Our Experience Includes:
General hardware and software support — We support most hardware and software used in the Windows environment. We are not affiliated with any particular hardware or software manufacturer or vendor. While we do have our preferences, your company is our top priority. We work with you to make sure the hardware and software you choose is the best for your needs.
Security — In recent tests, computers connected to the internet through high speed internet connections (also called broadband, such as cable or xDSL) were attacked within 4 minutes of the connection to the internet being set up. We help you make sure your computer or network is safe.
Malware (including viruses), detection and removal — Without the user knowing, many systems become infested with malware. At best, malware can be a nuisance, at worst, it will bring your system to a halt. We have the experience and software to detect and remove malware from your computer. We will also train you in the use of anti-malware software so you can keep your system safe.
Networking —
- Wireless and PowerLine networks — Wireless networks have special security issues, we can make sure your network is as secure as it can be. We also have worked with PowerLine networking. We will help you determine your best networking solution.
- Connecting xDSL and cable to networks — We have helped many of our clients connect their internal networks to the internet through high speed connections (ISDN, DSL and cable modems). Security is a major concern. We know how to set up an 'invisible' connection to the internet, minimizing the chances of attack or of having your system secretly used by others.
- Designing, installing and supporting peer-to-peer (Windows 10 and Windows 11) networks — We have created peer-to-peer networks for many of our clients. Our client's networks range in size from a couple of computers to almost 30 computers. Many small businesses really don't need the complexity of a client/server network. For years peer-to-peer networks have been looked down upon as not 'real' networks because many consultants have spent considerable time and money learning about client/server networks and need to justify their training and high prices.
Designing custom hardware — We designed and manufactured a data collection system for one of our customers. The system was patented (nos. 5,361,200 and D348,454) and has been in service since 1992. US Patent Office search.
Designing and maintaining web sites — We have designed and maintain several of our client's web sites (our links page has links to some of their sites). We now work with Sanborn Advertising on the design of web sites. We provide a web site analysis to ensure our clients receive the best and most appropriate web site design. Our web site design philosophy:
- Keep it simple and fast. Nobody likes to wait for a page to load (and most won't). Recent studies show that after 2 seconds people move on to another site. Unless you are selling glitzy annoying web site design don't show off all the "cool" things web sites can do, get to the point of what you are selling. If you are selling the glitz, let the user choose to view it, don't force it on them.
- Make it easy to find what you have so users know if they're interested. If they have to hunt around – they're gone.
- Don't force users to look at a lot of images, if they want to see a picture of something give them a link or a thumbnail to click.
- Adobe Flash is a popular method to make a web site look fancier. Unfortunately, search engines can't read flash and therefore ignore it. This does NOT help your search engine ranking. Flash does NOT display on mobile devices (i-devices, Android devices, etc.), so phones and tablets don't show it. A good web site design gets its point across without using Flash. Flash is also a major vector for infection. Flash is no longer supported and therefore any problems or vulnerabilities will not be fixed. Adobe recommends removing it from all computers.
- Write the code so it is standards compliant. Use W3C Markup Validation Service to check compliance.
- Test in multiple browsers (Edge, Opera, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Vivaldi) and on hand held devices.
Flash is a Registered TradeMark of Adobe® Systems Incorporated.
© 2003- Black Hills Computer Consulting, Inc.