Backup

No one disputes the value of backups, but they are still often forgotten. We have three levels of backup available as part of our Managed Services. We monitor these backups daily to ensure that they are performing properly and take appropriate action when we see problems. Server Backup - We perform multiple stages of server backup from hourly changes to daily incremental or weekly full backups to either disk or tape. Offsite Backup - Every business has data that is crucial to their business such as accounting data or core application databases. For this data we utilize an offsite backup, transferring this information daily, securely across the internet to our secure off-site location. Client Backup - In most cases we encourage users to keep their data in a central, more reliable location on the server. Where this is impractical, we provide a solution that allows the data to be fully backed up from the client to the server or a shared storage area.

Patch Management

Part of a well managed IT infrastructure includes keeping operating systems and base software up to date. Called “Patch Management”, we regularly monitor servers and end user computers for things like Microsoft Security updates, productivity updates and updates for common applications like Adobe Reader. Patches are thoroughly tested internally before they are pushed out to your whole company. During testing, we are looking for potential issues these patches may introduce to your specific applications. When identified, we will either install these patches manually or bypass them altogether. PCs are updated automatically in the evening to avoid downtime for the user. Server patches are tested and installed manually because of the critical nature of these machines.

24 Hour Monitoring

iSpire uses a combination of automated and in person monitoring to watch for ad hoc events as well as issues that could cause future problems. An example of an ad hoc event would be a server or firewall going offline. This alert would spark an investigation as to whether there was a hardware failure, power outage, etc. and a plan created to react accordingly. Preventative monitoring includes things like how much space is remaining on a server or a spike in a server’s CPU usage. We review these and many others daily and react accordingly to prevent critical failures from happening.

Remote and on site support

You want your problem solved as fast as possible and iSpire aims to do just that. All iSpire managed systems have an application installed that allows us to remote a particular machine and take control so that we can fix it. Most of our customer’s problems are solved this way which gets you back up and running as quickly as possible. In cases where an on site visit is required, we will provide that service as well. Our help desk is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm. All our customers also have access to our on call team which provides support during off hour

CIO Level Advice and Planning

Regardless of size, all our customers are provided with CIO level consultation on everything from updating aging technology to how you can use technology to grow your business. Each customer spends time with an expert in their field to create roadmaps for the technology projects that are necessities (such as an aging server or vendor software upgrade) or growth opportunities (expanding into new buildings, developing a new business division, replacing systems, etc.). The projects are prioritized based on necessity, budget and other factors and executed by our professional services department.

Multiple Communication Methods

Users can contact us in a variety of ways and we do not restrict anyone to any single method. When issues arise, people can call, email and/or use our ticketing platform to raise or check the status of an issue. All issues are recorded as tickets in our ticketing system and we track them from identification to resolution. We also have the online iSpire Community where users can go to learn about the latest issues and advances in technology that can make their day to day operates safer, more enjoyable and more efficient.