IT Support & Maintenance
At Advent IT we realise that our company is your first point of contact for help and assistance.
We believe in making that first contact experience as smooth and easy as possible for you, our valued customer. We are not a call centre & there is no automated call queue, so there’s no frustration or an anxious wait for a call back. You immediately get a qualified IT specialist focusing exclusively on your IT problem.
We have real people with expert knowledge at their fingertips that are eager to help you to resolve your problem in a flash!!
Remote Assistance (direct telephone & email support)
We are able to gain secure access to your computer without having to visit your offices.
This enables a fast & easy resolution process that allows us to diagnose faults and carry out troubleshooting solutions whilst you watch on your computer screen.
If you haven’t the time to call us, we also have a 15 minute response time for calls submitted by email.
95% of all our Helpdesk calls are satisfactorily resolved and cleared within 40 minutes.
We help to identify user training requirements for our customers thereby increasing their productivity and minimising ongoing support costs.
Security Management (anti-virus protection anti-spam etc)
The ongoing threat to a small business IT system from Viruses, spyware, malware, phishing scams and SPAM (unsolicited bulk email) has now reached epidemic proportions.
The threat is so serious that the security and defence of your IT systems and network is no longer an option but an absolute priority.
Malicious rogue software (viruses,spyware etc) will attack your desktop Pc's, servers, routers and even your firewall if adequate protection and defensive measures are not robustly maintained.
Keeping your business data safe & secure and virus free is our main priority.
There is also the threat to your systems of "creeping slowness"
This can spread rapidly throughout your entire network "clogging up" operating system software, leading to frustration and unusable equipment that is all too often a frequent reality.
Advent IT is at the forefront of the fight to elliminate malicious threats to IT systems.
We enable fully comprehensive, easy to manage, cost effective solutions that ring-fence your IT systems, fully protecting your data and keeping you and your equipment working at maximum efficiency.
Ongoing Computer Network Support & Maintenance
At Advent IT we have the individual knowledge and exceptional expertise to identify & rectify desktop PC & server performance issues.
We also examine, maintain & repair your proprietary hardware which helps to maximise the life expectancy of your equipment. This ensures that you derive maximum added value from our service and the very best computer support solution for your company.
Desktop Computer & Laptop repairs
At Advent IT, given the make, model, serial number and a brief description of the problem we are able to repair most makes and model of laptop & desktop irrespective of age. The vast majority of our work in this area involves hardware replacement (e.g. power supplies, hard drives, disk drives, keyboards, screens & motherboards)
However, in the event of breakdown we also endeavour to save your valuable data and remove and reset passwords, thus providing peace of mind and saving you money.
At Advent IT we have a dedicated team of cabling installation specialists to cater for a complete overhaul/upgrade of your fibre optic or copper UTP systems (CAT5, CAT5e & CAT6).
We carry out most of these upgrades at customer premises out of hours and in compliance with acceptable cable management standards (to avoid cable front-end & far-end crosstalk) and in line with health and safety regulations.
Examples of recent work by our cable installation team
(Before & After pictures)
At Advent IT our aim is to provide services that comply with the very best intentions of the Health & Safety regulations.
We believe that portable appliance testing (PAT) is an important part of the health and safety standards revolving around people using electrical equipment whilst at work.
We also believe that electrical safety testing should be available to everyone and that is why we provide this valuable service, to compliment the Network cabling installation service that we offer for all our customers.
You can be confident that all your legal obligations under the health & safety regulations are fully taken care of by our qualified network cabling team and will set your mind at ease.
VOIP (Voice over IP) Set-up and installation
Within the next three years it is estimated that nearly three-quarters of all business phones will be VoIP enabled. The fastest growth will be among the entrepreneurial forward thinking small to medium sized businesses.
