Eitex provides IT Support for Engineering Firm Daver Steels

Yorkshire based Daver Steels manufacture required a fresh approach to their IT. As IT is used heavily within their business they needed the reassurance that systems were being managed and maintained on an on-going basis. As many businesses are migrating to the cloud it also became apparent that keeping an eye on the future was also important.

With this in mind Daver Steels began looking for a new IT Supplier and approached Eitex.

Daver Steels commented “Eitex deal with a number of engineering firms in the area and gave me complete confidence that they could offer a completely rounded service which suited our needs.”

Eitex help customers to keep an eye on the future by offering free seminars for products such as Cloud Solutions, Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Lync, Microsoft SharePoint, Sage and such like.

Eitex owner Dean Spencer commented “We would like to thank Daver Steels for their business and look forward to forming a long and lasting relationship to help them get the best from their IT”

If you would like to contact Daver Steels please visit http://www.daversteels.co.uk/contact_us.php

If you would like to discuss Cloud Solutions, or IT Support, contact Eitex

http://www.eitex.co.uk/enquiry-form.asp

A new home for Eitex...

Eitex is growing very quickly as a business. When the business started in 1997 it has always been focused on offering high quality IT Support to clients large and small, as well as the provision of IT equipment such as computers, servers and laptops. 

Moving forward Eitex has ventured out into new areas of business which include Microsoft CRM (Customer Relationship Management), Microsoft Lync (Unified Communications) and Sage software.
The hub of the business, the IT Support helpdesk will act as a hub and offer logistical planning and take support calls for IT, as well as Microsoft CRM and Lync.

In addition the company is developing a franchise network to resell its products and services across the country. The first 2 pilot franchises based in Bradford and Blackburn have done very well indeed, phase 2 of the franchise development is now due.

“The new services and expansion require lots of extra space commented Dean Spencer Managing Director, we didn’t want to get tied down by lengthy lease agreements and landlords, so we decided to buy our own place. The new offices which are called The Meeting Rooms have 2 large open plan studios, one for the helpdesk and workshop, the other studio is to be used for CRM and Lync. Surrounding offices and communal areas are for admin and recreation / rejuvenation. This is a very exciting time for us”

Pictures can be seen here http://www.flickr.com/photos/eitex/

Eitex are set to move mid-July.

Eitex lightens the load for British Weight Lifting

BRITISH Weight Lifting’s Olympic ambitions have been given a major boost with the news from the British Olympic Association (BOA) that BWL will be allowed to utilise Host Nation Qualification Places to compete at the Olympic Games in London next year! The IPC Powerlifting Squad are also well on track as they start their qualification process for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

With this exciting news in mind BWL needed to take hold of their IT, to get all team members succinct, organised and prepared for London 2012. In doing so BWL chose Eitex as their IT Support partner!

Eitex will be providing Microsoft BPOS which includes Exchange and SharePoint to allow team members around the world to access, share and work together on the same information. A pro-active support package has also been provided to ensure their IT runs smoothly and optimally from this point onwards.

Eitex would like to wish BWL and the athletes involved the very best success on their Olympic and Paralympic venture. 

Eitex wins IT Support Contract for Wakefield based Engineering Company.

Yorkshire based CEM Engineering went to market in search of a new IT Support provider. As a rapidly growing business CEM needed fresh ideas to take their IT infrastructure to the next level. Having spoken with a number of IT companies in the area CEM chose Eitex.

CEM commented “We deal with world-class businesses on a daily basis, it is imperative that all aspects of our business are world-class too. Eitex seemed to offer everything we needed; their enthusiastic approach addressed existing issues, as well as ideas for moving forward including Microsoft BPOS. Our systems are now continually monitored and the service is backed by a dedicated helpdesk.”

Eitex recommended moving certain aspects of their IT into the cloud, whilst keeping other elements on-site to allow CEM to achieve the highest possible performance levels, productivity, stability and resilience.

Eitex owner Dean Spencer commented “We would like to thank CEM for their business and look forward to forming a long and lasting relationship to help them get the best from their IT on a continual basis”

If you would like to speak to CEM regarding their products and services click here
Take a 360’ virtual factory tour at CEM

If you would like to speak to Eitex regarding IT Support and services click here

New IT Support Contract won for Riverside Cards

As an long standing member of the Greetings Cards Industry, we place great value on our IT infrastructure and with this in mind we went into the market and received proposals from a number of IT Support companies.

