IT Services
Managed IT
All computer networks need support. With daily exposure to the internet, and periodic required patches and updates for software operating systems, all groups need to dedicate time and resources to maintaining their IT network. With Alternative Technologies on your team, you’ll have allies dedicated to keeping your systems up to date – safe, fast and secure. We can help set up and maintain systems so that staff can work remotely and securely. For a fixed monthly fee, our staff of IT professionals will monitor and manage all the devices on your network, and avert problems in advance. Plus, anyone on your staff can call our Help Desk anytime, and we’ll send someone onsite when necessary. Looking for relief from the stress of maintaining a network?
Projects & Upgrades
Buying or replacing a computer is a decision. Upgrading several computers or moving to a new platform is a commitment.
If your organization needs the ability to work remotely, or if you have a project that requires a hardware investment and software installation or data migration, then you may benefit from the peace of mind that comes from working with an experienced professional. Our IT Services team will work with you to discuss your needs and options in advance. We can help estimate down time (and how to avoid it), and foresee how staff practices may need to change post-project. Whether a simple switch replacement, a network setup, migration to the cloud, or a full conference room, we work with you to accomplish your IT goals with the least disruption to your staff.
Help Desk
Everyone needs a little help from time to time. If you don’t, you’re not exploring new features and efficiencies. Every day our Help Desk team works with our clients to help find lost files or reset a password. It’s rare that we encounter a problem that we haven’t seen before – so you can count on us for quick answers (or at least a head start!) on your issue.
If you wish you had a friend you could call for computer help, then you wish you had a Managed IT agreement with Alternative. (If you are the friend that gets called all the time, then see our Jobs page!)
Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace Migration
For many organizations, there was a time when installing a server was (and remains) a smart decision. Paradoxically, for many of the same groups, moving data to the cloud now could be a stroke of genius. This is especially true for times when staff may not be able to access their office computer because of the pandemic, unrest or natural disasters.
Moving IT services to the cloud not only reduces your hardware and software licensing and compatibility issues, it also sets the stage for efficient collaboration – especially when your team (or clients or customers) are not all in the same physical space.
A Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace migration can be a smart decision for many organizations. It is also a sensitive and delicate art requiring careful planning by experienced IT professionals. Alternative would be happy to help.
Cloud Servers & Desktops
Two of the biggest threats to your IT network are a failing server in your server room or a careless click on a link by an unsuspecting staff person. Both dangers can be mitigated by moving to a cloud server and virtual desktop infrastructure for your offices.
Let us replicate your server in our secure data center and you’ll have your own private cloud. Your staff will have individual accounts, with access only to the applications and data they need. Responsibility for patches and updates, virus and malware prevention will reside with our engineers. You’ll get smooth, secure, responsive system access without the high cost of maintaining and upgrading your own infrastructure. Great for multisite organizations and those with public-facing workstations.
Security & Backups
Security comes in stages. It starts each morning when users walk in the door. It ends each day with a regularly scheduled backup.
We provide security reviews to assess data backup plans, router security, password policy and user training. We offer online defensive solutions and machine-level security filtering, comprehensive overlapping security measures that give peace of mind.
Our SafetyNet backup system provides affordable online and onsite disaster recovery solutions for organizations that cannot afford to be down for long.
If you have specific security concerns, because of the nature of your organizational activities, we’d be happy to have a conversation with you in person.
Berkeley Food & Housing Project Case Study
For many years, the organization had insufficient resources for office technology and repeated computer malfunctions and meltdowns. When Alternative Technologies learned of their struggles, we quickly assessed the situation and outlined a plan to bring all the computers together on one platform. Case Study (PDF)
FAQs
Because of the complexity of IT, we sometimes need to perform an onsite Technology Assessment to ensure accuracy prior to providing a quote for services. It needs to be understood that diagnosing issues and recommending solutions is often the hardest (or longest) part of technical help. It involves the same technicians who implement the solution and bring all their years of experience to the issue at hand. So, yes, we sometimes charge for a quote, but that quote is itself a deliverable. Some or all of the Tech Assessment cost may be waived if we perform the work.
Bad Things Happen. Backup Is Security.
Mistakes, misfortune and malicious intent can bring down your computer network. System and data recovery is the safeguard.