The IT Support landscape is rapidly changing, with new, inexpensive tools being developed for proactive maintenance and remote support that allow support to be delivered faster and cheaper than ever before. Is this the beginning of the end for the Independent Computer Consultant?

1. The Independent Computer Consultant
The Independent Computer Consultant
Is the Independent Computer Consultant Every Time
How to Get Paid On-Time, Headed for Extinction?
By Robert Peretson
SuccessfulComputerConsulting.com
Start a Computer Consulting business on a proven model, and you will
succeed!
The IT Support landscape is rapidly changing, planet, the new and stronger methods we'll need
with new, inexpensive tools being developed for to protect ourselves and our information, the
proactive maintenance and remote support that way we sell and market our services and
allow support to be delivered faster and cheaper ourselves... All will change, and will continue to
than ever before. change for long into the foreseeable future.
Is this the As long as technology continues to evolve, there
beginning of the will continue to be a need for a qualified support
end for the person to install it, configure it, monitor it,
Independent maintain it, and yes, fix it when it doesn't work
Computer as it should.
Consultant? Or
can he evolve to And of course there will always be a need for a
become the knowledgeable professional to show an
preferred option inexperienced user how to get the most out of
for affordable, their systems.
reliable IT Support for Small Business in the To get the greatest long-term financial return
coming decade? from a technology investment, a small business
With almost 30 million small businesses in the owner will need to properly maintain these
US alone, there is no shortage of a need for new systems that are so critical to the daily
innovations in technology. Every major functionality of their operations.
technology developer... Microsoft, Cisco, Dell, Qualified Computer Consultants who can keep
Apple, IBM, HP, Sony, BlackBerry, Intel and so their client's systems current, working at peak
on, as well as the thousands of smaller, but just performance levels and that operating with
as significant tech companies will continue to minimal problems will always be in high
invest billions of dollars year after year demand.
developing new and innovative products for the
immense and continuously growing small This is where an Independent Computer
business market. Consultant has an advantage over larger IT
Support Providers or MSP's. Thanks to
The way data is created, accessed and shared, affordable system monitoring and remote
the way communication will continue to expand computer support utilities, the independent
our personal networks while shrinking our computer consultant can provide the same
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2. SuccessfulComputerConsulting.com
The Independent Computer Consultant Community
reliable and immediate support response as a When a computer consultant builds a business
larger provider, yet, can be remain very price- on a proactive support model, they can charge
competitive thanks to much lower overhead. affordable, flat, monthly rates to their clients.
This is much more preferable to billing high,
Providing that when you start a computer hourly rates that the consultant is always
consulting business, you create it on the correct looking for more of, while the customer is
business model, success is easily attained. simultaneously trying to cut them down.
What is destined for extinction is the old support By being proactive and reducing problems, a
model of being the on-call computer Computer Consultant will have a much more
"repairman", who runs to the client's office satisfied customer base, a more predictable and
whenever a problem occurs... charging high, reliable income level and will be able to support
hourly billing rates. This reactive method of many more computer systems in far less time.
support relies on having systems fail for the
consultant to make an income. The worse the The Independent Computer Consultant can be
systems perform (and the more dissatisfied the the ideal support model for providing efficient
customer becomes), the more money the and cost-effective IT Support to today's small
computer consultant makes. businesses, who are more cost-conscious than
ever before.
This business model is guaranteed to fail. It's
heavily reliant on having problems to resolve, Starting a computer consulting business as an
keeps your clients continuously associating you Independent Computer Consultant can be one of
with greater expenses to their business and the most lucrative and rewarding career choices
provides a very unstable income. an IT professional can make today.
For a computer consultant to succeed in Robert Peretson is the
supporting small businesses, they need to founder of Perry Consulting,
a New York based computer
provide proactive monitoring keep their consulting firm, started in
customers systems functioning at peak 1996. Today, Perry
performance levels and operating as reliably as Consulting enjoys a
possible. They also need to provide instant reputation as the premier
response to critical support requests through provider of computer
remote computer support. consulting services to many
of New York City's most
Fortunately, these things can easily be progressive and prestigious
small businesses.
accomplished by using today's affordable IT
support utilities, such as GFI Max for server In 2009, Robert founded the
monitoring and inventory reporting, and website SuccessfulComputerConsulting.com, a training
LogMeIn Free for reliable... and free, remote and support portal for IT professionals who would like to
computer support. start a computer consulting business as an Independent
Computer Consultant.
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