What goes on (that you cannot see) on your Computer Network

We recently found a corrupt print job on a customer's computer network that was using 50% of the CPU by the Print Spooler.  The Print Spooler, also called the Queuing System, manages printer use on computer systems that have more than one printer, and a 50% usage causes a much slower computer network. 

 

The corrupt print job occurred months ago, but wasn't found until our customer took advantage of our "5 to 50" Computer Network Support Service.  Part of this service is 24/7 Network Monitoring, allowing us to foresee and diagnose problems much faster, and in some cases, remedy the situation immediately without having to go on-site. 

 

If this was an existing customer why wasn't this problem found earlier?

 

Typically, Computer Support is based on what we call a "Break & Fix" model.  Unless there is a problem or a project, we are NOT involved in the day-to-day management of our customer's network.  However our "5 to 50" service is a Pro-active Support model, which delivers computer support at a flat monthly fee that our customers can budget for just like rent.  And part of this service is the 24/7 Monitoring, which is constantly scanning the network looking for problem that might not be seen by an end-user.  In the case of the high CPU usage on the Server, our customer really didn't notice anything until after the problem was fixed, and they noticed everything running faster.

 

If your business has 5 or more workstations, and is located in the Vancouver Lower Mainland or Fraser Valley, we'd welcome the opportunity to manage your Computer Network.  Contact us anytime at 604-484-5141 in Vancouver or 604-864-0465 in Abbotsford.

 

Chris Miles                                                       Follow me on Twitter

604-484-4218 direct

cmiles@insightit.ca

 

Insight Information Technology

604-484-5141 Lower Mainland

604-864-0465 Fraser Valley

 

www.insightit.ca

 

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An Inexpensive Way To Help Ensure Business Continuity

There was a great article in the February Business In Vancouver newspaper, written by Alan Zisman.  In the High Tech Office section, the headline reads "Lessons from another malware meltdown".  The article explains how by mid-January of this year millions of Windows systems had been successfully attacked by malware, even though Microsoft had released a patch in October.  It goes on to explain how easily one infected machine can spread throughout a network, even a network that is behind a firewall.  "Infected systems are hooked into botnets, serving up mass amounts of spam e-mail messages. An estimated 90% of all spam comes from such botnets."

 

For business owners, the lesson learned is to ensure all your machines, including Desktops, Laptops and Servers have Virus Protection and they have been regularly updated and are always current.  I'd argue that your Virus Protection be updated automatically, without you thinking about it, or without your staff or IT guy needing to update manually.  Now here's the Sales Pitch.  Insight IT customers, who take advantage of our "5 to 50" Computer Support Service have the option of our Virus Protection service that is always current 24/7.  Nothing for your staff to do, and each machine is monitored around the clock, 365 days per year.

 

Click here, to read Alan Zisman's Business In Vancouver article.

 

And if you are interested in an inexpensive way to ensure your Computer Network is safe, contact us anytime.  Insight Information Technology or Insight IT for short delivers Enterprise Computer Support at a Small Business price, for organizations throughout Vancouver BC Lower Mainland, Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley.

 

Chris Miles                       Follow me on Twitter

604-484-4218 direct

cmiles@insightit.ca

 

 

Posted via email from chrismiles's posterous

Web Enable Your Microsoft Applications

Imagine running ALL your Windows Applications over the Internet, from any Workstation or Browser, anywhere in the World!

 

Let's say you're working from your home, maybe on the family Mac.  And you need to access an important Windows application that you run from your PC back at the office.  All you need to do is fire-up your web browser, log-in to a secure web site and there is the Windows application you need.  Just like at your workstation back at the office, you can open, change, save and delete documents remotely, and even send print jobs to your local printer at home.

 

Or maybe you're running a new feature rich application in your office, but don't want to upgrade all your PC's.  Now older, under powered workstations can access the new application using only a web browser.

 

Another example is a Law Firm who, instead of investing in new machines with Microsoft's Vista Operating System, he chose to implement less expensive Linux software.   All his existing applications worked fine, except for one that he simply Web Enabled allowing all users to access from any desktops, either in the office or from a remote location. 

