This is a big step forward for us. We can now provide reliable email services with a fair deal of redundancy and backup to customers of all sizes. One man bands or thousands of users, this service is so flexible that it will cope with the needs at both end of the scale.
Tuesday 15 December 2009
Firbanks IT are now official google apps resellers
December 2009 marks another milestone for Firbanks IT. We have been experimenting with the onling google apps services for a good few months. Reliable email delivery, online apps and calendar managment, video and web building sevices ideal for company intranets. As of today, Firbanks IT have officially been accepted as a Google Apps authorised reseller.
Monday 15 June 2009
Turn it off and on again!
You often hear an IT helpdesk ask 'have you tried turning it off an on again?' A comedy show named 'The IT Crowd' use this line many times and always get a giggle but never has this been so true! I attend a breakfast meeting on a Monday morning and one of our members had brought along with him a projector to assist him with his presentation. Only to find in panic the the projector was not switching on. No noise, it was dead! So the basic things come to mind. Initially switch the thing off and on - no difference. Next, check it's plugged in - yes it is. Ok so let's unplug the thing and then reconnect it and voila - the projector kicked in to action! The mains cable was not attached fully to the projector so it made a crackle and everything appeared on the wall. Much to our relief everyone sat down and watched the presentation.
Some times things are this easy. It could have been a blown bulb, dodgy switch, dead extension lead or many other reasons that could have caused this fault but never forget to check the obvious things first! It can save time and a lot of money!
Wednesday 3 June 2009
Working in the cloud
The term 'the cloud' has been popping up every now and again but what does it actually mean? The cloud is like a virtual environment where you can store your emails, documents, videos and web sites. The cloud is a huge cluster of servers all linked together with your documents stored on. It's a great concept and ideal for the small business that wishes to utilise the features of an office server but without the upfront cost. Google Apps have a service that allows such a thing and they offer enterprise level of support with Google Apps Premier. Just imaging, working from anywhere, no office costs, email always available whereever you are without being subjected to power cuts. Ideal for people collaborating and many remote places. Many of the Firbanks features also run on the cloud so drop us a line if you wish to know more!
Thursday 29 January 2009
The use of a Netbook and how they can go wrong!
Over the previous 2 months Netbooks have been making their way in to the computer scene. They are small, lightweight (often < 1.4Kg) and powerful enough to run Windows XP, built-in wireless, bluetooth and the one I purchased especially has a built-in 3G card.
As a new gadget on the scene I want to evaluate one to see what it could do. I visited the local PC World store and found a Netbook with a built-in 3G modem so that I could simply plug in the Vodafone sim and be online. I purchased 2 of them. Unfortunately I couldn't obtain discount on the product but only for the (highly marked up) 'extras' that they try to bundle with it such as carry bases, USB keys, extended warranties, etc.
I'm very impressed with the unit. The screens are small giving a display of 1024 wide by 800 high. It's great for email on the move and general web surfing. It'll run BBC's iplayer with no problems. The built-in processor consumes such little power that the battery life is superb. Given the size of the laptop, a 3 hr standard battery life is brilliant for being out and about. They are great however until things go wrong!
Unfortunately for me, after 7 days of use, the built-in 3G modem developed fault whereby it was constantly being detected/undetected making the noises similar to that of plugging in a USB device and then unplugging it again. As I had already customised the Netbook I choose to call the 0844 support number to get it repaired rather than swapping the laptop over as everything had just been customized to my taste - Big mistake!
The support rep on the phone, after 34 minutes of turning off and on, removing the battery, etc decided to book it in for a courier collection the following day. All looking good so far...
A week later it is received back at my home address. After collecting it I noticed scratches to the glossy screen cover that were not there before (remember, it's new!). I switch it on when arriving at work and within 10 minutes, the same problem arises. After this, I check out the notes on the service sheet with big letters N F F (no fault found).
I immediately ring the tech support again to be told that the laptop must be wiped to basics and reinstalled before they will re-look at this. (You must remember that the laptop was new, had Microsoft Office installed and Skype). I explained that the fault was occuring on one of the two purchased laptops that had been installed identically. I also mentioned the scratches on the screen. What was my reply? 'I can't help you further until you wipe your machine and restore from the disks'. I re-enphasised that it was a 7 day old laptop that has come back from repair in worse cosmetic condition than before it was collected to only receive a reply, 'we don't do cosmetic damage would you like me to talk you through the wipe and reinstall?' At this point I closed the conversation with the frustrated conclusion of taking the laptop back to the local PC World store!
As a new gadget on the scene I want to evaluate one to see what it could do. I visited the local PC World store and found a Netbook with a built-in 3G modem so that I could simply plug in the Vodafone sim and be online. I purchased 2 of them. Unfortunately I couldn't obtain discount on the product but only for the (highly marked up) 'extras' that they try to bundle with it such as carry bases, USB keys, extended warranties, etc.
I'm very impressed with the unit. The screens are small giving a display of 1024 wide by 800 high. It's great for email on the move and general web surfing. It'll run BBC's iplayer with no problems. The built-in processor consumes such little power that the battery life is superb. Given the size of the laptop, a 3 hr standard battery life is brilliant for being out and about. They are great however until things go wrong!
Unfortunately for me, after 7 days of use, the built-in 3G modem developed fault whereby it was constantly being detected/undetected making the noises similar to that of plugging in a USB device and then unplugging it again. As I had already customised the Netbook I choose to call the 0844 support number to get it repaired rather than swapping the laptop over as everything had just been customized to my taste - Big mistake!
The support rep on the phone, after 34 minutes of turning off and on, removing the battery, etc decided to book it in for a courier collection the following day. All looking good so far...
A week later it is received back at my home address. After collecting it I noticed scratches to the glossy screen cover that were not there before (remember, it's new!). I switch it on when arriving at work and within 10 minutes, the same problem arises. After this, I check out the notes on the service sheet with big letters N F F (no fault found).
I immediately ring the tech support again to be told that the laptop must be wiped to basics and reinstalled before they will re-look at this. (You must remember that the laptop was new, had Microsoft Office installed and Skype). I explained that the fault was occuring on one of the two purchased laptops that had been installed identically. I also mentioned the scratches on the screen. What was my reply? 'I can't help you further until you wipe your machine and restore from the disks'. I re-enphasised that it was a 7 day old laptop that has come back from repair in worse cosmetic condition than before it was collected to only receive a reply, 'we don't do cosmetic damage would you like me to talk you through the wipe and reinstall?' At this point I closed the conversation with the frustrated conclusion of taking the laptop back to the local PC World store!
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