Introduction

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MPE has been using PCs since 1983 and has had Internet access with email on every desktop since 1987. As users, we've faced all the IT problems that every small business faces. As a bunch of techies we've "been there, done that" in a range of industries. We have at least three members of staff each with over 30 years of computer experience. We've delivered solutions to companies as diverse as NASA, Europay (MasterCard), local charities, small businesses, Ministry of Defence and major supermarket chains. We try not to bullshit (unless that's what you want) and we've been in business for over 25 years.

When we changed to broadband for our Internet access, we replaced our Internet email servers, we took a different approach and were pleasantly surprised by what we achieved, not only in terms of facilities but also in terms of purchase costs, maintenance costs and ease of maintenance. Our Broadband Business Servers are the result of that research and experience.

Broadband Business Servers

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Problems:

• Paying too much for IT?
• Fed up with Viruses, Spam, Worms, Trojans and other PC security management issues?
• Want a low cost and hassle free service?
• Need a growth path for the future?
• Want a low risk system that does not lock you into one supplier?

Solution:

• Choose MPE's Business Internet servers

We can provide you with safe and reliable Internet access using a dedicated PC. You don't have to be a techie to use these servers: we install them, configure them, and give you a full set of configuration and recovery CDs that can rebuild the server for you. If you don't like us, you can just walk away. Our servers are available in three versions from £649, including installation and training. Anti-spam and anti-virus updates are performed automatically by all servers.

Before installation, we can also provide you with advice on selection of ISPs, Internet domain name registration and the facilities you may need.

After installation, we provide you with a period of free telephone support and remote management of your server so that we can fine-tune your system. If you want it, we can also provide fixed-cost annual maintenance of the system to keep all your software up to date.

Most businesses spend far too much money and time on security software, spam blockers, virus protection and reliability. Nearly all of these security issues focus on the Windows operating system. We run our servers on the Linux operating system, which is reliable and is used by many Internet Service Providers. Linux systems form the backbone of the Google search engine. Linux gives three benefits:

• the software is free to acquire and update,
• the software is less prone to attack,
• the software is more reliable.

What you get

• PC with preconfigured and installed software.
• On site configuration and testing.
• Telephone support and remote management after installation.

All systems come with:

• Firewall
• Anti-spam filters with automatic updating
• Anti-virus software with automatic updating - it keeps the server clean and can scan your Windows PCs as well
• Email collection collects and delivers all your email. Offsite internet access is available to your email when you are away. All incoming and outgoing emails are filtered for virus and spam.
• List server creates private email lists for:
  • Project management
  • Support groups
  • Client notification of new products
  • ...
• Web-based administration so that you can:
  • add and delete users from a local PC,
  • manage your system,
  • check system activity logs.
• Shared data space for group data storage.
• Provision for a local web site for internal and/or external access.
• Provision for a local FTP site for internal and/or external access.
• Internet news group access (can be disabled)
• Accurate clock setting aginst which you can set the clocks on your other PCs.

Server PCs are not the same as desktop PCs! They often use different processors and chipsets designed for this job. Please note that the hardware descriptions below were from late 2005 and should be treated as a minimum specification. Please check with us for details of what we are supplying now. You always get more!

Small Office Broadband Server, £649+VAT

Ideal for small offices and businesses on a tight budget. The Small Office Server provides everything for an office needing relatively light duty facilities for up to 25 users.

We provide

• PC with 10/100Mb Ethernet, keyboard and mouse but no monitor.
• Installation
• Base configuration
• Training
• Three months support

You provide (or by MPE at extra cost)

• ADSL router
• ADSL Internet connection
• Monitor if required

Professional Broadband Server, £949+VAT

Ideal for busy offices and businesses that need secured storage of data as well as Internet access. The Professional Broadband Server provides service for up to 100 users and can host a local or public web site. The PC hardware is protected against faults caused by electricity supply brownouts, and the disc drives are connected in a high reliability configuration to protect shared data.

