Coronavirus (Covid-19) Update

In these extremely unusual times, I thought it would be a good idea to update you on the steps we have been taking here to protect our customers and assist with getting people successfully working from home.

This week we have made the following changes to the way we work to minimise physical contact in line with current government guidelines.

New Hardware Installations

All on-site appointments to our customers have now been cancelled.
We are no longer offering the normal on-site installation for new PCs, laptops, printers, monitors and other IT equipment.
Equipment can still be ordered and pre-configured where possible but will be delivered "contact free" with remote assistance for any on-site setting up that is required afterwards.

Support & Repairs

Customers with bronze and silver support contracts in place will still be supported just as before. All remote access support is still available.
If your support contract includes onsite cover, this will be unavailable until further notice except for very specific situations.
This will be decided on a case by case basis should the need arise.
Please contact us as normal for assistance.

Contacting Us

Our freephone support number is still working as normal and we are still taking calls.
If your call is not urgent, please email support@999networks.net rather than call to help reduce the load on phone lines if you are able to.
During busy times, you may need to leave a voicemail message, but we will call you straight back.

Phone Line and Broadband Installations and Repairs

Openreach announced yesterday that all new phone line or broadband installations that require an onsite visit will be delayed until at least the 1st June 2020 unless it is considered an essential service or for a vulnerable person.
Upgrades and repairs that are external to the property will continue as normal.
Repairs that require an onsite engineer visit will still be dealt with but with extra precautions in place to keep to government social distancing guidelines.

Zen are seeing approximately a 15% increase in network traffic but this is being handled comfortably with no reported issues.
Any customers on an older package with a monthly usage cap has automatically had this cap removed until the end of June.
If you are still on an old package, please contact us to arrange an upgrade and better pricing in the meantime as these orders are still being accepted.

Remote Email Access and Home Working

There are usually ways we can assist you or your staff with working from home and accessing your emails from a laptop, tablet or mobile phone for example. Contact us if you are struggling and need a helping hand. We are always happy to advise where possible.
If your business line is with us already with us, we can also help with diverting calls to your mobile during these difficult times.

All connections we supply come as standard with a fixed IP address and business grade service with unlimited usage so are ideal for remote access and VPN connections into your business network. This includes home connections so are also great for the weeks of online streaming TV that is likely to follow!

.....and Finally

On a more personal note, I understand this is going to be a difficult time for everyone, but we will get through it if we all work together.
If you need some free advice or some help with something, (not just IT related) please feel free to send me an email and if I can help, I will!

Please stay safe and where possible, stay at home. Remember that the health and safety of your family and friends is far more important than your job.