How To Start A Effective Computer Repair Business

Computer Technician repair skills are not enough to open a computer repair business. Your success depends on working out a business plan, securing financing, and many other important steps that will have a long-term impact on your business.
The ability to configure a motherboard or bring a processor back to life is a valuable skill, and those who have the technical capabilities are a hot commodity in the job market. But what about technological dreams that dream of being your own boss? If you have an advantage in electronics repair, starting a computer repair company can be a logical career move.
However, being self-employed is not something you should do on a whim. The more time you spend on planning, promoting and protecting your business, the more chances they will be successful. The following tips will help you realize your dream of starting a computer repair business.

Build your savings
Starting a business is interesting, but it should not be rushed. It takes time, planning, effort and money to build a successful business in computer repairs. Once you've decided to dive in, you should first save money.

It is important to build a financial cushion if you do not have enough work to cover your expenses and salary when you open your business. Savings can keep your life alive for the first few months. Ideally, you should have enough cash in stock to pay your bills for at least six to nine months before canceling your work.

Create a business plan
A solid business plan is the cornerstone of a successful business. It forces you not only to think about how you want to structure your business first, but also how you imagine it will evolve over time. Some of the questions you need to answer to your computer repair business plan include:

·         What services do you offer? (Repairs, server maintenance, retail, etc.)
·         Who is your target customer? (Individuals, companies or both)
·         What is the business structure? (Unique Property, LLC, etc.)
·         Where will you do the work? (Retail location, coworking space, customer locations, etc.)
·         How do you finance your business?
·         What does the competitive landscape look like?
·         What is the budget and planned revenue for the first five years?
·         What is your marketing strategy?
·         Do you plan to hire employees? If yes, when
Once your business plan is finalized, you can reach out to creditors when looking for corporate finance. (See also: "Plan your way to a successful start of your IT business.")
Financing your business
If you not only build a nest egg, but also find additional funds, you can start your business. One option to consider is a loan through the Small Business Administration. SBA works with creditors, development agencies and microcredit institutions to set policies and provide loans to small business owners. This reduces the risk for creditors and makes it easier for small businesses to get approval - usually at lower interest rates than a traditional bank loan.

Other financing options include finding investors such as venture capitalists or angel investors. the use of credit cards; Reaching a 401 (k); Crowdfunding; and borrow money from family and friends.

At least initially, try to run your business as smoothly as possible to reduce the amount of money you borrow. You want to focus most of your efforts on building your business, not debt repayment.

Choose a location
A computer repair company offers a degree of flexibility in structuring the work environment. For example, you can work from home, work from a store, or travel to customer locations.

There are pros and cons to each option before deciding which one works best for your business.
The home
Working from home reduces your air, because you don't have to pay for office space. In addition, the transfer service is not available and you usually have more flexibility in the work schedule. The disadvantages are the lack of separation between private and professional life. If family members are at home during the work schedule, they can also compete for their time and attention, which makes concentration difficult. It is also important to make sure that your home business is protected by commercial property insurance. Homeowner's insurance usually excludes the coverage of industrial property.

showcase
A showcase offers brand visibility and can channel foot traffic into your business. The main disadvantage is the extra effort. Not only do you pay to rent or buy space, you may also need to pay for additional expenses, such as: B. for incidental expenses. If you rent your room, your landlord will probably require you to take out general liability insurance. When adding a retail area for the sale of computer accessories, you should also consider the wholesale costs of the products you want to sell and the product liability insurance.
Support on site
Limiting the repair to calls made to your customer's home or business customers avoids the added expense of doing business and provides a natural separation from home life. However, there are other factors to consider. You are within range of your customers' programs and also at risk of taking jobs longer than expected, especially when clients ask you to do extra work as soon as you arrive there. When you drive with your customers, you should also consider taking out a commercial car insurance because most personal car insurance companies do not cover the business.

