Cerf
Computer Consultants
For almost 10 years we've been fortunate to have Cerf Computer as our IT consultant. Like most companies, we live and die by our computer systems. Their knowledge, diligence and responsiveness have insured not only that we stay up and running but that the security of our network has never been compromised.
Arthur J Levine
Chief Financial Officer
Armstrong Installation Service
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Computer Network Maintenance and Repair Solutions
Case Study #1: Secured Remote Connectivity
Our client, a Palo Alto-based property management company with a second office in Sacramento, was running each office on a separate server, making the exchange of information between the two locations difficult and inefficient.
The company was looking for the best way to make the two offices more connected. After meeting with members of our client's team, we proposed a solution, they accepted our proposal and we began planning the implementation.
We arrived at our client's Palo Alto office on a Thursday morning and began the process of upgrading their system from Windows Small Business Server 2003 to 2008 for improved speed and stability. This involved migrating their entire exchange database along with their data to the new server, which we could do without disrupting the network. The entire process was completed by the end of the day and we returned for a few hours on Friday morning to assure that everything was running smoothly.
Early Saturday morning, we arrived at their Sacramento office. A second 2003 Windows Small Business Server was running; we converted this server to Standard 2008 and then connected it via secured (SSL) network to the exchange server in Palo Alto. Once the two offices were connected, we converted their local exchange to the Palo Alto office. By Sunday mid-afternoon, we had completed the desktop migration as well.
We arrived at the Sacramento office on Monday to follow up and to complete the migration of their custom accounting system to their new server. The best compliment we received came from the owner on Monday: "[We] can't even tell you changed anything."
Case Study #2: Scheduled Preventive Maintenance Plan
Hughes Gill Cochrane is a law firm located in Walnut Creek with twenty-two desktops and two servers. Their system performs well with preventative maintenance each quarter but scheduling this routine maintenance can be a challenge due to the attorneys' long hours.
To prevent disruption to business, we've arranged to begin the full system, on-site, quarterly maintenance at 5:30 in the morning. While it felt a little eerie for our team to be the only people in the office before it was light out the very first time that we enacted the early morning work schedule, by 9:15 we had completed their full system maintenance just as the attorneys were beginning to arrive.
Case Study #3: Network Analysis and Upgrade
We recently performed Network Analysis for one of our newer clients, a commercial and industrial real estate brokerage company, headquartered in Oakland.
Our detailed review determined that they were running servers that were out-of-date, out of hardware warrantee and virtually out of space. It further revealed that they were relying on severely outdated anti-virus software and an untested backup solution that no one could access, making them extremely vulnerable to losing valuable data. They also had no intelligent battery backup in place and no disaster recovery plan in case of emergency.
We proposed a solution that included new hardware, up-to-date software, proper battery backup and reliable exchange and data backup. These changes resulted in enhanced throughput and reliability. Our solution also included a disaster recovery plan and saved sufficient funds over the existing system, so that the new system would pay for itself in 2.7 years.