Make My Technology Simple

My Client’s Advocate

With all the advertising and sales pitches that we come across these days it is not wonder we are all confused. Sometimes we ‘settle’ for things just because it is easier and less stressful to ‘settle’ for something that is close to what we want instead of finding that person that can an advocate for them. Do you have someone like this in your life? To some it is a board of directors. To others it is their spouse or mentor.

I named my company, “Make My Technology Simple” because before I started the actual company and was doing it part time, I was always hearing from my clients how I made things so simple for them. They never walked away in a daze because I talked over their heads. I would tell them about what they needed in a new PC or server and why, in terms that they understood. I also told them why others told them differently.

I guess I am kind of a rare breed of business owner. I put my clients first. Instead of going for that quick fix and moving on, I spend time with them. Find out what they really need and want. Do they truly understand the consequences of buying new or staying with what they have.

A lot of my clients are one time consultations. I resolve their problems in a permanent way. I spend a little time instructing them on how not to get back into the situation that they found themselves. Sometimes it is simply telling a client that downloading music files from a file sharing site is almost a guaranteed way of getting a virus. Now, what is more economic to you? Download a free song and get a virus and a bill from me for $150? Or buy songs from approved of sites for .99 or $1.99 each and not see me at all? You can get 70-150 songs for the price of me removing a free virus!

So I try to be an advocate to my clients so that we put the right combination of software and hardware together for their company’s needs and the client now can concentrate on working their business and not having downtime or added costs because of viruses or mismatched systems.

My View on Making Technology Simple (and thus usable)

I was referred to a new client last week. A retail business with two stores about 5 miles apart from each other. Their problem, at least from my point of view, was that the technology was not simple. As I have found and will always stand firmly on the statement that no one is to blame and yet everyone is.

Especially now, in a time when budgets are ‘tight’ and the need to squeeze more productivity out of each dollar spent on our employees. Technology was created to help businesses get more done. It was not created to do this without maintenance, upgrading and training.

My case in point  today is that the new client’s server was taken over by a hacker who is using it as a file repository when people can be directed to down illicit content from. The hacker setup some very nasty protections to keep the business owner’s technical consultant from easily removing the unwanted processes. The server was configured in such a way as to put up barriers to resolving this problem. Why? It usually points to a client with a small or unrealistic budget. (which is not their fault)

This all started out with a custom made server being used for the business owner. I for one have a lot of respect for anyone that can build a server for use at a business. My problem arises when the licenses become invalid, because the company did not keep up with his volume licensing agreements. Then take into consideration why the custom built server was used in the beginning… it was cheaper than one from DELL, Fujitsu, IBM or HP. The reason why it was cheaper is because the custom built server did not use the same quality parts that were used by the corporation built ones. Nothing inside the computer is standard, where the corporate built ones, everything is. You can easily get additional memory for a DELL whether from DELL or Crucial.com 5 years after you originally purchased the computer, where it is very unlikely that you will be able to purchase parts for the custom made server due to the fact that the manufacturer of the parts either went out of business, was bought out by someone else, or just didn’t have sufficient parts made or kept in stock to be available when you needed it 5 years later.

So now they have to purchase a new server, or stick with the problems that you are operating under. So now, did the IT provider drop the ball when it came to setting up this network? I never judge anyone on the work they have done. I never point fingers at anyone because it never resolves the immediate problem at hand which is getting the business back in business.

I, like most IT Professionals, will 9 out of 10 times create proposals that include only new equipment from corporate manufacturers. I use best practices during the creation of these proposals and continue to use them thru the purchase, implementation and follow-up maintenance  of their computer networks.

What are ‘Best Practices’?

Simply said, quality computers, servers and network equipment; sufficient UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supplies) for all computer equipment, internet security/anti-virus solutions for all computers and servers, a backup solution that includes sufficient number of tapes, that are taken off-site, and stored safely, and that said backups are restored from time to time to ensure that the backups are good and not corrupt; security measures that meet their needs; and instructing the user-base in how to use everything correctly.

Lastly but most importantly, talking with the users, managers and owners at length to find out what they really want and need their networks to do and to be able to do in the future. Planning, Planning, Planning!

Please post your comments, concerns and questions.

Rich Schierer

Make My Technology Simple

Selden, NY

800.918.7390

rich@makemytechnologysimple.com

How computers can take some of the stress out of life!

As a small business owner myself I can relate to everyone that runs a business. Whether it is a sole proprietorship, LLC, or an S-corp. We all have the desire to see our companies do good, by providing great services to our customers and by earning enough to be able to live her on Long Island.

Sometimes when I get stressed out from wearing all the hats I have to on a daily basis, both as a business owner and a Dad and home owner, I close my eyes and I see the guy from the Ed Sullivan Show trying to keep the 15 plates spinning on the end of the sticks! As he gets one going, three others are slowing down and he has to give his undivided attention to them, only to get them going and seeing another one-two-three or four other plates starting to wobble and need him to run over to them. At best, there is no one to help him perform these tasks except the assistant who is handing him more plates! But like the performer who won’t allow the plates to fall, I won’t let my ‘plates’ fail either!

To try and stay ahead of my ‘plates’ crashing, I have created a system using Microsoft Outlook to help me keep an eye on my ‘plates’. I find that by creating tasks and appointments and reminders using MS Outlook, I can plan my days better and get more done and not let much of anything get by me!

