Products & Services - Soft-Works.co.uk

Helpdesk

Our dedicated support team is available to help with any questions you may have on the workings, features and functionality of your system. You can contact us by telephone, email, or via the 'Call Back' button and our Helpdesk will do everything possible to resolve your query promptly and accurately.

It is of the utmost importance to us that we only employ the best there is with regards to providing backup support services to our clients - but don't just take our word for it, have a look at what some of our client's say on our Testimonials page.

Support Options:System Support Contract * - For a monthly subscription to our pro-active support service, this entitles you to unlimited cover for your main Server, Exchange / Outlook etc., Workstations and Laptops (excluding parts as these are normally covered under the manufactures warranty). We provide support for the general user and also at administrator level, providing guidance when needed - for example, setting up additional users / passwords, etc. General application support for Microsoft products such as Word and Excel, plus support for a whole host of other applications can be provided, including support for your website (subject to requirements). As part of the Support Contract, we also undertake regular system health-checks to ensure that your network is 'fine-tuned' and that you are getting the best performance possible from your system.

Pay-as-you-go - In addition to our Support Contract above, our ‘pay-as-you-go’ support bundle entitles you for up to 10 hours of support time (minimum of 15 minutes recorded). This is a reactive support service offering assistance as and when requested (with the exclusion of system health checks, which are not included but can be provided at our normal day rate). As with our Support Contract, all calls are logged and recorded with notification given when you are approaching the maximum hours on your bundle; you can then either elect to take out a further bundle or opt to move over to the full Support Contract with the additional cover included.

Site Visits - If an issue arises that cannot be resolved remotely, then a site visit can be made when it is deemed necessary to do so. Provided it is considered a support issue then no additional charge will be made for the site visit as this will be covered under your contract (with the exception of mileage, charged at 50p per mile). With the support bundle option, time is allocated for both travel and services.

Planned Works - Requests for the setting up of a new user on your network or configuring a workstation for example, are considered as planned works. This is where we will schedule a convenient time and date with you for this work to be carried out.

Call Logging - For software and system support, all calls are logged through our call logging software and managed through to completion. Quarterly Service Reports can be produced for customer management, which provide proactive information for potential problem areas or staff training needs. Our support line is available to assist you with the day-to-day running of your business software and computer network. Our dedicated support team will be on hand to answer any questions you may have concerning the operation of your system and provided the correct connection is established, remote support can also be provided as part of your support contract with Soft-Works (this requires a suitable Internet connection). Our Helpdesk guidelines are to provide a response time of within 4 hours, although realistically the majority of cases opened are resolved well within this time-frame (with some exceptions where beyond our control, i.e. hardware failure for example).

Helpdesk available from, Monday to Friday (excl. Bank Holidays and the Christmas period).
*Minimum Support Contract term is 12 months. For cancellation of contracts, Soft-Works will require a period of 3-months notice and requests that notification of your wish to cancel is confirmed in writing. Where services are provided via a third party on a subscription basis (i.e. broadband, anti-virus, anti-spam, etc.) individual terms of the provider will apply.

Hardware & Networks
Through our partnership with recognised and trusted brands such as IBM, Lenovo, HP, Dell & Fujitsu, Soft-Works can supply quality hardware to meet the requirements of a growing business, to the demands of a busy Enterprise-grade network. Whether your requirement is to implement an on premise Microsoft Windows Server solution or a hosted cloud-based configuration, we can help.

By taking advantage of the technology available today and by implementing products such as VMware or Hyper-V, we are able to virtualise a single physical machine to run multiple virtual Servers, thus reducing on the cost of hardware and associated on-going maintenance charges.

For the office, remote and home user, we offer a wide range of desktop computers, All-in-Ones, Laptops, Ultrabooks and Tablets. For further details on these products and great offers on the latest gadgets and everyday computer supplies, visit our on-line shop >

STORE

Security & Storage
Keep your data safe and backed up in a secure remote location. SOS (safe off-site storage) is a simple and secure method of protecting your business critical data whether it's basic "files" or more complex databases such as Microsoft Exchange or SQL.

This solution allows a business to ensure daily backups are completed with little or no intervention and guarantees safe off-site security. Reports and on-line statistics are available ensuring you can easily keep control of your storage and backups.

Designed to accompany traditional Tape or Hard Drive methods of data backup, SOS is a simple and cost effective solution. So, how does it work?...

SOS is installed remotely via a webpage. You decide which files / data should be backed up with help from our Technical team Data is automatically compressed and uploaded to the SOS data-centre
Restoring is easy; either directly via the client or a webpage.

Note: Data is encrypted to government standards so it cannot be intercepted or opened by anyone other than the authorised individual. This is a completely automated service so no user interaction is required.

