And again, Cyd and Charlie. 

DJ pretending to bat or swing a hockey stick in Feb 2005

Again, Cyd and Charlie. 

My wife, Cyd, with grandson, Charlie. 

On our patio with (left to right) Katie, Louis, Jason, and Lisa 

My daughter, Jamey, and grandson, Charlie. 

My wife, Cyd, pulling our Grandson, DJ, in his wagon. July 2005. 

Taken in Feb 2005, I have to admit, I clean up pretty good. 

About 8 weeks old, as of 8/1/2005. His name is "Mac". And behind him is "Sammy", our Golden Retriever. They are adapting fairly well. 

Techprodave

Techprodave

HyperOffice

I recently signed up to host my website at HyperOffice.com. They presented a neat and organized site that provided many of the things I needed in a website, which isn't too much mind you, but enough to make a site look impressive.

After signing up with them and going through the trial period (and I admit, I didn't use the trial period to the best of my advantage...), I found there were several things I wasn't too fond of. I blogged these complaints on another site and the sharp people at HyperOffice noticed and responded to me fairly quickly. That alone was impressive.

So, though I still have a few issues that are not to the best of my liking, I have to say their customer service and their ever-present efforts to improve the great site, features and functionality of the services they offer to their clients will likely cement my love of them over the few things I didn't like after signing up and using the service more intently.

So, what DO I like?
Appearance. This is very important to a small entrepreneuer like myself. Image is important.

Features. Lots of email client software offers similar features, but few offer the ability to share documents and files in a collaborative fashion as HyperOffice does. Additionally, I can manage my tasks much easier. Eventually, I will set up Groups...one for each client, so they can log in and post things they need me to do.

Webmail. Of all the webmail types of sites I have looked at, this exceeds the Yahoo, Hotmail, and even GMail. I'm sure there might be others out there that are better. But HyperOffice is serving me fairly well right now. I'm going to stick with them until I can afford my own email server, which by the way is MDaemon by Alt-N.

Stability. I have not experienced glitches that cause me to lose mail, have mail that doesn't get sent, or any of the other instability issues I have run into with email client software such as Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, Microsoft Entourage, and Netscape...just to name a few. I am an IT guy that provides networking, server and workstation support for nearly 200 users. I have seen alot of glitches that really frustrate users.

Customer Service. I have a sales rep that, as I already have mentioned, is concerned about the things I don't like with their service. Every concern I have expressed has been addressed. Most of them will, I trust, be resolved to my satisfaction. Those concerns that are not as well-addressed are not deal killers. I have learned that, with software, you don't always get what you want. But ask yourself...when was the last time Microsoft added a feature you requested?

If you are interested in looking at HyperOffice. Look at my site. www.techpronetworks.com or, look at their homepage and check out their free trial. www.hyperoffice.com they won't ask for your credit card and it takes about 2 minutes to set up.

Consulting Best Practices

I'm a computer consultant/service provider. I've been doing this since 1990. I prefer to deal with Macs, but of course, it is mostly a PC world out there, so I dabble in those too.

So, in this first blog, I'd like to talk about best practices. As a consultant/service provider you have to balance your client's needs with my own needs of not ending up with a client that yells, "FIRE", everytime there is some problem.

So, what are the client's needs?

• Stable systems with little down time
• The right Software
• The right Hardware
• The right network configuration
• A responsive service provider and knowledgable consultant
• All of the above at the right price.

And, what are my needs?

• A client that pays immediately when services are rendered
• A client that allows a level of trust to exist so I can work toward the client's needs
• A client that doesn't go out and get other opinions without letting you know his intentions
• A client that doesn't buy hardware or software without a reasonable amount of discussion and research
• The ability to create a stable and secure network and computing environment

There are probably more to be added to both lists to be complete, and fair. And, I may be "out in left field" on some of this, but it is what is on my mind at this point.

Additional thoughts to consider and keep in mind from someone who manages several clients. Keep in mind the fact I have so many clients means I have a lot of information to store in my head. Or, preferably, in my Palm. Key to all of the items below is this: UNIFORMITY; UNIFORMITY; UNIFORMITY!

• Workstation naming conventions
• IP numbering conventions for printers, servers, workstations
• Standardization of routers, switches, etcs. to minimize confusion
• Minimum hardware configurations. I use 3 different standards depending on the workstation usage. Servers vary
• Standardization of OS for workstations
• Do everything possible to maintain password security among users and administrators
• Maintain a list of usernames/passwords; who uses which workstation; printer IP numbers; physical address; network map; phone numbers of all critical contacts and tech support phone numbers for all important software & hardware; ISP and email provider data; and miscellaneous other configuration notes. ALL ACCESSIBLE IN MY PALM.

That's it for now. I invite comments and welcome criticism. So bring it on. If you are dealing with the same struggles I deal with, the discussions would benefit all of us.

David