Welcome

Welcome

Finding the Right Solution for the Right PRICE

I am a local expert who provides IT services for small business owners and end users.

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IT Support You Can Understand

IT Support You Can Understand

Finding Solutions That Make SENSE

My solutions always consider your comfort level with technology to ensure I don't provide an overly complex solution that not supportable.

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Business Make Easy

Business Make Easy

IT That Makes Your Business or Life EASIER

I understand that the most technical solution may not be the best solution for you.

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Service

My Services

How I Can Help YOU!

01

Customer Services

My goal is to take the “stress” out of your IT experience(s) by providing “Gold Standard” customer service and support. This requires effective communication to ensure you have the skills/tools necessary to understand and use the technology deployed.

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02

Cyber Security

Most issues have a root cause involving security. I will evaluate your current situation, recommend solutions, and ensure YOU understand what is necessary to maintain a secure environment.

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03

Cloud an Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The advances and advantages in these areas swiftly outpace the average end user's understanding. I will help you understand, effectively deploy/use these technologies, and provide support/training on usage.

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04

IT Management

Managing your IT environment is a contant moving target in skills, software, and hardware. My expertise and support will ensure you have the "right balance" of IT to keep current with technology but not needlessly update just for the sake of change.

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My Support

Please call, text, or email me!

(657) 210-0619

[email protected]

Technical Support Information

My Blog

This blog will include posts on some of the most frequent or impactful issues my clients are dealing with....as well as solutions.

Transitioning To A Smart Home

The term “smart home” refers to a building typically a residence that has installed technology to automate and monitor remotely various functions throughout the home. Most people picture a smart home as futuristic, like the Stetsons or Jarvis in Iron Man. It does not begin that dramatic or require a large budget. Click this link if you want to see more information about what is a smart home.

With sufficient budget and a luxury property, you can experience a smart home fully. Be prepared to hire an IT professional to maintain, upgrade, and troubleshoot the installation and usage. It mirrors hiring a professional landscaper for your yard. For this type of experience I would suggestion solutions like Josh AI. Josh AI functions as the brain of a completely integrated system control, monitoring, and optimizing everything from cameras to appliances to smart speaker to lights…and so much more.

Most of us do not need or want something like Josh AI. So let’s first figure out if you even want smart technology in your home, what do you consider an improvement, and what are the risks you add when adding this technology into your daily life.

  • Step 1: Make a list of what you find irritating about your home. Do not worry about if smart technology can solve it. Just make a list of stuff that drives you nuts.
  • Step 2: Go through that list and sort it in order of most to least annoying/impacting to your life.
  • Step 3: Look at each items and see if there is a technology solution to the problems. Some examples are:
    • Problem: My electric bill is way to high.
    • Problem: I hate how dirty the light switches get in the kitchen or bathroom areas because of wet, dirty hands.
    • Problem: I would like to have the ability to have high quality sound throughout my home. I want my setup to include both indoors and outdoors, the ability for different rooms/zones to play from different sources simultaneously or all the same and in some rooms I want to to hook up/connect to the TV screen.
    • Problem: I want outdoor cameras tied to motion activated lights that I can see from my smart phone even when I am not home.
    • Problem: I hate how large/big/heavy my key ring is and how many different keys (or codes) I need to access all the doors and/or gates of my home.
    • Problem: I want a dishwasher that really cleans dishes, doesn’t require an engineering degree to load it so everything fits, and doesn’t “stink” if you forget to keep the door cracked so it can dry the inside of the machine.
  • Step 4: Sit down with someone like myself who understands technology and traditional home products to find the RIGHT solution(s) for your concerns and budget.
  • Step 5: Review the pros/cons a various solutions and how those solutions impact solving other problems/concerns in the future. For example: A specific solution for the dishwasher probably involves a particular brand. Even if your concerns about your washing machine is not as pressing, you want to consider how going with a particular brand for the dishwasher may or may not impact your potential future solution for the washing machine.
  • Step 6: Implement!!!!