The company which ticked all the boxes was Eitex. Riverside Cards’ IT co-ordinator Andrew Linley commented “We chose Eitex as their staff are skilled and friendly. Suggestions made were explained in plain English which made the company directors feel at ease. Eitex are also Microsoft Gold Partners which for us added credibility”.
We are looking forward to working alongside the friendly and professional team at Eitex.
Eitex will be implementing Microsoft BPOS and providing IT Support services. We will also be looking to migrate to Office 365 when it becomes available.

IT Support Blackburn

National IT support firm opens new Lancashire franchise operation.


Eitex, originally set up in Batley West Yorkshire to provide IT support services to local businesses today announced the launch of a new franchise operation in the Blackburn area of Lancashire.

The new business franchise continues the Eitex philosophy of being the “UK’s local IT service and support provider”, allowing it to provide local support services with the backup of national infrastructure and a team with complementary skills.

“The launch of our Blackburn office is great news and extends our reach further, in line with our UK wide expansion programme”, commented Managing Director Dean Spencer.

“Our Bradford office, which launched last year, is doing fantastically well and having Lee Hezzlewood on board to oversee the Blackburn franchise, with his security and businesses expertise, adds to our already extensive set of skills.”

Lee is currently undergoing franchise training in Batley before formally opening the Blackburn office. His background includes many years working as an IT consultant for Blue Chip Companies, and as an IT security consultant before setting up his own Information Security business “Secure Thinking” last year.

“The Eitex franchise presented a great opportunity for me to join a great team whose attention to detail and quality of service will help businesses in the Blackburn, Burnley and surrounding areas better manage their IT systems”, said Lee Hezzlewood.

How secure are your Systems?

Despite the dependancy on IT these days it's amazing how many business owners / directors do not know what kind of system/s they have.

It's not perhaps through the need to know, or the desire to know, but simply due to the lack of information provided by their existing IT Support provider.

On a day to day basis system users, business owners / directors know their systems seem to be running 'ok' but often vital pieces of the jigsaw are missing!

When auditing IT equipment and systems supplied by other IT Companies we often find the same or similar trends, and due to their importance it is astonishing that some things are missed!

Such things include insufficient or no backup of system data, user data, email, or disaster recovery information. Users are often not aware of this as they believe the tape they are inserting each night contains backup data, and is working in the correct manner. Unless backups are being monitored, how do you know? It is also a misconception that online / offsite backups contain Disaster Recovery information as often they do not!

We also often find systems are not or inadequately protected against viruses and malware, or virus definitions are not monitored to ensure they are up to date. Virus protection is of paramount importance, a combination of this with lack of backup can be catastrophic!

Another thing we often find us the lack of, or insufficient UPS protection. This essentially is a battery backup system that ensures continued and clean power to your servers. Without this relatively simple device data corruption could easily occur in the event if power spike or failure, even if this occurrence is for a milli-second!

As systems are running 'ok' the above is regularly overlooked and only comes to light when there is a problem. A small problem suddenly becomes a big one!

One final worrying trend I would like to mention is the use of generic passwords for Administrator accounts. These passwords are often insecure, easy to guess, and offer little protection. Worse still the passwords are generally passed on to users which as a result allows staff at Eitex or anyone for that matter to be able if so desired to build a database of Administrator passwords used by other IT companies. This is worrying as unauthorised users may have these passwords to gain entry into your system!

If you are reading this then we don't wish to worry you, instead we intend to offer piece of mind by providing you with a free mini system audit. The above issues will be reported on to ensure your system is safe, secure and is running as well as what it can be.

If you would like to arrange a free audit please contact your local division of Eitex and mention this blog.

Eitex win contract for VIDA architects

Huddersfield based VIDA architects were looking for an IT Support package, and a telephone system. Instead of choosing 2 companies (one IT Support and one telephony) as traditionally required, Eitex were able to offer both.

Having IT Support and Telephony all under one roof offers great advantages. Support calls for IT and phones are all placed via one support number, there is no 'blaming the IT company', or 'blaming the telephone company' when something doesn't work as expected. Everything is taken care of in one place.

Eitex offered VIDA Pro-Active IT Support, and VoIP telephony.

Senior Partner Andrew commented "We first met Eitex following a recommendation from a business colleague. A superb first impression was made. It was clear that Eitex were able to offer us the cost effective proactive IT support we required and technical advice we needed to get our new business up and running in terms of IT infrastructure and telephony solutions. As well as all the technical know-how, what we really liked was the level of relevant reporting we will now get on the performance of our systems. All the Eitex team that we have dealt with have been very pleasant and helpful and we have a great feeling of developing a strong and trusted, long term business to business relationship."