No matter which option you choose, there are potential risks to your business. For example, customers could complain if they travel and injure themselves at the front of the shop, a fire destroys their home, and all the computers they work or suffer an accident when they drive to a customer's office and injure a third.

Small business insurance can protect your computer repair from all these risks and more. We will detail the specific guidelines you may wish to acquire in a later section.
Make sure the price is right
Initially, it may be tempting to offer below market prices to trick new customers into testing. However, this strategy may fail. Not only will it be harder for you to raise your prices, but you can also attract customers who are more interested in cheaper rates than the quality of your services. As your rates increase, they may disappear, forcing you to build by zero customer base.

Learn about the regular prices for other repair shops in your area and make sure your prices match the prices you receive from the competition. Remember that you must collect enough not only to pay your salary, but also expenses such as rent, taxes, taxes and more. Know your value and evaluate yourself accordingly.

To be certified
You do not need a diploma to open a computer repair business, but you may want to obtain more certifications to prove that you have the expertise and the potential competitive advantage. Some of the most common are:

·         CompTIA A + technician
·         Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
·         Certified computer systems security expert (CISSP)
·         Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)
·         ACMT (Apple)
·         BICSI technician (BICISI)
Check what certifications are common to other repair shops in your area. You may also want to find a specialty that differentiates your business from others. For example, remember to focus only on repairs for Apple computers.

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The difference between the computer engineer and the technician

Computer engineers design and test new and more efficient hardware for computing devices while computer engineers repair, fix, and service computing devices for customers. This article compares important job information for engineers and technicians.
Comparison of computer engineers with technicians
The main job of a computer hardware engineer is to research, design, build, and test systems for computer products such as servers, circuit boards, routers, and processors. Computer technicians, also known as computer support specialists, solve problems, repair and maintain these hardware components in addition to software and networks. Below is a comparison of these two works on your computer.
The responsibilities of the computer engineers towards the technicians
Computer engineers design and build physical components to improve their efficiency, durability, safety and speed. These parts can be used in conventional computers or other devices with computer system or internet capability, including machines. They create processors that can carry information faster and networks that can store more information. Designs, builds and executes new products and then tests them extensively. You may use a special programming language called Hardware Description Language (HDL) to analyze and solve problems.
On the other hand, computer technicians, also known as computer assistance specialists, do not design, build or modernize any computer parts or systems, but repair and repair existing ones. A computer engineer can replace a faulty processor, but will not be given the task of building a new processor. It is possible to work in an IT department of a company or remotely to solve the problems of non-IT consumers. Tasks range from telephone support of a single software installation to running network tests for a large company when the Internet is down. In a sense, computer engineers make sure that the products developed by computer engineers work optimally for a particular customer.
computer engineers
Computer engineers need to constantly investigate to keep up to date with computer technology and the development of hardware that meets the diverse needs of the industry. Not only parts for laptops and phones are designed and tested, but also all devices that are connected to the Internet, such. Medical machines, cars and televisions. Hardware engineers work closely with software developers to make sure the parts communicate properly. For example, the software for mobile phones should work seamlessly with the hardware in the phone, and computer engineers should see it.

The service tasks of a computer engineer include:

·         Sketch the circuit diagrams of the parts to be built
·         Test design models
·         Analyze your test data
·         Adjust the product according to the test results
·         Stay up to date on technological changes
Computer technician
The main task of computer engineers is to help computer users with software and / or hardware problems. This can mean that network or service issues are resolved by phone or face-to-face. Some technicians work as network support specialists in an organization and essentially maintain and repair networks for the IT department. These experts manage updates and backups of information in addition to their repair tasks. Other technicians can work at a help desk to solve consumer issues with a particular type of computer or software.
The responsibilities of a computer engineer include:

·         Test network systems for problems
·         Fix hardware and software issues
·         Perform software and hardware maintenance
·         Ask relevant questions and listen carefully to customer issues
·         Training customers on the correct use of networks and software

Related careers
Both computer engineers and computer technicians work with computer technology, but they have very different tasks. Computer engineers may be interested in working as an electrical engineer. This career, as well as computer engineer difference between computer technician and engineer, commanded engineers to build and test electrical equipment. Computer assistance specialists might consider becoming the architects of computer networks. Instead of repairing networks, network architects create and build data centers.

