- I’d like more details on the kinds of services you offer.
- What are your rates?
- How do I contact User Support Services?
- What are the advantages of using your services over hiring my own full time IT staff?
- Who does Digital Alternatives Group represent? Do you sell equipment?
- How is your firm paid?
- How does Digital Alternatives Group differ from other organizations making similar claims?
- Do I have to sign a contract with your organization?
1. I’d like more details on the kinds of services you offer
Digital Alternatives Group IT support services provide expert computing support to Private and Government sector in the Ottawa - Montréal area. What happens when you choose us? - you get affordable, qualified and dedicated expertise along with superior customer service.
We provide a wide range of technical supports services that keep desktop, laptop, network and internet running optimally and secure. We are your best line of defense against internal and external threats and we keep your data safe.
The result? - A stable technology that supports your business goals.
Our service offerings are broadly organized into two categories:
Classic IT services
Advanced IT services
Examples of our Classic IT services include:
- Hardware Support/Upgrades
RAM, Hard Drives, CD/DVD Drives, Motherboards, Modems, Sound Cards, Video Cards, Printers, Scanners, & New made-to-specifications Personal Computer Systems.
- Software Support/Upgrades
Operating Systems :
MSDOS, Windows 3.1, Windows95, Windows98, WindowsNT (Workstation & Server), WindowsME, Windows 2000, Windows XP.
- Applications
Word Processing, Graphics, Spreadsheets, Data Bases and more!
- Hardware Trouble-Shooting & Repairs
Hardware failure analysis, system failure troubleshooting, Motherboards, Hard drives, CDRs, CDRWs, DVDs, zips, floppies, boot failures, power failures, Motherboards, mice.
- Software Trouble-Shooting & Repairs
Virus removal, system updates, boot problems/failure, unexpected locking problems analysis, general troubleshooting & analysis.
- Applications Training
Training for individuals or small groups in: Internet & Email Operations, Windows, MSWord, MSExcel, MSAccess and MSPowerPoint, Wordperfect and printing.
- System imaging
Creation of ‘ghost' images for quick and easy restore in the event of a disaster.
- Deployment
Installation of new equipment as part of a technology refresh or new systems rollout according
Examples of our Advanced services include:
- Network design, planning and Installations
LAN & WAN design & Implementation including Wireless. NIC card installations, Ethernet Cabling Installation, Hubs, Routers, Bridges, Firewalls, VPN, Server setup and Configurations. Associated Software Setup & Configurations.
- Server and infrastructure troubleshooting
Network and server software and hardware failure analysis, repair of problem and planning to avoid issue repetition.
- Backup Plans - Performance and/or Training
Design and setup of backup plans for some or all of your computer systems, ensuring critical data is maintained in a safe manner. Zip, Travan, or DAT drive manual and/or automated backup setup assistance.
- Server migration / consolidation
There are times when it makes sense to ‘right-size' your number of servers. Today's faster CPU's allow you to have a single system perform the same work as several older servers.
- TCO assessment
There are a number of IT related costs that can be reduced with a comprehensive review of your IT infrastructure.
- Security planning
Assessment of application and system vulnerabilities, along with Network & Internet related aspects.
- Messaging and collaboration
Implementation or troubleshooting/failure analysis of corporate email server or collaboration solution.
- Web development
Creation of company domain, website and web presence, portal development. Creation of multi-media and training CDs.
2. What are your rates?
Classic IT services - $ 60.00 / hr.
Advanced IT services - $ 85.00 / hr.
Please note: We do not charge for travel time (unlike many competitors) within the Ottawa area. Also, clients tell us that rates in excess of $140/hr (for any type of service) are normal.
The two service offerings are detailed in the previous FAQ question.
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3. How do I contact your Support Services?
By email (support@digialt.com)
By phone 613-744-5385 or 613-294-5383
By web site ( www.digialt.com )
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4. What are the advantages of using your services over hiring my own full time IT staff?
The ‘care and feeding' IT support staff is expensive. There are constant training and certification costs and also, many organizations have not yet reached the size that can justify a full time resource (usually about 50 desktops).
Accordingly, for smaller firms, our IT services will save your organization money by reducing the costs associated with a full time resource and the additional training and certification costs.
For larger firms, our IT services are designed to help extend the services of your own over stretched resources, help fill-in for staff away on training/holidays, or work with you during peak periods when hiring a full time resource just doesn't make sense for a short-term project.
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5. Who does Digital Alternatives Group represent? Do you sell equipment?
Digital Alternatives Group is NOT a hardware or software vendor. We work exclusively for our customers. We are objective in gathering and presenting all findings to our customers. We do not have any biases towards any particular brands of equipment or Vendor.
Accordingly, partnering with Digital Alternatives Group is a win-win situation for your business because we are not tied to Technology vendors or manufacturers and we possess insider knowledge and expertise to help you with: product research, capabilities, pricing, leasing, service contracts and suppliers. The result? - expert recommendations on how to harness Technology towards achieving real business objectives, instead of buying more computers for the wrong reasons.
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6. How is your firm paid?
We are paid exclusively by our customers. No fees, commissions or gifts are accepted from suppliers. There are no ties with any supplier organization, so proposed changes and supplier/equipment selections are made in your sole interest. This means there is no incentive for us to propose additional equipment and in many cases clients are pleasantly surprised to learn that business issues can be solved without an additional investment in more technology.
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7. How does Digital Alternatives Group differ from other organizations making similar claims?
Many firms offering seemingly similar IT support services also sell equipment. It's is common for us to hear from clients that other firms attempt to solve problems with expensive new equipment, whereas Digital Alternatives Group works hard to help you maximize your existing investment.
Instead, we capitalize on the strength of an objective opinion to drive our recommendations, because our relationship with you isn't tied to equipment sales.
In cases where new gear is required, we offer vendor-neutral recommendations, using our industry experience and technology partner relationships to make sure your organization gets the best pricing for the right solution. And this additional expertise comes at no additional charge to your organization — because we don't sell or profit from any equipment sales.
One other item worth mentioning is from a client comment regarding technician travel time. We had no idea how much extra clients were paying with competitive firms until they showed us. Every service call had an extra ½ hour for ‘travel time'. At over $100/hr (typical competitive rates), that's a lot of money over a year.
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8. Do I have to sign a contract with your organization?
No. Although we do offer maintenance agreements, if you would prefer to work with us on a case-by-case scenario, that's fine with us. We just want to help and be able to add you to our ‘satisfied client' list.
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