If you would like to discuss any of the services Eitex offer, please get in touch.

A rather interesting job.

Sometimes in the IT world we are presented with some interesting jobs that can make you think out of the box for a solution.

I was presented with a request a while back that needed just such thinking.

A fellow BNIer came to me and said that someone had given him a scanner with an ADF (automatic document feeder) and would I have a look at it for him.

So I popped around and after a brief chat found that there were no discs or manuals with the device and that it was a model that was about 12 years old. My BNI friend, after being interrogated by me for as much info that I could glean to help me, was not holding out much hope in getting his free scanner up and running and also networked into his business.

But, never being one to turn down a challenge I set about my research and found some old software online and came up with an alternative solution to the problem. After tweeking, configuring and quite a bit of testing we had a solution that worked and he was so happy that he wrote me this testimonial:

"I gave Gareth an old scanner with no manuals and asked him to integrate it with my IT suite. Bizzarely, he's done it saving me money and I'm now heading to paperless utopia. He's good"

So it just goes to show that in IT there is always a way. If you need some expert IT support ask us at Eitex.

Eitex wins new IT Support Contract for Akeroyd and Topham

As a growing business Akeroyd and Topham needed to upgrade their network systems to cope with business expansion. A&T were looking for shared calendars, mailboxes, and secured areas on the network where sensitive data could be stored.

Eitex were recommended to A&T by a third party. Director Paul Babington said “Eitex came highly recommended and the word-of-mouth referral we got from the third party gave us the piece of mind that we’d found a reputable IT Support company. Eitex have since installed a Microsoft Small Business Server and given us the functionality we were looking for and the stability and building blocks for future growth.”

Eitex are now supporting the network of A&T on a pro-active IT Support basis.

If you would like to arrange a free consultation with Eitex, please visit www.eitex.co.uk

Eitex win new Engineering Contract

Due to growth and ongoing expansion, Leeds based mechanical engineering firm Beddis Kenley's PC dependency has grown significantly.

Part owner Terry Beddis said "We were at a stage where we needed to outsource our IT, it simply became too big for us to manage. We shopped around and found many IT companies to choose from, Eitex were the first ones to respond. Admittedly we didn't know who Eitex were, but their professional approach made us feel at ease. They took time to analyse our requirements and several improvements were highlighted straight away. These changes could be made with minimal or no cost. Their knowledge and positive customer feedback gave us confidence to proceed with their IT Support service"

Eitex are looking forward to a good working relationship with Beddis Kenley.

If you would like to benefit from Eitex's outsourced IT Services, please call 0845 508 3238 or complete our Enquiry Form, and a member of staff will be in touch.

My BNI 60 Second Song

I'm really enjoying this being creative with my 60 seconds in BNI Utopia.

This week I did a parody of Don Mclean's American Pie. So put the tune in your head and sing along.

Long long time ago, back in seventeen ninety one
A man named babbage had a dream
He designed and he built his first computer it was a hit
And he hoped that it would change the world
Then in 1975 a small company came alive,
Called Microsoft and as we know, they proceeded to grow

But! that dam software don’t deliver
This stupid computer makes me quiver
Why has it just frozen
The backups all are broken

I cant remember if I cried
When I heard that the hard disc was fried
I just need some help from outside
The day the hard disc died

But no more computer stresses for me
Cos I found Eitex and they helped me to get computer stress free
With their IT support and their clever approach
Now I use my works computer with glee
Cos I find I’m now computer stress free

What IT Support Companies do wrong!

I have been having a problem with my car for the past couple of months. It has been into 2 Vauxhall garages 5 times in total, and nobody has been able to identify the problem. It was almost as though there wasn’t actually a problem, and I am being paranoid, its driver error, not the car. I began researching on the internet, but I didn’t know what to look for. I felt very frustrated indeed.

I took my car somewhere else and ‘hey presto’ they identified the problem! I felt relieved, and finally I had brought my car somewhere where they actually know what they are doing.

The guy who was looking at my car told me the problem was related to my DPF filter. I am telling you this because the majority of you won’t know what this is, which is exactly how I felt! What’s a DPF filter?

The guy said they would ‘regenerate the DPF filter’ which can be done under warranty. Again, I don’t know what that means, and I am taking this guys word for it that what he is saying is correct. I would have preferred him to say “a filter is causing a blockage, clearing it will resolve the problem”.