 

Web enabling any Windows, Unix or Linux application is made available through a product called Go-Global from GraphOn.    With Go-Global you can access applications from any platform, take advantage of enhanced security and eliminate Citrix and Terminal Server.  Not only is GO-Global an efficient Web-enabling and application publishing solution, it's also a cross-platform solution. So now Linux users can run Windows applications. Windows users can run UNIX and Linux programs. Mac users can run Windows applications. Windows 98 users can Windows XP programs. You get the picture, right? Mix and match for the most effective application access solution.

 

How Go-Global Works:

 

GO-Global consists of two parts: the GO-Global server software and the GO-Global client software. The GO-Global server software runs on a central server along with the application being published. Each client device runs one of the GO-Global client software modules which are available as native thin clients or as browser plug-ins.

 

You can click here to see an interactive Flash presentation of GO-Global's Web-enabling and application publishing features.

 

If you looking to connect remote users or get more from your existing PC's, contact us anytime.  We offer Computer Network Support and Repair for business customers throughout Vancouver BC, Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley. 

 

Chris Miles

Insight Information Technology

cmiles@insightit.ca  

604-484-4218 Direct

 

604-484-5141 Lower Mainland

604-864-0465 Abbotsford

604-357-1471 Fax

 

"Let Us Manage IT"

  www.InsightIT.ca

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Hosted Microsoft Exchange and BlackBerry offered FREE for 3 months

As a Partner in a business that supports Computer Networks, we recommend any business with 5 or more employees to consider a Server. And for many businesses, Microsoft's Small Business Server is a great solution. Included with Small Business Server is Exchange, allowing users to share their Outlook's Calendar, Tasks, Contacts and Email with other colleges.

Firms that choose Small Business Server also have the option to add BlackBerry Server software, providing an automatic connection between their Smart Phone and Outlook client.

Business owners that have not invested in their own Server can now choose to rent access to a Hosted Exchange and BlackBerry Server through SherWeb. SherWeb is a Canadian company that hosts a number of applications, including Microsoft Exchange and SharePoint, as well as BlackBerry's Enterprise Server. And for a short time, you can take advantage of SherWeb's Hosted Exchange and BlackBerry service for FREE!

You can contact SherWeb directly, or contact us for more information. We are Insight Information Technology or Insight IT for short. We provide Computer Support and Repair for business throughout the Greater Vancouver BC area, Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley.

Contact us anytime.

Richmond BC Accounting Firm uses Insight IT for Computer Support

Entrust Chartered Accountants offer accounting, tax and business consulting services to private businesses, with the kind of personalized attention that is usually reserved for only the biggest clients. Entrust is interested in doing more than balancing your books and preparing your returns—they want to help you grow. They offer a range of value-added services to private businesses: personalized accounting advice, innovative tax solutions, and business consulting services.

Entrust was the first customer to take advantage of our "5 to 50" Computer Network Support Program. With this plan Entrust pays a fixed monthly fee that they can easily budget for, just like rent. Insight’s “5 to 50” Computer Network Support service includes a number of services to ensure a healthy network.

• 24/7 Network Monitoring

• Unlimited Help Desk

• Unlimited CIO services

• Regular scheduled on-site visits

"Insight IT's regular service allows for planned management of our IT requirements and upgrades. Insight's ability to manage our server from offsite means they can often address a problem quickly without having to make a service call to our location."

Doug Wooton, CA - Partner www.entrustcas.com

For more information contact me anytime.

Chris Miles

604-484-4218

cmiles@insightIT.ca

www.insightIT.ca

Insight Information Technology

Insight Information Technology

Hello everyone,

Welcome to our new Blog, and to be honest we're doing this help promote and grow our business.

My name is Chris Miles, and I'm the Director of Business Development for Insight Information Technology. Insight IT for short. Director of Business Development is just a fancy way of saying that I'm "the dumb Sales Guy" in our organization.

We provide Computer Network support to small and medium sized businesses, throughout Vancouver's Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley.

We can completely take over the day-to-day manage­ment and maintenance of your computer network and free businesses from expensive, frustrating computer problems, downtime, and security threats.

In the coming days, weeks, months we'll be adding to our Blog, sharing stories of Technology and Business, with a particular slant towards the Canadian marketplace.

Chris Miles
604-484-4218
cmiles@InsightIT.ca
www.insightit.ca