Business internet: are you on the best internet plan?

Business internet: are you on the best internet plan?

I had an issue this week where a business client that normally had a good internet connection was experiencing really slow service and timeouts.

The router was saying it was connected, however tried another router just in case this was at fault, same issue. Potentially there could be a number of reasons for this problem so I applied the usual precautionary checks. However in this instance the issue was relatively simple;

The client was on a 5 gig plan. This issue here is that if the client used more than the allotted 5 GIG of data, their connection was “throttled” back to dial up speeds, frankly the connection was almost unworkable.

A phone call to the service provider confirmed this was the issue and the type of connection was changed over the phone with the clients ok. The end result was the internet plan was changed overnight resulting in things being back to normal the next day.

What to do?

  • If you have had an internet connection for some time it may pay to review what you are getting.
  • Check to see if you have a capped rate and check to see if you go over your capped rate what happens to your service?
  • Does it “throttle you down” or will it continue and you just pay for the extra data you might have?

It may save some heartache!

So if you’re in need of some help with getting the right internet plan, or even just some friendly advice, get in touch with us.

To discuss how Tech Solutions can help you call us on 0800 878 878.

Benefits clients get when coming to Tech Solutions

Benefits clients get when coming to Tech Solutions

I.T. is like other businesses – there is competition and the customer has choice.

So why do our customers consistently use us?

  • Aside from our humour and indisputable good looks (according to our mothers anyway!), the main reason is we are 100% focused on results for our clients.
  • From helping set up that new laptop or I-pad, through to building a website or commissioning a new server, our customer’s needs vary on a daily basis and we attempt to resolve the issue, big or small, as quickly and economically as possible.
  • Being locally owned and operated means that we have a Wairarapa focus, and understand the I.T needs of our community.
  • We work with both domestic and commercial customers.
  • Our team are on the road daily and can be found in Featherston, Greytown, Martinborough & Carterton as well as Masterton. We do work for clients in other parts of the country also and even have clients in Eketahuna.
  • Having a team of 14 full-time staff working around the region enables us to promptly respond geographically and also have a diverse skill set to be able to handle even the most complex computer issues. It also means there is less business risk, as we have the coverage to provide service when people are away on leave or sick.
  • Our trained and qualified staff have experience with both PC & Apple product.
  • We service what we sell; unlike the franchise stores we can do more than just sell you a computer; we have the experience to advise on the best equipment for you, can assist with the set up and commissioning of the machine including programme and anti-virus software, teach you how to use it if need be, and then fix it if it breaks.
  • We’re in this business for the long haul; we’ve been around since 1976, and have 237 years of combined team experience, so we tend to build long term relationships with our clients.

So if you’re in need of I.T. support, or even just some friendly advice, we invite you to experience these benefits for yourself.

To discuss how Tech Solutions can help your business call Lloyd on 0800 878 878 or email lloyd@techs.co.nz

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

BYOD, what is it and what do I need to know about it?

With UFB becoming common place now schools the internet is getting more and more use and it is becoming practical to extend the usage to students own devices. Many schools are putting into place BYOD (bring your own device) systems to allow this.

Before schools can make full-scale digital learning a reality, they have to put in place the proper infrastructure. In this new digital environment, teachers are able to achieve more during lessons, while students are more engaged in learning. And for the school, unlimited access at a fixed cost means there are no unpleasant surprises or budget overruns.

THE CHALLENGE

It can be a challenge to provide a solution that can support a teaching system focused on digital learning, add to that hundreds of students connected simultaneously the systems must be easily scalable and have the costs manageable.

THE NEED

Schools need a robust and reliable internet service, with so many students and staff relying on the internet an outage can cause disruption to hundreds of students and staff. Online resources are now an integral part of the teaching process and instead of students all sourcing information from the same book, they’re doing their own research online.

THE SOLUTION

Tech Solutions has the skills and ability to develop campus wide wifi and the tools and resources to effectively manage the internet usage. With our expertise and skills we can ensure that students can’t abuse their internet usage and that the internet resource is correctly shared amongst the whole school. Add to that the filtering solutions from Watchdog we can deliver a solid and secure system that staff, students and parents can have confidence in.