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AI in Cybersecurity – A Fresh Tool For Hackers

The crisis created by a sudden increase in automated phishing attacks is undeniable. And this is happening with more convincing content and greater precision through artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and big data. And while IT managers use AI to improve security, this technology falls into the wrong hands: Hackers?

The dawn of the Internet and developments in information technology allow us to trigger an exact solution to complex problems in various fields, from astrophysics and biological systems to automation and precision. In this rapidly evolving world of innovation in a flash, cybersecurity remains the number one concern, especially for companies facing data-rich transformations such as the Internet of Things (IoT).

To a large extent, computer security relies on file signatures to detect malware and rule-based systems to detect network anomalies. Protection often comes from a real virus: security experts isolate malicious files and identify unique names that help other systems become alert and immune. The same is true for the rule-based system: rules are set based on the experience of a potentially harmful activity, or systems are blocked to limit any access to remain safe. The problem for these approaches is their sensitive nature. Hackers always find innovative ways to bypass known rules. Before a security expert discovers the violation, it is often too late.

Cybersecurity shocked by AI

Traditional malware is designed to perform its malicious functions on all devices on which are located. An example is the NotPetya ransomware epidemic, in which hundreds of thousands of computers have been affected in a vell less span of period. This technique works when the hacker's goal is to cause maximum damage. It is not valid if an attacker has a specific target in mind.

However, the advent of disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence means that our devices and applications understand us better. For example, an iPhone X uses AI to detect faces automatically. While this is an exciting feature, it creates a complicated puzzle that can put sensitive data in the wrong hands. Today, hackers use the same technology to develop intelligent malware that can track goals by tracing millions of users.

AI: The game-changer in safety

Each year, attacks become more personalized and have a higher probability of success. Hackers have even begun to use artificial intelligence to accelerate polymorphic malware, which means that the code changes constantly and becomes unrecognisable. Using advanced tactics, hackers can bypass security to circumvent anti-spam filters and anti-spam filters, promote fantasy language commands, and bypass anomaly detection engines.

The proper update is that this info will also be used to protect the infrastructure. What makes AI's cybersecurity unique is its adaptability. Smart cybersecurity does not need to follow specific rules. On the contrary, you can observe trends and learn. Better yet, artificial intelligence can be integrated directly with everyday protection tools, such as spam filters, intruder detection and network fraud, multi-factor authentication and incident response.

Artificial intelligence has become a decisive element for cybersecurity. For the success of cyber safety, artificial intelligence can help in several specific areas:

Machine learning: artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML) are two different worlds. Machine learning can considered as a subset of AI that is primarily used to improve knowledge. When it comes to improving cybersecurity, it automatically eliminates the lack of skills to prevent cyber attacks. If malware is detected on the network, automatic incident response is sent. In addition, AI-specific robots completely block access to websites. By avoiding such actions, AI improves the security of an organization or an individual on the Internet.

Data Analysis: Data is the key to a successful cyber environment. Artificial intelligence has the potential to identify the right data for the best results. With advanced data from these tools, we gain a deeper understanding of the cyber threats that are available and identify proactive threat prevention best practices.

A fusion of technical and human approaches: The most powerful security approach combines the power of AI and human intervention. Machine learning is a good example. Artificial intelligence helps break up complex automated processes to detect attacks and respond appropriately. The ultimate challenge, however, is to produce measurable results using methods that can anticipate, detect, analyze, and prevent attacks. By automating key functions through approaches such as machine learning, Security Engineer can focus their attention elsewhere to create a proactive and more reliable data-driven cyber defense plan.

