The new Office 365

Why should you care about the new Office 365? If the e-mail, document sharing and storage, instant messaging, Microsoft Office and more cloud based solutions doesn’t get you excited, then how about a fancy new interface to make it even easier to get around than it was before.

As Microsoft prepare for the release of the latest cloud upgrades for Office 365 for business tomorrow, people are eagerly awaiting Office 2013 which will roll out alongside upgrades. Office Professional Plus will now be 2013 instead of 2010, and people who already have the subscription will be updated and upgraded if they haven’t already.

New interfaces within the portal will arise as newer ways of getting around and offering its social prowess as people are able to update the social feed when an important document is uploaded. Getting to grips with the newer and more fluid interface will be a smooth learning curve, there are few differences and things that are different are easy enough to learn about. You can now preview documents before opening them in SkyDrive Pro and SharePoint, allowing you view the document in a window when you click on more options, this saves time as opening and closing documents that were labelled badly or incorrectly can be inefficient.

I cannot wait to move our customers to this newer version of Office 365, giving them a neater and more aesthetic experience, still with all the great functionality of previous software.

 

If you have any questions on the new Office 365, please give us a call.

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IT Support and Office365 for Mezzanine Floor, Racking and Shelving Company

A leading workspace solutions provider were interested in the opportunities Cloud Computing would provide the company. Avanta UK offer mezzanine and racking solutions globally and traditional office based servers were too restrictive and didn’t seem to fit the bill for consultants when travelling to far reaches of the world!

The company became aware of Eitex via Microsoft as they are a leading Cloud partner in the UK. Marketing manager Neil mentioned “the demo Eitex provided on Office 365 blew us away. As the solution is implemented information will become available to all our staff on their laptops, tablets and even mobile phones from anywhere in the world. What’s more and surprisingly is that you don’t always need an internet connection to access your work and emails. Amazing!”

As part of the cloud solution Eitex are also offering Pro-Active IT Support for existing servers and infrastructure as well as bespoke development for in-house ERP systems.

If you would like to enquire about the leading workspace solutions offered by Avanta please get in touch!

If you would like to see what Office 365 and Cloud Computing can do for your business please contact Eitex.

IT Support for Feversham Arms Hotel and Verbena Spa

The Feversham Arms Hotel and Verbena Spa is a luxury hotel and spa located in North Yorkshire. As a growing business the demand on IT has increased over the years and the time had come to review their IT strategy.



Feversham Arms Hotel & Verbena Spa

Ad-Hoc IT Support:

Up until now the hotel had subscribed to ad-hoc IT support calling on engineers as and when needed. Although the approach seemed to be cost effective, at times the hotel felt they weren’t getting enough from their systems and indeed value for money.

- The hotel wasn't informed of new products and technologies when they became available.

- The systems were running ok, but they weren't being managed and optimised around the business’s needs.

- Sometimes an engineer was available, sometimes they had to wait. System downtime was therefore very stressful and costly.

Moving Forward with Pro-Active IT Support:

The Feversham Arms Hotel went to the market in the search of an IT company who could work with them to stabilise their system, and help them keep an eye on the future.

Eitex was recommended by Yorkshire Telecom who provides the hotel with telephony and are also a trusted partner of Eitex.

Business Manager Janet said 'As part of a managed service Eitex now monitor our systems around the clock and are working closely with us to ensure our IT fits our business needs. Also someone is available at the end of the phone should we need to speak to someone. Their partnership with Yorkshire Telecom means our IT and telephony work together effectively and without fuss.'

To make a reservation at the hotel visit The Feversham Arms Hotel & Verbena Spa website

To discuss your IT Support requirements visit Eitex IT Support

GG Glass and Glazing - Cloud Promotes Nationwide Success

GG Glass and Glazing fit large scale shop windows and fronts for likes of Next, Marks and Spencer and many more high street names. They also offer a rapid break-fix response available. 24 hours a day.

**Register for one of our Office 365 Events**

Being a national company with a centralised call centre meant considerable investment in terms of leased lines, remote connectivity and server farms.

Eitex were recruited as GG wanted more from their system and also wanted to find ways to reduce their annual £100k plus IT support bill. At this stage GG had several leased lines, and a Citrix Farm at head office. Low end computers and / or thin clients were installed at each branch across the UK.

