Posted by Richard Schissler on Thu, Feb 02, 2012 @ 03:53 PM
The use of badges can be an effective form of physical access control. It is easy to integrate, widely available and exceptionally cost-effective. It is also scalable and can easily be upgraded if needs or budget change, and it can be integrated into any other physical or logical security system a user might deploy.-Access Control
But, on the most basic level, badging provides an immediate visual verification of one's permission level and of an individual's right to be on the premises at that time. For businesses or institutions where a large number of visitors are present every day, this tool empowers every member of the staff and others, such as students at a school, to help police the location and ensure that every person on the grounds is authorized to be there.
A badge system can be deployed as stand-alone solutions or integrated with existing systems, such as access control and electronic surveillance, to provide an overall security solution. Badges can be used to control the flow of visitors through the facility. Badge information can also be stored on a database for later review in the event of an incident, or organized for traffic flow analysis.
Front door security has morphed from simple sign-in log books and adhesive-backed badges to sophisticated products that now go by the description of identity management systems. But regardless of the terminology or procedural changes brought about by technology advances, badging and identity systems continue to deliver a cost-efficient and effective means of improving security.
WesTec Services, a Houston IT provider offers complete IT services including computer network installation/service, telephone systems/service, video surveillance and office equipment. Call today at (713) 682-4000 for service.
Posted by Jason Weeks on Tue, Jan 31, 2012 @ 04:43 PM
Understanding VoIP Phone Services
What is VoIP?
VoIP stands for “Voice Over Internet Protocol”, which is a technology that allows you to make phone calls using your Broadband Internet connection instead of your regular phone service. It is also referred to as Voice over IP, Broadband Phone and Internet phone service.
Requirements: High Speed Internet connection, such as DSL or cable, as the service is based on broadband Internet communication. VoIP requires a speed of up to 90Kbps depending on the voice compression algorithm chosen by the service provider.
Benefits of VoIP?
One low monthly fee covers all of your phone calls.
There are no unexplained taxes or regulatory fees. You know the ones on your current bill that nobody understands and your local phone provider can’t explain. No taxes are charged for Internet based phone calls which is one reason why the service is so much cheaper.
Long distance and international calling are much cheaper. The Internet does not care whether you’re calling someone who lives a mile away or a co-worker in China. This is why the VoIP service providers can give you such great rates for long distance and international calls.
Features of VoIP?
Store Incoming/Outgoing calls
Send calls directly to Voicemail, receiving VM notifications in Email to listen to from anywhere
3-Way calling
Caller ID, Call Forwarding
There are many other great options that VoIP can offer you and your Business, you should contact your provider for a full list of features
Disadvantages of using VoIP?
The biggest disadvantage that skeptics will throw at you is what happens when your power goes out? You lose your connection. You see VoIP relies on having a broadband connection so if that goes down so does your Internet phone service.
Another option that many people go for is to have a cheap regular local phone service to use just on those rare occasions when you lose your power or broadband connection.
Looking for a new phone system or looking to upgrade your existing? Give us a call for a free quote!
WesTec Services, a Houston IT provider offers complete IT services including computer network installation/service, telephone systems/service, video surveillance and office equipment. Call today at (713) 682-4000 for service.
Posted by Richard Schissler on Fri, Jan 27, 2012 @ 03:57 PM
In today’s competitive business world most managers consider all IT systems as mission critical. This would include laptops, smart phones, desktops as well as all type of servers. The idea of mission critical would suggest that management would spend the time and dollars necessary to assure that these systems are available at all times. However, many times this is just not the case for many businesses.
There are a number of good business reasons to use managed IT services as an alternative to the business itself trying to manage its own IT systems. The following are five (5) that rise to the top of my lists:
° Service availability – a quality third party IT managed service provider will have the resources and singular focus dedicated to keeping the system up and robust 24/7.
° Cost containment – outsourcing to a managed service provider can be typically done for a flat monthly price which takes out the unknown costs of in-house IT support.
° Productivity gains – the managed service system provider will offer guaranteed levels of service the time reducing the loss of productive work time. -Guarantees
° Skills and resources – the outsourced managed service firm will have the necessary skilled technical people in the various areas required to properly support the network that the company itself cannot afford to keep on staff. -Managed Services
° Planning – a outsourcing IT firm will have the resources to keep up with the fast changing world of IT equipment and resources; which means the company should be able to spend its office technology dollars in a more efficient useful way.
