Network Management Contract

 Reliable, efficient network operations is absolutely essential today for any organization to run properly. Your network needs more than service-on-demand to achieve this. CrystalCare support contracts provide you with the same level of service and network reliability that a larger organization with their own IT department expects. Crystal will manage ALL aspects of your network, allowing you to concentrate on your business and forget about your network infrastructure.

Crystal has been providing this level of service for years, but now with CrystalCare, this kind of support is wrapped up into a fixed cost service contract based on the size and complexity of your network. Crystal will ensure that your network is up when you need it and is maintained to our highest professional standards, as well as provide your employees the on-demand support they need for day-to-day problems they encounter.

Advantages

• Fixed Monthly Cost
  You won't be surprised with billing overages due to unforeseen network issues.
• Improved Network Reliability
  Routing network maintenance is performed automatically, and professional network maintenance and security practices are utilized.
• Priority On-Site Support
  CrystalCare customers receive priority response from Crystal staff.
• Single Point of Contact for Network Management
  Crystal oversees management of your network from the top down, and will deal with your other IT vendors on your behalf.
• Your Interests Align with Crystal's Interests
  Unlike a traditional contract where we make money when your network is down, it is in everyone's best interest for your network to be up and stable.
• Free server and workstation installations
  In addition to free maintenance and management, workstation and server purchases from Crystal will be installed for free.

 CrystalCare FAQs

Will CrystalCare save us money?

Yes and no. From a total cost of ownership analysis and an overall business perspective, CrystalCare will save you money. From a short- term perspective, paying little or nothing for a “hope for the best and fix it when it breaks” approach may seem less expensive than the monthly fee for CrystalCare. CrystalCare provides proactive services to help avoid problems and outages that can cripple your business and to quickly remedy any hardware failures while avoiding large emergency outlays. Under the “fix it after it breaks” approach, you could have catastrophic unexpected costs to become operational again, in addition to the negative impacts on your business operations and wasted payroll man hours.

What type and size of businesses benefit from CrystalCare?

Generally, a business with a server and four or more client PCs are good candidates for CrystalCare, with increasing benefits for larger operations.

We have a number of computers on a network, but no server. Is CrystalCare for us?

The “cloud computing” approach (visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing ) has many benefits and Crystal Computer Consulting is a major provider of those services. We can certainly structure a cost-effective CrystalCare program to fit your needs.

Our company has a small IT staff, so we don’t really need CrystalCare, right?

You may need CrystalCare more than ever. The world of computing continues to change at a rapid pace, with innovative opportunities constantly in bloom. In-house IT people naturally tend to become comfortable with the training they have and the systems as they are. At Crystal Computer Consulting, our technical staff is constantly exposed to new situations and new technologies, which gives them a broader range of knowledge and solutions they can bring to bear on your situation.

If we can afford it, we’d be better off hiring an IT person rather than getting a CrystalCare managed services contract, right?

Probably not. Modern computer networks are incredibly complex considering the variety of hardware and software usually involved. No one person has all the needed skills. That’s why the technical team that Crystal Computer Consulting can offer is so valuable.

Also, many of the security and malware problems suffered by business computer networks can be traced to unsafe employee practices. An in-house IT person can have interpersonal problems if they are the one responsible for telling coworkers or supervisors they can’t watch a popular Facebook video for security reasons. It’s often useful to have a security “enforcer” from outside the company.

We’re concerned about an outside company having access for our information, so having our own IT person would be a better choice than CrystalCare, right?

Many CEOs are shocked when they learn that the IT staff can read all their e-mails, see everyone’s payroll information, and access virtually all the information on all the company’s computers. You may be more comfortable working with a trusted group of professionals from outside the organization that focus directly on your IT needs rather than your internal affairs.

Should we choose between either CrystalCare or an in-house IT person, or might it make sense to have both?

It might make sense to have both. It’s handy to have someone on-site to do things like reset routers and diagnose internet connection issues without the need for a service call. In general though, the greatest value of a combined approach is to use an in-house person to help identify ways to improve your business processes and leave the technical details to the CrystalCare team.

I like the idea of having our own IT employee because they will be more responsive when we have a problem, right?

Employees get sick, stuck in the snow, and sometimes quit when the going gets tough. CrystalCare uses advanced remote monitoring and management capabilities to optimize responsiveness and minimize the need for on-site support calls. Because we have a team available, while your in-house employee is at lunch, we have someone ready to answer your calls and help out immediately.

Even though the hourly rate for computer support is pretty high, we’ll save money over the long run by just calling for help when we have a problem rather than paying for a CrystalCare support contract, right?

Definitely not! The only way to really keep a computer network working smoothly and dependably involves being highly proactive, not responsive. If your computer systems are critical to the operation of your business, the “fix it after it breaks” approach will eventually end up costing more overall.

We had a support contract before, but it seemed like we seldom saw a technical person because we didn’t have many problems come up during that time. Did we get ripped off?

No, you got a bargain. When things seem to work fine without problems for long periods of time, it’s not just luck. Being able to focus on your primary business without the need to worry about your computer systems is what it’s all about!