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BUYING A DESKTOP PC

Buying a new laptop or desktop PC can be quite confusing.

Many people find it difficult to compare prices, features, processor types,etc to find the right choice in accordance with their requirements. In this post we will tell you the top 10 things to consider before buying a PC.

DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT COMPUPORT FOR ASSISTANCE.

1. Warranty

Warranty makes up the most important consideration for people when buying a system. Having one covered with the right kind of hardware warranty is essential and should be unconditional.

2. Processor
The Processor is one of the most important parts of a system and can mean the difference between a system that frequently hangs and the one that runs smoothly.

3. RAM
It is obvious that for more professional tasks and to run a Xeon Server there will be more RAM required than for merely using a PC for browsing the internet. Moreover, the RAM type may matter more than many people might consider.

4. Hard Disk
Hard Disk considerations might not mean much to a lay user, nonetheless, having the right amount of disk space and disk type might be the necessary for the efficient management of regular tasks for a professional.

5. Brand

Some brands offer better warrantees, whereas others offer software packages that come with the system.

6. Peripherals
Peripheral devices such as printers,scanners,etc can significantly increase or reduce your price for buying a new PC. It might be better off buying a system with a DVD combo drive if you do not require writing data to DVDs.

7. Size
Some people prefer buying larger laptops for a better display screen, whereas others prefer smaller and more portable sizes. I

8. Operating System Type.
Users with minimum requirements may be better off buying a Windows Starter or Home Premium version e.g. of Windows 7. For users who wish to take advantage of more enhanced features and require more effective tools such as connecting their PC to a domain are naturally better off buying a Professional.

9. Price
This brings us to our next consideration of price. There might be some very fancy features that you want in your new PC. However, if you don’t have the cash to pay for lets say a graphic card with 1GB memory, than you might be better off choosing suitable alternatives.

10.  Usability
It is important that you  consider the tasks that you will be performing on your PC. If you wish to buy a computer for simply browsing the internet and using some online services than it might be better to buy a single core computer which satisfies your minimum requirements. On the contrary if you require using it for heavy video editing and professional work, then it might be better to buy a system that has enhanced multimedia options.

COMPUPORT can supply, implement, manage and support a wide range of security solutions, from antivirus to firewalls. We can tailor make a package to suit all your security requirements, with maintenance and support.

With our remote support and monitoring solutions we can provide you with faster, cheaper support. We can help monitor to your environment to catch problems before they happen, and maintain your systems to help keep your software and security up to date, which helps keep your business running with minimal downtime. Compuport offers  flexible Service Level Agreements. You determine the number of hours and response time.

For a fixed monthly fee you can benefit from utilising our skilled and certified team as your helpdesk.

We pride ourselves in responding to issues quickly and taking a very proactive approach – the majority of issues we face are tackled before they get a chance to effect users.

BENEFITS OF MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS:
Reduce Costs
By not having to deal with as many overheads associated with employing IT staff
Greater Focus on Core Business.
By having Compuport take care of your help-desk needs, you are freed up to focus on other parts of your business.

Access to Industry Expertise
We specialise in what we do, so you can draw on our expertise.
We also offer a range of bespoke options, for example if you need one-off support, extended hours support, limited number of hours,tailor-made SLAs or are a non-profit organisation.

Free Infrastructure Audit
All of our IT Support Contracts include a free on-site infrastructure audit, carried out by  one of our fully qualified technicians. This is carried out before the contract begins, at the quotation stage.

This is what we document during the audit:
Network Infrastructure, including all equipment such as switches, firewalls and routers.
Server Equipment, including model and serial numbers to allow us to monitor your warranty status and ensure that your software is kept up-to-date and facilitate quick response in the unlikely event of any failure.

Document any relevant details or contact information for third party vendors relating to any specific business applications or databases you may be using.

Thoroughly check your current Anti-Virus / Spyware solutions are configured correctly, up-to-date and working efficiently and as expected.

Assess your Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity plans.

Provide a network diagram and details of any recommendations for your specific environment.

This audit we carry out allows us to gain detailed understanding of your IT infrastructure and your business workflows, forming a good foundation to provide you with an excellent level of proactive IT support.

METHODS OF SUPPORT
• Telephonic Support, this is our primary level of assisting you.
• Remote Support is a method for troubleshooting software related problems via a secure remote access session.
• Onsite Support, is when we need to send an engineer to your premises to resolve issues that cannot be resolved using Remote Support or Telephonic Support

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Is your Laptop or Desktop running slow? Does it take ages to boot? Does opening a Word document become a bore?
Slow Laptops or Desktops can be very frustrating but a simple upgrade can make the world of difference. Increasing the size of the installed memory or replacing the hard disk drive for a faster item can transform a slow laptop in to a usable system once again. Or maybe a simple tune up of your computers Operating System is all that is needed.

