IT services

From FastEasyWiki

We provide a wide range of IT services to business and local home users. Please see the extensive list below, or call us if there is something not listed that you would like to find out about.

Planning and Use of IT systems

What does the PC need to do?

Basically different specifications of PC are more suited to certain tasks.

For instance there is no need to overspend on expensive components if all you wish to do is surf the web and write a few letters.

More demanding tasks such as 3D modelling, video editing or gaming require more power and a PC designed specifically for the task.

If you want features such as remote access you will also want to consider a completely different setup to just a standard internet ready PC.

We have over 14 years experience in selecting and/or designing installations from the basic to the complex.

Give us a call and let our expertise select the best solution for you. (we can even recommend the best buy from your favorite supplier on the internet if you want to pay for our time).

Disaster Recovery & Prevention

Modern computer systems although relatively reliable, do go wrong or get damaged.

As machines age they tend to go wrong more often. There is also theft, viruses, power surges and user error to worry about.

Nowadays with storage of Photographs and Video, as well as the mundane office files, backup is incredibly important.

Ask yourself “would I miss what is stored on my computer?”

If the answer is yes, you need a backup.

If you are storing items such as cherished photographs on your PC you need an easy backup solution.

If you run a business and use your PC for anything to do with the business, you need a backup and a recovery plan.

We can plan to prevent many occurrences which can lead to data loss. With the correct hardware and procedures in place when things do go wrong (and they eventually will) it will be as painless as possible.

On-site installation

You've bought your shiny new computer, now what? What cable goes where?

Fortunately, for a small charge, we offer an on-site installation service.

We will deliver, plug it all in, set up your computer for you and get it talking to your ISP and/or network.

We can even advise you on best practices in its location and what to watch out for.

We can provide this service for machines we supply or for machines you have bought separately.

Just let us know in advance so we can advise on what you might need (cables, broadband ordering etc)

Networking and Wireless Installation

Networking is complicated. A seemingly simple network can have a problem which can stump the average user for days. We have many years of experience in troubleshooting and setting up networks.

We can set up multiple types of networking for you and provide the wiring and/or wireless connections to make it all work.

Different network types

Peer-Peer

2 or more PCs connected together, e.g. for sharing internet connections, printers and files. This form of network is cheaper to implement and therefore quite suited for a home network or a couple of PCs connected together.

Server to Client

Server and one or more client PCs. For a greater level of security and functionality when sharing files, printers and the internet. Servers help a network run smoothly and can be designed with failure recovery in mind. This is important for any business or anyone sharing lots of important data.

Remote Access With remote access you can implement home working, or allow multiple locations to work off the same data. There are multiple ways of setting this up depending on what data you are accessing, how far away the connection is and how often you need to use the remote access.

Ultimately full remote control of your desk PC from anywhere in the world is possible and now not expensive.

Site-to-Site VPNs / Multiple Servers

Connecting two or more networks and/or servers so you can share data, email services, user settings etc. Two or more branch offices can work on the same central storage securely and consequetively, as if wired together locally (but a bit slower). We can set it all up, monitor and fix problems with multi-site installations.

Broadband Installation

There are a bewildering number of Internet Service Providers offers and gimics connected with Broadband internet access.

We know much of the current market or can do research for you regarding companies you are interested in.

We can also advise and set up the most cost effective and flexible way of getting your PC or network online.

E.g. Single user, internet connection sharing, or through a router, wired or wirelessly.

Use our expertise and experience to help avoid the pitfalls.

This Service charged based on time we spend advising/researching things for you and/or time we spend setting it up onsite.

Security and Anti-Virus Packages

We can advise on the correct anti-virus packages for your business and/or home.

We have various packages available to install as well as the expertise to set it all up if you don’t wish to yourself.

Removing Viruses, SpyWare, Trojans etc

Unfortunately in the race between virus writers and anti-virus writers the balance can swing in the formers' favour. Nasty programs can install themselves on your PC and slow it down, pass your details to a third party or even allow your PC to be taken over by someone else and used to send spam.

We have got rather good at removing this kind of nasty junk.

If you PC is running slower and slower, if it suffers from unexpected pop ups, if it redirects itself to web pages you didn’t request: its probably got spyware.

Removing spyware and/or viruses used to be a simple operation, but as more and more complicated methods are used by their writers to protect these programs its now much more complicated whatever the PC magazines say.

But don’t despair, we have got rather good at removing this kind of nasty junk. Buy some of our time and we’ll fix the problem.

Notebooks and their uses.

There are a large array of notebooks of various prices and capabilities available.

From 12” ultra portables, through 20” full size (lugables). We can supply them all, advise which are best for your needs and have them all set up, ready to work out of the box.

We can integrate the notebook into an existing network to give you mobile email and file access.

We can configure them so they are secure.

We can set them to work wirelessly through a home network allowing you to use the notebook online around the house or even in the garden.

Oh and of course, we can sell you one from stock or a specifically tailored model from a massive range available next day.

Use of PDA, SmartPhone and/or GPS systems

Personal digital assistants (PDA’s) and to some extent smartphones are small portable devices that can act as diaries, receive email, run contact lists, play music, and nowdays communicate with other computers over the internet.

Getting them set up to talk to other machines can however be a bit complicated.

We can help with most of these devices allowing remote email and communication to be set up without the need for a bigger computer or visiting an internet café.

Global Positioning Systems allow you to tell where you are in the world down to a few metres distance.

Again setup of these devices can be complicated and we can help.

Full Server / Client Setup

A server can handle files, administer who can read them, run a filtered internet service, run multiple printers, run a digital fax service, host a website (internal or external), allow remote access to files and computers among other things.

Getting a server set up to do all of this can be complicated.

