I am proud to announce several new offerings to area businesses and non-profit organizations.

There is now a Frequently Asked Questions section for the MBLI.

"Linux is so reliable, I literally ran my "brick and mortar store" out of business by deploying Linux over Windows so much - my clients didn't need me after it was installed."

"I should have recommended clients to use Windows, I would still have a job!"

Yes, I said all of those things in the past. Today is no different than yesterday, or when I said those things. Fact is, I deployed Linux servers and workstations everywhere I could. Why? I knew Linux is superior to Windows from the ground up. Its more reliabile for my clients. Its safer for my clients. Its trouble free for my clients. All of these same reasons also mean trouble free for me too.

The trouble was, though, poor business planning on my part. I didn't foresee that installing a superior product was going to eventually cause my gross profits to go down. I thought for sure it would cause it to go up. How did that happen?? My only answer is that at the time, there was not a huge market in this area for Linux deployments that kept revenue up. Deploying Linux servers and workstations lowered my service calls and that is the bread and butter of revenue in IT. The reason it lowered my service calls is because if you took away virus's, spyware, adware, and all the other problems that windows has......what would there be left to work on? Exactly nothing is correct.

Why do you think this has changed now? Businesses are sick and tired of the same reoccuring problems with virus infections, spyware, users able to delete critical system files, change system settings, software patches that cause more damage than good or more problems post-installation than there was pre-installation, etc. Businesses are sick and tired of having to buy new hardware and software to support some critical business software they have deployed that is necessary for their business to remain in production (don't you wonder if all the big MS companies get together and talk about how to generate more revenue? I bet it goes something like this.....Operating system sales are down, so lets come out with something that forces everybody to have to upgrade. Or like this, in order to use this latest and greatest piece of hardware, you also are required to purchase this, and this, and this). With business run like this, everyone is getting a piece of the pie. And then, you also have software companies that every time they release a bug fix product with a few new features, they make you buy a full license to the product all over again. Even if they discount it, you are still paying for something that if you were using Linux, you would not have to pay.

I sympathize with businesses who are faced every day with rising costs of IT, software licensing, virus and spyware infections, and general computer/network maintenance costs. A recent survey shows the #1 costs of businesses IT spending is software licensing & hardware purchases (operating systems, applications, servers, workstations, etc), followed closely by virus infection clean-ups, followed closely by software updates and roll-outs. Every Windows Network suffers from the exact same problems. If you have heard the saying, "Real businesses use Unix"....you know why. Because Unix never failed, however, its cost was generally out of reach of most businesses. If you think about it, what does your antivirus software license protect you from if it can't protect you from the rapidly spreading new virus's that are released every day? Why do businesses keep paying someone to clean up what should have never happened to begin with?

Of the more than 58 commercial clients I service worldwide who have migrated 100% to Linux for both workstations and servers totaling more than 375 deployed systems, 0% of them have had any spyware, adware, or virus infections in the last year. Some of those I can report back to 1997, almost 10 years. They have also had to spend 0$ on software licensing or upgrades. They have had 0 downtime. They have had no unexpected repairs that needed to be made (outside of a hardware failure such as modems/ethernet cards struck by lightening, or a monitor that died of old age, a few CPU fans have gone out....all minor issues caused generally by old age or no UPS).

Are you ready for me to show you how business networks are supposed to work, worry and trouble free, day in and day out? Take the time away from managing and worrying about your IT and place it back into managing your business.

The first offering is Training & Education
I am now offering on-site Linux System Administration, MySQL Database Administration, Migrating from Windows to Linux, Lowering TCO with Linux, PHP Programming, and several other presentations and courses to businesses and area non-profits.

The Linux System Administration, MySQL Database Administration, and PHP Programming all prepare your employees for CompTIA Certification in Cincinnati, OH or Lexington, KY.

The second is Evaluating Lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
With this program, a business or non-profit can request an evaluation on their current business IT infrastructure, including hardware and software. Provided with this evaluation is a complete report detailing what your current Microsoft Licensing upgrades and maintenance will cost compared to migrating to Linux. The report covers a 5 year period using current pricing and includes a full migration to linux software report, i.e. you are currently using Microsoft Office, Quickbooks Enterprise (total initial software costs of $3,500) but you could be using OpenOffice and Sql-Ledger (total initial software costs $0)

The third is Linux Server + Retainer Contract
For slightly more than the price of a Windows File server, you will receive a IBM Linux server configured for your specific business needs and 1 year retainer contract covering all administration and service to the server you will ever require. You will have a certified Linux consultant to call on any time day or night if you ever have a problem or need assistance. You will know upfront what your total costs will be year round for this server.

The Fourth is a Full/Partial Migration
With this package, you will receive a full or partial Windows to Linux Migration, plus and IBM Linux Server (if needed), plus workstations (if needed), plus additional network hardware (if needed), plus training for your employees. Training covers two areas, general linux usage for those who will be using Linux workstations and Linux Administration for those who have on-staff system administrators. You will also have a certified linux professional on call 24/7/365 who can provide you with support or simply answer your questions.

The 5th offering is simple:
You have heard about linux but you are too afraid to invest in it. I am so confident you will like Linux, that I will deliver a Linux workstation to you to use for 6 months , provide all the training you need to use this workstation, and help you if you ever have any questions or problems.

Common Questions:
What if there is not an application in linux that is able to replace ____ Windows Application? There is a really good chance that we can have that application running inside of Linux using one of the many available applications just for this purpose (some are free and some are commercial applications).

What is the Linux Distribution you use for Business Deployments? I chose to use Xandros Business for use in business workstations and CentOS (The free and open sourced version of RedHat Linux Enterprise) for use in business servers. The reason for these choices: Xandros includes Crossover Office which is able to run most common Windows Applications inside of Linux. Crossover Office is similar to the free WINE for Linux, but includes a very intuitive graphical user interface that makes installing Windows applications a breeze. It is also very reliable having been designed around a business IT structure. Xandros is built for stability, and therefore doesn't use "bleeding edge" source code. It practically resembles Windows yet runs Linux so its very easy for business users to begin using as soon as they look at its screen. CentOS was chosen because it has the same 5 year patch deployment as the commercial RedHat Linux Enterprise. It also uses the current RHEL source code, and outside of the name, is identical to RHEL. It also costs $0 compared to RHEL which is commercial.