CUSTOMER PROFILE
Established in 1929, this client is a voluntary, not‐for‐profit professional association, representing professionals in Ontario. Their mission is to serve their members and the public by advancing the understanding and use of services given by the members. The client represents approximately 2,900 (82%) of Ontario’s practicing professionals in it’s field, and operates out of 1 office with approximately 15 employees.
CUSTOMER SITUATION/PROBLEMS
- The server was configured with onsite tape backup
- Tape backup is not reliable, and requires extensive administration and maintenance
- Backed up data was rarely tested by restoring the information
- IT service provider would provide only onsite services; this was far too costly, resulted in staff waiting extended periods of time for problem resolution, and often one problem took several visits to resolve
- Due to the size of the organization, it was not possible to have an IT person on staff; IT solutions had always been outsourced therefore nobody was familiar enough with the network to properly manage it, or keep track of IT needs as the association grew
OPTIONS CONSIDERED
The client considered different options and several IT companies, but found pricing did not fit their budget as well as the service options presented by Essential. Other companies were not offering the remote back up option, which was appealing to the client – Essential’s solution took all the worry out of securing the data and managing the IT for The client.
OPTION CHOSEN
Essential Data Services helped select, install, and configure a new server; configured the network to run efficiently with minimum maintenance; implemented remote back up of SQL, Exchange and other files on a daily basis. The data is stored offsite, at a secure location, and is always available for a fast restore in the event that files are lost or corrupted.
PROBLEM SOLVED
- Automated daily backup for Exchange (E‐mail server), SQL and other files
- Data is backed up to an off‐site secure facility and available for instant restore 24 / 7
- Daily e‐mail reports containing details of backup from the previous night are sent to the customer
- The backup operation is monitored by Essential’s engineers on a daily basis.
- The client also takes advantage of our remote support agreement, and are always a phone call away from experienced and friendly IT support
- Our engineers resolve most IT issues by logging remotely onto the user’s computer over the internet, or by providing telephone support
- Onsite is offered at a reasonable price. An onsite support visit is initiated after all other avenues have failed to resolve the reported problem.
- Essential handles all facets of the IT systems at the client’s office including consulting, hardware purchase and implementation, server monitoring and backup.
SUMMARY
- The client now has a secure, worry free backup system and staff are not concerned about data loss
- The client takes advantage of Essential’s Help Desk Support Services, and get reliable, expert and
timely technical support as needed.
TESTIMONIAL
“Working with Essential brings a team of IT professionals who we can rely on to meet our requirements. The timely response to our requests for assistance is important to maintain daily work flow. Having the assurance of a daily remote backup in a safe and protected environment ensures that the integrity of our data is maintained and not at risk. A month after working with Essential and having remote backup, we lost all our financial data. Within an hour, all data was restored. That experience clearly demonstrated the value to us of having remote backup and working with skilled IT professionals who we feel are part of our team. I would highly recommend Essential’s remote backup service; it is great value and brings peace of mind.”
‐ Marny, Director of Operations
