Insights · page 6
Straight answers about small-business IT in Dallas (page 6)
What things cost, what to ask, how to switch providers, how to wire an office and how to keep a dental or law practice out of trouble. Written by the person who does the work.
Results
A supplier changed their bank details by email: is it fraud?
An email arrives from a supplier, a landlord or your own boss asking for payment to a new account. Here is how to check it in five minutes, what to do if the money already went, and the controls that stop it happening again.
What a managed IT services agreement usually includes
Before you sign a managed IT agreement, know what is normally covered, what is billed separately, and which clauses decide whether you can leave. Here is the whole document in plain English.
Computers and phones from one IT company
When the phones and the computers are looked after by different vendors, every problem is somebody else's fault. Here is how I handle both, what a cloud phone system involves, and how porting your number works.
What IT support does a 25-person office in Dallas need?
Between twenty and thirty people, the setup that carried you this far starts to fail quietly. Here is what breaks, what to add and in what order, and when a small, owner-led IT provider is still the right answer.
Month-to-month vs annual IT contracts: which is better?
For most small businesses a month-to-month IT agreement is the better deal, because it keeps the provider accountable every month. Here is when an annual contract can still make sense, and what to read before signing either.
North Texas storms and outages: how do you protect your office IT?
Spring storms and summer grid load are part of running an office in North Texas. Here is what battery backup actually does, which equipment belongs on it, how to shut down safely, and the one-page plan your office manager should have on the wall before the next storm.
IT support for Dallas construction and contracting offices
A contractor's IT lives in two places: an office that runs on estimating, accounting and project management, and a job site where the drawings have to open on a tablet in the dust. Here is how I support both for construction companies in Dallas.
Moving a law firm in Dallas: the IT checklist
A week-by-week IT checklist for a law firm relocating in Dallas, covering internet lead times, cabling, phones, the server question and the move weekend itself, from the person who would run it.
Cybersecurity basics for a Dallas small business
You do not need a security operations center. You need seven ordinary things done properly and kept working. Here is the short list I set up for Dallas small businesses, why each one is on it, and how to tell whether yours are really in place.
The office printer stopped working on the network
A network printer that goes offline is usually one of four things, and which one it is depends entirely on whether one user or everybody is stuck. Here is the order to check, and the permanent fix.
How quickly can a new IT company take over your systems?
Day-to-day support can move in days; a properly documented, monitored and secured environment takes about a month. Here is the realistic timeline, and the things that make it faster or slower.
Office IT decommissioning: closing the old office properly
Leaving an office is more than turning off the lights. Drives must be wiped, equipment disposed of properly, the suite handed back in the state the lease requires, and every service canceled in writing. Here is the list, and how it pairs with setting up the new site.
Have a question these did not answer?
Ask me directly. If it is a good question I will probably write the article.