Getting all the various PCs, PDAs, smartphones, printers, notebooks etc to work with the server is also quite a job.

We offer a full configuration and support package with server hardware we sell or hardware you supply.

We can set up your whole IT environment from the servers, laptops, PCs, wireless connection, wired networking and internet services.

If you wish to get the time and energy saving modern IT can provide or want us to support a system already in place please give us a call.

Home Working Setup

Access to business information at home to allow true home working used to be a dream.

It is now an affordable reality.

We can set systems up so that 1 or more people can work from home as if they were at their office desks.

Depending on the level of use you require we can advise and supply all that you need.

Contracted Timed On-Site Callouts

Many users and businesses require both on-site callouts and off-site support in the form of phone support and advice or remote management.

While we generally can provide such services as needed (and charge on a case by case basis) there are times when workload will result in delays.

However we have available a priority service for customer who pay a monthly fee.

The fee is based on how many machines and/or servers/networks you have, which reflects the probable likely incidence of you contacting us for the support.

The support contract covers:

Phone support, advice and general over the phone troubleshooting.

Remote login assistance (we log in to your systems to help you or diagnose problems; this requires a broadband or better connection at your end).

Timed callout (currently within 5 business hour response) if it can't be fixed remotely.

Most of the time problems can be solved remotely for no extra charge beyond the monthly fee, longer fixes (30 minutes plus) and onsite visits are however sometimes required. These are charged at an hourly rate.

This service is available to Businesses or (NEW) to home users in our local area (South Manchester).

Prices start at £15+VAT/Month for a single PC. Please contact us for details on multiples and server installations.

Hardware Upgrades & Repairs

We offer a full upgrade and repair service for old and new machines.

We can instantly advise on upgrades either over the phone (if you know the exact specification of your machine) or by a quick inspection of the machine at our premises in Hazel Grove.

Common upgrades are graphics cards, memory and extra disk drives.

Many repairs can be done immediately (e.g. faulty power supplys, fans etc), although many customers choose to have a service to a machine when it is on the bench. Which takes about a day to complete.

We have a minimum ½ hour charge for repair/service work which is £15+VAT, if the job takes more of our time we charge at a £30+VAT hourly rate.

Software Repairs & Cleanups

As machines get older and the amount of software installed (and removed) increases, the performance of machine can drop.

Spyware and viruses can also take their toll making the machine much slower than when initially purchased.

Rather than changing the PC it is sometimes useful to clean a machine up so it recovers some of its performance.

With most software problems it is not necessary to re-install a machine so that settings passwords, software installed and desktop layouts can be kept.

Severe problems might require a re-installation or it may be more economical to re-install, in these cases please bring software disks and licences if you want us to rebuild the software environment after the re-install.

Either way it is important that any data you have on the PC is backed up before we begin such work. If you don’t have a backup we can of course make one for you so please tell us before we begin work.

Most jobs of this nature take 1-3hours at £30+VAT and hour.

Patch Downloads

Keeping your computer up to date is an important aspect of modern computing.

Most viruses and bad software get into machines due to out of date software.

If you only have a slow connection at home, we offer a update service on a drop in basis.

Drop the machine off at our Hazel Grove premises and we will update the software to make it more secure.

We can also do this service on-site if you have a fast connection.

Prices for this service are based on time and it is usually ½ an hour to an hours work (if dropped in, £15+VAT) or 1-2 hours on site.

Training

We can provide basic training in the use of a PC.

This can cover using windows, using office packages, getting around the internet, using a database, basic video editing etc.

An hour or two of instruction on a PC can save a lot of trouble later on and generally enhances the enjoyment of using a modern PC.

We also have contacts for other places you can contact to go further should you want more intensive tuition.

Call us if you are interested.

Accounts software training, implementation and basic troubleshooting

As Sage Line 50 users and 14 year business owners we have years worth of experience with the set-up and running of various accounts software and semi-automated systems.

In general we can advise on the design and implementation of an accounts system, how it can help your business and the likely gains and problems you will face computerising a manual (or semi manual such as spreadsheet based) system.

While we would still recommend a support package from accounts software vendors (usually phone based) some problems can easily be solved by experienced computer users. In particular should a fix be required we are happy to provide our experience in working with other support personnel (e.g. phone line support) to fix a problem.

Personalised Local Email Addresses

Many people have long winded hard to spell and non personal email addresses.

While it is possible to buy a domain name, host it and set up an email system to use it (e.g. like sales@fasteasy.com), this is normally a fairly long process.

We offer a personalised email for £20+VAT a year with one of our local domain addresses.

We own

• hazel-grove.com,
• offerton.com,
• romiley.net,
• bramhall.net

and

• Poynton.net.

So for instance you could have dave@bramhall.net as an email address.

Please contact us if you require further details.

All names come on a first come first served basis.

Website & Email Hosting

If you would like a website and/or email hosting service we can provide.

e.g. you are currently looking at www.fasteasy.com, email for us goes to sales@fasteasy.com.

We can register a domain for you, act as the domain's technical contact, help you design a website for your domain, host email and set up your PCs and laptop to use email for your domain.

We charge £49+VAT for website only hosting, and £99+VAT for web and email hosting. Both charges include basic consultancy, setup and updating changes for a year.

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)

Many will now of heard of Voice Over Internet Protocol or VoIP.

VoIP is a great way to reduce your phone costs while adding extra functionality a simple phone cannot deliver.

Common programs using this technology are Skype and MSN messenger.

They offer free internet voice, data and video calls (through an existing connection).

We can set up and install these applications and show how to use them.

Many use webcams with these and again we can set these up for you in your home should you wish.

For bigger VoIP installations we have partner companies with specialised expertise.

Reduce your costs and get great functionality

Please call us for details.

Home : IT services : Products : Contact : About Us