Now that we know what we want to solve for let’s talk about what some of these solutions involved and how smart home technology might be the right answer or not. Looking at the first problem, my electric bill. We need to establish what is driving your electric bill. In southern California, probably your AC usage or other high demand appliances like your dryer are causing most of the cost. If that is the case, we now look at how to solve it other than doing things like, cut back on using AC or other high demand appliances. If AC is the problem, my first questions are:

  • What is your current AC unit specifications?
  • What is the insulation in your home?
  • Are you on an Time of Day (TOD) rate plan and does that make sense for your lifestyle?
  • What kind and age are the windows in your home?
  • Where is the theromostat located?

As you can see from looking at this list, not every AC concern involves smart technology. You need to review the pros/cons of each item to determine what is the best combination of solutions. If you have really old windows with little to no insulation in your easily accessible attic space, the best solution may be to upgrade your home insulation and replace windows. If your AC is really old, a newer model combined with a properly located smart thermostat may give you the best results for the price. Sometimes increasing technology or complexity of the items in your home is not always the solution that provides you with the best experience.

Smart home technology shines when you want to increase automation. It can help you integrate items to work together and provides remote control or access when you are not onsite. Skylights capable of opening/closing and coordinate with your HVAC system, whole house fan, various sensors, and other systems is just one example of how smart technology can work in concert.

Give me call and your list or specific home problem and I’ll help you find the “RIGHT” solution!

Computing and Location Data – The Good, Bad, and Ugly

If you are not offline, location information is tracked. Online use increases exposure to location data by apps and services. Many times, we as users trade some of our privacy for services at a significant discount. Facebook-type platforms sometimes offer free access. I am going talk just about one type of data – location.

Anytime you are using an application or cloud based service, you can pretty much guarantee it is using some of your “internet” information to verify or track location information. This is not necessarily a bad thing. For example, licensing requirements for many of the franchise football, basketball, baseball games have requirements that only allow viewing within a specific geographical area. This means services like your TV provider will check your location to ensure they are not violating their licensing agreements. Some governments use location data to track or block foreign influence for the publicly accessible internet. Many services or apps use location data. Google Maps, for example, gives directions from your current position to your destination via location data. Exercise apps and gadgets use location data to perform their calculations. Apple tags and other geo-tracker devices require location data in order to perform their services. Recently location data has been use to solve crimes by either providing detailed timeline of the victims moments or confirming the predator’s location.

They key is knowing consent. Understand that NOTHING is free. Moreover, the most powerful tool we have as end users is the data we generate. Companies will pay significant amounts of money to Google and other search engines for demographic and location information about their current or potential customers. We you sign up for something actually READ the user agreement. User agreements will spell out what apps/websites/services are gathering about your activities including if it uses location information and who they share it with.

So, let’s talk about geo trackers. Do you own a pet? Ever had to look for a dog or cat that got out of the yard? Especially if you live in an urban area you need to think about these types of products/services.

How many of us want to track our luggage or some other piece of equipment?

What about a child or elderly person living on their own? Parents or concerned caretakers may want to track their location. Make sure you have the legal authority to track someone’s location. Companies typically use this for tracking employee travel especially if it involves a company car. Stalkers and so-to-be ex spouses have used this technology and ended up on the wrong side of law.

Some of the most common trackers are your laptop, smart phone, tablet, or desktop computer. Not only can these devices (with the right software and internet connection) track your physical location but they can also track your internet site location. This does bring a concern about employers wanting to install/use your personal device(s). My recommendation is to say no installation of any software or device on my personal property. You want tracking on the car, then provide the car. You want software installed on a laptop, then provide the laptop. It is too easy for settings to be changed and software that was ONLY supposed to track work related activities really tracked everything that was happening.

Basically at this point you should assume that unless you are living a lifestyle that is completely off grid that your location is known by more than one service/system at any one time.

Give me a call/text (657-210-0619)/email ([email protected]) if you are looking for a solution and what to find the right balance between cost, privacy, and convenience for something you would like to track.

If you prefer, here is the link to by calendar to schedule a meeting! Link: https://calendly.com/pdavis830

Smart Locks and Other Options

As the kids head back to school are you thinking about how you are going to handle the latchkey kid for the first time? What about needing to let the lawn maintenance into the yard without leaving it unlocked? Do you have a neighbor helping out with a pet that needs access? Smart locks could be a real solution that allows you to maintain security but increase ease of use for all involved.