We provide computer system diagnostics, upgrades, repairs, equipment installation, and business services. Our technicians and consultants can come to your location or you can bring your machines to our store. We guarantee our work and your satisfaction.

From a quick overview, letting you know what we see in a just a minute or two, to an in depth system diagnostic, we can provide the answers that let you decide what to do next.Compuport can handle all your computer maintenance needs in a way that puts you in full control.

With over 28 years of computer experience, we will be able to quickly provide you an honest assessment of the computer’s condition and functionality. Usually, we can provide multiple recommendations which will allow you to make a decision with confidence.

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SERVERS

Your server is one of the core components of your IT Infrastructure so it is exceptionally important to guarantee its up time. Whether it’s a simple file/print server or hosting more complex roles such as SQL databases for a bespoke business application or Exchange for your companies E-mails it can be equally frustrating when business grinds to a halt.

“Our server is down” is something we at COMPUPORT hear all too often. Ensuring the resilience of our client’s server is one of the many important factors we incorporate into our IT Support Plans to keep your business running efficiently. When COMPUPORT is appointed to manage your IT we conduct a comprehensive infrastructure audit checking the server's performance and making  the necessary tweaks to ensure it is optimally configured.

Using our state of the art tools we can maintain and manage your server’s health remotely from our office which enables us to detect issues before they escalate into more sinister matters which makes outsourcing server support and maintenance more appealing.

Furthermore, we implement the precautions to allow us to remotely diagnose your server outages even when it has crashed or not booted into the server operating system using.

Not every case can be resolved remotely, but with our proven track record and measures we implement when taking over your server support, the requirement for onsite visits are rare.

What Servers and Software we Support?
Requirements and specifications for servers significantly differ when comparing a small business to a larger firm which is why we take time to ensure that every server solution we supply to our clients is optimised according  their business requirements while keeping costs in mind.

We usually recommend HP an Dell servers to our clients when they approach us with requirements to replace their existing or install a new Server. This is due to our extensive experience with managing them and their proven reliability over the years of use, not to mention outstanding vendor support and cost-effective hardware pricing.

We support all server based operating systems including Microsoft, Linux and Domino and we are able to design a bespoke IT Package that will suit your business needs.

As a SME business it will be of no surprise to you on the expensive costs and admin overhead to employ an in-house engineer even part-time, to manage and support your servers.

NETWORKING

COMPUPORT takes  pride in our network cabling jobs ensuring a well structured, neat and efficient Network setup, we also supply most if not all of the networking brands

We provide setup, installation, configuration, and support of data networks. We have skilled system and network engineers to help you choose, install, configure, and maintain the right network setup and configuration for your organization

We offer a full range of network infrastructure solutions and services, which includes:

  • Brand new network installations.
  •  Cabling for data, voice & video.
  •  Firewall and Security Management.
  •  Bandwidth and internet monitoring solutions.
  •  Secure remote connectivity such as VPN.
  •  Network support and troubleshooting.
  •  Cabinet supply configuration & installation.
  •  Cable & cabinet tidying.

 

 

Network Security and LINUX FIREWALL
Today, access to the Internet and E-Mail is a necessity to almost every business. For this reason it is extremely important to make sure your network and IT infrastructure are secure from potential attacks.

Keeping your network safe
Good network security is not just about antivirus solutions, it is about user education and forward planning – COMPUPORT will carry out a detailed inspection and analysis of your network infrastructure, disaster recovery solution and user environment and recommend any adjustments to your configuration or user paterns that may offer a potential security weakness that could inversely impact your business.

Viruses and spyware
Lost productivity when a PC becomes infected with a virus is frustrating – work can grind to a halt and in extreme cases business critical data can be lost. Even if you have already purchased antivirus software, you may not be fully secured as the majority of antivirus software deployments within a business still leave various security holes which could be a threat to your network.

Spyware can also slow your network and computer(s) down but more importantly it can be used to gather private and confidential business sensitive information that may later be used for fraudulent purposes.

COMPUPORT is a SILVER RESELLER partner of AVAST ANTIVIRUS in South Africa. We can deploy suitable antivirus solutions to your business, giving you maximum protection against attacks. Many people are unaware that this can be centrally controlled for your business, giving you one price to pay and the peace of mind that all your PCs are up-to-date and secure with a central management and reporting tool.

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