Here are some questions that we often get asked:
Yes, we do get a lot of technical questions too, but to list the answers to those here is neigh impossible! Here we're endeavouring to answer the typical questions we're asked about how we do what we do and why. We try and explain briefly what best practices we've learnt and developed that contribute towards us providing a reliable, successful and competent Information Technology support service.
1. What type of Internet connection do I need?
2. How can I get rid of junk e-mail?
3. How can I access my e-mail or accounting system from home?
4. How can I protect my network from viruses?
5. What must I do if my computer has a virus?
6. How should I back up my data?
7. Do I need a server? Why?
8. What is server-based computing?
9. What is a firewall and why do I need one?
10. My network is unreliable and slow. What can I do?
11. Why do I need a service agreement - can't I just call you when I need you?
12. My business needs a database, but I've heard they're expensive. Is this true?
13. The Internet is critical for me, but my link is often down. What can I do?
14. I need to exchange large files with others, but my e-mails are being blocked.
15. I'm moving office. How can I minimise the disruption of service?
16. I can buy cheaper products elsewhere. Why should I buy them from you?
17. We need to share information in our company. What can we use?
18. How fast can you reach us when we need help?
19. I can hire my own IT systems administrator. Why do I need you?
20. How can I see who is using my Internet bandwidth and for what?
21. I sent an e-mail to one of your engineers and nobody has contacted me - why?
If your question is not here, please do send us an e-mail and we'll respond to you personally as best we can. If your question is general in nature, we'll possibly include it here too. Do e-mail us your question to
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... and here are the answers:
1. What type of internet connection do I need?Well, what are your needs? How many people in your company use e-mail and the Internet? Do you routinely download large amounts of data for work, like software updates, graphics or CAD files? Do you rely on Internet Banking and do you interact with business partners and their web sites to conduct vital business? Do you require redundancy; for example, if your primary link goes down, do you need a backup link? We're in a position to assist you in working through all these related questions, but you probably know the answers to these already. Your question is most likely "I need a reliable and fast, cost effective Internet connection for my business, so can TSI help me achieve that better than I could myself?" Yes we can! And we say that with confidence 'cause our existing clients tell us we do. ADSL is currently the most cost effective Internet connection when it works, but it is not available everywhere and it's reliability is sometimes questionable but more importantly, it is not associated with a guaranteed service level agreement by anyone. On the other hand, wireless services (e.g. iBurst, point-to-point and 3G) are available and quick to set up, but can be equally unreliable. We have specialised in improving both the reliability and cost efficiencies of these technologies by combining and managing them. See our e-Box offering and do
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for more details and advice.
2. How can I get rid of junk e-mail (‘spam’)?Most e-mail software (like Outlook Express) has some spam-filtering capabilities and your e-mail server can be set up to reject e-mail from known spamming sources. For more comprehensive protection, you can also subscribe to a spam-filtering service, which will tag any e-mail it classifies as spam, using a complex and frequently updated set of rules. Spam e-mails will automatically go into a separate folder of your choice, so as not to clutter your inbox, but they’ll still be available just in case they were accidentally tagged.
3. How can I access my e-mail or accounting system from home?You can connect to your office network from anywhere in the world via the Internet, but this must be done securely using a VPN (Virtual Private Network), which works particularly well for e-mail and for copying files. If you want to run an application (like accounting) from a distance, you will need to use server-based computing, where the actual programme runs on a server at your office but you can access it via Internet from wherever you happen to be in the world.
4. How can I protect my network from viruses?Due to the seriousness of today’s virus threats, a multilevel approach is important. E-mail is a very common entry point for viruses, so it makes sense to scan e-mail as soon as it enters your system, or even beforehand. Your file servers and workstations must also be protected. Anti virus defences must always be kept up-to-date with the latest definitions and upgrades, and you should make a point of educating your users to watch out for suspicious e-mail and unknown programmes. We have the skills and some innovative techniques to keep this ongoing maintenance burden to a minimum.
