in-house servers and increase the saturation of newer business practices like BYOD. Hosted Exchange solutions provide a business with a flexible, secure, scalable, and mobile business email solution. This service is backed up, replicated, and available 24 hours a day.

Using a hosted Exchange solution can provide and allow a business real-time integration of business email, calendar, and contacts between different mediums including Blackberry, iPhone, Android, and Windows Mobile. This means that Hosted Exchange mailboxes are available from any device and there is no need for a business to physically synchronise accounts.

Reduce costs

Hosted Exchange allows a business to enjoy the services provided by Exchange without the costs and headaches of managing an in-house server. The Microsoft Exchange hosting company manages all of the software and hardware installation, management, and upgrades. Using an Exchange hosting service also allows the host company to “load balance” services across their own hardware. This means that businesses can more effectively monitor and control server hardware and power usage across its services.

IT Support

[Infographic] 20 Questions to Ask Your IT Support Provider

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IT support is something that every business needs to consider these days. Whilst the small business may not consider it a necessary expense, any IT disaster can be costly to a company, especially if it involves client data.

SMEs with an office network will have to have some kind of support in place, to ensure the least downtime and expense when it comes to IT equipment. Many companies work under the misconception that IT support is expensive at SLA/Break-Fix level, but this needn’t be the case. From weekly to monthly maintenance, much of which can now be carried out remotely, to emergency call-outs when things go wrong. having an engineer at the end of the phone is often a big relief.

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