Anyhow the filter was regenerated and thankfully this seems to have cured the problem. There wasn’t a charge either, which was a bonus!

The whole experience allowed me to empathise more closely with PC users, who are often bamboozled  with technical terminology by ‘engineers’ employed to tell them  why their computers aren’t working as they should, and what they need to do to fix them.

-    Does this guy know what he’s doing?
-    Is what he’s saying correct?
-    how will I ever know?
-    What is the cost going to be?
-    I’m in the dark!

Why do IT Companies always make it so difficult to understand? This is what IT Companies do wrong, over complicate things!

Here at Eitex our company motto is “IT Made Easy”. We never use terminology that the client doesn’t understand. We explain IT Support issues in a clear and concise manner, and allow the user to understand!

What could be simpler? The client feels comfortable dealing with us, and finally, understands the problem, without understanding the technicalities.




Eitex, IT Made Easy!

IT Outsourcing pays off

We received a testimonial today from one of our newer clients Levi Solicitors who made the decision to Outsource their IT:

"We recently made a decision to outsource our IT Department.  Whilst researching other IT Support companies Eitex were highly recommended by another firm of solicitors who were already using them.  After carrying out some research and on the strength of that recommendation, we decided to offer the contract to Eitex.

Having enjoyed in-house IT Support for a number of years we were nervous about outsourcing but I am pleased to say that the recommendation has been well-founded and Eitex have provided a seamless transition to outsourced IT.  Their response times are very good and, perhaps most importantly, they have familiarised themselves with our network and our requirements extremely quickly as well as forging a good relationship between their staff and ours.

Outsourcing IT is a big step to take but if done right there are considerable costs to save and I would have no hesitation in recommending Eitex for these purposes."

For additional customer feedback please see our Testimonials. 

If you would like to look at the possibility of IT Outsourcing please get in touch using our enquiry form, or contact Sales on 01924 488 612.

Social Networking?

Twitter? Linkedin? Blogs? These are good for my business? How?

Don’t you find that we now live in a world where the English language no longer makes any sense?

Have you heard phrases like these?

‘Yeah I was really unhappy so I tweeted about it and got loads of retweets.’

‘You want to blog about that.’

‘I got an invite so I joined his network.’

‘You want to get yourself on Linkedin.’

So you go along to the websites that everyone is telling you about and can’t work them out to save your life. Everyone is doing it. You’re told it will be good for your business. People say it’s not that hard. Apparently Steven Fry is on it and DJ’s on the radio go on about it and it’s good to keep in touch. ‘I thought that was what facebook was all about.’ You had only just worked that out. Arghhhhhhhh!

STOP!

This is where we come in. As IT specialists we can guide you through the different online networking tools and websites that are available to you and how they will benefit you and your business.

Over the next couple of days I will be publishing some blogs (oops sorry) writing some informative articles that will try and lift the cloud of confusion over online networking. But if you would like further information then please contact us here at Eitex and we will help you become a skilled Tweeter, Blogger and get you Linkedin.

How to choose the right IT Support provider

Communication

It is always easier to deal with people who speak in a clear and concise way. When it comes to IT however this is not always easy. Discussions based on technology, or technical issues perhaps which have impacted upon the performance of your systems inevitably will include technical jargon. To avoid stress and frustration the IT Support companies’ ability to relay this information to you, the none-technical client in a succinct easy to understand manner is crucial.

Furthermore their ability to discuss the subject matter, in detail if necessary, demonstrates their communication skills, but as importantly, that they have understood the issue at hand. Technical jargon which you don’t understand is may used to cover mistakes or misunderstandings with your network.

The ease of communication allows a good working relationship between both parties. When choosing an IT Support provider, ensure they are able to communicate in a clear and concise manner.

Experience

How long does a job take to complete? Is the job complicated? Will you have our systems back up and running quickly?

All questions of this nature are subjective as the answer will differ depending upon the person, or IT Support Company you ask! If you ask someone with little experience the answer will inevitably be, “yes it’s complicated”, “it may take a while to fix”. If the answer is “yes the job is quiet easy”, could it be that the engineer doesn’t really understand the issue at hand, or worse still is not giving you the correct information.

Getting the job done right, first time, every time comes down to experience, not just qualifications or training. When choosing your IT Support provider, ensure they have many years of IT experience! Don’t be afraid to ask!

