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----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Rate: $60.00 per hour
Response Time:
30 minutes to two hours maximum. Are you
waiting days for a return phone call?
No long term
contracts: OR monthly fees, or
paying me for things I don't do. Do
your technicians seem to bump you to the
bottom of the priority list because they've ALREADY been
paid on a "monthly service" contract,
growing their business at your
expense? I hear it all the time, "I pay my
monthly fee and it takes a week for my IT
guy to even return a phone call!"
What I do:
As a
Network Engineer, I love
designing and implementing new systems,
however, I'm usually the "hired gun", called
in on a moments notice to get a DOWNED
system up and running again, THEN
clean up the rest of the mess. So, not by
choice but necessity, I've learned how to
quickly evaluate, repair, then clean up existing troubled
systems. So, pretend your SYSTEM (Business)
is down and you can't
find your IT guy; do you know where ALL the
passwords are stored? Where are your
software CD's and
license keys? If you where down, how long
would it take for YOU or the "new guy" to sort it
all out. Is there sufficient network
documentation onsite so someone could help
you right away? How much would it cost you
to be down for a day, a week, etc. How much
would it cost you if EVERYTHING was lost. Network documentation
and DATA backup are the most critical but overlooked
components in a reliable network.
Common Mistakes I see everyday:
No Central
Alarm system at the home office or the
office building. One of the most overlooked
"physical" lines of defense.
No
passwords, or very simple, easy-to-guess passwords on the
FILE SERVER or
WORKSTATIONS.
No password on
the SERVER or the SERVER
console is unlocked all the time.
No
desktop/workstation security measures. The
desktop should be locked if an employee is
away from the computer for an extended
period of time. Worse yet, SCREEN SAVERS,
that are NOT configured to
AUTOMATICALLY lock the desktop when
away. The screen should lock
automatically after 10, 15, 30 minutes,
requiring a password to regain access. You
decide what works for your office. I see this
all the time.
This is obviously a security issue for all businesses,
however, in some professions this may
actually be a
violation of federal law. I have extensive
experience with the latest federal
HIPAA
regulations. Pay now or really pay later.
No
DATA/FILE backups. Do you know for a fact
your DATA is safely backed up? Where are your backups
located? When was the last time
you actually tested your own backup system? Do you even
have a backup system, or did your
IT person say "yea, yea, you're backed
up". If
this is the case, you probably do NOT
have a proper backup system or procedure.
Please check it for yourself or ask your IT
person to demonstrate by recovering a file
or folder you suggest. At the VERY MINIMUM
someone must test your backups every single
month. Do you have an
OFFSITE backup as part of your Disaster
Recovery Plan? Do you even HAVE a Disaster
Recovery Plan?
No, (or outdated) Antivirus or
Anti Spyware software, whether you're
attached to the internet or not. There are
many free products out there, but you must
update them regularly and scan often; no
less than once a week. The paid-for
products are more reliable and require less
user intervention. You get what you pay for?
No
system cleaning program, YES, simply opening
the computer case once a year and blowing
out the dust could save you hundreds of
dollars in replacement equipment costs and
unnecessary downtime. This is one of the
dirty jobs many forget or would rather not
do.
Call today
for a free onsite evaluation home or
business! 910.797.3796
About Simplenet : Jim Hurst,
MCSE, CNE, A+
Certified, CFOT
About
Jim Hurst: I have
over ten years experience in the IT and
computer industry designing and trouble
shooting large networks. Six years as a
Network Engineer at Cape Fear Valley
Hospital was an invaluable opportunity for
me to work with cutting edge technologies
while learning to work under pressure,
maintaining a 24/7/365 network standard.
4,000 users, 2,000 computers, 100 servers
and over 400 networked
printers.
Network:
We will design a new network for you OR
repair and optimize your existing network
and other existing systems. Goal: Reasonable
price, stability, longevity and room for
growth.
Backups:
Simple, set and forget, onsite and offsite
backup solutions which can restore ALL your
data to any point in time OR restore your
entire SERVER or WORKSTATIONS in minutes.
E-mail alerts from the backup system inform
you of your successful backups each night or
warn you of occasional backup issues. YOU
can handle all this with or without a
technician. The more you can safely do
yourself, the more you can save.
Security:
In most offices I evaluate, I find
SECURITY to be the number two issue, second
only to improper, incomplete or unreliable
backups. If you maintain records which
contain medical information, social security
numbers, bank account information, accounts
receivable, etc., you
are at risk if you do not do everything in
your power to keep these records
confidential. The security in most offices I
evaluate is poor at best, criminal at worst.
Let me show you some relatively simple
solutions to this serious issue. Pay now, or
pay later.
Jim Hurst, MCSE, CNE, A+ COMPTIA Service Technician,
CFOT
Phone: 910.797.3796
Email:
jim@hurst.com
Business hours: 24/7/365
I have extensive experience in, but not
limited to, the following areas:
Wireless:
Near
"wired security" for those computers that
simply must be wireless.