Microsoft Outlook for those who might not be ‘up’ on computer applications is an Email application created by Microsoft. It is a part of the Microsoft Office Suite of applications which depending on the suite you buy will include WORD, EXCEL, POWERPOINT, ACCESS, PUBLISHER, ONE NOTE, amongst others.

Microsoft Outlook can save the day and stop you from missing appointments and deadlines! I especially like it as I am the owner of an LLC and have to pay my LLC registration fee to NYS every year on time. If I miss it by one day, I have to pay a fine. Which before I started using Outlook seemed to be the norm! If you have similar ‘pay on time or else’ bills in your business or personal life, then you know the stress of finding that letter from that missed deadline indicating you are late and must now pay the fine!

Enter in Outlook and reminders! Create a task and then set the reminder for 7 days. When the reminder comes up, I usually say, “Wow I forgot all about that payment!”. Then I click snooze and like the alarm clock it will go off again the next day to remind me again! Now I pay it because I know how bad my luck is and if I don’t pay it now, I will probably forget all about it!

Other great ways of using Outlook are to keep track of your business contacts. There is another part of Outlook called Business Contact Manager which can help you keep track of your business contacts. I set up my call list for the day, then enter the info that I got from each contact and enter it into BCM. I can then set reminders to call one of them back, send a letter to another and finally invoice another one. And all of this is kept in BCM so that when I go back to look at the clients, I can see my history with them and the notes I have written for each one.

This is just one of the hundreds of ways that technology can save you time! Here at Make My Technology, we try to take the mystery out of technology and give the smaller companies the IT Muscle of the big boys!

The FAQ on UPS’ (Uninterrupted Power Supply) and their batteries

Here is an FAQ from one of my vendors on Backup Batteries. You will notice that one of the questions is how long do the batteries last? The answer is 2-3 years under the proper conditions.

A lot of my clients bought UPS’ back in 1999 when they were upgrading their computers/networks in preparation for the Y2k bug. Like a lot of things, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it applies to UPS’ too.

If your UPS beeps and all the lights are on and don’t flash, then the chances are that your battery is dead. I have to tell them that UPS’ are like insurance, you don’t need them until you ‘NEED’ them!

Take a read on the following FAQ and if YOU have questions, please send them on to me. I love answering questions!

UPS Battery Maintenance

Sealed Lead Acid Batteries (SLA) are considered maintenance free, however they do discharge if they are not charged monthly.
UPS Battery Charging

Sealed Lead Acid Batteries are the best technology available today for UPS applications, however they must be properly charged at all times to perform effectively in UPS applications.

Common UPS battery charging problems are overvoltage and exposure to excess heat that can come from dense server room environments, etc. UPS devices should be properly ventilated to cool them, to prolong battery life and overall battery performance.
Battery Life

In terms of years of service, sealed lead acid UPS batteries properly maintained may perform satisfactory for as long 2-3 years, this is subject to variation that depends on actual UPS environment operating conditions, and the number of discharge / recharge cycles their UPS experiences.

In a UPS application that cycles over to battery power on a monthly basis, and is kept in a stable temperature environment under 85 degrees Fahrenheit, UPS batteries should last 2-3 years before performance begins to deteriorate. If the UPS is loaded beyond 75%, or the UPS kicks over to battery more than once a month, you may want to replace batteries annually or every two years to ensure maximum runtime and overall performance.
Battery Runtime

UPS Battery runtime is determined by 2 basic factors; the amount of actual UPS battery storage capacity and the actual amount of power load the UPS. Most UPS applications perform best with 50% or lower load in terms of runtime. Depending on the UPS make model, some UPS manufacturer’s offer solutions adding additional battery packs can extend that, but beyond 30 minutes of runtime, a generator solution usually makes the most sense.
What is an SLA Battery?

SLA Batteries are Sealed Lead Acid Batteries, non-spillable and maintenance free.

Are You Ready?

Are you Ready…?
Summer is coming to a close. Our kids are getting ready to go back to school. We are thinking about the last summer holiday, Labor Day which is fast approaching!
What is not on our minds (and should be) is that it is still hurricane season. Our second named hurricane, Danielle was just downgraded from a category 2 to a category 1 hurricane and will most likely turn in a more north-northeast direction.
Hurricane season in the Atlantic begins June 1st and ends November 30th. NOAA has predicted another 9 named storms before the season ends. Surely with that many possible storms, we will feel the effects of at least one before the end of the season.
So my question remains. Are you ready?
I can rattle off meaningless statistics about how we are due for a big one, but unless Fire Island is submerged and Freeport’s main street has 3 feet of water, we tend not to take notice or even think about what we might need in case we are hit.
So for all my readers, here on 516ads.com, I just say to you, when you have a moment, go to www.ready.gov and check out the information that they have there for you.
And like my buddies in the Fire Service say, you need to have a plan and practice it. So with Danielle most likely a memory, why not take a look at the sight and see what you need. In most cases, we will be just bulking up on commonly used items, like bottled water and batteries. In other cases, you will be surprised when you can’t find documentation that you thought was right there in your filing cabinet.
Let’s hope and pray that Danielle and her 9 friends all fizzle out and we can concentrate on our families and businesses.
But, let’s also make sure that ‘We are Ready!’

Rich Schierer is President & Founder of Make My Technology Simple, a full service Information Technology Solutions provider. He is a member of the local chapter of the Association of Contingency Planners.
If you have any questions or comments, please direct them to him at rich@makemytechnologysimple.com