The new system which was designed by Eitex was based purely around Cloud technologies including:

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.

CRM Online is used to manage the entire sales process. The system is available to everyone throughout the company and provides excellent reporting to allow instant bench-marking between regional offices.

• Microsoft SharePoint Online via Office 365

SharePoint was developed to allow sharing of company data, and allows the management team to collaborate on Projects seamlessly from different parts of the UK. Company knowledge and information has become more freely available which enhances performance and reduces lead times.

• Microsoft Exchange via Office 365

Exchange Online has allowed the company to store email for longer periods with hugh 25gb mailboxes. Strict size limits were enforced previously which the company found too restrictive. SPAM is no longer an issue thanks to Forefront Protection.

All machines were replaced at each branch office with standard desktop computers. This was the single largest expense for the company. The solution however has allowed GG to retire their Citrix Farm and leased lines and represents a saving of around 70% on their IT annual expenditure.

MD Mr. Grant commented "the new system is far more flexible and allows us to invest more freely in other areas of the business. Office 365 and CRM Online allows us to simply switch on new users which means new branches and offices are far easier to plan. The savings made have far exceeded our expectations as well."

The Cloud has removed the need for server farms and leased lines. If you would like to look at the possibilities Office 365 can offer your businesses please get in touch.

**Register for one of our Office 365 Events**

My BNI 60 second poem

Here is my 60 second elevator pitch that I did in poem form to mix it up a bit.

I come to BNI Utopia every Thursday morning,
And sometimes find that I can never stop yawning,

It isn't the people that does this to me,
It's the 6:30 start, it's early you see!

For 60 seconds I stand,
And talk about computers while waving my hands,

Well this is my job, this is what we do,
If you're having computer problems then Eitex is for you!

I'm looking for referals into solicitors in Skipton you see,
Charlesworth Wood and Brown, Sterratt and Co, Armstrong Luty, Makin Dixon, Foster Law, Hallas and finally Mewies

IT Support Yorkshire

Over the last two years the IT Support Company Eitex have been significantly expanding their operations throughout the Yorkshire district. The number of companies that have been taking advantage of the excellent service and support that Eitex provide has doubled, the number of systems supported has quadrupled, whilst maintaining the professionalism and high service levels that Eitex is renowned for.

This success can be attributed to their enthusiasm and their Pro-Active approach, both from a systems point of view, and how the clients and contracts are managed and maintained. Their 'IT Made Easy' ethic echoes throughout the business. Everything is simplified. From the companies uncomplicated logo accompanied by the simple but concise strap line 'IT Made Easy’ to the clear and understanding way the technicians communicate and listen to the end users. From the way IT Support calls are handled, to the way sales meetings and presentations are conducted.

This relaxed and logical approach to doing business empowers the customer. This results in them feeling more informed and at ease with their IT infrastructure. This is something which most business owners feel has been alien to them for too long.

This sound and secure business model, and pro-active approach is now being replicated to branch offices to extend Eitex's reach further while still retaining the concept of local IT support for business. With offices now open in Batley, Bradford, Sheffield and shortly in York, Eitex is fast becoming the market leader for IT Support in Yorkshire while maintaining their high standards and service levels.

This rapid growth has not gone unnoticed. Eitex have enjoyed offers of buy-out from competitors and attracted attention from investors. The determination and focus of owner Dean Spencer though has far from expired. Dean has ambitious plans of opening Eitex IT Support offices throughout the UK as part of their franchising campaign. "Franchising our business is a really exciting concept for us, and has real growth potential. We are looking forward to see what the future holds for Eitex" says Dean.

If you would like to be part of the team and work for Eitex, or to enquire about franchising in your area, please apply here.

Twitter

So Twitter, tweeting, retweeting, following and being followed. Don’t worry, not in a stalker sense.

What’s it all about and how does it work? Well for the full comprehensive laid out detailed instruction go to http://twitter.com/help/start.

Or alternatively you could let me give you a break down in the next few paragraphs.

Still reading? Ok then let’s begin.
Twitter, http://twitter.com is a free social networking and micro-blogging (don’t worry we will cover blogging in another, erm, blog later) service that enables its users to send and read messages known as Tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the users profile page and delivered to the user’s subscribers who are known as followers. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, and can use mobile phone texting to do roaming tweets. Users can also send messages direct to their followers.

