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Geek on a shoestring: How to be your own tech
By Jenny C. McCune
Bankrate.com
 The
owner of a small business wears many hats: marketer, sales rep,
bookkeeper. One of the hats he or she is probably most uncomfortable
wearing is that of head of IT. Computers may keep the company humming,
but who has the time to be an Information Technologist when you're
already Chief Cook and Bottle Washer?
Of course, if your company doesn't take care
of technology, it won't take care of your business. Hence the need
to build in support so if the worst does happen, your business will
still be able to function.
"The biggest loss that you can sustain is the
loss of data," says Toni Reese, owner of MsA Answers Inc., a computer
consultancy in Ellicott City, Md. "You can buy a new computer or
a new software program, but when your hard drive crashes and data
is lost -- that can't be replaced easily."
Here are steps to take to make sure your computers
and their software keep working for your organization.
Preventive maintenance
The easiest and most inexpensive way to
support a small company's computer operations is to protect computer-stored
data. That way, you don't have to make that call in the middle of
the night to a sleepy tech support person at your computer manufacturer's
headquarters: "My computer just froze. I think the hard drive died.
Now I can't get access any of my documents. What do I do now?"
It's no fun to have a tech support person laughs
at you -- especially one who's charging you $1.99 a minute for it.
To avoid such a data disaster, have a backup
system in place, Reese says. Backing up data -- duplicating and
storing your computer files in space separate from your computer's
hard drive -- is probably the best support policy a small business
can have. A small business can sign up with an online service that
will store all files for a monthly fee. Costs vary -- from free
to several thousand dollars -- by the amount of data stored or the
number of users. Examples of such services include BackupNet,
DataSaver
and Backup.
A typical plan for a small business would be the entry-level option
offered by Backup: $99 a year for 100 megabytes worth of storage.
Or a company can purchase a program and do its
own backup. For those with very little time and smaller budgets,
simply copying essential data files -- not the programs -- onto
a floppy diskette or another storage medium (a zip drive diskette,
for example) may not be an elegant solution, but it can minimize
data loss. Just remember that the major drawback to at-home backup
-- if your office floods or goes up in flames, so do your backup
files.
Virus protection
Protecting your computers against viruses
and worms can also prevent problems. These parasites will destroy
data just as easily as a hard drive crash will. A small business
can install virus protection software from vendors such as Symantec
or McAfee,
but probably the best deal is to sign up for an online service like
McAfee's Clinic. For $29.95 a year your virus software will be continually
updated to protect against the new viruses that come online. In
addition, McAfee's Clinic has optimizing tools to ensure that your
computer is in fine fettle.
Buying and installing surge protectors and uninterruptible
power supplies is another good idea. They aren't exactly thrilling
pieces of technology, but you'll be thankful to them when they protect
your PC from harm during an electrical storm or power outage.
Having a backup computer also can help. For
example, buy a laptop for travel purposes, but also use it when
your own computer is down for some reason. Or hold onto one of your
older computers when you buy a newer model. You may not be able
to afford a spare computer for everyone in your office, but chances
are, not all of your PCs will be "ill" at the same time. And even
if a virus does bring down all your systems, having one functioning
computer is better than none.
Lining up support
Software and hardware manufacturers alike will offer varying
degrees of help when something goes wrong with their products. The
key to opening the support door? Having Internet sites and phone
numbers handy and accessible as well as proof of purchase. Do that
by keeping all computer and software manuals in one place. Write
pertinent serial numbers directly on the manuals so you won't have
to turn your computer upside down to find the serial number when
something goes wrong, says Marcia Layton Turner, author of The
Unofficial Guide to Starting a Small Business.
Also make note of when you purchased the equipment
and what type of support you can get and when. (For example, some
manufacturers will let you call toll-free within the first 90 days
of purchase, but after that you're relegated to a 900 number.)
Depending on your budget, you may want to start
with free online services and then advance to the for-pay support
only when necessary. For example, many computer vendors publish
online troubleshooting "FAQs" that may solve your problem for free,
or you can submit questions online and receive gratis solutions
from computer technicians, Layton Turner says.
In addition to going to your vendors for help,
your company may want to line up local assistance. Hire a computer
consultant or even a local computer store's repair shop. You can
put them on retainer -- paying them a set fee for a certain number
of support hours, says MsA Answers' Reese. To find a consultant,
ask local businesses for references. Or visit the Web site of the
Independent
Computer Consultants Association. The ICCA's site lists members
geographically and by specialty, including Reese, who sits on the
ICCA's board.
Be self-sufficient
If you take steps to protect your computer
and data from harm, it's much less likely you will need to call
for support. Another insurance policy is to learn something about
computers yourself. Take some courses at a local computer store
or community college.
If you don't have resources to educate yourself
on computers, at the very least buy some basic guides that you can
consult when things go wrong. "Buying basic guides, such as those
in the Unofficial or Dummies Series, can also lead
you through basic troubleshooting without having to pay a computer
consultant's rates," Layton Turner says.
Even if you can't fix something by yourself,
knowing something about computers and how they function can help
you oversee repairs and leaves you less likely to be taken advantage
of by an unscrupulous repair shop.
The nice part about preparing for support is
that the more you prepare, generally the less you'll actually need
to make the 900-number call or make an appointment for a computer
tech to visit. It's a good insurance policy for something that's
crucial to your operation: your computers.
Jenny C. McCune is a contributing
editor based in Montana
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