5. What must I do if my computer has a virus?The first and most important thing to do is to isolate the machine to prevent further damage; in other words, unplug it from the network and, if possible, shut the machine down. If your anti virus software is up to date, you will probably be able to quarantine the virus or remove it from your system altogether. Then, remember to check whether your other computers have been infected. The unfortunate reality is that very often the anti-virus is not up to date, or worse still, not functional or even installed on the machine. You know you need help, so call us.
6. How should I back up my data?Tape-based backup is obsolete, with portable hard drives dominating in this role. Optical media (CD, DVD and BlueRay) can also be used if the data volumes are limited. However, with better and faster connections, on-line backup via the Internet is becoming very popular. Some advantages are the fact that it is hands-off and there are no media to change; it's off-site, an oft requirement of auditors; that a service provider (like TSI) can host a complete standby server, ready to deploy and get you up and running almost instantly; and that data can be recovered via the Internet. We've even heard of some small scale backups using the huge amount of storage provided by Google Mail (up to 2Gb) as an off-site backup - just zip-up your backup and e-mail it to your GMail address and "Hey presto!". If your need is a tad more substantial than just sending your Pastel backup off site (and you know you'll forget to do the zip-mail thing anyway) then contact us for a more robust solution.
7. Do I need a server? Why?
The sharing of workstation resources (like files, applications, printers, etc.) on anything but the smallest network is not recommended for any company – big or small – so a dedicated server can be a wise investment, with benefits including centralised data backup and more reliable printing. Depending on your needs, you could also consider a Linux-based server, which has no software licensing costs. We pride ourselves on providing such solutions.
8. What is server-based computing?This is where all of your programmes run on a server instead of on your workstations, and it has many benefits. To begin with, set-up and support costs are reduced, a single server is easy to protect and low-cost, older-generation workstations gain an extended life. In addition, skilled people are only needed to support one (or a few) servers, instead of many full-blown workstations. Servers are ready-made for a mobile or remote workforce – users can just connect to the server from wherever they are in the world via the Internet using a secure VPN
(Virtual Private Network).
9. What is a firewall and why do I need one?A firewall is a device that controls the traffic between your network and the Internet. It is important because the Internet is fraught with malicious software that tries to gain access to unprotected systems – for the purposes of information theft, spam services, illegal music downloads, etc. There are different types of firewall technology, offering varying levels of protection. A firewall must be maintained to cater for changing needs and stay abreast of the evolving threats it must protect you from, so invariably you should budget for this, either internally or from a trusted service provider (like us!).
10. My network is unreliable and slow. What can I do?Your problem may be a result of poor network design due to ad hoc or hasty network growth, bad cabling, faulty equipment, incorrect software configuration or electrical interference, amongst other causes. At TSI, we know that a methodical approach, combined with a good dose of experience, is required to isolate the cause of the problem. This often involves low-level diagnostics and a sound understanding of network protocols and electrical engineering skills. Contact us for more advice.
11. Why do I need a service agreement – can’t I just call you when I need you?As a professional service provider, we're aware that you need a productive and ongoing relationship, in order to work most effectively. We subscribe to Dr. David Maister's approach to achieving an efficient and cost effective service offering. With a service agreement in place, we are able to get to know your environment, users, equipment and business values and issues; we can be pro-active instead of reactive; and we prefer to work with you to align your IT solutions with your business needs. Read more about our service values, by clicking here.
12. My business needs a database, but I’ve heard they’re expensive. Is this true? Not necessarily. There are a number of high-quality database management systems that don’t carry any licensing fees. Depending on what you want to use the database for, you may have to pay for some custom software development. Or, you may find that there’s already an application that meets most of your needs, and can be customised for an even closer fit.
13. The Internet is critical for me, but my link is often down. What can I do? You can consider a managed e-mail and Internet service (like e-Box) that offers alternative connection types. When the primary link (e.g. DSL) fails, a backup link (e.g. wireless) can be activated at short notice. Keep in mind, though, that a ‘failed’ link is not always caused by a physical problem. You may be cut off by your internet service provider because you consumed your monthly bandwidth prematurely. But you can avoid this situation, and situations like this, by managing your Internet usage.