Here is a visual presentation of how VoIP is configured for small business
When you embrace and commit to the new technologies that VoIP represents, it allows for a smooth easy way to merge your voice and data. It is widely acknowledged that VoIP is the complete communications package that allows you to benefit from a quantum leap in communication efficiency whilst reducing your overall costs
VOIP Telephone Major Benefits
- Virtual offices anywhere
- Take your phone system anywhere that is broadband enabled
- Talk on your laptop's softphone
- Collect your voicemails via your email
- Present outgoing phone numbers from any area code
- Reduce your phone costs
VoIP is a surprisingly flexible affordable technology that combines fantastic value for money with exceptionally sophisticated communication tools.
For further information call Advent IT support staff on 0161 660 8598
Disaster Recovery - Business Continuity
Advent IT has at their disposal a wealth of practical experience and “hands on” expertise to help your company to define a professional business continuity plan. This will be specifically designed to ensure that your core systems and essential IT services continue to function in the event of unforeseen incidents negatively impacting your business.
Our initial audit of your IT systems and software will be an important element in this service offering as it will help to identify the crucial operational aspects of your business.
We need to understand the mechanics of your business, the “glue” that holds it together as a functioning entity.
Once we have isolated the core functionality of your business, we will plan to provide a data preservation and back-up plan to ensure that all data is securely stored, well away from your premises.
The data will be easily accessible to us in the event of a disaster scenario, so that we are able to duplicate and replicate your business operations at a separate location.
This would of course involve hosting warm stand-by servers, switches, routers and broadband connectivity services as well as desktop PC’s & printing devices.
Having planned the necessary work it is also necessary to work the plan!!
To this end we would perform an annual test to be certain that the system functions for you and to ensure that your business would be 100% operational within 48 hours of a disaster event.
Email scanning & Server set-up
Any email that has your company or a company employee as its intended recipient is scanned before being forwarded to its final destination.
This scan utilises a sophisticated algorithmic software process that enables you to determine and filter inappropriate content from email before it reaches your email server.
The scan also identifies SPAM, malicious virus threats and malware and then removes them prior to reaching your systems.
As a result, data traffic transfer on your broadband connection will also be reduced.
So, as well as providing full control of your email, we are also able to optimise the protection of your network servers.
At Advent IT, we understand the importance of the role that your network servers play in the efficiency and functionality of your business.
Advent IT technicians are skilled in the configuration and fine-tuning of server core systems to make sure that the multi threading, multitasking processes within the central processing unit and kernel are operating at maximum efficiency.
Most support organisations accept default settings when bringing servers online.
We never do this because we know from the practical experience of multiple server building and the configuration of literally thousands of them, in national data centres, that differing combinations of software usage, impacts server performance.
We are able to bring this vast experience of server performance enhancement to bear on the task of maximising your business server operational functionality.
Most support organisations provide security patches and operating system upgrades on a monthly basis.
At Advent IT, we make sure that all the latest upgrades and operating system patches are installed immediately (overnight, to reduce impacts on network performance).
This ensures that your systems are protected immediately from potential security breaches.
All that this means is that your crucial systems are in extremely capable hands and that we go the extra mile to ensure your systems will never let you down.
At Advent IT, we have a dedicated team of gifted, creative, innovative and practical people who specialise in website development and design.
Our teams of expert IT support professionals are complimented by at team of experts in web hosting and website design.
At Advent IT we deliver custom built websites for each of our customers.
The specific aim of our team is to develop a website that not only looks great for you but also provides an extremely positive reflection of your company profile and services.
The focus is on quality, coupled with solutions to suit your company and we are confident that we can deliver all of this together with good design and good functionality.
Internet services/Access & security
At Advent IT, we recognise that connectivity to the internet via a reliable, fast and robust system is absolutely vital to keep a small to medium sized business running.
Interruption to this connection, even for a short time can and will have a crippling effect on a company and its ability to continue to operate in any meaningful way.
Internet service providers come in all shapes and sizes and they offer vague and non-committal promises of speed and reliability.
When you lose your connection to the internet your service stops.
We believe that this affects your perception of us and of the service we provide as a company......not the ISP.
So, we have taken measures to ensure that your connectivity will never be compromised. We provide the broadband service and control the speed and connectivity so there are no excuses for a disconnection or disruption of service.