WesTec Services, a Houston IT provider offers complete IT services including computer network installation/service, telephone systems/service, video surveillance and office equipment. Call today at (713) 682-4000 for service.
Posted by Richard Schissler on Wed, Jan 11, 2012 @ 10:47 AM
A number of Houston area business have been asking the question - Is a Managed Service Contract right for our business? The right answer is even more critical in the current economic environment when costs control has become one of the most talked about business issues. It could be argued, however, that keeping the IT infrastructure working or "up" is even more important to the business' overall health. A healthy working IT system is vital not only to control cost but also to increase the overall ability of the business to generate revenue.
Your business should take time to evaluate the benefits of a Houston area IT managed services contract if:
* Your business depends on its IT, whether it be email or phone system, to communicate with its employees as well as clients and vendors; or
* If you IT system is down for just 1-hour it would cost your company more than $1,000.00 in lost payroll, revenue and opportunity costs; or
* You would like to insure that your IT system is up and available at all times.
A 90-day No Questions Asked trial is currently available so that you can experience the benefits of using a IT managed services contract. 
WesTec Services, a Houston IT provider offers complete IT services including computer network installation/service, telephone systems/service, video surveillance and office equipment. Call today at (713) 682-4000 for service.
Posted by Nancy Walker on Mon, Jan 09, 2012 @ 03:33 PM
Are Managed Services Right for your Business?
When a company subscribes to a managed service, a service provider manages the network equipment and applications on the customer’s premises according to the terms of service agreement established between both parties to meet the company’s unique business needs.
For small and medium sized businesses, managed services provide enterprise class capabilities for a predictable monthly fee, without requiring large, initial capital investment. These company’s enjoy high levels of network support and availability, enable internal IT staff to focus on strategic activities instead of network support, and only pay for the services needed.
Managed Services generally include software, hardware, and other networking services. The technical experts focus exclusively on providing the network services and support that your company needs to meet its business requirements.
Companies have the option to out-task some or all of their network management and monitoring tasks and retain control of the rest. Even if, the equipment is physically located at the providers site.
Key Benefits of Managed Services
Reducing Costs, including service fees, IT Operations and transport
Increases level of support and availability without the hassle of hiring additional staff
Makes the Technology Budget more stable and much more predictable
More access to qualified/trained professionals
Gives access to the latest technology
WesTec Services, a Houston IT provider offers complete IT services including computer network installation/service, telephone systems/service, video surveillance and office equipment. Call today at (713) 682-4000 for service.
Don't forget to check out our current promotion - 90 Day Trial - Ends 1/31/2012
WesTec Services, a Houston IT provider offers complete IT services including computer network installation/service, telephone systems/service, video surveillance and office equipment. Call today at (713) 682-4000 for service.
Posted by Nancy Walker on Thu, Dec 29, 2011 @ 07:52 AM
Three Ways You Can Do IT Managed Services
The recent economic turmoil has put tremendous pressure on organizations to explore ways to reduce costs across all areas of their business—and IT is of course no exception. Although most companies have implemented some level of technology to improve staff productivity, the cost of maintaining and supporting computer systems and ensuring continual end-user satisfaction can be significant. Fortunately, there are now attractive alternatives for small and mid-size businesses (SMB) to significantly reduce their IT budgets while simultaneously improving the uptime, effectiveness and satisfaction of their investments in computers and technology. SMB’s are typically limited to three types of models to manage and support their computers
1) The first model is to invest and build out an internal IT Department. This option is the most costly to setup and maintain. Most organizations will need to budget about $120,000 for just a single IT support professional with the experience needed for your company. Given the high demand for quality, experienced IT staff in our area, finding, managing, retaining and developing your technical person can be a difficult and time consuming process. Furthermore, based on industry standard turnover rates for IT staff, you will need to restart your recruitment process every two years!
2) Another alternative is to outsource the support of your IT department to a sole proprietor or independent IT consultant. This initially attractive low cost alternative can actually be very difficult to make successful. However, these individuals can easily be found online, or through a referral from a friend or colleague.
Their resumes may contain many industry “buzz words” but their experience and skills are often focused on just a few technologies. More importantly, their limited resources do not allow them to scale to the cyclical needs of your business and they have few resources to respond to the ongoing demands of more than one account at one time. Furthermore, almost all have not made the substantial investment in system management tools and applications and are therefore unable to offer Service Level Agreements (SLA’s). As such, you should be prepared to churn through several people before securing the one you feel can adequately support your business.