14. I need to exchange large files with others, but my e-mails are being blocked.Internet service providers and in-house system administrators typically set a maximum size on e-mail attachments, to avoid users clogging the system. If you are sending a large file to one person, your e-mail software may be able to split the file automatically into smaller pieces. But, in order to re-assemble the file, the recipient must use the same e-mail software. A better solution is to use FTP (file transfer protocol), where you send the file to a server on the Internet, and the recipient fetches the file from the server. Services are becoming available on the Internet that provide such a solution. Some are free with advertising but most charge for their services via a subscription. We would be pleased to advise you on which would serve you best.
15. I’m moving office. How can I minimise the disruption of service?You must ensure that as much as possible of the telecommunications, power and IT infrastructure is in place before you move into your new premises. In our experience at TSI, telecoms is the most difficult item to co-ordinate, but there are ways of working around this. For instance, you can set up a temporary e-mail and Internet connection using one of the available wireless networks and for faxing you can use a fax-to-e-mail gateway.
16. I can buy cheaper products elsewhere. Why should I buy them from you?A measure of IT knowledge and experience is necessary in order to find the right product for the job, and to support it properly. As a professional IT service provider we also have many years of experience in supplying fit-for-purpose products to our clients. We don’t compete on price, but we do keep our mark-ups reasonable and we can supply anything from workstations, servers and laptops, to networking equipment, printers, UPSs and software.
17. We need to share information in our company. What can we use?That depends on the kind of information you need to share. Your ‘line-of-business’ application (for example, your accounting system) contains a wealth of valuable information - perhaps this information needs to be extracted and made available to more people? If you need to share documents and spreadsheets among different users, a simple file server may be your answer. A good tip is to find out what systems your competitors are using, and with what success. We can then
assess comparable solutions, and if justified, even improve on them to give you a competitive advantage over them.
18. How fast can you reach us when we need help?If you have a service agreement with us, you’ll be guaranteed a speedy response time; for example, four or eight hours may be our agreement obligation but we have a track record of responding within minutes. Our on-line service management system ensures efficient communication with all clients, which means that your problems can be solved faster. This is why our clients say their preferred method of us supporting them is remotely, securely via the Internet. You may find that, in justified circumstances, we’ll put a quick, temporary solution in place (‘triage’), which gets you productive quickly and gives us time to solve the underlying problem properly and permanently.
19. I can hire my own IT systems administrator. Why do I need you?A professional IT service provider offers a number of benefits that you can’t necessarily get from an in-house employee. For starters, you have access to an experienced team with a diverse pool of knowledge, as opposed to only one or two individuals. However, you can also decide on a hybrid approach, in which you use a service provider as second-line support to an in-house resource, or for specific services only, such as e-mail and Internet .
20. How can I see who is using my Internet bandwidth and for what?
This is a common question from our clients, because bandwidth is relatively expensive in South Africa and is frequently misused or prematurely consumed. The solution is not to cut it off or block your users as their jobs rely on access to the Internet. We have found that by letting you staff know that these resources will and can be monitored, that there is a far more mature and responsible use of those resources. In order to monitor Internet and e-mail usage, all traffic must be routed through a central server (proxy server) on your network. With the necessary tools on the server, individual connections can be logged and usage reports produced. But, to avoid potential legal issues, you must inform your staff that you can and may monitor their on-line activities this way. We're able to assist with both the technology to do the monitoring as well as provide advise on keeping yourself in line with the law in this regard.
21. I sent an e-mail to one of your engineers and nobody has contacted me - why?
We have set up an e-mail address (
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) especially to address this need. The reason for the delay is that the engineer that you sent your e-mail to was very likely not available and so could not respond to your e-mail in a timely manner. By sending your support request to
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, it is distributed to all our engineers and the TSI help-desk who are responsible for coordinating our technical resources, so long delays in response are avoided.
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