Old school is to have all of the locks on the house rekeyed so a single key can open any door. Great solution if you don’t forget keys and don’t need to have multiple people involved. Unfortunately, that is not the situation for most of us. The typical recommend solution is a smart lock that includes an application on your phone for control. These typically allow you to assign a temporary or different code to each different user. You can also limit the access to a specific lock (i.e. the gardener doesn’t need access to inside the house, just the backyard gate). Great solution if you are comfortable with technology, willing to spend a little money, and prepared to proactively replace/charge batteries on a regular schedule. Here are some recommended solutions:

What about a sliding door or gate? Here are some options for those locations:

Let say you don’t want to deal with batteries, don’t want to have to keep track of a key, and already have a camera on that area so you really don’t need any smart technology…. just something that only takes a code to get in!

I personally have cameras on my front door area and yard, and I’m not worried about having to change the code often because I had to give it to a one-time access user. My front door mechanical keyless entry works great. Every X-mas I change the code so the buttons do not show a wear pattern. It has been in use for almost 10 years without any issues!!!!

Give me a call/text (657-210-0619)/email ([email protected]) if you need some help finding the right solution for your situation!

Laptop and Cell Phone – Summer Issues

We are now right in the middle of summer sun and height and so I thought I would talk about some interesting ways I have seen people destroy or cause early end of life on their laptop or smart phone. Please keep these best practices/concerns in mind when using your devices!

  • Location Sun Exposure: Is your desk right in front of a big window facing the summer sun? Are you using your smart phone in the car with the windshield magnified sunlight bearing down? Are you out by the pool with your laptop, tablet, or smart phone – what is the temperature and how must direct sunlight are you exposed to? Laptops, tablets, and smart phone generate heat when they are powered on and especially when working hard. If you are basically cooking them in direct sunlight the cooling fans/heat sinks are going to start failing especially if you are out in humid/hot conditions. These devices are made with a combination of plastic and metal. Those components get too hot and they start to expand/contract at different rates. Just a few millimeters of flex on a circuit board will destroy your expensive equipment. If it doesn’t destroy it, it will do just like running a car engine near maximum output for extended periods. This is probably the number one reason a smart phone will not last longer than 2 – 3 years. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND MOVE INTO THE SHADE!
  • Location Humidity Exposure: In Southern California we don’t have a lot of humidity unless you are near the ocean BUT how many times have you “rapidly” cooled your laptop or smart phone by putting it in a refrigerator or cooler so it would start working again? Keep in mind that if your ice chest is full of ice….it is full of very humid air. I know of multiple people who have destroyed smartphones due to condensation forming on the inside. which is considered water damage and will void your warranty. Smart phones have stickers inside that change cooler if the device gets wet so the major carriers will NOT replace at no charge if it shows water. In places that are humid, this sometimes happens going from a really humid outside locations to very cool inside building locations.
  • Travel Concerns: BEWARE OF THE DROPS!!!! When using your devices in locations that you don’t normally use the device be thoughtful of where it is. If you have a bunch of luggage in your hands, don’t try to hold on to your smart phone too! That is a recipe for losing it or dropping it! What about that laptop in the hotel? Are you setting it on the bed while powered up? Can it really cool correctly when the bedspread is blocking all the vents on the bottom of the laptop? Is it close to the edge of the bed? It is just moments away from dropping onto the floor.
  • Lost Devices: Just about any laptop, tablet, or smart phone has a feature to “find your device” if it is lost. The key is you need to turn this one BEFORE you lose it so you can login to an account and find the device. There are privacy concerns if you are doing this because whatever service is providing this feature (Apple, Microsoft, Google, etc…) has to track you. A good compromise is to have this turned off until you get ready to travel, then turn it on when you have increased risk. You can turn this off upon your return to remove this privacy concern.
  • Public Network Connections: It is very convenient to use public Wi-Fi connections (Starbucks, Airport Wi-Fi, other public locations, etc…). My recommendation is DON’T. Bad actors will setup shops in these locations and put out a “fake” connection with a really strong signal. Your device automatically lists Wi-Fi connection in order of strength. If you tell your device to connect and trust it then they have access to your data. There are multiple other options. Reach out to me if you want connectivity solutions while traveling.