3) A final alternative is to outsource your needs to a dedicated IT Support company or Managed Services Provider (MSP). This option will save you 30-50% of the cost of the in-house model yet you will receive higher levels of service and response than either of the other support models. There are many variations on this model and you need to be diligent in selecting a partner that has a comprehensive service offering that can respond to your varied IT support needs and requirements.
It is recommended to select a company that offers fixed-fee pricing, utilizes a team of IT professionals that each perform specialized tasks and roles, has staff members with multiple technical certifications, leverages industry leading technologies to effectively manage your environment, has documented best practices processes and procedures, performs regularly scheduled onsite visits combined with unlimited remote support as well as a trusted partner that can recommend and successfully implement new technology in support of your business goals and objectives.
* Some information provided by ComputerAssistant.com
Call today to get more information on how Managed Services can help your Business
713-682-4000
WesTec Services, a Houston IT provider offers complete IT services including computer network installation/service, telephone systems/service, video surveillance and office equipment. Call today at (713) 682-4000 for service.
Posted by Richard Schissler on Tue, Dec 27, 2011 @ 07:46 AM
We insure our homes, cars and general business property. However, very few businesses ever try and insure their IT services. This is the component of our business that can shut our business down or be our best friend when it comes to making a deadline for our best client.
IT service insurance can come in many forms. The best known takes for the form of managed services. You pay the IT service provided a flat fee in advance each month. The provider in turn promises to keep your IT system up and running 24/7.
Houston IT service providers typically provide a 99.9% uptime guarantee that your IT will be up and running. If they fail to maintain this level of service then they refund a portion of their fee; or they offer a contract that can be cancelled with just thirty (30) days notice.
Another advantage of IT Service Insurance is that such plans usually include a great amount of proactive services to prevent a system failure. These services take the form of network security, spam and virus protection, among others. Proactive service properly administered can protect your IT network from potential failure.
A third reason to utilize an insured IT service is to protect critical data from accidental or intentional destruction. A good IT managed service provider will offer one or more backup protection solutions as part of their insurance plan. All businesses must have a backup and data recovery plan.
When you buy a flat rate service plan you can more accurately budget your IT outlays. . IT managed services put a cap on computer related expenses. In a competitive economy the more expenses you can fix, the more competitive you can be in your own industry
A fifth advantage of pre-paid service plans is the level of overall service you receive. Typically, your company receives the highest level of service. When you need any kind of help the response time you receive is minimal. Again, this adds up to keeping your IT system up and running.
Business continuity is the key advantage of using insured IT services. Your business must continue to operate in all kinds of environments. A contracted service provider should have your system well prepared for all contingencies. The ability of your business to depend on its IT system should always be the overall focus of insured or managed services.
WesTec Services, a Houston IT provider offers complete IT services including computer network installation/service, telephone systems/service, video surveillance and office equipment. Call today at (713) 682-4000 for service.
Posted by Richard Schissler on Mon, Dec 19, 2011 @ 03:01 PM
The flat rate managed service model of pro-active technology support offers several advantages over the re-active time-&-material model of break-fix:
- Automated software patching, anti-virus updates, disk defragmentation and other preventative maintenance services ensure that computers and services run efficiently, work less and are safer from security vulnerabilities, malware & viruses. These processes prevent problems.
- Technology allows the engineering team to monitor the clients’ assets and look for potential problems and issues. Software tools give engineers detailed insight into the state of our clients’ computers and servers. In addition, tools are put in place that notify the engineers when certain conditions occur so they can explore and fix problems before disruption occurs.-Managed Services
- Providers can access clients’ computers remotely. This remote access allows engineers to fix ninety (90) percent of problems remotely from the network operations center and without going on site. This means that a problem, such a locked computer can be addressed immediately instead of waiting for someone to arrive at your office.
- The remote managed service team can verify that critical processes such as data backup, virus updates and tape rotations are occurring on schedule as they should.
- Managed services will provide you with more reliable performance and more predictable expenses. That means you get more value from the technology you’ve already invested in, while actually reducing the total costs of IT problems and the resulting downtime.
Proactive IT network managed services provides you with insurance that guarantees that your business computer systems will always be up and running. For more information on IT Managed Services please contact us at sales@westecservices.net
WesTec Services, a Houston IT provider offers complete IT services including computer network installation/service, telephone systems/service, video surveillance and office equipment. Call today at (713) 682-4000 for service.
