Colorado Business Communities
Littleton, Lakewood, Thornton
Microsoft and Cisco Certified Network Consulting Professionals
Most Commonly Asked Questions
Professional IT Services Available in Littleton, Lakewood, Thornton, Broomfield, Northglenn, Brighton and all of Colorado Front Range
For mission-critical server-down support, call 877-752-1122
· What are some of the benefits of outsourcing network services to Exiis Corporation? Exiis Corporation is a fully fledged Microsoft and Cisco Certified Partner, which means we have advanced and on-going training with Microsoft Products and Technologies as well as Cisco Networks. Our involvement with your network can be as little or as much as your organization needs to ensure a well-balance team of network specialists. For example, we can monitor your network servers 24X7 for any issue that may develop, catching it quickly by proactively addressing a concern before it becomes a problem. Alternatively, we can act passively during normal day-to-day network operations but when a problem occurs that is outside the scope on your internal IT department, network administrators can contact our professional remote Help Desk for answers and assistance on those matters. Our flexible “Pay-As-You-Go” solution allows you to pay only for the services you need without a long-term contract or monthly recurring fee.
· What are the benefits on remote server management and support? When a mission-critical server, such as Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server is unavailable, the impact on internal communications, access to data, and workflow processes come a screaming halt. Remote network management and server support allows a Subject-Matter-Expert (SME) immediate access to your server-down situation, allowing for complete repair and recovery of lost services. Baring a hardware failure, remote services don’t require organizations to wait for a support professional to arrive on-site, saving valuable down time because the response is instantaneous and work begins immediately. Additionally, remote services save you hundreds in on-site “truck-roll” or “service-call” fees because there are no associated costs that need to be recouped when access the server remotely. Quick response, less cost, and access to subject matter experts make remote services an ideal solution for many situations.
· How can I be sure my network is up and running 24X7? Exiis Corporation has a modern “network Operations Center” (NOC) dedicated to monitoring remote network servers 24X7 utilizing some of the most advanced tools available on the market today. For example, by utilizing Microsoft Operations Manager, our network and server support professionals can monitor your network and all of its devices for potential failures, bottlenecks, and security. Additional networking tools allow us to monitor servers in a mixed environment as well, such as Linux, UNIX, and Apple-Macintosh. Monitoring your server provides you and your organization with the peace of mind that network services will always be available.
· We’re concerned about network availability, especially since we are in an area that is prone to tornados and flash flooding. What can solutions does Exiis Corporation provide in the event our building is physically damaged or destroyed? Addressing fault tolerance, or the ability to quickly continue operations in the event of a catastrophic event is a concern to many network owners. Fault tolerance is the ability to provide fail-safe roll-over to mirrored servers or data storage where mission-critical business information is available should the primary systems fail or become incapacitated. There are several server and hardware solutions available to address these concerns; for example, Windows clustering services allow for two servers to share a common data source—when the primary server fails, the secondary server automatically takes over with no hit to the network operations. Remote data center servers, where servers are housed off-site in an entirely different part of the country, allow for real-time replication of data and services. Having servers located in a geographically different part of the country means they are not affected by local conditions such as earthquakes, fire, snow, and so forth, providing an alternative means to network and data information.
· We have applications that run on Linux and UNIX Servers we would like to test—is there a way to do this on a Windows Server? Organizations considering testing an application that runs on a Linux or UNIX server can do so with EMC’s VMware or Microsoft’s Virtual Server software, which allows you to create a Linux or UNIX server, virtually, on a Windows computer. By testing in a virtual environment, Linux and UNIX Developers and administrators can ascertain the functionality of the application they are considering just as if it was a physical server attached to the network. If the application and the solution behave as it should, a physical server can be purchased and joined into the network. If the application does not deliver as expected, there are no additional costs and the organization has saved themselves from purchasing additional server hardware that was not necessary.
· Our administrator is having difficulties with our recent expansion and tells us it’s an Active Directory issue—can Exiis Corporation assist us with this problem? Growing organizations that are adding additional remote sites, or have added additional domains in a cross-forest environment, can experience these problems. Active Directory Services rely on several network dependencies to operate correctly, such as efficient high-speed connections, site replication of AD objects, domain trusts. With advanced networking tools such as network monitors, ADSIEDIT, NETDIAG, DCDIAG and others, Exiis Corporation can determine the root cause of an Active Directory failure and resolve the problem quickly and efficiently.
