Recommended Products, Services and Software
Note: this page is perpetually under construction… come back often to check for new products and services!
Sung to the tune of My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music:
- Hard drives and memory and quad-core processors…
- Wide-screen LEDs and Blu-ray disc writers…
- Fast ‘net connections and
- Cool domain names,
- These are a few of my favorite things…
Being a pretty typical technophile, I’ve used a lot of hardware and software products and various related services over the years, and I’ve researched many, many more. I’ve learned a lot from my experiences, and this is where I share my opinions. I’ve also found that the true usefuless of some things – how you’d use them or why you’d want to – is not always immediately apparent, so some of my recommendations also include tips on how to effectively use some of the available and emerging technologies to enrich and simplify your life.
This is probably the place to mention that I’m an authorized reseller for some of the manufacturers whose products I believe in. Almost all of the products I sell will be mentioned here; even if you buy them from another vendor, I sill recommend them.
Automatic Online Backup
Carbonite (I am not affiliated with Carbonite.com in any way other than as a satisfied customer). One of my clients – whom I’ve been trying to get to use on online backup service for quite a while – finally got Carbonite, and recently used it to recover his data. Recovery was painless and fast!
Internet Security Suite
AVG Internet Security for Business or AVG Anti-Virus for Business (I am an authorized AVG reseller – please use the affiliate link in the sidebar to the right). AVG Internet Security is an integrated suite of anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam, anti-rootkit, firewall, and web shield. It uses less computer power to run (so it doesn’t slow your PC down as much as some of the more well-known anti-virus programs), it will uninstall easily and cleanly if you decide you want to remove it, it’s automatic updates are fast and smooth, and it costs less per year than the “name brand” Internet Security Suites.
AVG Internet Security is published by AVG Technologies, Inc., which used to be Grisoft. They are based in the Czech Republic and sell their products worldwide. I suspect that the folks in the Czech Republic know security as well as anyone in the world! I use AVG Internet Security on my PCs and servers.
Parental Control/Internet Monitoring
PC Tattletale (I am affiliated with Parental Control Products, LLC, the manufacturers of PC Tattletale – please use the affiliate link in the sidebar to the right).
Desktop PCs
Lenovo ThinkCentre computers (I am an authorized Lenovo reseller).
Laptop Computers
Apple (MacBook, MacBook Pro, & MacBook Air), Lenovo (ThinkPad & IdeaPad), and HP. (I am an authorized Lenovo reseller.)
High-performance Workstations
Let me build you a fast, reliable, quiet workstation; contact me for information and pricing.
Servers
Lenovo (ThinkServer) (I am an authorized Lenovo reseller).
Let me custom configure a high performance server for your Church or small business. Using mature virtualization technology, I combine proven open source technologies with industry standard commercial software to provide stable, efficient, cost-effective solutions. The result is a maintainable, sustainable server that comes with a 4 year parts and labor warranty with very few limitations. If you prefer a more traditional approach, I’m also happy to install mainstream solutions directly on the hardware. If you need a server, you need to call me today!
Broadband Internet
Verizon FIOS (if you can get it), otherwise Cable Internet (e.g., Comcast). Avoid DSL unless there is absolutely no other alternative; I don’t even think that DSL should be considered to be broadband these days.
Broadband Router
Netgear N600 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router WNDR3700 (note that the following link is an affiliate link).
Domain rame registration, web hosting, and email
Google Gmail for email and Dreamhost.com for domain name registration and web hosting.