In today's business market, employeers are always trying to find ways to save money,  from finding frugal ways for advertising to scouring the internet for the best deals on business equipment.  Maintaining your computers and network are not one of those that should be overlooked as well.  

Now you may find yourself trying to avoid having to hire someone to fix your computer's.  You will go out and buy the expensive anti-virus software, watch where you go on the internet and won't open that questionable email with the attachment.  This is not 100% full proof.  I have seen more computer related viruses in the past years then ever before and they keep getting more prominent. 

There will be a time when your computer will be hit with the latest virus and you are forced to pick up the phone and call someone.  

Other companies, that have more than 10 computers, may want to consider contracting a computer consultant.  This size of a company probably has data that needs to be backed up and stored on a central computer called a server.  You will want to have someone available to make sure your backups are actually being backed up and that your server is updated and running properly.  A trained professional is only a phone call away and contracts can range anywhere from 2 days a month to 3 to 5 days a week.  Cost savings are better when tied in with a contract and computer consultants usually are very good at working with you on your contract at any time.

You say you already have a IT support guy that is full time with your company?  Great!  Being one IT guy in a company of multiple servers and 50 or more computers can be overwhelming at times.  Why not hire a consultant to help you out.  We have clients that already have IT administrators but would like expertise in a field they may not be too familiar with or help to take the load of some of the grunt work so you can catch up on paper work that has to be turned in at the end of the week.

Hiring a consultant shouldn't be a scary ordeal.  We at Chowen & Associates will work with you and your budget to come up with a plan that will suit your needs.  Give us a call today and we will give you a free consultation at your business where we can see how your company is setup so we can give you the best price.

Eric Vanderveer is an Associate Engineer at Chowen & Associates and a computer and network veteran working in the IT field for over 10 years.