From crashed hard drives to computers that won’t start, the largest part of managed IT services is basic maintenance of computers. In an organisation of any size, small or large, computers are relied on to perform almost all duties – from typing to design, marketing and many other functions. Programs are used for all sorts of industries, and as we get more technologically advanced, our systems get more complicated and prone to problems. Rather than risking making the problem worse by trying to fix problems yourself, call in the experts with IT services that ensure that your computer stays up and running at all times. And when or if something goes wrong, you will know who to call.

Other services include the following:

• Viruses and Spyware Problems

It takes just one email forward that is infected with spyware, worms, Trojans or other viruses to infect an entire network – bringing your entire business to a halt as computers freeze, shut down or simply stop working. From virus protection to trouble shooting and virus fixing, IT services will ensure that your computer is both protected against future viruses and healed from existing viruses that may affect the running of your system.

• Network Management

The network controls all computers within an office or organisation. If a network goes down, very often that means that every computer within the network also goes down, leaving the entire office unable to continue working. Network management services guarantee you quick response times, optimal network health and outstanding technical support from your IT services company, allowing you to not lose any valuable time in the event of a network problem. A reputable managed IT services firm will offer network management for a fixed monthly fee, regardless of the number of hours used.

• Internet Connectivity

Your IT services company will also set up and managed internet connectivity, from leading ISP (internet service providers) – assisting when internet connection drops, and helping you maintain daily usage of bandwidth and data packages. With internet slowly improving in South Africa, consumers have a choice of ADSL, 3G and other connection options, and a good managed IT services company will be able to advise the best option to suit your needs – whether you are a business or home internet user.

• Remote Backups

Many businesses do not realise the importance of having effective data or server backup. Managed IT services ensure that your data is kept safe and secure at all times. A remote backup and data recovery service ensures that your critical data is properly backed up to an offsite location. This means that you never have to worry about losing precious data in the event of a system or server crash.

• Hardware and Software Procurement

IT companies provide all the top brands at competitive prices, allowing companies to get all the benefits of wholesale prices directly from leading companies who deal direct with companies rather than with consumers. After all, who better to source your hardware and software than the company that will be responsible for managing it? If your IT company is charging you a fortune for products, or even the same rates that are seen in store, it may be time to change to a managed IT services company that brings you good deals and excellent prices to ensure better value for money.

If you don’t havespam and virus protection installed on your computer, or you have no idea what “spam and virus protection” even means, it’s time to protect your system now, before it’s too late. Being proactive about security is important, and anyone can do it. In this article, we present an overview of the key terms and then give you some tips on how to get your computer protected.

First, what is spam and virus protection? Spam is unsolicited email messages of a promotional nature. You know, the kind of advertisement junk that litters your inbox and the internet. Viruses are – like their biological counterparts – things that can get into your computer and make it “sick” (for example, erasing data or making your programs stop working) and can spread to other computers.

Viruses can be very dangerous, destroying and changing data on computers, and like human viruses, they spread very quickly. Your computer may slow down and not work well. If you are on a network, the entire network can become clogged with spam, slowing it down or making it non-functional. Most frighteningly, your computer might even be damaged or destroyed!

It is very important to ensure you are protected is to get a basic antivirus program. There are many programs on the market, so the choice is up to you. Most are easy to use and install – more or less a matter of sticking in a disk and following the on-screen prompts. You could try Sophos.

A spam protection service we tried recently and liked is EmailCloud. This service, which has a partnership with amazon, will take care of all of your needs so that you don’t have to worry, since it is a fully hosted and managed system that deals with spam, email, viruses, and adware. This is a fully managed email protection service. There are, of course, advantages and disadvantages to managed email services for the SME. We believe that utilizing a managed email service is one less thing you have to worry about, so convenience is a huge factor. In most cases, a managed email service will have more expensive equipment than an SME could afford, so an SME is getting a more reliable service that will provide better protection for their data.

The next thing you should probably set up is a firewall. A firewall is a security feature (imagine a tall, barbed-wire fence covered with fire – a good deterrent!) which will help keep nasty infections from your computer in the first place. When a site wants to open a dangerous connection to your computer, the firewall will prevent it or ask you whether it is acceptable. This will ensure no dangerous files slip in and cause damage before your antivirus can stop them.