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Network Engineer vs Network Administrator: Roles & Responsibilities

Network engineers and network administrators share common positions in the field of information technology and can carry a lot of weight. Although job descriptions and tasks are similar and their responsibilities overlap, there are significant differences. Typically, the network engineer is responsible for designing and developing a computer network, while the network administrator is responsible for network security and maintenance once the network established.
Terminology
The terms "network technician" and "network architecture" can be used synonymously. On the other side, a network administrator is generally different from engineers and architectures.
As in all areas, a title is less important than the details of the job description. The bigger the company, the more specific the work can be. The smaller a company is, the more work it can do.
Network Engineers
Roles & Responsibilities:
The first part of a network engineering role is to understand at a macro level, the structure and network requirements of the entire organization. With this knowledge, the network engineer must design and maintain each network supporting the life cycle and growth opportunities of the company. A network engineer may need to analyze what works and what does not work to find room for improvement, all within a given budget.
The general tasks and responsibilities of a network engineer:
·         Design and implementation of physical and wireless networks, including computer communications and telecommunications
·         Maintain network performance
·         Management of electronic equipment activating any element of the system
·         Solving network problems
·         Research and integration of new technologies in the network life cycle
·         Cooperation with network administrators to manage or solve problems
Requirements for the work
An ideal network engineer often needs at least one BS or MS in a computer-related field, such as computer science, computer engineering (computer network definition) or encoding. Practical experience, especially in the area of ​​information systems or network administration, always helps the candidate.
Candidates who apply for the position of a network engineer should emphasise not only their knowledge but also their abilities. Analytical skills and attention to detail are essential skills as network engineers need to review and analyse complex network systems, what works and what does not, and then propose and implement solutions.
Leadership and organisational skills are also helpful as network engineers are often responsible for working with many people.
Network Manager
Roles & Responsibilities:
Although the technician focuses on the implementation of the lifecycle network, its day-to-day operation and maintenance is often the responsibility of the network administrator. Nevertheless, the role of the administrator is often proactive in preventing security problems from occurring before they occur, rather than responding to them.
The scope and depth of a network administrator's tasks may vary depending on the size of the organization. In large organizations, one or more network administrators can share the following roles and responsibilities:
·         Monitor and maintain the IT infrastructure, paying particular attention to the following:
·         Server on site
·         Interactions between the software and the network
·         Network Integrity and Resilience
·         Network test to detect weaknesses or potentially compromised sites
·         Stay tuned for updates
·         Implementation of security programs with hardware and software
In small organizations, a network administrator may also be responsible for:
·         Purchase of new equipment
·         Distribution of new software
·         Management of email and Internet filters
·         Maintenance of disk images for new installations
·         Make sure the licenses are up-to-date
·         Dealing with poor data management practices

Job Requirements:
While a BS in a computer-related area is helpful, it may not be necessary for a network administrator role. Many organizations prefer specific training and certification and relevant practical experience. General practice and certifications for network administrators include Juniper, Cisco, Brocade Certified Network Engineer, Microsoft, and Red Hat.
The network administrator generally understands the network designed by the technician. As the network engineer and network administrator have to work together, a clear understanding and clear communication between the posts are essential.

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How Habits in the Company can Affect the Success

Culture and the Cloud
Modern cloud applications find more and more applications - many organizations are choosing such solutions, simpler to use and maintain than local applications. However, for the transfer to the cloud to be successful, it cannot be forgotten that such a transformation is primarily a cultural revolution in the organization.

To quote Beth Boettcher, Oracle vice president of application consulting: "enterprises in which decision-making processes are strictly hierarchical - or, on the contrary, are too dependent on consensus - will have difficulty adapting to the cloud. If the organizational culture is not very dynamic, the migration process will be significantly extended or at some point even stopped. Therefore, when deciding to implement a cloud solution, cloud network engineers should treat the change of culture as an indispensable element of implementation at every stage. And such a change must start from the very top. "

Why do We Need a Cloud and who will Really Implement it?