The provision of this service is optional of course but we believe that something as important as your communication with the outside business world should never be compromised and that the service provided by your IT support company (i.e. Advent IT) is where the buck stops!!
We take full responsibility for your connectivity and maintenance of it.
Access to the internet for an employee at work is a privilege and there have been many instances of business systems being compromised by the downloading of inappropriate material, viruses and malware.
It is important therefore that access is controlled without impeding the ability of staff to carry out their duties efficiently.
To this end we discuss accessibility to the internet for employees at the time of audit so that we may agree on measures to restrict/allow internet access.
We have the skills and the knowledge at Advent IT to be able to block certain internet sites and record internet activity for review.
We have also found that a review of activity after a short period of time allows us to discuss the appropriate level of security and the access parameters to be configured for the individuals and employees of our customers.
Video conferencing is now a well established, reliable medium for the replacement of physical face to face meetings.
It is also possible to display information from a PC, play a pre- recorded video or DVD, record a personal presentation or display papers using an electronic document camera.
At Advent IT we see VoIP and Video conferencing as exceptional sophisticated communication tools to help give your business that extra professional edge as well as providing significant long term cost saving benefits.
The many uses of video conferencing facilities include:-
- Recruitment Interviews
- In-house business presentations
- Product training for employees and clients
- Business to business consultancy services
- Sales presentations and product launches
The many benefits that result in significant cost saving include:-
- Business travel (Flights, Hotels & Taxis)
- Time spent travelling to appointments (you are not available for work)
- Developing global opportunities (your customer or supplier could be located anywhere in the world)
- More opportunities to have meetings with clients at a fraction of the cost.
- A reduction in your carbon footprint making a valuable contribution to the “Green” economy.
That’s why at Advent IT we have a team of specialists ready to set-up, install and test video conferencing facilities for you at surprisingly low cost.
For further information call Advent IT support staff on 0161 660 8598
Printers are a priority piece of hardware in most modern business offices.
Approximately 30% of all our support calls are printer related issues which are extremely frustrating for end users.
Fortunately Advent IT are on hand to provide the help you need, whether it is a printer network set up, to clearing a paper jam or deleting print jobs we are there to help resolve your printing problems.
Advent IT practical Printer support example:-
The technical staff at Advent IT are experts in the field of printer support troubleshooting having provided technical solutions to print server crashing problems at Shell head office in London.
This involved our staff providing advice and practical hands on changes to the server print queues after liaising with Microsoft and HP relating to print driver conflicts.
So, whether it is a local printer (directly connected to a PC) or a network printer causing problems Advent IT will have your printer back-up and running in a flash!!
Implementing ITIL Best Practice
The IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) made its debut in 1989 as part of the OGC (office of government commerce) and has now established itself as the IT industry standard for IT service management best Practice.
There is no doubt that most large international organisations adopt ITIL as the foundation for service improvement and cost reduction in their IT core practices.
The core practices as defined by ITIL are:-
- Service Strategy
- Service Design
- Service Transition
- Service Operation
- Continuous Service Improvement
The Key word of course is service and that’s why Advent IT place ITIL methodology at the forefront of our customer service programme.
Some say that ITIL is just a case of “Common Sense Written Down” and there is no doubt that to a certain extent, it is.
However, at Advent IT we believe and have consistently proved that it forms the basis of a truly professional IT service offering for our customers.
So, ITIL methodology and the pursuit of service excellence (continuous service improvement) for you our customer will form the basis of all our service offerings.
Specialist Application Support
Sage small business software is used by a minimum of ¾ million small to medium sized businesses in the UK.
Advent IT provides full & comprehensive support services for all the accounting and business solution packages from Sage.
We have a team of highly trained customer support advisors who, not only have a vast and in-depth knowledge of the complete range of products, they also talk in straightforward, uncomplicated language.
Our team at Advent IT have extremely close working relationships with the accountancy profession to ensure that they are constantly aware of new developments and changing end-user requirements.
We know the Sage product range inside out and are confident in being able to supply you with first class service and support to provide total peace of mind.
