With Managed Services you get the services you need when you need them. Imagine having an employee that you only pay when you need them. Imagine having an employee that responds to your issues after normal working hours.
That’s what it’s like to use managed services. If you don’t need us most of the day or even the week you don’t get billed. If you need us to work after your employees go home then we are on the job.
You may not need services at all for most of the year but when you need them, they are vital to your business
In the scenarios above you might need a programmer, network administrator, SEO specialist, PC specialist, and a web designer. That’s quite a team to hire for a small company.
Just coordinating them can be a chore. As a small company you may not have the budget to bring on an IT team like this but you can use Managed Services to take care of your issues.
As an example changing some text on your website is likely a simple project and takes very little time. However, this can be time intensive if you have lots of static pages that have to be changed individually. If this is the case, you may need a redesign which could take considerable time up front but save you time for future changes.
At Downs Consulting Services, we only charge you for the time required for your project. Our blocks of time never expire and they can be used for any or all the services we offer. We do charge more for on-site services so remote saves you money. On-site services also incur travel charges so it’s cheaper if you happen to be close to us.
Typical Day
Maybe you need someone to fix an old spreadsheet with VBA macros. Maybe the next day you need someone to setup an email account and a user’s PC. Perhaps you need Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to get you on top of Google’s listings at certain times of the year.
Maybe you need help with a virus infected machine or a replacement router. At some point you may need a new website, a mobile version or some changes on your existing website.
Perhaps you want someone to monitor your network for problems or want advice on expanding.
In the scenario above, you would only pay for the services of the programmer when he’s fixing your spreadsheet. Basically you pay for the hours spent on your project whether it’s programming, network administration, SEO, or web design.
At Downs Consulting Services we have customers that haven’t finished their initial block of time in several years. Others go through large blocks of time when hot projects come up.
It really depends on the complexity of the project.
Backups
Single PC
Maybe you want a single computer backed up. We can connect remotely via services like LogMeIn and backup the files for you. We can add copies to the cloud via services like Google Drive, OneDrive or Drop Box.
That gives you access to your files from any computer and we can back up those files off-site so that issues with the PC won’t damage the files.
Domain
If you need more sophisticated backups for your server we can set those up too. We can monitor the backups for you and make sure that your critical files are safe.
Anti-Virus, Malware, Firewall, Patch Management
Single PC
Perhaps you need anti-virus installed on your new PC. DCS can install and setup software of your choice.
There are lots of applications to choose from like CA, Norton, Trend, and Zone Alarm. We can help with removing viruses and setting up a software firewall too.
Domain
We recommend server versions of anti-virus for domains like Trend’s Worry Free. The cost is not much more than the home versions of software if you shop around.
Typically you get software that scans your domain PCs & the server for malware and missing patches. Missing patches make a PC on your domain more susceptible to attacks.
Managed Services
Companies that have full time IT on staff have designated folks to take care of their backups, patch, and anti-virus & security issues.
Using Managed Services you can get those jobs done when you need them. Whether you need help with a single computer or a domain Downs Consulting Services (DCS) can help.