· Our network consists of Windows Servers, Apple-Macintosh, and UNIX servers. Is there a way to streamline our email services for a tighter integration between the servers using Entourage? Integrating Microsoft Exchange Services with Entourage can be a challenging task, however, Exiis Corporations Microsoft Certified Exchange Support Engineers and our Macintosh Support Professionals can help you resolve any challenges you may be facing. By ensuring Microsoft Exchange Server is configured properly, that the LDAP directory is functioning correctly, and that other services offered by Microsoft Exchange Server are available, your systems can exist harmoniously and seamlessly with one another. Exiis Corporation can also show you the many benefits of Microsoft Outlook Web Access, a web-based interface that allows for local and remote collaboration between all users regardless of their installed email client. With advanced spam filtering and virus protection options, Microsoft Exchange Server is the premier collaboration server of choice.
· We are currently hosting our email with an ISP that provides POP3 mail services. We would like to bring these services in-house; how can Exiis Corporation assist us in determining the correct server and method to migrate our email? As Microsoft Certified Exchange Server Professionals, we have extensive knowledge in planning, implementing, and deploying Microsoft Exchange Server into network environments. More importantly, Microsoft Exchange is more than an email server—it’s a collaboration server, allowing users to share information among each other in ways traditional POP3 cannot provide. By sharing and assigning tasks, calendars, contacts—virtually everyone in the organization has access to mission-critical information when they need it, anytime, anywhere. While email communication is the backbone in which Microsoft Exchange Server operates, it is really only a small portion for the services the server provides. If you are considering migrating from traditional POP3 mail services to a fully compliant collaboration server, Exiis Corporation can make this process as easy and as simple as possible without losing your valuable email information.
· Does Exiis Corporation offer support for Business Web Development? Exiis Corporation’s team of Microsoft Certified Developers offer custom web changes to your business web site using modern, safe coding practices with languages such as HTML, .ASP, .NET, AJAX, C## and Visual Basic. No matter which language your web server utilizes, Exiis Corporation’s team of professional developers can make the changes you need to improve the look and feel of your corporate web site. These changes can include content, complex graphics, or a complexly new look and feel. Complex, safe, and secure eCommerce web sites with shopping carts and on-line payment solutions can be evaluated and improved upon to ensure the security and safety of your customer’s credit card or checking account information.
· Can Exiis Corporation provide us with and internal portal solution for our employees? Exiis Corporation has an entire team of dedicated Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) Specialists. SharePoint services are the de-facto standard for internal web portal technologies, delivering content management, complicated workflow processes, and a complete “Records Center” for storage of documents that fall under regulatory requirements. Organizations can begin to immediate see the benefits of SharePoint server straight out-of-the-box while developers can custom brand the portal features to make it “yours” when employees log on to the site. Microsoft Office SharePoint Server is a complicated, complete, portal solution for any organization.
· How can we determine the amount of work performed and the steps taken to resolve the problem? As with any professional services company, there are established rules and processes in place to ensure professional services are delivered in a logical, methodical, and professional manner. Exiis Corporation follows industry standard Microsoft Solution Framework (MSF) Development and Infrastructure practices. Based on many years of development and management principles, the Microsoft Solution Framework allows professionals to follow a pre-determined set of methodologies, designed to meet every phase of the solution process. In addition to following these “Best Practice” recommendations, every client of Exiis Corporation has access to their own Microsoft SharePoint Portal Site, where extensive documentation is recorded and saved—available 24X7—by simply logging onto their portal site. Clients can view billable time, work performed, resolutions, and outstanding issues, along with recommendations, that keep the client well informed every step along the process.
Additional Questions
We have done our best answering commonly asked questions, however, every organization is different and each has its own requirements. We encourage you contact a Microsoft Support Consultant at Exiis Corporation to discuss your individual needs and requirements. You may do so by calling out toll-free number directly or by sending an email to support@exiis.net.