AVG Anti-Virus from avast, is an award-winning anti-virus protection that detects, blocks, and removes viruses and malware from your company’s PCs and Servers. AVG anti-virus reduces risks and disruption, guarding you against the latest threats and cyber attacks.

Anti-Spam - Nothing is more frustrating than inboxes full of scams and spam, but now there’s a simple and effective fix. A cloud-based email solution that delivers comprehensive protection against spam, phishing attacks, and other email-borne threats. Anti-Spam tackles unwanted dangers, helping to reduce possible threats to your network.

Cloud Computing
With Cloud Computing the benefits are clear. It enables you to quickly build, deploy and manage applications with ease. You get to focus on your business rather than the cost and hassle of running IT services on your premises. Pay for what you want at the time that you need it, and if your requirements change, you simply change your subscription. This means it is also easier to manage your cash flow and you don’t need upfront capital investment.

You can still keep specialised or older legacy business applications on premise, or ‘Hosted’ remotely on the Soft-Works data servers. You will be able to run your business effectively with a mixture of both types of solution and with secure remote data backup options available from Soft-Works SOS (Safe Off-site Storage) you really can have IT that is stress free!

'53% of all organisations already use Cloud Computing of some kind. This represented growth of around 10% since the beginning of 2011' (Vanson Bourne, specialist technology research).

So why switch to Cloud?... Here are a few of the ways a business can benefit:

Unified Communications – email, messaging & video conferencing: Hosting your email in the Cloud means massive savings on storage space and instant messaging takes you that step further with real-time conversations (Microsoft Lync / Skype for Business) and on-line video conferencing - this means you can now have meetings with staff and clients almost anywhere without having to leave the office.

File Sharing – document storage: This solves the problem of attachments going back and forth via email and delaying work. Giving clients access to the files they need means they can get involved while the work is being done – ideal for project managers, where being able to share information in the Cloud can make all the difference when decisions need to be made quickly.

Software – Office applications and CRM: Reduce licence costs and increase productivity by allowing users to access business applications on-line, by using monthly subscription packages such as Microsoft O365 and Dynamics CRM - a cost effective tool for the management of relationships with prospects and business contacts. Office 365 offers on-line versions of programs such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook, Access and much more...

If you are looking to get in the Cloud then speak to Soft-Works, a Microsoft Cloud Partner.

Try Office 365 - Business Premium (1 month trial, 25 users)

Try Microsoft Dynamics - CRM Online (30 day trial)

Hosted Phone Systems
Soft-Works Cloud hosted phone systems are affordable, flexible and professional - Soft-Works Cloud operates across your existing Internet connection. If you don’t already have this in place, we can supply you with our Assured Broadband service, which will guarantee your call quality. No line rental and greatly reduced call costs will ensure an immediate saving over your current system. Users can be added according to your needs, and you can grow in to the system one user at a time with no limit on expansion. Better still, Soft-Works Cloud is fully supported by us, and with this you gain the peace of mind that we’ll be on hand in the event of a problem, or just when you need a little advice.

From 1 User to 1000, and from less than £8 per user / per month, our hosted phones systems will give you the professionalism and capability of a fully-featured traditional on-premise solution but without the on-going and capital upfront costs.

To learn more, download a brochure or Contact us today!

Remote System Monitoring
With 24/7 Remote System Monitoring from Soft-Works, your systems will be checked round-the-clock, day and night. Automatically analysing your systems every 15 minutes, our Support Helpdesk will be alerted exactly when a problem occurs enabling us to respond promptly. We’ll spot the nature of the problem, so we can fix it fast to keep you up and running. For customers on our pay-as-you-go Support Bundle, we’ll discuss the problem with you initially, so you can then decide whether to resolve the problem yourself, or ask us to assist you.

Each and every day, 24/7 Remote System Monitoring can automatically check to make sure that your backup is complete ensuring your data is safe, check your disk space to ensure your system won’t crash and your workers aren’t left unproductive while you recover, check your Exchange email system to make sure it doesn’t fill up and collapse leaving you floundering until it’s fixed.

24/7 Remote System Monitoring includes:

> Drive Space Change (alerts where problems are causing drive space to be rapidly consumed)

> Disk Health (alerts if there are any problems with emerging physical disk failures)

> Windows Services Checks (Operating system problems)

Website Design

Soft-Works offers a whole range of web design services to fit requirements. We can help with registering a Domain Name and Hosting of your website, plus we can extend this to provide business email addresses if you do not have these in place already.

Our favoured platform when building a website is WordPress, an extremely popular tool for website design and used extensively world-wide. Therefore, offering our customers flexibility in both on-going content management and support.

If you are a start-up business looking for your first website, or an existing business undergoing a refresh of brand and design, Soft-Works can create a professional, responsive and easy-to-use website to help promote your business.

Why not check out our Monthly Subscription Options