Services:-

CATalyst Systems offers a wide variety of IT related services and these include the following:-

• Network Design
• Reactive & Proactive on-site Maintenance
• Consultancy
• Hardware & Software Sales
• Security
• Disaster Recovery
• Servicing & Repairs
• Site Audits
• Cabled & Wireless topologies
• Broadband & remote access (VPN)
• Web & e-mail hosting
• Web design
• Voice over IP (VOIP)
• Epos
• Video Conferencing
• Document scanning (The Paperless Office)
• Database Design
• Leasing

Network Design:

One of the two key areas to our business. This is what we feel we excel at. Our smallest network comprises only 2 devices while the largest has over 160. Whether large or small you will still get the same degree of support from our experienced engineers.

Our network design includes consultancy to design to delivery to installation to configuration to on-site support.

Reactive & Proactive on-site Maintenance:

This is the 2nd of the two key services we provide and lies at the core of our business model. Employing 4 field technicians & 3 workshop technicians CATalyst Systems provides both re-active & pro-active support to meet our clients demands.

Clients can opt for a 12, 24 or 36 month maintenance contract which would typically cover the file server(s) and any number of nominated peripherals. Under the umbrella of a maintenance contract clients have the comfort & assurance of knowing that their IT support is managed for them.

CATalyst Systems can provide both Reactive & Proactive support.

90% of our support contracts are Reactive where we will work with an employee to perform the basic tasks of fault finding and network maintenance. That person would then be responsible for informing our engineers of problems for them to deal with.

The remaining 10% of our contracts are managed by CATalyst Systems on a Proactive basis. In this scenario we are fully responsible for the management of the site. Unlike the Reactive approach,  we would log into the clients server on a daily basis and  ensure that the backup has performed as expected, the anti-virus definition files are up to date, all the latest patches are installed & check the event logs. A weekly report is generated and sent to the manager of the client site.

Direct Debit facilities are available  for these contracts.

Consultancy:

A key element of the network deployment process starts at the consultancy stage. At CATalyst we carry out a full investigative analysis and along with a quotation provide the client with a a full written report and recommendation of the direction the client should take. Note that the client is under no obligation at all at this stage.

Hardware & Software Sales:

Along with our own brand of CAT p.c.'s we also supply a number of well known brands such as HP, Fujitsu & IBM. This, coupled with the leading brands in software design such as Microsoft, Adobe, Sage etc, allows CATalyst Systems to provide a robust base upon which a stable IT infrastructure can be built.

Security:

With the relentless onslaught of Viruses, Spyware, Malware, Adware, Phishing, Spam etc. an ever present danger CATalyst places a high priority on ensuring these threats are matched against the best defense mechanisms available.

Disaster Recovery:

"I keep a backup of my work.... isn't this enough...?" Fortunately many people to-day are fully aware of the consequences of NOT keeping a backup of their work and use a variety of methods to protect their data e.g. tape, disk, remote storage etc. But is having this data secure, enough...? Have you asked yourself  "how long will it be before I am up an running again...?" No... then you should.

Without a Disaster Recovery Policy (DRP) it could easily be more that a full day to get a file server serving 40 + users back up and running again. Have a look at your insurance policy... Business insurers are now starting to demand that a DRP be in place. The DRP that CATalyst employs allows us to recover a complete bare bone server in less than 90 minutes.

Servicing & Repairs:

Employing a fully equipped service centre with the necessary tools and experienced staff  is fundamental to a smooth operation. To that end CATalyst Systems not only has a large workshop but also employs a small laboratory for research, design & testing purposes.

Site audits:

Question 1:- Have you got what you paid for...?

Question 2:- Are you unknowingly running illegal software...?

Questions 1 & 2 above are often bound together. Over the years CATalyst Systems have been involved in performing site audits for a both large and small system users. In one example we found that the entire Office suite, unknowingly supplied to 15 users of a local company, belonged to a Welsh university. In another the network equipment supplied and installed did not even come close to that which was specified and invoiced..!

If you have any doubts then please do not hesitate to give us a call for a discrete inspection.

Cabled & Wireless topologies:

Employing our own cabling engineers CATalyst Systems are experienced at installing and configuring certified Cat5e, Cat6, fibre optic & wireless networks.

Broadband & Remote Access (VPN):

To-day Broadband has revolutionised the way in which we live, work & play. We at CATalyst Systems maintain and monitor over 350 + broadband connections. With over 600 + ISP's (Internet Service Providers) in the U.K. all selling a similar product who do you chose....? Call us and we will give you a number of options and free advice.

Many business users are becoming more astute to the benefits of Remote Access and Remote Control. Two things drive this 1) the need to be able to read e-mails from anywhere and 2) the need to work from home. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) allows this action to occur over broadband while offering the necessary security controls.

Web & e-mail hosting:

Do you wish to register a domain name or are you disappointed with your existing web hoster...? YES...! Then contact us. There are far too many web hosters today that will only communicate via e-mail. This is absolutely useless when their or your service fails... How are you expected to contact them...? We at CATalyst still use a phone at the other end of which is a highly experienced technician who will process your call immediately.

As we are an IT support company we always prefer to host our clients web sites and manage their e-mail by hosting them on our own servers. This has the immediate twin benefit of allowing us to trace mail both inward and/or outbound whilst also ensuring that websites are always up and running.

Web design:

Firstly we do not design web sites, however we do host them. Web design not only requires  the artistic skills necessary to design & promote your business but also an understanding of how it should be marketed. We at CATalyst are often asked by our clients to recommend a good designer and having researched this field thoroughly recommend  Jkaproductions . This is a small, reliable team of designers based in Hawarden that we recommended to a number of clients all of which have praised their approach.

Voice Over IP (VOiP):

This is a new area within the IT world which, with the deployment of broadband and constant improvements in its quality of service, will soon become a force to be reckoned with when deciding to replace a telephone system. The technology is not quite right yet for a full external business wide use as there are still limitations in the upstream values of broadband connections. Skype, however, have leapt onto  the bandwagon early and have proved that VOiP works, albeit in a limited form and is available to all

EPOS:

CATalyst Systems have deployed a number of EPOS systems based on both RSS and Sage POS software. Using standard computer hardware and with the addition of a till drawer, bar code scanner & label printer you can have a fully functional EPOS system up and running with very little outlay.

Video Conferencing:

Using Polycom based VC equipment we have successfully installed a number of video conferencing and meeting point systems. Although aggregated ISDN channels still offers the better video quality this is gradually being replaced by improved broadband services.  We are experienced with both.

Document Scanning (The Paperless Office)

Organisations of all sizes are now coming under increasing pressure to retain all kinds of documents and make them available on request. Increasing regulations and compliance legislation, and the need to deliver higher levels of service in competitive market, means that businesses need to be sure they have captured and stored paper-based documents safely.

HP’s products are very affordable and even the entry-level models come with some impressive features, such as scanning workflow software that will, once the scan is completed, store the image to SharePoint Portal Server automatically.

Database Design:

Like web design we do not design databases. We prefer to leave this to our sister company Catalyst Design

Leasing:

All equipment can be leased over a 2, 3 or 4 year period.

This is a very popular option for many of our clients as :-

1) It eases cash flow
2) No depreciation
3)Title of the goods can be re-assigned back to the client at the end of the lease   period for the equivalent of one monthly payment.