So why use twitter? Well one of the reasons that I like Twitter is that you don’t have to write essays or masterpieces. You can just say what you feel or want. This makes it very simple to use. It’s like thinking out loud and telling the people who want to listen, these are your followers, what’s on your mind. For example: If you come up with a good concept that will help your business or you have just got that deal that you have been working so hard on, then you want to tell people about it. However your social and work bubble only extends so far. So why not just get online and tell the world? Already you are advertising your products and yourself. I personally have two twitter accounts, one for me where I can tweet about my interests and one which is related to my business where I tweet about my working interests. I have also linked the work twitter account to my business web site.

Another reason that I like twitter is that I can search for people with similar personal interests and those within my area of expertise. Even though you have to carry out the search by searching for people, if you use your business in the name or the mini bio that you can write in you profile then if someone searches for IT Support for example you would find me listed somewhere. Twitter haven’t perfected the search facility yet but are working on it. They have also got together with Google and if you type your Twitter user name into Google it will return your Twitter account on the results.

So to summarise. Twitter is a really neat micro blogging tool that requires very little input but can enhance your profile on the internet and allows you to keep up to date with... well... stuff.

Happy tweeting.

Snowed in?

So you woke up the other morning and the land was covered in snow. Fab, it looks good and the 10 year old in you starts jumping up and down. However, you still need to get to work but then so do your employees. Now you start thinking about the losses that you could face and the 10 year old gets shoved aside… again.

So as usual you decide to make the effort only thinking that it will be a long walk back, and that if you do get there you will probably be the only one because no one else has the same commitment as you.

Then the wife tells you that the schools are closed. You expected that, but, someone has to stay with the kids and you are the boss after all. Why cant you take the day off, she has a job to try and go to.

At the end of the day it’s a pain and it isn’t just when it snows it’s when the kids are ill or one of your employees kids are ill or the car breaks down etc etc.

Now I would like to ask you a question. Why in the 21st century should these things be a problem? Yes it snows! Yes the kids get ill, as do we! Yes employees can’t make it in etc!

BUT!

We at Eitex ran our entire operation from home with each employee in their own house providing all the IT Support that was needed to be done and keeping in constant communication with each other. Snowed in, no problem! Kids off school, no problem!

Ok, everyone has a computer in their house, well almost everyone. I love the quote by Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp. in 1977 when he said ‘there is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.’ Classic! He obviously never played Call of Duty. So most people have a computer of some description or other so why can’t they work from home? In this day and age the technology is there all you need is the knowhow and that’s where we at Eitex come in. If you feel that your business could have better weathered, excuse the pun, the cold snap then why not contact us. We will come in and see you, carry out a free audit on your systems and get you and your employees up and running from anywhere in the world.

Eitex Franchise in Kirklees Business News

Kirklees Business News have today published an article on our ambitious IT Support franchise plans.

The article can be read here Kirklees Business News - Eitex embarks on Franchising Route to Expansion

Eitex IT Support

Gareth spreads the word for Eitex

As part of our PR and marketing campaign Eitex have recently been in the Spenborough Guardian, and Batley & Birstall News:

Gareth Spreads the word for Eitex

Previous articles include:

Eitex aims to become computer AA

IT Support for Poorly Computers - go to Page 16

Confidence Booster for IT Company - go to Page 8

Eitex Wins Major Security IT Support Contract

Here at Eitex we have a wealth of knowledge and many years experience within the Security Industry. New client Clear Image recognised this and chose Eitex as their full time IT Support provider.

Clear Image offer CCTV, access control, fire protection and energy saving devices. Their level of dependancy on IT is high, it was therefore essential that they chose a supplier with the following credentials:

- Has in-depth knowledge and experience of Adpro, DVIP, Immix, Heitel.
- IT staff are security screened, here at Eitex we are security screened to BS7858:2006
- Have Microsoft Certification
- Are able to offer guaranteed 2 hour response on server issues
- Are able to offer 24 hour response

Eitex also have experience on other security products such as Mentor Cash which helps us provide a fully rounded solution.

If you are a security company, and would like to speak to us about your requirements, please get in touch on 01924 918419, or by using our Enquiry Form.