We provide

• Dell Server with 512Mb RAM, 80/160Gb RAID storage, 10/100/1000Mb Ethernet, and Uninteruptible Power Supply (UPS).
• Installation
• Base configuration
• Training
• Six months support

You provide (or by MPE at extra cost)

• ADSL router
• ADSL Internet connection

Heavy Duty Broadband Server, £1499+VAT

Ideal for busy offices and businesses that need the highest level of secure Internet access and secured storage of data. The Heavy Duty Server provides service for up to 250 users and can host local or public web sites. The PC hardware is protected against faults caused by electricity supply brownouts, and the disc drives are connected in a high reliability configuration to protect shared data. For the highest level of security, one Ethernet port makes your Internet connections, and the other is connected to your company network.

We provide

• Dell dual-CPU Server PC with 1Gb RAM, Dual 10/100/1000Mb Ethernet, 80/160Gb RAID storage, keyboard, mouse, monitor, and Uninteruptible Power Supply (UPS).
• ADSL router
• Installation
• Base configuration
• Training
• One year support

You provide (or by MPE at extra cost)

• ADSL Internet connection

Selecting an Internet Service Provider (ISP)

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The basic rule is to use one with a track record. Reliability is far more important than low cost. Many of the smaller outfits are just reselling capacity from the bigger ones. It's a very competitive business, and prices and facilities even out between suppliers over time. Changing your ISP and moving your website is not a pleasant experience for many people.

The lowest cost accounts for business give you an address (called a domain) that includes the provider's name, so that you become:
  mybusiness.provider.co.uk

The next level will register a domain name for you, so that you become:
  mybusiness.co.uk
or
  mybusiness.com

There are plenty of alternatives. Which you want to be depends on marketing and whether you sell internationally. The domain name is owned by (called registered to) someone. You should make sure that it is registered to your business, otherwise you will have problems if you fall out with the owner. There have been many cases in which domain names have been owned by web site designers or hosting companies that have charged thousands of pounds to "release" domain names. It has happened to people we know.

We like Demon (www.demon.net) and Pipex (www.pipex.net) from direct experience. Zen Internet (www.zen.co.uk) are also well reviewed, and have a good reputation for technical support with no overseas call centres. We're not saying that others are bad, these are ones we know about. Depending on their advertising spend and growth, all ISPs go through erratic periods when there are more users than they really have the bandwidth (speed) to support.

If you have a Small Office or Home Office (SOHO) account, it usually downloads faster, but will be no faster when you are uploading, e.g. when updating your website or are using a VoIP service such as Skype. Business accounts are more expensive, but the ISP guarantees that not so many people are sharing your bandwidth. You can sometimes see the impact of this on SOHO accounts in the afternoon when your neighbours children get home from school and start the music downloads! Business accounts may have no higher downlink speeds, but may well have higher uplink speeds, which can improve the quality of VoIP calls.

Business accounts usually provide additional features for use with your website, and you will need one if you want customers to be able to pay through your website (e-commerce). If you need a very large website, it is often cheaper to link your website to a company that just provides cheap storage space on the Internet. You can also use this space for off-site archiving.

Most ISPs provide their broadband service through BT Wholesale, serviced by BT Openreach, who will not talk to you. If your broadband phone line is on a BT business plan with a service agreement, you can get line problems fixed reasonably quickly. Once you start using the facilities of these servers, you will be shocked at your reaction to a telephone line fault! Been there, done that. The Southampton exchanges are "red-lighted" by several ISPs at present for poor quality, which may affect your choice of router.

Other issues to consider are the number of email accounts you are allowed and the amount of traffic you consume. As of June 2007 Demon still allow unlimited mailboxes and downloads, but if you use Demon and have a local web or FTP site on the server, ensure that you have a BT Business support package.

Selecting an ADSL router

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As always, you get what you pay for and comptetition is intense. Domestic and small office routers are built down to a price. However, the most important factor for reliability is the ADSL filter attached to the phone socket. If you are having connection problems, replace the filter before you replace the router. Filters are available from most suppliers including Staples - always keep spares.

In case your router does fail, make sure that its configuration is saved on the server.