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ICT Support

I offer a complete support service, tailored to the needs of small voluntary organisations. You can either call me in to deal with a particular one-off issue, or I can visit on a regular basis to keep you running smoothly!

Hardware

If you are planning to buy new computers, printers and related equipment I offer advice on what to get. I can then help you set up and configure new computers, transfer any data from old machines, install software, set up user accounts. I’ve compiled a checklist for installing new computers which may be useful.

Printers

I offer:

Troubleshooting

Is your computer running far too slowly, crashing frequently, or just not working the way you expect? Have you been attacked by a virus or had a hard disk failure?

I can diagnose and fix problems with hardware and software, and advise on how to avoid trouble in the future.

Email and Internet

I can advise on the most cost effective way of connecting your computers to the the internet, and help you decide how to set up email for your organisation (What’s the best way of setting up an address for each member of staff? How do I add new addresses when staff members change?) You might also want to know what to do about:

  • spam — how do you cut down the tidal waves of junk email?
  • setting up email mailing lists
  • automatic forwarding of messages
  • email problems: email not being received, people not able to send mail, messages being blocked or rejected

Software

I can advise on choosing software, and using it effectively once you have it:

  • Commonly used Windows packages such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook & Access), Photoshop, QuarkXpress, Adobe Acrobat and many others.
  • Free software: in many cases there are excellent free/open source alternatives to the commercial packages mentioned above (more about free software), and I’ll always draw your attention to these when they could be useful.
  • Charity licensing: If you can’t find a suitable open source program, you may still be able to avoid paying the full commercial rate for software. Several suppliers offer discounted licenses for charity and academic users.
  • I can also develop custom databases tailored to your exact needs.

Security

Your data is valuable! Almost certainly some of it is confidential. Here are some of the things you need to be thinking about:

  • Passwords: setting up computers so that they are properly password protected, choosing good passwords (strong, but ones that people can remember).
  • Backups: Hard drives do fail, often suddenly. Office break-ins do happen. Replacing the hardware is simple, but what would you do if your data was lost? It’s vital that you have an effective backup strategy, preferably one which is simple to operate (the less human intervention required the better!), and with copies of data stored off-site.
  • Anti-virus protection: which package to use; how to check that it’s running properly.
  • Malware removal: if your computer is suddenly running very slow or behaving in strange ways, it’s possible that it has been infected with a virus, spyware or some other kind of malicious program (collectively these are often called “malware”). It’s very important to remove these: not only does you computer not work well, but it’s possible that someone could be stealing your passwords or using your computer as a channel for sending junk mail.
    Unfortunately these programs can often be hard to detect and may require specialist tools to remove — speak to me for advice if you think you may have a problem. (Don’t ever install use anti-spyware or anti-virus programs you’re not sure about — there have been a few cases recently of bogus anti-spyware programs which actually install malware rather than remove it!)
  • Computer use policies: how to draw up straightforward policy statements for your organisation. These could include statements on what is considered reasonable use if the internet by staff, email use, passwords, what software can be installed on office computers,…

Training

I can provide training in all of the above areas, either on a one-to-one basis or in small groups. All training sessions are tailored to your needs and level of expertise. I aim to cut through jargon and help you develop the confidence and skills to get the most from your computer.

Get in touch to discuss your training needs!