Intelligent
FIREWALL configuration and
maintenance. You may not have an Internet
Firewall at all.
Microsoft Servers: Windows 2000
server, Server 2003 and Windows
2003 Small Business Server, Windows Server 2008
Novell Servers:
3.12, 4.1
Microsoft Desktop Security, upgrade and
maintenance. DOS, Windows 3.1, W95, W98, NT4.0,
W2000, XP Home and Professional. WindowsVISTA,
Windows7 Professional.
Remote Printing
- I administrated a sometimes complicated,
multi-protocol printing system which included over
500 printers. I'm sure I can handle your printing
issues. (However, I do not
repair printers)
Four years working with small to medium size
networks: Existing
network troubleshooting, technology refresh, updates
and security. Did you get stung by a fly-by-night
"expert" which left you with a total mess? I specialize in quickly assessing
substandard systems and fixing them quickly. I will
save you money.
Acronis Backup System 9.1
Easy restoration of your DATA to any
point in time, from the SERVER or any
WORKSTATION. Complete restoration of a
downed SERVER or any downed WORKSTATION.
Best of all the "Holy Grail" of SERVER
protection, the "bare metal" restore of your
SERVER to an entirely new SERVER. Total
disaster recovery in a matter of hours NOT
days.
I have extensive experience with the latest
federal
HIPAA
regulations.
Questions to ask before hiring
a company, technician or network
consultant:
What can a
certified technician do for you? Perhaps
you've already discovered what they CAN'T do
for yourself? Often my rates are lower than the
non-certified "technicians" that
nickel and dime you to death through constant,
mysterious, repair visits. After all, anyone can
knock on your door and tell you they're a computer
expert.
 Microsoft
Certified Systems Engineer
 Certified
Novell Engineer
A+ COMPTIA Certified Service Technician
 CFOT®
:
Certified
Fiber Optic Technician
Support: One of the main reason I'm called
in (usually in a hurry) is because the fly-by-night types take the money
and run. I work 24/7/365 and can usually respond
within 30 minutes. If we can't work it through over the phone,
I can usually be at your home or business within 60
minutes. There are also remote options which will allow
me to troubleshoot & repair your network from anywhere on the
planet.
NEW network design and implementation:
A
cost-conscious integrated plan to optimize your
new network for maximum workflow with minimum downtime.
Cabling, patch bays, switches, routers, internet,
domain name registration, websites, servers,
backups, quick disaster recovery etc. Unnecessary downtime means monetary loss
or worse the loss of your regular paying customers. Time is money
is more than a casual saying.
Security: This important issue is second
only to sloppy or non-existent backups as the most
serious office problem. I
provide total network security from the
desktop to the server. I am amazed each day at the
total lack of security in most businesses I
evaluate. At best, lack of network security could
lead to an embarrassing loss of sensitive client
data. At the worst, you may face costly lawsuits or
lose your license to practice for not
taking reasonable care with client data. I have
extensive experience with the latest federal
HIPAA
regulations.
Computer/Server backup:
The cost of simple
backup solutions has dropped drastically. Everyone
can now
afford top notch redundant backups of your
valuable data.
If you think about it, with computers selling
for less than $300.00, what's more valuable, your
computer OR your data? Many new clients will
say "please recover my data, I don't care about the
computer". You can always buy another computer, but
what about those digital baby pictures, Quicken
financial data, client data, accounts receivable, etc.? I have simple,
inexpensive backup solutions which are easy to use, time tested and actually work. Let me install software which
will automatically backup your vital financial data or
your baby pictures, every day, including options for
restoring your entire computer configuration without
waiting on or paying a technician to do it
for you. When was the last time you actually TESTED
your backup system?
Viruses, trojans, worms, spyware,
hoaxes? Do you
think your computer is secure right out of the box?
Wrong, let me install and configure software and
desktop security to prevent infection before
it happens. An "always on" cable or DSL internet
connection opens a Pandora's Box of potential
security issues. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound
of cure here.
Wireless network design and implementation
including near "wired" security. Is your
business or home wireless network a secure ZONE? Let me take a look and fix it
quickly. When working on client's wireless networks, I
often see numerous home or business networks nearby with
little or NO security. At best, someone may be
sharing YOUR internet connection leaving less
bandwidth for your browsing. At the worst,
they may hack your computer, damaging or stealing
your valuable data.
Technology Questions and advice:
I live, eat and breath technology. Problems
with that new surround sound system or high
definition TV, etc.? You'd be surprised how many
systems I see which are "connected" and seem to work
fine, but are wired for substandard performance. Let
me advise you on your new technology decisions
before you purchase or show you how to take
full advantage of your existing equipment. Your
$3,000.00 dollar investment in the latest flat
screen system is totally wasted if improperly
connected. It may actually look worse than your old
system!
Call today
for a free onsite evaluation home or
business! 910.797.3796
Jim Hurst,
MCSE, CNE, A+ Service Technician,
CFOT
Phone: 910-797-3796
E-mail:
jim@hurst.com
Business hours: 24/7/365
http://simple-net.net
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