We dispatch our consultants a protected Linux server that stores the details that the job/task..  We use cell phones, email, remote desktop, and remote access tools to communicate and to work on your systems.  We have virtual storage on a separate protected area of this website.  Our internal documents are protected on another secure server on the Internet.  Our bookkeeping is performed remotely.  Our contact database is secured and encrypted.  Invoices are emailed or faxed.  We use Two Factor Authentication wherever possible.

It is the 21st century and we're part of the Digital Age.

Our Priority order:

1. Priority Service Plan customers receive top priority.
2. Service Calls to non-contract customers, per our standard policies

Within these priorities, our service order is:

Medical devices
Paycheck generation
Large Group work stoppages
Small Group work stoppages
Individual work stoppages
Routine installations and upgrades
Routine maintenance

When  do I need a server?

Most companies need a server if they have between 2 and 5 computers.  Almost all businesses with 5 computers will function much better with a server. 

A server is simply a single computer that centralizes the location of your data.  It increases security and productivity.  It protects your data and your privacy

How much does a server cost?

An investment in a server can be a Microsoft Server 2012 can be as little as $6000 and as much as $50,000.  The hardware for a good small server with RAID and redundant power starts at $4500. 

Is a small business firewall affordable?

Small, simple firewalls start at under $50, plus installation.   JK Technologies highly recommends SonicWALL UTM Firewalls. 

We have used most of the brands available today.  However, there is a huge difference in the quality of the consumer-class products and business-class products .  

Most small businesses should spend at least $200 for a good basic firewall.  As a minimum, a good firewall should have hardware based Stateful Packet Inspection, Packet Filtering, NAT, application filtering, port forwarding, Antivirus, Geo-IP filtering, and encryption. 

Some small businesses will need to spend $20,000 to protect their network.  It all depends on the requirements of the business environment.

The cost of the best routers in the world can exceed $100,000, with installation.  More info from CDW.

Plan for a crisis, not a catastrophe!!!

The problem is that bad things happen to computers. Hardware fails, viruses get through, and  people accidentally delete files.  A good backup should allow you to live through a crisis, instead of enduring a major catastrophe.

During a crisis, a good backup will save your company money, time, and productivity.  We recommend that all companies keep 2 different backups, plus an offsite backup.  The 2 backups are:

1. A separate copy of the data files, on an NTFS partition of a removable hard drive, or on a secondary server.
2. An image of the server, usually in a single file made by NTBackup or Veritas Backup

One of our clients recently had a server hard drive fail. 

• Our maintenance plan caught the failure early, by reading entries in the event log.

• Our backup recommendation ( #1 above) allowed the company to continue to work, even though it wasn't  possible to clone the dying hard drive.

• Our backup recommendation (#2 above) restored all of their data.

• The customer didn't lose a singe hour of productivity or a single file.

The best solution to data integrity is our maintenance plan and a full set of backups.

Be careful when trying to save money in IT.
 

Wrong IT choices can cost business a fortune, or ruin their data.  Solutions based on price are often problematic in IT.   

Here's an example.  A business is trying to start a new venture.  They need 4 VPNs between 3 branch offices and the main office.  The client is very "budget aware."  They chooses 128K DSL Linksys home VPN endpoints for their routers.  They have to run a Microsoft JET database across the VPN.

In order of objection: 

1.  This solution won't work.  JET databases require a great deal of bandwidth, and DSL won't work at any speed.  JET databases are designed for local, or local network usage, not a VPN that goes across the Internet.  All VPNs have latency and latency can destroy these types of databases.  So, the JET database is the wrong platform for any VPN.

2.   The Linksys home VPN endpoints are a poor choice for an office situation, and an awful choice for any database.  They are designed to get a allow simple file access to a file server at the office.   Databases are very sensitive to the the timely delivery of data packets and any problems with the VPN can destroy the database as the data is traveling across the Internet..  As an alternative, a Linksys RV042 costs less than $200 and has CISCO-based VPN capabilities.  A CISCO PIX 501 can be purchased for less than $400, and they're world class.  A CISCO 871 is about $700, plus installation.

In this case, a business can save $100 with a budget home router, and destroy their entire database.  A single service call to recover damaged data will cost more than the money saved.

The recommended solution:

1.  Install a networking solution that doesn't require routine maintenance.  SonicWALL products are superb. 

2.  Business software must be chosen with care.  In this case, an MDAC application or an ASP.NET application is a better choice for a small database.  There are a number of SQL products that are excellent database choices, even for budget applications.  (For larger projects, MS SQL Server or Oracle databases are superb)

In this specific case, an MDAC database would work fine over 128K DSL and be completely reliable because the real data never leaves the server.  Linksys RV042 VPN business routers are excellent and only cost about $200 each.

Always consult with a qualified IT consultant when making IT decisions.  It will be cheaper in the long run.