Give me a call/text (657-210-0619) or email ([email protected]) if you have questions or a use situation that you would like me to review to ensure we are minimizing risk/damage to your devices and data while still allowing you to use your hardware during your summer travel/outdoor activities!

Smart Home or Business Wi-Fi Security

If you have a smart home or small business, it is just about guaranteed that you have Wi-Fi for clients and internet of all things devices to use. That needs to be setup correctly or your business and personal information can be a risk. Now more than ever it is really important that you have multiple layers of security between simple devices like your garage door opener, a Wi-Fi network that you allow clients/visitors to use, and your personal information or business.

The reality is that security needs to be layered. The type of attack that can get through a device firewall is has trouble succeeding against a network firewall. Firewall security that uses behavior modeling (i.e. AI assisted) can detect new attacks before they have the opportunity to damage you even if they are “new”. As we approach our first “zero day” event (a virus that has mass distribution on day one deployment), you cannot wait for an updated virus definition to protect your business.

Best Practices

  • Install a router that allows you to have separate main network, guest network, and internet of all things (IoT) device network. This means that there will be firewalls between the portion of your Wi-Fi network used by your smart TV vs. what is used by the laptop running your business. If you have kids, the network they “share” with visiting friends should NOT be the same network that you are running your home business. If you own a physical business location, do NOT allow clients/visitors to use the same network Wi-Fi connect that you have your business information using. Credit card transactions should not be on the same network that you allow strangers of the street to use.
  • Make sure you have a router and modem (called a gateway if it is all in one physical device) that can manage traffic. In a 4-person household, it would not be a stretch to have 3 laptops, 2 smart watches, 4 tablets, 2 smart TVs, a Ring Doorbell, and probably at least one gaming system just at a starting point. You need something that can automatically balance the traffic between the laptop attempting to login to a Zoom, the kid streaming an online game with his friend, your spouse checking on social media, and your doorbell registering movement at your front door without causing any one of these activities to be “paused” or “buffer”.
  • Have the network login information appropriately accessible. This means for example the default network that guests should be used probably is written on a piece of paper on the refrigerator or a small, laminated sign in the store/office location. Your business network login information needs to be notated somewhere you can find it, so when you need to update a business device it doesn’t become a “seek and destroy” mission.
  • Change your Wi-Fi login information at least once a year.
  • Install Firewall/Antivirus software on individual devices like laptops, desktops, tablets, and smart phones. Depending on your network hardware you may have availability to additional firewall protect that is on those networking hardware. This leaves your data behind multiple layers of protection that are all configured differently with different strengths and weaknesses. Security Sources Examples: From your IP provider, Your Network Modem, Your Network Router, Your Individual Device Firewall, and your Individual Device Antivirus.
  • Stop clicking on links from unknown sources OR from a known source but not typical content. If you are not expecting to receive a “joke” from a client, you may want to reach out to the client and make sure they really sent it before you click the link for the meme!

Router Examples that have the ability to provide multiple Wi-Fi networks that have firewalls between each.

Give me a call/text/email if you want some help getting your current Wi-Fi configuration secure and with all the no-coverage areas removed!!!

Cloud Storage – How and When to Use

All of us have heard about “the cloud” but do most of us really understand what it is and how we currently use it or should be using it. Here is a more in-depth breakdown of what the cloud is from Microsoft. In summary the cloud is an online storage location that may be public or private that is used to store and access data.

The most common forms of cloud storage used by small businesses and end users is computing backups. Microsoft calls their back “OneDrive”. Apple calls their cloud “iCloud” but they have a separate application called Time Capsule for backup up of Apple computers to an external drive (i.e. not in the cloud). Other backup cloud options that are very popular are Google Drive, Barracuda, Carbinite, IDrive, etc… Here is an article from PC Magazine that reviews some of the common 3rd party options. Most of us us OneDrive just because it is part of our Window OS or Time Capsule on Apple machines. Android and iPhone have backup options as well to Google Drive or iCloud space. All of these backups can be setup to automatically backup when online access is available and as changes/data is created or added to your computing device. Some of them even will save your settings.

