This has been one of the most beneficial promotions for our clients. Buy Microsoft software, and a rebate check is mailed to you in the name of First Service (everybody wins!). We apply your rebate for payment toward your next project.
We provide technology based solutions to business. Our methods are current, yet refined by our 18 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.
Microsoft Big Easy Promotion is Back!
October 28th, 2009First Service Achieves Cisco Recertification
September 14th, 2009
First Service is pleased to announce we have been recertified by Cisco after completeing this year’s technical and sales competency training and testing. Our current authorization entitles us to sell and support a wide range of Cisco commercial products including IP Telephony products like the UC500 and UC520 systems, Cisco ASA security appliances, Cisco workgroup switches, Cisco Video solutions, Wireless, and Cisco storage. First Service and Cisco have already began our co-marketing plan for 2010, including pending additions to this website.
Cisco renews 0% Financing Promotion on Unified Communications Telephone Systems
August 16th, 2009
Cisco has renewed their popular zero percent financing for their new fiscal year beginning August 1.
Purchases up to 55K of unified communications systems for businesses under 100 employees qualify. Smartnet services can be included. The term is 36 months, and you own the equipment at the end. Get the equipment you need now, but spread the investment over time with NO interest.
June Projects Completed
July 19th, 2009First Service completed 2 noteworthy projects in June:
Installation of a 50 handset IP telephony phone system for a law firm with 2 locations. By employing SIP technology and the Cisco 0% lease promotion, we were able to provide the system at a monthly investment roughly equal to the firm’s telephone charges alone prior to the upgrade. The firm will benefit from Cisco Unified Communications during the lease term and beyond, and significantly reduce their telepone expense.
The second project is the first phase of a disaster recovery plan utilizing an IBM Network Storage Array and IBM server with VMWare virtualization. By moving critical files from server storage to network storage, dependence on server hardware is eliminated. In conjunction with virtualization, recovery times for the mail server have been reduced from days to minuites.
We appreciate our clients trust in our recommendations and the work they have provided. Both installs would serve as good case studies for similar projects – contact us for details.
First Service awarded Posiflex contract
July 18th, 2009
We are pleased to announce that Posiflex has selected First Service as their East Coast repair center. First Service will provide depot repair services for their product line for all locations in the Eastern US. Western US repairs will continue to be handled by their headquarters in Hayward, CA.
Posiflex is an industry leader for point of service (POS) terminals and platforms used in hospitality, healthcare, and retail. More information can be found at www.posiflexusa.com.
First Service displays at 2009 NCAJ Convention
July 2nd, 2009For the fifth consecutive year, First Service has participated in the North Carolina Advocates for Justice conference and tradeshow. The NCAJ convention was recently held at the Sea Trail Resort at Sunset Beach NC, June 20-24. Over 400 attorneys from North Carolina attended, including several First Service law firm clients.
First Service is a vendor at the four day tradeshow. IBM partnered with First Service and helped sponsor and man our booth.
Together, First Service and IBM provided demos on IBM small business network storage. IBM network storage solutions are flexible, scalable and affordable. They are designed to provide high performance and low total cost of ownership. Deployed with virtualization technology, First Service is offering our clients the best network solution and disaster recovery plan for their mission-critical data and email storage.
First Service Orioles finish season
June 10th, 2009
The North Wake Orioles, sponsored by First Service, finished their season this week. They won 9 of their last 10 games, including final games at Leesville High School, to clinch second place in their division. The Orioles received strong contributions from every player. Assistant coach Brad Revels said “Every player on the team improved and contributed this season. It’s been fun for all. Thanks to coaches Joe Ward and Dave Feldman for giving so much time. We look forward to next spring!”
XP? Vista? Windows 7?
May 19th, 2009Customers continue to ask –
“Can I still get my new laptop or computer with XP Pro?”
“Yes”, we tell them. “XP is still available.”
Well, I don’t want Vista,” they say.
At First Service, we’ve been having this same dialogue for the last two years.
In 2007 and the first half of 2008, Microsoft kept pressuring for XP to be discontinued in our industry. They would announce a “sunset” date for XP, but they would receive backlash and delay the stop sell. At the same time, they were pushing the oft-maligned Vista to market.
Vista got a bad name from the beginning as most third-party software didn’t revise their applications to be compatible and Vista didn’t network well with existing XP machines. Vista’s OS market share has climbed over the last several months to around 23% while dominant XP hovers around 64%. Much of the market share increase can be attributed to retail sales at Walmart, Dell, Best Buy and the now defunct Circuit City.
At First Service, we sell business class laptops and computers. Retail versions are fine for light use at home, but we will sell you a better value machine. We continue to highly recommend XP over Vista. If you make your purchase at the big chain stores, you’re limited to Vista only.
However, XP isn’t the only reason to contact us during your hardware and software buying decision. We can make recommendations for PCs and notebooks that are better built, more reliable and more durable.
What about Windows 7? Initial beta tests indicate Windows 7 is looking better than its maligned predecessor, Vista. Microsoft continues to say finished product will arrive in late 2009 or early 2010. We’ll provide more details and our opinions as information becomes available.
Cisco sharpens the pencil on their IP Phones
May 18th, 2009
Cisco has made several steps recently to make their UC500 phone systems not simply lower priced, but compelling values. The UC500 products are for sites with less than 60 handsets. They support multiple locations with up to 60 phones each. In addition to recent price reductions:
Cisco Finance continues to offer zero percent leases for 36 months with $1 buyout.
The new 524 phone handsets are nice products and their lowest priced handset ever. Most prefer them to the other models.
An additional promotion includes Veramark call reporting software free.
SIP compatibility is really kicking in as a benefit. With monthly line charges around $20 per line, we have payed for the 0% lease in savings from the phone bill.
The new products, added features, SIP capability, and Cisco’s technology leadership in IP Telephony confirm their systems are worth a look.
“Managed Services” is the latest buzz term. What does it mean?
May 18th, 2009It seems every firm in our space is promoting “Managed Services”, including First Service. It also seems to mean something different to every firm.
I attended a 3 day training session in Montreal in 2006 to learn about managed services. Most sessions involved how we should re-focus our business model to have this capability as our core deliverable. If we didn’t change, we would become uncompetitive. This model had two aspects. First, installing monitoring and remote control software on client networks. Second, charging a fixed monthly fee for maintaining the software, it’s alerts, and associated telephone calls. Before this seminar and continuing now, we have monitoring and remote control capability, but we have always offered them as tools without the requirement of a fixed monthly billing.
I see several difficulties with “Managed Services” as predominantly offered by others as a fixed monthly fee.
1. The fixed fee requires the scope of work be defined narrowly to create a low price. That leaves many areas of general support unaddressed.
2. The offsite only capability tends to force a solution / answer to a problem rather than fully address the concern. Sometimes you must go on site. Often it is best to go onsite.
3. Over time, an offsite only approach loses touch with the customer’s needs. Technology enables people to work together best, and that applies to the technology support provider too. If your IT vendor only sees your computers and not your users, they are out of touch with your needs.
Monitoring and Remote Control are fantastic technologies that save our customers expense and allow us a more proactive approach. For now, we will continue to offer them as free tools as a part of our total approach.
3933 Arrow Drive
Raleigh, NC 27612
(919) 832-5553
info@fscarolina.com
Raleigh, NC 27612
(919) 832-5553
info@fscarolina.com