How a Computer Consultant can help you

Guy's #1 Pick Windows 2003 Computer based training. Video & labs

Get an expert to help with your problem

The key to employing a consultant, in any field, is to appreciate the value of time and the price of mistakes.  The more you delay, the worse the problem will get.  So, seek independent advice from an expert.

Consultant Topics

• Six reasons for hiring a consultant
• What a consultant can bring to your organisation
• Specialist network advice from an expert
• A Consultancy example:- Network 'health check'
• Do you want to be a top consultant?

Six reasons for hiring a consultant

There will be times when you can not do the work yourself.  The crucial advantage your consultant has is that they have seen the problem before and know the short cuts.  So avoid the pitfalls and call for someone with experience.  Here are situations where a consultant will save you time:-

1. To give advice before you start a project.  E.g. install Active Directory
2. To to upgrade the existing system. E.g.migration to Exchange 2000.
3. A critical system will not work and you need help.
4. You need to fix a problem - quickly. E.g.Disaster recovery.
5. You need an extra pair of expert hands. 
6. You need an expert witness to settle a dispute

Active Directory Training.  As an MCT trainer, I can thoroughly recommend TrainSignal because they provide practical hands on training.  In particular, I like the way that TrainSignal cover all learning methods, instructor lead, video and of course text material.  You can either take one module, for example Active Directory or go for a combination of modules.  See more about Active Directory training

What a consultant can bring to an organisation

People often think there is only one way of doing things - the way their organisation has always done a particular task.  An independent consultant will open your mind to new ways and new ideas.

• Practical know-how of the system in question.
• Detective skills gained from solving a similar problem.
• Speed in diagnosing the problem.
• Knowledge of where to look for the answers.
• Extra resources, specialist tools and those precious commodities - time and focus.

Specialist network advice

These are areas where you could bring in an expert.

• Planning Active Directory or Migrating from NT 4.0 to Windows XP.
• Implementing new systems. e.g. Windows 2000 Active Directory.
• Troubleshooting network connectivity problems. Tracing intermittent problems.
• Health checks for your network.  Getting the most out of your computers.
• Clearing up problems caused when previous staff leave.

Consultancy example: Server and network 'Health check'

Seven points check list:-

• Processor - CPU Usage
• Available memory
• Application (Process) usage
• Network utilisation
• Disk performance
• Network connectivity - DNS and WINS
• Event Log - Diagnosing and eliminating errors

An example of a summary with recommendations

Project Brief: To improve network response.  To isolate the bottleneck and produce cost effective solutions.

Processor and Disk are fine, no bottlenecks.  Memory paging is excessive, and the available memory is critically low.  I suggest you upgrade the RAM from 128 to 512MB.  Network utilisation is high in the mornings, averaging 25% for several hours.  As a solution, consider segmenting the two floors to improve network performance.

Propose moving Lotus Domino from the Domain controller to its own server.  However this may be overtaken by events if the proposed migration to Exchange goes ahead.

Event Log indicates Backup is not working some nights, check the tape drives.  DNS errors indicate that there is an error in the root domain configuration.  Suggest you set up a timeserver on the network.

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