Keep in mind that if you are supporting or working for an industry with data requirements your cloud storage needs to meet these requirements. As an example devices with patient data need to be HIPPA compliant as does the cloud storage that is backing up that device. This will increase the cost since the servers involved must meet various security requirements.

There are multiple options but some factors that need to be considered:

  • Location risks. In California we have wildfires and earthquake risks. Because of this you need to seriously consider making sure your backups are NOT located at the same physical location as your device. For example, if you are away from your home and an emergency evacuation order is ordered, you will NOT have the ability to go back and get your backup or your device.
  • Ransomware attacks. Depending on how your automatic backups are connected to your device you may have no access to your backup if a bad actor gets access to your network and “encrypts” all connected drives. Most users do not use it for various reasons, but almost all operating systems now have a security feature call end point encryption. End point encryption is great for securing data and in some industries or companies it is required but when it is in use, some hard drive repair options are not available. A common tactic by bad actors is to hack into a system, engage the end point encryption features with a password only they know….and then hold all data ransom. Depending on how your backup is configured/connected, this may mean your backup is unavailable just when you need it most.
  • Cost. Cloud based storage typically is free for small amounts of data that don’t have any industry/company requirements (Ex: HIPPA) that prevent the usage of distributed servers. Enough cloud storage space to perform a complete device backup typically involves a cost. That cost is depended upon service and size. Obviously, the costs will be significantly more if you need a service that doesn’t use a distributed server configuration. Cloud based solutions are highly recommended if you have wide-spread location risks to consider. For example, when dealing with a major earthquake your backup probably needs to be in a different state to not be impacted.
  • Ease of usage. Most users need an automatic backup. If it is something they have to manually engage (i.e. start an application, plug in hardware, etc…) experience has shown that frequent backups just don’t happen. Automatic backup software is very standard and easy to use but I always recommend users schedule a “monthly reminder” to check the online storage. I have had multiple end users experience a backup failure that was because of setting changes that they were unaware had deselected the main folders in use with user data. If you don’t realize the backup is not backing up your data until you need it, there is no solution an IT person can do to fix the problem after the fact. Typical spot check activity by a user takes about 1 to 5 minutes every month. 5 minutes a month can prevent major heartburn during a crisis. Most backup systems ONLY backup user created data. Some will backup limited operating system settings (shortcuts on desktop, screen saver configuration, bookmarks in your browser, etc…). Users need to be aware that almost all applications will need to be reinstalled post data restoration. This means for example that presentations y created in MS-PowerPoint would be restored but the application would not be available to open/use that data until the program has been reinstalled.

Common cloud-based storage solutions:

  • Windows users have OneDrive available as part of the Windows OS.
  • Apple users have Time Capsule as part of the Apple OS.
  • Google Drive
  • Carbonite
  • iDrive
  • BackBlaze
  • DropBox
  • Local area network server – this is a local solution typically configured by the end user or their company IT support.

Some of these solutions allow for access/download of a specific file or folder. Some will keep multiple versions of the data so you can go “back in time”. Depending on your needs this can be really helpful when a file is damaged or deleted and you need to restore to an older version. Most users have more than one type of cloud storage in use at any time. The automatic system is typically a backup application that runs in the background and keeps a current copy of everything or of selected folders encase of hardware damage or loss. The 2nd type of cloud usage is an online folder location that users working on the same or integrated tasks/projects can store files that need to be accessed by more than one person. This ensures that all members of the team are always working from the latest version. Depending on the application used some allow multiple users to access the data simultaneously while others will lock at all users if the file is currently being modified by one user.

I highly recommend that all users sit down and make a list of wants and needs for their data backup system and common shared file usage. Then you will need to have an IT professional review your operational activity to ensure what you think you need achieves the type and level of backup and cloud storage solutions you are suggesting. Once those requirements are locked in, that same professional should be able to give you recommendations on your backup options, common storage solutions, cost involved, and end user training for usage. Give me a call, text, email if this is something you would like to get started.