THE FEEDBACK

"It's impossible to measure the cost-savings from having all the spam and viruses filtered out, or the reassurance of knowing we're all protected. In a matter of minutes the experts will work out what would take you hours if trying to sort it out yourself. I don't think we'd manage without the Equanet helpdesk really"

Gill Hall, Managing Director, Aztec Property Valuers Limited

Aztec Property Valuers Ltd: An Equanet Managed Service Case Study

About Aztec

Aztec Property Valuers Limited is a network of commercial and residential property valuers nationwide. Based in Clevedon the company has around thirty valuers across the UK who work remotely. Instructions come in centrally via the internal network and are then sent out electronically to individual valuers based on the location of the job. The valuers then visit the property and produce their valuation, dictate their report, and this is then sent back electronically to the Head Office where it is typed up and emailed back. Once amended the final report with accompanying photos is sent electronically to the valuer and the client.

I.T. plays a crucial role in the smooth-running of the business. As Gill Hall, Aztec's Managing Director, explains, "I.T. is absolutely critical. It would be impossible to run our business without it".

Using Equanet's Managed Service

Aztec Property Valuers Limited was set up as a business in 2006. Its founders are experts in property valuation, not in IT. In setting up their office they needed external help and support. Equanet's solutions specialists visited the new premises for a couple of informal meetings to discuss what the business needed in terms of IT support. They then set up the IT infrastructure in the office and installed the network and server. To ensure ongoing support Aztec signed up with Equanet's Managed Service that same year and has been using Equanet ever since. "The Equanet Technical Helpdesk is invaluable to us. It's all fine if you're technically minded and you know at a glance what the problem is, but when you don't you can simply ring the Helpdesk and they will log into your PC and identify the problem for you. They just sort it out. In a matter of minutes the experts will work out what would take you hours if trying to sort it out yourself. I don't think we'd manage without the Helpdesk really".

Continuous support & reassurance

In July 2010 Aztec moved offices and Equanet installed the server and set up the network in the new premises. The reassurance of having the IT supported is a huge benefit. As Gill explains: "The service is absolutely brilliant; we have had no issues at all. As our business has expanded we have bought additional equipment, and the team at Equanet is very helpful in explaining new technology and recommending what is right for our business and compatible with the existing infrastructure".

The service also gives Aztec's Managing Director reassurance that their systems are protected. "It is impossible to measure the cost-savings from having all the spam and viruses filtered out, or the reassurance of knowing we're all protected".

A further benefit of the service for Gill is the fact that any of her team can call the Helpdesk themselves should they have a problem with their equipment, but at the same time no changes will be made without her direct authority. In this way she maintains control without the hassle of having to get involved with individual minor technical issues. She can also get on with running her core business, confident that her staff's issues will be dealt with promptly by helpful and friendly individuals on the end of a phone. "The Equanet Helpdesk has very friendly staff; nothing seems to be too much trouble. You also don't have to wait too long. You're not in a queue for hours like with some services".

How Equanet supports Aztec

Management of servers, desktops and laptops

Equanet, as network administrator, uses remote tools to monitor the network in real time, to identify and resolve problems before they occur, often before they impact Aztec's users. A managed, standardised anti-virus platform is deployed across the entire estate.

Service Desk

Aztec does not have any dedicated IT support staff. Consequently, all user issues are raised directly into the Equanet Service Desk where they can be quickly resolved remotely. Issues can be raised by telephone or via email. Monthly reports are issued to Aztec detailing all problems and resolutions which allows them to understand the positive impact of the service.

Disaster Recovery

Equanet manages the daily backups to ensure that the Disaster Recovery Plan is maintained robustly.

Support Sevices

In conjunction with the service desk support, hardware support is provided by Equanet engineers operating to guaranteed service levels.

Remote Access

Equanet manages all aspects of the network; creating new users, configuring access rights and other network administration tasks. Installation of all patches and fixes are carried out either remotely or on-site as required. Other remote tools are used to monitor server status and performance. Equanet also provides secure access services for staff working remotely.