• Wireless Networks—Plug and Play, Right?
    This is my specialty. Discard the network cable with home office WiFi network and DSL/Cable sharing. Apple Macs and PCs. I install wireless, WiFi, systems for most home office and small office settings. I specialize in Apple AirPort, and Linksys access points, but am able to work on your NetGear, SMC, D-Link, Buffalo, and other systems. Call me before purchasing network hardware. The market is glutted with wired and wireless devices offered in a wide range of prices. It's easy to get ripped off with confusing, and misleading, marketing claims. PC wireless and wired networking also.

    Why go wireless? Roam freely throughout your home or office with your laptop, share broadband Internet, share files, share a single printer, share music. Save the cost of wiring. That said, WiFi is often oversold as a simplistic networking panacea. Ask me how WiFi can be unreliable and insecure. Is it right for your office?

    Call me to discuss WiFi security for your existing wireless network. Are your neighbors using your wireless network and Internet, too? Often sold as "plug and play," some wireless networks are wide open to drive-by hackers. Your wireless signal does not stop at your office wall. If you have not enabled wireless security measures, hackers maybe be able to access your files from the street. You enabled WEP encryption and think you're secure? Think again. WEP security can be broken in a matter of minutes.

  • Road Warrior Woes—Dang, I Left My Laptop In San Francisco!
    Do you take your PowerBook or iBook on the road? How can you connect remotely at a public "hotspot," a remote office, or a hotel room? How can you send and receive e-mail or surf the Web remotely, and reliably. Carry an AirPort Express while you're travelling to provide the same freedom of wireless computing that you enjoy in your home office. Are you on the road with Verizon wireless and want to connect your PowerBook directly to high-speed Internet? Can do with EVDO.

  • Synchronicity—Data Cornucopia
    Let me assist you to develop your home office or nonprofit computer system into a digital appliance serving multiple functions. More than just a word processor, your Mac can manage and synchronize calendars, address books, and even Web browser bookmarks between laptops, multiple desktop computers, PDAs, cell phones, and even an iPod. Your PowerBook is a powerful projector for PowerPoint presentations, complete with remote control, too.

  • VoIP Telephony—Panacea or Pain?
    Should you move from your current "telco" to VoIP? Maybe; maybe not. What are the critical factors in making this important decision? Setup and integration of voice over IP telephone service

  • Wired Networks—Communal Bliss?
    Does your network have a firewall? Switch or hub—aren't they all the same? Macs and PCs can share printers on a network by installing an inexpensive network print server, or perhaps your home office needs a networked multifunction device that can print, scan, fax, and copy. Let me help you choose. Do you need gigabit Ethernet?

  • File Servers—Service with Panache
    Are you storing your files on the boss's workstation? Do you need an independent file server? Should you use an NAS? I specialize in Mac Mini OS X Server for office file sharing and Web servers. Do you want to share files with associates out there on the Internet but they're too large to send as e-mail attachments? FTP is for you. Fax machine—who needs it? E-mail those documents as PDFs.

  • Domain Registration and Email—Virtual Homesteading
    Register and setup your own affordable personal or business domain name with e-mail. Example: dianebrown.com, with "diane(at)dianebrown.com" e-mail. Every SOHO should have their own domain.

  • Data Backup Systems—Déjà Vu All Over Again
    Do you have a backup system for your irreplaceable files? Does it really work? Your existing backup system may protect against hardware failure. Are you also keeping a copy of your files off-site to protect against data loss due to fire or theft? What is an NAS (network attached storage) and does your office need one?

  • Webmaster Services—Web Content Management
    I work with a hotshot Webmaster to bring your organization online searchable information resources, blogs, and content management systems. Permit content control through simple cut-and-paste Web editing. I can orchestrate Web site moves to new hosting services, too. Ask me about custom Web interfaces for your Filemaker Pro or other databases.

  • Home Theater Audio—iTunes, We All Tune, for MP3s
    Play your MP3 music though your home stereo. Using iTunes and an AirPort Express, music stored on your iPod or your computer can be played through your home stereo system. Share music on your network. Each computer on your network can playback music through your home stereo system. I specialize in home audio streaming from your computer to your home stereo system?Mac or PC.

  • Computer System Planning and Implementation:
    Many nonprofits/small businesses have computer and software needs that are not being met. You're too busy and high tech is far to complex for you to slog through technology decisions that seem confusing and time-consuming. That's where I come in.

    I don't just troubleshoot individual computer emergencies, Computers are tools to produce results. I will review your workflow patterns. Are you making movies, offering community services, managing online retail sales, producing graphic designs or selling real estate? I can assess how your computing system, the hardware and software as well as the network, can best support your individual productivity. Computer systems are integrated tools supporting your mission-critical goals.