First Service Carolina, Inc.

We provide technology based solutions to business. Our methods are current, yet refined by our 20 years of service to the industry. We welcome a dialog with you so we can begin to prove the competence our clients have come to know and trust.

Google Privacy

February 21st, 2012

Google enacts their new privacy policy on March 1. With this revision Google will combine any available information they have collected about you from any of their or affiliated websites like YouTube and Gmail.

The new look promises to be great. When logged in, you should have more targeted search results that include a broader range of results.

However, your internet activity will be tracked to a greater extent and the profile Google creates about you will become increasingly accurate and public. Your profile will be more marketable.

You can check up on some of the information collected about you at google.com/ads/preferences.

“Getting to know you / Getting to know ALL about you…”

What We Did Here: Communicate Better, Manage Risk, Operate Efficiently

PC Donations Far and Wide…

February 17th, 2012

Sometimes computers just aren’t worth the cost to repair, are too slow to be functional, or are left unclaimed. During the course of every year of the 18 he has been on staff, Bruce Lyttle has initially set aside some of these computers. When there’s time or a used part available, he has reconditioned them.

As a need presents itself, we give the computers to students, non-profits, and missions mostly. The demand is greatest around the holidays. Last month one was carried on a mission trip to Haiti for a school while a laptop went to the director of an orphanage in Kisumu, Kenya. Most stay right here locally.

If you replace a laptop and the old one is still half-decent, please consider dropping it off. We can’t always get you a donation receipt, but there’s usually a new home for it that’s very appreciated.

Services: Community and Giving
What We Did Here: Company Culture

What keeps you awake at night?

February 10th, 2012

“…I think those machines are backed up?”

“…Disaster preparedness plan?…maybe if I had more time in my day.”

“…Can I recover information I didn’t backup?!”

“…I didn’t realize how critical my business systems were, until it was too late.”

50% of small businesses don’t have a disaster recovery plan
Downtime outages cost small businesses $12,500 per day on average
44% of small businesses would lose at least 40% of their data in a disaster

Contact First Service and get a good night’s rest. We want to be your trusted partner for backup and disaster recovery.

Services: Computer Networking, Hardware/Infrastructure
What We Did Here: Manage Risk, Plan Strategically

Best Laptop of the Year: Lenovo ThinkPad

January 29th, 2012

PC Magazine has awarded the Lenovo T420S as its Laptop of the Year. “Considering the technology crammed inside, the Lenovo ThinkPad T420s is an amazing feat of engineering.” It is light, tough, speedy, and slim.

First Service has been recommending and selling ThinkPads for years and years. Purchasing a Lenovo laptop supports the local North Carolina economy. Lenovo offices located in RTP employee over 1,500 workers.

Please contact First Service for your hardware needs. We are your local Lenovo business partner.

Services: Hardware/Infrastructure, Sales
What We Did Here: Communicate Better, Operate Efficiently

Are you ready for the mobile revolution?

January 6th, 2012

Ready or not the mobile revolution is here and exploding. Between 2010 and 2015, it is expected that the percentage of smartphone users in the US will increase from 26 to 58 percent. That’s a projection of more than 148 million American smartphone users in 2015! The tablet market (iPads, Droid tablets, Kindles, Nooks, etc.) is expected to move even faster, acheiving a compound annual growth rate of over 80 percent during the same time frame.

Mobile devices have transformed the way we live, work and play. What is your business doing to accommodate these devices? Have you discussed strategies and adopted new technologies to better service your customers? Have you thought about security and policies? What are you doing to safeguard your computer network from external and internal threats?

Please contact First Service for mobile integration, network security and strategic planning.

Services: Computer Networking, Hardware/Infrastructure
What We Did Here: Communicate Better, Manage Risk, Operate Efficiently, Plan Strategically

Hurricane Irene Report Card?

August 30th, 2011

hurricane_irene How did your IT infrastructure handle the outages and other threats from Irene? Were you worried about your data during the storm?

A few years ago one industry vendor promoted the concept of a “self-healing network”. Certainly the healing of a person is one of life’s miracles, but how could a computer network heal?

Actually we agree a network that takes care of itself, even through a hurricane outage, is a result we can deliver now. It also doesn’t require additional investment. All that is required is proper planning and implementation of the appropriate resources for your needs, in conjunction with the same network management solutions we use on a calm spring day.

Services: Computer Networking
What We Did Here: Manage Risk, Plan Strategically

Technology You Cannot Afford to Miss at a Price You Can Easily Afford

April 20th, 2011

cisco_sm_business Have you been wanting to replace your old phone system but thought it was too expensive or time-consuming?

Would your employees be more productive and respond to customers faster if their key communications (voice, data, and wireless information) were all connected?

Do you want a communications network that is both easy to manage and easy to expand, based on your business’ growth?

Cisco Small Business Unified Communications 300 Series (UC300) is an affordable, all-in-one solution that delivers reliable, business-class performance.

Contact First Service for details. We are a Cisco certified partner for Cisco Unified Communications, Cisco IP Telephony & Cisco VoIP.

Services: Computer Networking, Hardware/Infrastructure, Unified Communications
What We Did Here: Communicate Better, Contain Costs, Operate Efficiently

2011 – Let’s Back Up!

February 9th, 2011

Everyone’s data storage has grown exponentially over the last few years. There are duplicate pdf’s in team members mail folders, plus the originals. It’s not fun to delete old emails and folders. Are you utilizing video?

Budget woes made it tempting to plug a USB drive to the server. Maybe you have bought a NAS or a SAN for more space. What about backup for all that new data? Have you invested equally in backup as your storage has expanded? Almost universally RIGHT NOW we see the answer is NO – backup is not keeping pace with expanding storage.

We urge you to maintain a backup infastructure that is truly recoverable within a time frame that is acceptable to you. It’s never the squeaky wheel. so it’s easy to neglect. Call us to help map out your recovery plan.

What We Did Here: Manage Risk, Operate Efficiently, Plan Strategically

What is “Cloud Computing”, besides the latest buzzword?

November 5th, 2010

cloud_computing One industry analyst said recently that cloud computing is defined as whatever the other person is selling. That’s actually somewhat true because cloud computing is a RESULT that combines several established technologies.

New technologies don’t appear suddenly, but instead evolve to a collection of industry leaders and best practices. So before you jump into the marketing allure of “the cloud”, you might discover you are essentially there now! Most of our clients installed partial cloud implementations years, even decades, ago.

Our practical definition is: Applications (computer programs like accounting or mail) delivered over a network connection (internal private network or public internet), requiring no proprietary endpoint (PC, terminal, phone) that can be easily scaled at the host (servers). Typically it’s as simple as programs accessible from your browser.

Some examples of cloud computing installed long ago that you might have are web access to your corporate mail server or your terminal server. Obviously there’s much more that can be done, but for now you can probably brag your business implemented cloud computing years ago. Congratulations on your foresight!

Services: Computer Networking, Hardware/Infrastructure
What We Did Here: Operate Efficiently, Plan Strategically