Health Care for Your Computer

by Contributing Editor Melina Papadakis

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Many Baby Boomers decide to become entrepreneurs, working out of their homes or opening small businesses. But potentially expensive computer problems can throw a monkey wrench into the finances of any budding business. I.T. bills can range from zero dollars a month to thousands of unbudgeted dollars. Now all those troubles may become a thing of the past, thanks to people like Chip Reaves and his company Computer Troubleshooters.

The new trend is paying up front for the security of knowing your computer will not stumble when you need it. Many computer consulting firms nationwide are offering what the industry calls "Managed Services," a sort of health insurance for small business computer needs.

For a flat monthly fee I.T., gurus like Chip Reaves handle all regular maintenance and take care of any computer problems. "Technology consulting firms like ours used to get paid when computers broke down," he said. "Now, more and more, our franchise owners are telling us clients prefer to pay a predictable monthly bill to keep computers healthy."

Companies that are large enough to have I.T. departments can deal with the occasional computer crash, but businesses with 25 or fewer employees tend to contract out their computer repair and maintenance.

"Those smaller businesses are actually the ones that can least afford to have computer trouble," said Reaves. "Little guys really depend on all their staff being productive all the time. We fix everything from virus infections to server crashes."

Reaves added that small companies often waste valuable time on computer issues. "We want to eliminate computer problems so that our small businesses can stop worrying about when their next computer problem will be and, instead, let us show them how they can enhance their businesses with new technologies."

How techno-savvy are you when it comes to computers? Let us know how you handle computer hassles.

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