Technical know how

Perhaps you don’t realise it, but you rely heavily on your IT. When choosing an IT Support provider therefore it is essential that you choose someone with the technical know-how to get the job done. Choosing a Microsoft Certified Partner or Gold Partner is good practice as these IT Support companies must employ a number of Microsoft Certified technicians before they can become partners.

Such companies are almost certainly more expensive than freelance IT Consultants or engineers but this is money well spent. The Certified status demonstrates an ongoing investment in staff training and development, which when employed can pay dividends with regards to offering the very latest technology, and the ability to maximise investment by utilising and unlocking the technologies full potential.

What’s more is that if things do go wrong, you can complain to Microsoft! If things go wrong with a freelance engineer who is not qualified, you don’t have anyone to complain to other than the engineer themselves!

Why chance your systems to someone who perhaps can talk the talk, they may even have a good track record, but please ensure they are qualified!

Pro-activity

A good IT Support provider will almost certainly be pro-active in 2 respects. First of all the IT Support company will need to be pro-active in the advice and services they offer. By this I mean do they offer you solutions based on your requirements on an ongoing basis, or do they wait until something is not working as well as it should before offering something better? If a new technology is released which will allow you to save hours of time in your working day, are you made aware of it?

Also, from a Support point of view, are your systems being monitored on a pro-active basis? By this I mean if there is a potential problem on your system, for example disk space is low, is the matter addressed before presenting you with a problem?

Flexibility

Of course by their nature IT Support contracts come with a time frame, Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm excluding Bank Holidays for example. But what happens when you need support outside of these hours?

Your IT Support provider may be providing you with adequate support, at a fair price. But are they flexible? Will they come and see you on a Bank Holiday Monday or more so check your Backup Status on Christmas Day? Will they take calls on a night? Now I am not suggesting this level of support should be free, but is it available to you?

Professionalism

You would expect to receive a very high level of service from the manager / owner of the IT Support provider of your choosing. After all, they are responsible for looking after you, the client. But is this level of professionalism passed down throughout the company so you always get the same level of service, no matter who you speak to?

This may seem irrelevant, but if you speak to someone who is unhelpful, inexperienced, condescending, or even rude then this can leave you with a very bad experience, and can even be stressful, especially if you have an ongoing IT Support issue.

I would recommend visiting the proposed IT Support company to ensure all staff are professional and courteous.

Customer Feedback

Now if you read an IT Support companies website it will probably say how many years experience they have, that they are partners of X, Y and Z and how good they are (in their opinion). The real way to determine how good a company is, is to evaluate Customer Feedback or Testimonials. Generally such information should be available on their website, if not don’t be afraid to ask for referees i.e. clients who they already deal with, who you can speak to.

Be sure to ask:

-         - Are they able to communicate with you at a level you understand?

-         - Is the company flexible, i.e. will they work out of hours?

-         - How professional are the staff, and are they well trained?

-         - Do they respond quickly in the event of emergency?

-         - Would you recommend them?

If the IT Support company aren’t able to provide such information, then I would suggest moving on to a company that does.

Partnerships

A good IT Support company has established relationships / partnerships with industry leaders in the IT market. Such partnerships you should look for in particular are Microsoft Certified or Gold Partnerships, partnerships with Anti-Virus companies such as Sophos, Symantec, or McAfee etc, partnerships with hardware companies such as HP, Fujitsu or IBM, and finally partnerships with network companies such as Cisco.

Partnerships ensure a fully rounded service. If there is a problem with the motherboard (main system board) on your server for example, do they have the resources to get the matter resolved promptly? You certainly don’t want to find out that they don’t on the day!

Geography

Your offices may be located in close proximity to your IT Support provider, but what happens if you require support outside your normal area of business? You may wish to consider this when choosing the IT Support provider as smaller companies are unable to respond in the same way for more far reached places.

Response Times

Ok, you have had a disaster, no users can log on and business is severely impacted upon. You raised a call with your IT Support company 2 hours ago and still there has been no response? What’s happening?

When things go wrong, and inevitably from time to time they will, you will need an IT Support company you can rely on for fast, efficient and prompt service. Some smaller IT Support providers struggle to cope with such demands. In my experience I would suggest choosing a company which is well resourced and able to respond when you need them. Check customer feedback  / testimonials for this, a well resourced company is not necessarily an efficient one.

Conclusion

I hope this document has been useful to you. Please leave any comments if it has helped you choose a provider, or indeed if you wish to provide any additional advice, we would love to hear from you.