Dr. Martin Beckmann - IT Consulting
Welcome to the
home page of Dr. Martin Beckmann! I provide IT services for
small
businesses, docter's offices, home offices etc. If you need a
reliable network for your small
business,
connecting your workstations, server, Internet access and peripherals
such as printers, and you do not have the time and/or expertise to set
this up or maintain, I can help.
What I do
My focus is on those small
businesses that do not have the expertise
to
set
up or maintain their own IT infrastructure, but which have a need for:
- A network, linking their various
computers together to share data,
Internet
access, printer access, etc.,
- High availability of the computers
and network, ensuring that no
valuable
time is lost fixing computer problems rather than getting on with
business,
- Safe storage of business data,
- Safe, easy to handle and retrieve
backups of business data,
- Secure Internet access,
- Other optional services such as a
web page, email server, off-site
storage of backup data, etc.,
- And most important: low
cost of installation and
ownership.
For such businesses, I provide:
- Installation and maintenance of
stand-alone servers,
- Installation and maintenance of
complete, small networks -
workstations,
one server, and peripheral equipment,
- Secure wireless networks.
How I do what I do
Installations are customised to your
wishes. Since customer
satisfaction
is paramount, I put a lot of emphasis on analysing your
needs. I consider that a proper analysis, documentation and
implementation of my client's needs is the single most important
element of my business. Typical questions that will have to be
analysed, are:
- How many workstations do you have or
need?
- Do you already have a central server
computer?
- How are your computers being used?
- What software is installed?
- Who is using what software?
- What are your safety needs?
- Should restrictions be imposed on
certain users (employees)?
Based on the answers to these
and other questions, I propose a networked system
to you, typically consisting of a central server, workstations, and any
other equipment needed to fulfill your requirements. This system
is then implemented:
- Proven, open-source platforms
are used for implementation of your
server
needs. I specialize in servers based on OpenBSD. I can also provide Linux-based servers; I prefer
Guardian
Digital's "Engarde Secure Linux Professional" distribution for this
type of
application. These platforms are
proven to be very safe.
- Open-source packages are used for both
standard and optional
features such as sharing files and
printers across the network,
providing a web server, etc.
Open source software is reliable and cheap, and with
its large and growing user base, it is tested very thoroughly.
Security holes are found and patched quicker than with most commercial
software. Viruses are not (yet) an issue.
- Workstations are based on
Microsoft Windows XP or Linux.
For Linux workstations, my standard solution is to use SUSE
Linux, but other distributions can be accommodated too.
- Installations are kept simple.
This significantly reduces
the
risk
of failure, and means that even with a failure of one computer, the
rest
of the system keeps running.
- Installations are set up to be
robust - they will easily recover
from a problem without user intervention, in the absence of
trained personnel.
- Simple tools are installed and used
to handle those tasks that
are not automated. I provide training in the use of these tools.
- My standard solution for backups is
to use optical media -
DVD-ROM or CD-ROM. This
is
cheaper than using tape systems, and very reliable. The resulting
data can be read on any computer equipped with a DVD-ROM drive (almost
all computers sold today). However, if so desired, I are also
able to install tape backup systems.
Contact
For more information, as well as pricing, contact me at:
Dr. Martin Beckmann
Lochtstraat 51
B-3740 Eigenbilzen
Belgium
Telephone: +32-497-546096
Email:
martin@beckmann-consult.com
Acknowledgments
With many thanks to the authors of
the
Open Source software
listed
below (in no particular order...)!
![[Powered by Apache]](apache_pb.gif)
![[Powered by OpenBSD]](openbsd_pb.gif)
![[Powered by mod_ssl]](mod_ssl_sb.gif)
![[Powered by OpenSSL]](openssl_ics.gif)

![[Vote against software patents]](ev50_1_en.jpg)
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Disclaimer
Every attempt has been made to make
this
website as accurate as possible. However, I am not responsible
for any errors. Please contact me directly for more information.
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