Data Sharing at Home

Data Sharing at Home

Today computer networks are no longer limited to business and corporate environments. In fact if you have two or more computers in your home and they are both able to connect to the internet, you have a computer network running.

One major advantage in having a computer network is the ability to share and access data between computers. How you configure your home network for data sharing depends largely on what type of devices you have participating on the network and their ability to communicate.

If all your computers are Windows 7 then the easiest way to set up file sharing is to create a homegroup. A homegroup links computers on your network so that you can share pictures, music, videos, documents, and printers. You can help protect a homegroup with a password, and you’ll always be able to choose what you share with the group.

For more information: google “Windows homegroup”

If you have a mixture of Windows machines operating on your network you can configure a Windows Workgroup to enable file sharing but this is more complex and will require configuring firewall ports and additional services.

If you require data sharing between dissimilar devices such as Apple, Windows and Linux then using external storage such as a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device or cloud based storage such as Dropbox, Google Drive or One Drive could be the answer. NAS devices give you a common location to save and access data from any computer in the network and generally remain powered on while other computers have been shut down for the night. Configuring a cloud storage option on each computer in the network with the SAME storage account can provide for a common share location. This location is also accessible outside of your local network providing you have the account logon details. Most cloud storage providers offer a ‘personal’ option for free which comes with a set amount of storage. As an example, Dropbox offers 4Gb with the free account option. With cloud based storage, internet traffic charges will apply for both uploading and downloading. Check your internet plan first for monthly allowances.

References:

Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/login

Google Drive: https://www.google.co.nz/drive/

One Drive: https://onedrive.live.com

So if you’re in need of some help with file sharing, or even just some free friendly advice, get in touch with us, 6-370 8093.

Search Engine Optimisation

Search Engine Optimisation

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is getting your website, not only into Search Engines, but at the top of results in Search Engines.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Having your business at the top of search results is really becoming an important part of business marketing for a number of reasons. Teenagers for example, no longer look to the Yellow Pages, or read the newspaper for business listings, but simply Google what they want. If another business is at the top of the ranking, that’s what they will likely choose.

GETTING STARTED

This might seem silly, but if you don’t submit your site address to Google, it won’t get indexed properly and your site simply won’t show up anywhere near the top.

Don’t know if you are?

Simply do a search in Google for SITE:YOURSITENAME.CO.NZ

SUBMITTING SITE TO GOOGLE WEBMASTER TOOLS (GOOGLE)

  1. Go to https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/submit-url?pli=1
  2. Enter in your website URL into the text box then click on Submit Request.

SUBMITTING SITE TO BING

  1. Go to http://www.bing.com/toolbox/submit-site-url
  2. Enter in your website URL into the text box then click Submit.

5 BASIC TIPS

GREAT CONTENT!

Simple, original and real content will win over fake reading stuff nearly every time. Explain what you’re talking about in the best way you can.

PAGE TITLE AND PAGE NAMES

The <title> element inside of your pages is used as a suggestion for the title in Search Engine’s search results. Use it to describe the business and page in a concise informative phrase.

It’s also important to keep the names of the pages simple. If the user is searching for cheese and sees two options, one being blocksofcheese.html or prodid?435435 what do you think they would click?

META KEYWORDS AND META DESCRIPTION

While <meta name=”keywords”> and <meta name=”description”> do not raise your Google Pagerank (website’s “value” in rankings), they help the user click on your page with helpful descriptions from keyword searches.

Info: http://moz.com/learn/seo/meta-description

HEADER TAGS

Wrapping headers in header tags (<h1>, <h2>, <h3>, <h3>) to show their importance will tell Search Engines the important bits of your pages.

SITEMAPS

A sitemap tells Search Engines what pages are your main ones and shows how they are linked together. You could use a generator to make things simpler: http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/

So if you’re in need of some help with improving your search results, or even just some friendly advice, get in touch with us.

To discuss how Tech Solutions can help call us on 0800 878 878 or email office@techs.co.nz.