At Sierra, custom software development is one of our core services. Our software engineering team loves a challenge, so they’re usually handling complex projects. We’re proud of the team, and this month in our Employee Spotlight, we’d like to honor Chris Chappel, Senior Application Engineer at Sierra w/o Wires.  

Before he joined the Sierra team, Chris studied computer programming at the Pittsburgh Technical Institute (PTI), and interned with the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Surface Mining. In his spare time, Chris travels often. He notes that this year he’s considering going to Orlando, Florida, to play a game called Ingress. It’s a GPS based mobile game that centers around travelling and capturing portals across the world.

Chris has been with Sierra for over 5 years, and he specializes in ASP.NET, VB.NET, C#.NET, SQL, and Javascript. He enjoys learning new things, and says that one of the most rewarding experiences an application engineer can have is to learn a new programming language. He recounts an experience he’s had: 

If there’s one really good way to learn a new language in practice, it’s by debugging. I can recall a project involving debugging an application that was written in Ruby. I didn’t have any experience with Ruby, but I love learning something new, so I offered to work on the project. It was a challenge, but worthwhile. By the time the project was complete, I felt really comfortable working with the language.

In his day-to-day work, Chris spends a lot of his time improving Sierra’s application based offerings, like Sierra Billing Manager and Sierra Incident Manager, along with meeting onsite with customers to discuss their needs. He says it’s fulfilling work, because what he does will directly affect the efficiency and convenience of customers. He mentions that because of the work he’s done with Sierra Billing Manager alone, he knows of companies that have saved enough money to hire new employees to grow their business.

If you’re considering custom software, or any of Sierra’s software, Chris is the guy to talk to, and we can’t think of anyone who’s more qualified.


 --
Sierra w/o Wires, Inc. is an IT Managed Service and Support provider, specializing in remote monitoring and remote management of computing systems, cloud/virtual systems hosting, VoIP/SIP PBX trunks and solutions, physical server hosting, software development and hardware and software reselling. For more, check out www.SierraExperts.com.
0 comments

Let’s face the facts – while technology provides a measurable benefit to business of all sizes, it can be difficult for small business to know how much to budget, and where to invest in technology. With great benefit comes great responsibility, as well. Technology related security has become as important as a business’ physical security. If hackers can find out your financial data and that of your customers, that’s almost as bad or worse than having your storefront robbed. 

So where do a lot of small businesses go wrong? 

1. No Firewall / Non-Enterprise Firewall: You wouldn’t leave your business’ door unlocked, so why leave your computers unprotected? Having a Non-Enterprise Firewall or worse - not having a firewall in place is like leaving the lights on and doors unlocked while your business is unmanned, for anyone to come in and take or destroy whatever they want to. A firewall controls incoming and outgoing traffic to keep malicious activity out of your network, and it’s absolutely essential for any business. 

2. No Offsite Backup and Recovery Plan: Your business’ technology may seem secure if you’ve done everything right, but data disasters can happen to anyone. Does your business have a plan to handle a server crashing, or the accidental deletion of needed data? It’s always a good idea to backup all vital data in case of an emergency, because it’s easier to prepare than to rebuild. It’s even better to have your data backed up offsite, in case of a fire, earthquake, or other local disaster. 

3. Integration Issues: So you’ve just implemented new software or hardware that will solve all of your business needs. Do you know if it works with your existing infrastructure? Problems with integration can lead to inefficiencies and waste. This can be avoided by planning ahead. Take a close look at what you’re already using, and ask the right questions before making a large purchase. 

4. Outdated Equipment: If your business’ operations don’t directly relate to technology, it’s easy to think you can get away with using old technology. Unfortunately, if you do, you’re probably not getting the best performance or reliability. Even worse, you’re leaving your company’s data at risk, once equipment reaches end of life. Once software updates cease, heightened security risks generally arise. 

5. Reactive Instead of Proactive Solving: It seems like a common theme, for small businesses to wait until something breaks to address a problem. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s always easier to plan ahead than to rebuild. Think about the hours of waste that could happen if your entire operations have to halt for a technology breakdown. Wouldn’t it be easier to monitor predictively? 

Is your business making any of these common mistakes? It might be time to reconsider your plan, and research the best solutions. 


0 comments