Small Forest Computing Services is Now Retired

After almost exactly 12 years, Small Forest Computing Services is now officially retired. As I’ve aged, crawling around under desks and lugging servers and printers into and out of clients’ offices is became challenging. Instead of managing “on premise” assets and resources (that is, the traditional servers, workstations, networks, printers, and other devices located in my clients’ offices), I’ll be designing, developing, deploying, and managing cloud services. I’ll be returning to my first love in IT, which is programming. I got into IT because of my love of and facility with coding. These days, programming or coding mostly means web development, so if you’re in the market for a website, check out my new venture, Kobayashi Computing.

Church, Non-profit and Professional Services Computing Specialist

Is your Church, non-profit organization (U.S. IRS 501(c)(3)) or professional services business (lawyers, accountants, financial services and so forth) located in the Salisbury, MD, area and you want to install or upgrade a computer or network? Do you wish there was someone to take care of the unending stream of updates and patches, or handle the mundane but necessary tasks of system or network administration? Do you need some help securing your systems against hackers, bots, worms, or even the occasional, accidentally deleted file?

Have your technology requirements exceeded the abilities of your neighbor’s High School whiz kid but you can’t afford to hire a full-time Information Technologist? Has the vendor that sold you your computers stopped returning your calls because they have “bigger fish to fry?” Are the solutions you purchased from them so complex that they seem better suited to a multi-national corporation with an entire department of trained technicians?

Don’t get discouraged – there is hope. I can help.

Enterprise Service for Small Networks

Small Forest Computing specializes in the computing needs of Churches, non-profits and professional services businesss. First, I will listen to you describe your past or current IT problems, as well as your needs and desires. I will then design a solution that includes multiple options so that you can select the solution that meets not only your needs but also your budget constraints. Finally, I can provide, install, configure and maintain anything from a single PC to a server-based network with dozens of PCs.

While I am experienced with Microsoft solutions, major applications such as QuickBooks, and even some vertical market applications in the legal, banking and healthcare industries, I focus on using free-of-charge open source solutions whenever possible. I can provide workstations and servers running the latest versions of Debian, Ubuntu or OpenSUSE Linux, along with free email (both server and client software), integrated calendaring, office productivity applications (word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation), secure remote access, and more. I can even provide solutions that will integrate popular cell phones with your email, calendaring, and contacts list.

Modern Technology, Traditional Values

I was taught that when you say you’ll do something, you do it; when you make a promise, you keep it; and when you make a mistake, you make it right. I sill practice those values. Also, I grew up during the “Moon Race” of the 1960s and early 1970s, watching it on TV while developing an intense interest in technology of all kinds. That interest in technology still burns as brightly today as it ever did – if not more so. In other words, if you need a geek you can trust, call me!

Mission Statement

The main mission of Small Forest Computing is to glorify God. Related missions are: to help Churches, non-profits and small professional services businesses establish, manage, and secure their computing and information resources; to be scrupulously honest, ethical, and competent in all dealings with clients, vendors, and everyone else I have an opportunity to serve; to enrich and improve the lives of everyone with whom I come into contact; and, finally, to generate sufficient income to support God’s work and my family.