Forum Home
Press F1
Thread ID: 58011	2005-05-18 21:44:00	PC Support for Small business	t_user (8155)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
356485	2005-05-19 22:52:00	that's why i have public liability insurance :cool: I'm don't think that will do the job. You need professional indemnity insurance. The trouble is that it is expensive. I doubt that most IT people have it. Public liability insurance is for physical damage. Eg. something you did caused a fire. But if what you did simply meant that 3 years data was lost - and it was your fault, then you would be personally liable.	Winston001 (3612)
356486	2005-05-19 23:04:00	yes that's true, but i have it customised into my package, so i am protected from stuff-ups. but it would be rare to happen, as i backup data before i even start to do anything. i also have numerous data recovery programs, just in case - but only ever used it for myself .. lost photos	quarry (252)
356487	2005-05-19 23:05:00	I carry both public liability and professional indemnity cover, and as Winston states, professional indemnity is very expensive. I could change my car every year for the premium cost, and then there is also a $10,000 excess on every claim. Public liability is cheap, around $200 for $1 million cover, but it is of limited use.	godfather (25)
356488	2005-05-19 23:34:00	it's expensive, but worth it, i can claim it back & u charge it to your customer - so it's not a problem for me & i can sleep at nites! charge extra for your parking fees, travel, sales... like some techs charge $20 for a modem, i charge $30+ in any case it depends on what sort of work u do, i don't do work for multinational companies, banks etc. now i better get back to work...	quarry (252)
356489	2005-05-20 01:05:00	Some people work on home PCs from choice not because they are stupid as that implies. I have plenty of experience working in corporate networked environments including Akld Uni. I hated it, its boring. Apart from the fact that you appear to have misinterpreted tweak'e's post I can't understand why you feel offended by it because in my view fixing home computers, in some ways, is a lot more complicated and specialised than dealing with business PCs. Cleaning out all the viruses, trojans, spyware, malware, etc and getting the machines back to speed without resorting to a reformat is not easy and requires quite a lot of specialised knowledge. Business PCs don't (or shouldn't) have those problems to the same degree. Even though both business and home PCs suffer the same software and hardware problems I personally wouldn't want to touch any business PCs purely because of the risk of data loss. Having said that, however, the owner of the last computer I reformatted had tears of gratitude in her eyes when I told her that I found and backed up a pile of very precious "lost" photos prior to reformatting. I would not like to cause the loss of someone's personal files and data through any fault of my own any more than I would business documents, even if the stakes were a lot lower.	FoxyMX (5)
356490	2005-05-20 01:38:00	Apart from the fact that you appear to have misinterpreted tweak'e's post I can't understand why you feel offended by it because in my view fixing home computers, in some ways, is a lot more complicated and specialised than dealing with business PCs. I personally wouldn't want to touch any business PCs purely because of the risk of data loss. Nah, takes a lot to offend me. .. Thats my point actually. You tend to come across a wider variety of not just hardware but software and other arrangements in home PCs. Then theres home business PCs. A business (you would think) would take more care with backing up their data. Home users on the other hand always panic about their data that usually hasn't been backed up anywhere. But short of the hard drive being stuffed, its usually easy enough to pull the data off and then put it back later. And businesses, usually, all are about bog standard PCs, with boring hardware and a lot of software fixes, updates and network connectivity problems. Yawn.	pctek (84)
356491	2005-05-20 06:43:00	I thought Tweak'e was advising against hiring some young teen kid who can talk a lot but not back up what is said. Home PC's and Business PC's differ majorly in their requirements. Ideally find a small business, and ask to speak to some previous customers of theirs. I do on-going support for Prestige Services, and if you were investigating (for example me) and wanted a previous clients contact details so you could ask them of their experiences, I'd be happy to provide it because I know I pride myself in high-quality work, meeting deadlines, keeping my word, not overcharging, and conveying what is happening to the customer in a simple fashion without "dumbing it down" too much. Basically, hunt about! Ask to talk to some of their previous clients. Ask the clients what they thought. I helped a friend with her PC. She was running a small business from home doing CAD design work. Some rip-off charged her $450 for 6 hours work to remove some viruses. I told her the longest Virus removal should have taken is two hours, maybe three for a format/re-install. Even then, that price is ridiculous.... To top it off, the system wasnt patched, and no AV software setup for her. So, ask about, dont hire a friends son (or daughter) unless you really trust and believe in their abilities! Remember, this is your business, and you DO need a good solid IT foundation in this day and age. Geez I write a lot when I should be working..... ;) End-Note: Im not trying to promote myself, I seem to have enough on my plate ATM, but at least that'll give you a good idea of what to expect!	Chilling_Silence (9)
356492	2005-05-20 07:01:00	Don't forget that with a more commercial PC Support company, they should be able to provide cover 24/7 if it is critical the small business has no down time. A lot of one-man bands will not be able to provide this extensive cover (they do take holidays or go out of town for the weekend etc).	Jen (38)
356493	2005-05-20 09:57:00	to expand it a bit further... every town has heaps of "home pc" techs, which do a fine job. this dosn't mean they are good at buiness pc's. tho its not the lack of skill but the attitude and style of work they do. i've seen a few buisnesses set ups that have had a total lack of sicurity, one even had the back door wide open.	tweak'e (69)
1 2