Real Work Requires Real Tools

If you are doing a job, make sure that you are using the right tools for the job.  It brings me great pain to see people not using the proper tools. Whether it be going with cheaper parts or not upgrading your system when your system is a decade old, if you plan to drive income from a task, that task requires tools.

You don’t always need to get the most expensive, latest and greatest  gear.   You have to know what you are going to use it for. For example, someone who is just surfing the web and writing blog posts does not need the same kind of system as someone who is cutting HD video.  In these cases it’s important to enlist the help of a pro and make sure that you are investing in the right equipment to get the job done efficiently.

Here are the top five things that people often forget to factor in when dealing with their computer system:

1.) Your computer is not like a fine wine –
Age is critical

You need to remember to schedule a system upgrade every 3 – 4 years.  This keeps you on track with operating system release and upgrades in software versions.  Let’s face it – new software is written to function on new hardware.  If you can discipline yourself to not upgrade every time offered, you can extend the life of your system – but there are nice things that come with a new version of software, namely new features that will bring time-saving productivity, and security increases that they discover along the way.

2.) If you have one copy – you don’t have a backup

I was very fortunate to have a close family friend who would constantly challenge me when it came to my practices on backups.  Most of us don’t fully value the data that’s stored on our PCs until it’s mangled or just flat out gone.  The fact is if you only have one copy of something, you don’t have a solid backup. Unless you have been living under a rock you have probably heard of cloud based backups like Mozy.  These services allow you to back up securely to the internet. It works – and you don’t have to worry about it.

3.) Choosing the right hardware

The wrong components can sink you! Not understanding how your computer will handle the tasks you plan to throw at it can be even worse!!  When it comes to video editing systems there are key components that you just can’t skimp out on. Video editing systems need fast throughput to the drives, solid GPUs, and buckets of RAM never hurt. The main thing is to know what your jobs will require- if you don’t know, be sure to read number five on my list.

4.) Power is critical

Most, if not all, computers are just not as fun when they don’t have a power source.  Too many times we forget that our tools require good, clean power to make them run.  Not only are our tools not fun when the power cuts off – the process of the power jumping on and off can kill them too.

Here’s a fun tip: the power strip that says it’s a surge protector, isn’t going to protect you!  For those of us who make our living off of our workstations we need to be sure that we can properly shutdown our machine if we have an outage or in the event of a storm rolling through. Uninterpretable power supplies are sold according to VA ratings (Volts * Amps) to see how high of a VA you need, I’d suggest APC’s UPS Selector.  This doesn’t mean that you have to go with an APC model, but they do make great products (with very easy to exchange battery blocks).

5.) Hire a PRO!!!

You do not have to know everything!  I have assembled a team of folks who know their way around a motherboard and have hundreds of thousands of hours of experience doing top level, real world research into what works best in all situations. When it comes to the machine that you are going to be working on every day- the one you rely on to make your paycheck – you don’t just want some toy.  When you hire a pro (like my team) you insure that your machine will be up to the task of doing what you need it to do,  whatever that task might be.

With all of the above being said,  if you need to upgrade your machine or you need pointers on how you can make your backups easier to manage or more secure, contact me!  I have a team of geeks that can walk you through the paces to make sure that you have what you need to get the job done.  This is by no means an exhaustive list of things that we all forget to factor in. What have you forgotten to factor in when maintaining your system?

Photos used in post:
Vintage Wine by Guttorm Flatabø
Power to the people by Boliston