Posted by Nancy Walker on Mon, Dec 19, 2011 @ 02:55 PM
5 Reasons to Leverage IT Managed Services
How can small and mid-size companies benefit from IT Managed Services? Below you will find Five (5) Business Reasons where IT Managed Services can provide a well thought out, cost effective solution. Take a look and see if your company is facing one or several of these, if so there may be a cause for considering IT Managed Services within your company.
Our business wants to increase profitability
We want to automate tasks to increase margins and drive value
Our teams travel – They need mobile tools that are easy to access and obtain information to increase sales performance.
Our business needs to increase productivity
Operation runs in real-time ( locally, nationally, and globally )
When our staff isn’t productive, we’re losing money and clients/customers
Our business needs to maximize ROI and manage our costs for effectively
In-House IT department is small. We needs to be confident that our systems are not vulnerable if our IT Staff leaves or is let go.
Our company is required to have secure data, transactions and communications.
We want to ensure our systems are protected and up to date to fight the latest viruses and threats.
Our business delivers quality products and superior customer service
Automation of our tasks, provide value and add to our customer base
We use several methods of communications to interact with our customers
Responding quickly to our customer needs and expectations
Our business is in transition
We are expanding our business – Nationally/Globally
We are needing to upgrade – Computers, Servers, Phones, etc. – Do we buy or lease?
Want more information? Contact us at sales@westecservices.net and ask about our 90 day trial on our Guardian Remote Managed Services.
WesTec Services, a Houston IT provider offers complete IT services including computer network installation/service, telephone systems/service, video surveillance and office equipment. Call today at (713) 682-4000 for service.
Posted by Nancy Walker on Fri, Oct 21, 2011 @ 02:21 PM
“Cyberspace should be viewed as the 'fifth battlespace', alongside the more traditional arenas of land, air, sea and space".
- Chatham House Cyber Security Report 2010
In 2010, security giant Symantec reported that the number of malware attacks more than doubled than that in 2008, with more than 286 million being reported. A decade ago, a hacker would usually have intended a single virus to reach millions of people, but now hackers are able to be more specific about who they target and receive more “bang for their buck”.
Now while there is no full-proof way to ensure that your computer and/or network is 100% protected against hacking, there are five surefire steps you can take to reduce the vulnerability of your system.
1. Anti-Virus Protection: Malware (viruses, Trojan horse, worms, etc) are designed to do all sorts of damage to your computer, including disabling your firewall and with new ones being developed daily, having a good Anti-Virus program on your system will help protect you against such attacks. Also be sure to keep it updated, so it can recognize the latest versions.
2. Anti-Spyware Protection: Spyware programs are for the most part are placed on your system so that a hacker can collect bits of information without your knowledge. A good Anti-Spyware program, which is kept updated, can keep such snoopers off your system.
3. Firewall Protection: A Firewall is your first line of defense against hackers. It is designed to block unauthorized and unwanted traffic from getting into your computer and/or system. Most operating systems included a firewall, but always check to make sure that it is turned on, because leaving a firewall off, is like leaving your front door open at night.
4. Password Protection: When creating passwords for your system, avoid using publicly available information, such as your name, date of birth, or mother’s maiden name. Also, use different passwords for every on-line account or website, this way if one account is hacked, the others won’t be available to the hacker.
5. Don’t Open Any E-mail or E-mail Attachments From An Unknown Source: Always delete e-mails from senders you don’t recognize because they may contain malicious software intended to wreak havoc. Although many anti-virus programs included built-in e-mail filters, it’s always safe to avoid opening an e-mail or e-mail attachment from anyone you don’t know.
Following these five steps will greatly reduce the probability that your computer and/or network will be hacked, but don’t think that you are 100% safe from an attack. There are new ways of getting into a system created every day by hackers and it’s up to you to continue to keep your system safe.
Avoid downloading and installing any programs or files on your system without first running them through your anti-virus and anti-spyware programs. Never turn off the automatic update feature on your computer and be sure to keep your system up-to-date. This avoids giving hackers the ability to find security loopholes in your system.
In the event that your system is compromised, having a reliable back-up in place will ensure that your data remains safe and will avoid any costly measures that would have to take place to retrieve your data.
(713) 682-4000
sales@wtsvc.net
WesTec Services, a Houston IT provider offers complete IT services including computer network installation/service, telephone systems/service, video surveillance and office equipment. Call today at (713) 682-4000 for service.
