Technical Policies and Verbiage for Customers

Technical Policies and Verbiage for Customers

Printer Installations 

We cannot set up printers remotely. In order to add the printer to the computer(s) remotely, the printer must already be connected to the network. This requires onsite intervention. 

NAS Devices

We will only provide maintenance for Synology brand NAS devices. 


Older Systems

We will not work on old systems (Windows 98, Windows ME, Win XP, Win Vista, Win 7, Win 8 or earlier). In the event the customer has an extremely compelling reason not to upgrade, we will insist on virtualizing the system with regular backups of the virtualized machine. 


As a general rule, we will not work on computers more than 6 years old unless there is a very specific issue that we know can be easily fixed. Customer should replace the computer.


Motherboard Replacement

Motherboard replacement will always include PSU replacement, as frequently motherboard failures are caused by power supply issues which cannot be identified until the mobo is replaced.  At this time the danger is that the new motherboard will be damaged by the old PSU. Hence, PSUs are always to be replaced when motherboards are replaced. 

It's rare that it's worth replacing a motherboard. This should be discussed with senior tech or management first. 


Laptop Hardware Diagnostics

(Overheating, sudden shutdowns not caused by viruses, etc.) 

For non-managed customers, we charge a flat diagnostic fee which is payable in advance whether or not the customer decides to repair the machine. In some cases we will pick up the machine, but usually the customer will have to ship it to us. (This should be handled on a case by case basis.)


Wiping and Recycling Equipment

In NYC, the client can call 311 to inquire about pickup for electronics recycling. We do not take equipment for recycling unless we need to take the equipment so we can wipe a hard drive. 


We do not recommend donation of residential computers. Generally the only thing residential clients have to donate is a headache.


While they can get rid of the tower, we recommend clients have us keep the hard drive (which we can remove from the computer) for at least a couple of weeks until they're sure they have all their data. After that we can wipe it securely for a flat fee.


For details on having GGIT wipe drives for customers, please see: Hard Drive Wiping



Data Recovery or Data Transfer from Non-Working Computer

We do not do data recovery onsite. If the drive is still spinning they can send us the drive or device and we will try to recover the data. If we can’t, we recommend Kroll/Ontrack in Secaucus, NJ, a data recovery lab with which we have had good experiences. 

Pricing for data recovery is on a case-by-case basis and should be discussed with office admin and management. 

Laptop – customer must use Fed Ex or UPS. Confirm correct address to deliver to tech. 

Desktop – customer pays for pickup if they need for us to remove hard drive. We will not pick up the entire computer. Please do not send it to us either. 


Active Directory Login: Verbiage to use with Customers

  1. Any of your employees who have a login can sign into that computer since it is on the domain. They won’t see their own desktop and program settings, but they’ll be able to use the computer for general work.

  1. If a user would like to see a specific desktop that has all of his/her application settings (Outlook, desktop shortcuts, etc.), then we can remote in and customize the profile for that user on that computer. If the user will be using this computer on a regular basis, we strongly recommend doing this to improve productivity and clean up any old user profiles from previous users. 

  1. Please have one of your users try signing onto that machine and let me know if you have any questions. 



Computer Profile Changes - Verbiage

From a technical aspect renaming an old profile, instead of creating a new one, is not the best way to add a new user to a machine.  It makes it difficult for us to audit and track what users have done and is also confusing because the name of the folder on the computer doesn’t change. 

We can migrate over any shortcuts to ensure the desktop looks exactly the same as the previous user. 


Verbiage for Customers Requesting Company Software (email, shared files, etc.) on Non-RMM machines (e.g., personal computer)

 We strongly recommend that any employees use a managed company machine; otherwise, we can’t be responsible if they accidentally put your data and your customers’ data at risk by exposing it to a machine that is not properly protected against ransomware and other malware.


Data transfer between Workstations for RMM Customer

Any time the subject of transferring data from an old workstation arises with an RMM customer, remind the customer they should not be storing data on workstations. Dato should be in centralized company storage – either cloud or server, depending on customer. 

Otherwise the customer will assume it’s okay to save data on the workstation. Since that data is not backed up, if the machine crashes, they will consider us responsible because we did not warn them even though we were aware of the files being stored locally. 


Policy on Sending Mass Emails

Microsoft and Gmail's terms of service both specifically prohibit the sending of bulk emails through their services. We have observed instances where clients' email communications were restricted due to this approach. These restrictions are applicable to organizations of all types. While neither organization gives an exact definition of a "bulk email", we have seen email messages with over 100 recipients have been flagged in the past.


 A more effective approach would be to utilize a dedicated mailing list application such as Mailerlite, Constant Contact, Mailchimp, or any other platform you are comfortable with.


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