Here are some of the questions that are most often asked about our service, with our answers. If you still have any questions or concerns after checking below, please contact us for a more in-depth discussion.

The Service

Is my data secured and protected?

Yes, I.T. on Tap has rigorous processes and systems to keep your data secure and well protected, including these:

• Our computer systems are located in a purpose-built, high grade Internet datacentre, which is designed to withstand a range of disasters including earthquakes.
   
• Your data is backed up to tape every day, and the tapes are stored in a secure off-site facility located well away from the datacentre. In the unlikely event that anything did happen to our datacentre, we could retrieve the tapes from remote storage and access the backup copies of your data.

We follow recognised I.T. industry best practices for data protection and data security, as used by virtually all "top 100" listed companies. Small/medium companies usually fall short of using these best practices, for reasons of cost or lack of skills.

Is my data mixed in with other clients? How do you separate my business from the other clients?

No, your data is stored in a secure area on our servers that's reserved for just your company - none of our other clients have access to your data. Although we have many customers storing their data on our large disk arrays, each of them is separated from all the others.

Our service works on the same principle that your bank does: although the bank has many customers, your money is not "mixed in" with anyone else's. You have your own bank account(s), which only you can access, and this ensures that your money remains under your control at all times.

Can I get my own copy of my backup data?

Yes, you can request a copy of your data at any time. As this is not part of our routine operations, you will need to pay our costs for staff time to copy your data, blank tapes or DVDs used and courier costs to ship them to you. We will provide an estimate of the costs at the time you make the enquiry and you can then decide whether you wish to proceed.

Can I restrict who has access to sensitive files, such as accounting data and personnel reports?

Yes, you can restrict access to any file or folder to either individuals or specific groups of people. This works just the same way as any file server that you've used previously - all the same features are available, and our systems are much more secure than the typical small office PC network.

Can we share diaries in Outlook?

Yes, all Outlook collaboration features are available.

Who controls access rights, permissions etc for my staff?

When you join I.T. on Tap as a client, we will ask you to nominate 1 or more people authorised to make decisions which have security or cost implications. For example: adding a new employee to your account, giving an employee access to secure files (e.g. the personnel folder), purchasing extra cost options or services.

This role is not overly time consuming, so most business owners opt to retain control themselves. 

Are we able to add remove staff logins when required?

Yes, the nominated representative described above can add or remove subscribers whenever you choose. If the number of subscribers increases, this will incur an additional cost.

What equipment does I.T. on TAP supply?

This depends on the desktop devices that you choose to access the service.

Many clients initially choose to use their existing desktop & laptop computers to access the service - this approach minimises costs. You may find that you can substantially extend the life of your existing computers - even old, slow PCs can work very well with the I.T. on Tap service since the only software they run is a web browser.

When your existing desktop computers reach end-of-life, we suggest you consider replacing them with I.T. on Tap zero-maintenance terminals. We provide these terminals on a no-contract monthly rental basis, just like the core service.

Can I still use my industry-specific software package?

Yes. 

Will using I.T. on Tap change my software licensing requirements? Will that mean I can buy fewer licences?

No, you will still need a software licence for each person who is going to use a given product.

What software does I.T. on Tap supply?

Microsoft Outlook client and Microsoft Exchange email software is included with the standard service, and all Microsoft Office software is also available. We also include a wide range of open source software which you can use for free wherever it suits your needs.

Any other software applications that you are presently using or would like to use can almost certainly be added upon request. Contact us with a list of your software requirements and we'll confirm that we can deliver them, the I.T. on TAP engineers are doing this for other clients every day.

I want to use a software program that requires a database and must be installed on its own server. Do you support this?

Yes, many of our larger clients have this requirement. For a small additional monthly cost we can provide you with a server hosted in our datacentre and your choice of Microsoft SQL Server or MySQL database software. We can either install your software onto the server for you, or we can leave this to your software vendor if you prefer.

Will I still get spam and virus problems on the I.T. on TAP service?

No, we take care of spam and virus protection, you never need to worry about this type of thing again.

How do I log in when I'm away from the office?

All access to the I.T. on TAP service is via the internet, this means you can log in from anywhere the same way that you do in the office. If you’re highly mobile you will love the service!

What types of software do not work with I.T. on Tap?

The underlying technology does not support multimedia applications (video & audio playback/editing), animation or interactive games. For this reason, no software of this type is installed on the I.T. on Tap servers.

I.T. on Tap DOES support drawing, diagramming, photo editing, Computer Aided Design (CAD) and similar software applications. Providing you have a reasonably fast (1 Mbps or faster) and reliable broadband connection, you should find that these applications work very well.

Legals/Financials/Company

Who owns the data that I store on the I.T. on TAP servers?

You do, of course! Our formal relationship with you is that of an outsourcer: we deliver services to you and undertake certain tasks, such as storing and protecting your data, on your behalf. We would never make any claim to ownership of your data - nor would we have any legal grounds to do so.

You have the final say on what happens to your data, we will always act on your instructions.

How long has I.T. on TAP been operating? Is the business financially stable?

I.T. on TAP has been operating for two years, and is part of the larger Paradise Island group of privately owned companies - the oldest of which was founded in 1993. The Paradise Island group is highly profitable, with strong cash flows. All companies in the group use I.T. on Tap as their computing platform.

What if I don't like the service? Can I leave easily?

Yes, I.T. on Tap operates on a no contract basis: you pay monthly for your use of the service and can leave at any time if you choose.

If you do decide to leave, you can simply download your data, cancel your service and you won't incur any further charges from that point on.

If you ask us to copy your data to DVD, tape or portable disk and send it to you, then we will charge you for any direct costs that we incur in carrying out your request.

Rather than tie you up with a long contract, this approach puts the onus on us to deliver a high quality service each month and ensure that you're happy to remain a client for the long term.

The Paradise Island group depends on I.T. on TAP for its own computer systems, and also believes that the business has enormous growth potential in coming years.

For these reasons we think it very unlikely that anything would happen that could prevent I.T. on Tap from delivering services to its clients. However, we understand the importance of assessing such risks when choosing a new service provider.

If I.T. on Tap was sold to another company, you would retain the right to cancel your service at any time, retrieve your data and make alternate arrangements. The acquiring company would be wise to maintain service quality, or they might face a mass exodus of clients.

If I.T. on Tap was to fail, administrators would be appointed to oversee the wind up of the business. Since you retain ownership of your data at all times, the administrators would return it to you upon request, providing you pay their costs incurred in doing so. 

We would again like to emphasise that we cannot envisage any way that either of these scenarios could come to pass.

Miscellaneous 

Do you recommend Broadband Internet Services?

We can assist by advising the services available in your area; ADSL2+ is the preferred option. In general we do not recommend one particular service provider - any reasonable quality broadband connection will work just fine with our service.