If you are a solo consultant or even a consultant in a small firm that doesn't have the benefit of an IT department or Support Desk, your productivity can be seriously affected by a variety of computer problems. You can spend hours trying to fix the problems yourself or get outside help. There are probably many individual computer experts available in your area but I would recommend you get some good recommendations for one before you hire him or her and check their references carefully. The other alternative is to contact one of the larger support companies that are sprouting up across the country. Three that you might want to check out are Geek Squad (www.geeksquad.com) , DeBugIt (www.debugit.net) and Rescuecom (www.rescuecom.com). Most of these types of services can even access your computer remotely so you don't have to unplug everything and lug it to a repair center.
Another option for less serious problems is the Smart Computing hotline. Smart Computing magazine and the support it provides was described in a February 24th post (read it here). You can also reach them at 800-368-8304.
Whatever way you go, it is good to know you have options so even when you are attempted to throw your computer out the window, try one of support companies.