When asked by Boettcher, heads of companies considering migrating to the cloud about their goals, they most often answer that they want to reduce complexity, reduce maintenance costs to free resources for more innovative tasks, and improve user experience.

However, each of these goals must be part of a larger strategic and cultural change. Cloud applications provide employees with access to much larger amounts of data, and thus - to a much broader range of information. Importantly, employees must be able to act on their basis. Giving such a degree of agency and decision-making is a huge change for many organizations - a change that must begin at an early stage of cloud implementation. Only with this assumption can the project implementation be maintained on the appropriate course.

If any decision made during cloud implementation has nothing to do with the budget, scope or schedule and does not affect the overarching business strategy - which concerns about 80% of decisions taken during cloud implementation - there is no need for the implementation team to consult with the management "Says Beth Boettcher. "The team must be able to make such decisions and be trusted. For many managers, giving this control away can be really difficult


How to Create a Vision of a Cloud-Based Culture

In the cloud implementation process, it is important that projects are managed jointly by responsible persons - usually it is the IT director cooperating with the head of the relevant business area, e.g. the director of the human resources department / or financial director (depending on the scope of the project). These people must work out the project's goals together, but also, and perhaps above all, think about what the future cloud culture of the company should be and how to shape it from the very beginning of the implementation project.

For example, the HR director may assume that within 18 months in each country the onboarding process of a new employee will take place using one system and consist of specific, predetermined steps. Exceptions are not allowed (except those required by local labor law).

As Boettcher says, this level of concreteness outlines a very clear picture of expectations and sets parameters for all those who make decisions during implementation. Creating such a specific image can help in adapting to a new cloud-based culture, where processes are operated according to global standards. The outdated culture based on local systems often could have prompted employees to manually bypass the process - less developed technology did not always provide solutions tailored to the needs of the right business. Next, the HR director should appoint the owner of each business process within the specified scope of work. These people must have adequate decision-making power and support from experts from the implementation team.

The decision-making group should be a small group of people - and project participants should be organized around people responsible for individual processes. Thanks to this, the owners of given areas will fully understand the new possibilities of cloud applications and the new business processes covered by the project. They will also be responsible for the application and feel the pride of its successful implementation both after launching and during the stable introduction of new functions.

Additional paths to success in the cloud

When deciding to transform organizations and implement cloud solutions, leaders wanting to shape a new culture should pay attention to several additional aspects. Citing Boettcher, we can distinguish the following, worth considering:

A new look at the organization - if the implementation team consists of people who have worked for many years in the company, it is very likely that it will be difficult for them to accept unquestionably new processes, work methods, etc., according to the principle "we have been doing this task for years way, so there is no reason to change it. " Such people will demand adaptation of the system instead of using good practices and standards embedded in cloud solutions. In addition, any personalization really brings unnecessary complications. Therefore, unless it is an absolute necessity, it is better to refrain from adapting the cloud system to the individual requirements of the organization.
New forms of cooperation between IT and business - implementing a cloud solution is a new division of responsibilities - people responsible for individual business areas no longer hand the list of functional requirements to the IT department to return to their duties and wait for ready results. When implementing a cloud, business must work hand-in-hand with the IT department to ensure that processes are operating as intended. What's more, with each system update, this cooperation must be renewed - business people need to check on an ongoing basis how new system features will affect process performance and results.
Leaders as "agents of change" - managers of organizations must constantly monitor what new opportunities the development of modern technology offers. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, internet of things, blockchain create new options for business. Leaders should analyze these possibilities, check what benefits they can bring and promote them in their organizations.
New ways of thinking - modern organizations whose culture is based on the cloud need people who will develop this culture through a new approach to problem solving and design thinking. Companies with such a culture should focus on internal and external clients and shape processes in such a way that they are less based on hierarchy and bureaucracy, and more incline employees to analyze information and actions. When acquiring new talent, it's important to focus on people who demonstrate intelligent independence.

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