One of my favorite \u201cguilty pleasures\u201d is to turn on the HGTV network on a Sunday evening, and watch Mike Holmes renovate a house.\u00a0 For those who don\u2019t know who he is, let me explain.\u00a0 Mike is a professional contractor, based in Canada, who demands that others in the building trade live up to their word.\u00a0 He often appears at a lovely house where the homeowners describe some kind of problem that they have experienced with their builder, contractor, or building inspector.\u00a0 Mike investigates the problem, turns up more horrors than the owners had imagined, and then \u2013 with a large, very skilled, crew \u2013 proceeds to demolish things and fix them up better than new.<\/p>\n
I revel in this kind of reality television because it resonates with me.\u00a0 In my job, people often call upon me to fix some kind of computer mess.\u00a0 For me, there are two kinds:\u00a0 home computer users and small businesses.<\/p>\n
When I work with home computer users, it is often a matter of asking a few questions, and then working through a series of decision boxes.\u00a0 Does the computer have this or that software, problem, or malware?\u00a0 Does the computer respond when this setting is used or not?\u00a0 Has this selection been checked in the program properties or not?\u00a0 It gets to be repetitive sometimes, but there is a basic flow and I can resolve most problems in about an hour.\u00a0 It takes me longer to clean up malware because I use three different system scans.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, small businesses present a greater challenge for me because more of them resemble \u201cHolmes on Homes\u201d situations.\u00a0 At this point, the reality show becomes \u201cLarry on Laptops.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I have seen computer servers built with wonderful specifications, and yet implemented in the least effective manner.\u00a0 For example, in one case, a company had a server with two power units.\u00a0 This is often used in mission-critical environments where the loss of the server would curtail all business practices.\u00a0 Having two power systems lets one unit fail while the other continues.\u00a0 Yet, these power systems were attached to two different<\/em> types of UPS systems!\u00a0 If you are going to match power systems on the server, you have to match UPS systems to protect them.<\/p>\n I have seen a recent instance where a company\u2019s server was attached to a power strip \u2013 which offers no protection<\/em> from electrical glitches.\u00a0 In another case, a potential client had his company\u2019s computers hidden inside a closet \u2013 where there was insufficient airflow to keep them cooled.\u00a0 On yet another occasion, I saw an entire office run on a Windows XP PC instead of a server because the office manager was told \u201cit could be done.\u201d<\/p>\n And these problems are just on the surface!\u00a0 When I dig a little deeper, more problems often appear.\u00a0 Like the company that had a recurring problem with viruses on different network computers \u2013 but had no centralized network antivirus program!\u00a0 Or the case of a company that had a wonderful back-up system that copied everything from the main hard drive to another drive for back-up \u2013 but lacked the software to restore any single file!<\/p>\n Like Mike, the more work I do for a client, the more I turn up things that other computer consultants did that just do not make sense.\u00a0 So what do I have to do?\u00a0 I have to explain to the business owner that there might <\/em>have been a reason for the \u201cother guy\u201d to have done it, but that to get everything to work correctly now, I have to rip things out and replace them.\u00a0 However, unlike the \u201cHolmes Inspector\u201d show, which never<\/em> discusses how long or how much the changes will cost, I have to say, \u201cLook, it is going to take this long and cost this much.\u201d<\/p>\n With the economy was sloshing around in the bottom of the boat, a lot of small business owners simply did not have an excessive amount of capital to spare on their computer systems (which probably got them in their current mess in the first place \u2013 but don\u2019t get me started\u2026).<\/p>\n Yet, when I am done, my work ends up lasting longer than the \u201cother guy\u2019s.\u201d\u00a0 This is the core difference between Mike Holmes\u2019 approach to houses and my approach to computers and networks.<\/p>\n Mike can work on plumbing, electrical, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), roofing, and a house\u2019s structure.\u00a0 When he is done, it is very clear that the problem has been fixed.\u00a0 His crew does incredibly intricate and beautiful work.\u00a0 Yet in all of my years watching his shows, I don\u2019t recall ever seeing one where he comes back after a period of time to see how the homeowners are doing with his fixes.<\/p>\n On the other hand, my clients have computer systems that are continuously in use and require constant upkeep.\u00a0 That is why I urge my clients to subscribe to my SPF maintenance plan (for home computer users) or to my SHADE maintenance plan (for small businesses).\u00a0 This software lets me know \u2013 before there is a problem \u2013 when I have to get involved and do something.\u00a0 Otherwise, the software takes care of routine tasks that computer users should not have to bother with.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s a key difference \u2013 I am always trying to make your computer use easier and better.\u00a0 And I have to keep up a constant state of vigilance to make sure that your antivirus protection is up-to-date, your Windows updates are applied when necessary, and that your third-party software (Adobe Acrobat Reader and Java) is updated regularly.<\/p>\n Will I ever have a reality show on HGTV?\u00a0 No, I don\u2019t think so.\u00a0 For one thing, computer support can be pretty boring.\u00a0 After all, once the hard work of doing the initial analysis is complete, and the correct foundation has been put in place, my maintenance plans do the rest.<\/p>\n And that is another key difference.\u00a0 Unlike Mike, I will come back to my business clients each quarter to review their plans to ensure their computer networks are going to be able to support their future growth.\u00a0 I reach out to my home computer users on a regular basis to make sure their computers are running properly and without any glitches.<\/p>\n In closing, I have an announcement.\u00a0 For those customers who have not yet subscribed to a maintenance plan, I have the following special offer:\u00a0 During of February, I will waive the set-up fee for the first 5 home computer users or small businesses that contact me to subscribe to an SPF plan for their home computers or a SHADE plan for their business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of my favorite \u201cguilty pleasures\u201d is to turn on the HGTV network on a Sunday evening, and watch Mike Holmes renovate a house.\u00a0 For those who don\u2019t know who he is, let me explain.\u00a0 Mike is a professional contractor, based in Canada, who demands that others in the building trade live up to their …<\/span> Read More 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