Selected work

The kinds of jobs I've done many times over the years.

Each example combines several real jobs, with details changed. None describes or identifies a particular client. My clients have included film and television production companies, property management and building maintenance firms, logistics, real estate, insurance and marketing businesses, and nonprofits and religious organizations.

Moving an office's email without losing a message

Situation: A property management office on an ageing in-house mail server, with years of mail, shared calendars and staff on phones.
What I did: Planned the move to a hosted service, copied every mailbox ahead of time, switched the domain's mail records after hours, then set up each person's computer and phone.
Result: Staff came in the next morning to the same mail, folders and calendars. I checked in with each person that week.

Networking

An office move that was ready on Monday

Situation: A logistics company moving premises, with dispatch software that had to be running when the doors opened.
What I did: Coordinated the new internet service with the provider and the building, set up the router, firewall and Wi-Fi in advance, then moved and reconnected computers, printers and the line-of-business system over the weekend.
Result: Everything was tested before Monday morning, and the move cost no working time.

Backup

Backups that were actually tested

Situation: A creative production office whose working files lived on one server and a few desktops, backed up by a single external drive.
What I did: Added image backups of the server, an off-site cloud copy and monitoring that reports failures. I then restored files and a whole machine to prove they worked.
Result: When a drive failed later, the files were back the same day.

Security

Password managers and two-factor sign-in, for people who hate both

Situation: A small firm whose staff used the same few passwords everywhere and kept them on paper.
What I did: Set up a password manager for each person, moved their logins into it, turned on two-factor sign-in for email and banking, and sat with each person until they were comfortable.
Result: Unique passwords on every important account, and fewer locked-out calls than before.

Scam recovery

After the scam phone call

Situation: A staff member gave a fake "support" caller remote access to an office computer.
What I did: Disconnected the machine, removed the remote-access software and malware, changed passwords from a clean device, secured email recovery options and helped contact the bank.
Result: The accounts were secured that evening, without blame, and with a short note on how to spot the next attempt.

Business software

Keeping the accounting system running for everyone

Situation: A small business whose bookkeeper and staff shared one accounting company file, which had to be upgraded every year.
What I did: Hosted the file on the office server for multi-user access, handled yearly upgrades and backups around closing dates, and worked with the software vendor's support when problems were theirs.
Result: Year after year of upgrades with no lost data or lost work.

Coordination

Working alongside a larger IT department

Situation: A small company working inside a much larger organization's premises and network, with its own computers and needs.
What I did: Acted as the company's technical contact with the larger IT department: requested network access, met their security rules and kept the company's own systems running within them.
Result: The company got the support it needed without its people having to learn another department's procedures.

The whole business

One person for the whole business, including the owner

Situation: A busy business owner whose office server, staff computers and own laptop and phone were each looked after by someone different, or by no one.
What I did: Took on all of it, so that one person knew how the office systems, the staff accounts and the owner's own devices fit together.
Result: One number to call for everything, and a relationship that has lasted well over a decade.