5 Options Available To You When Seeking Computer Consulting Services

There are many options open to you when seeking computer consultation services. We have broken them down into 5 major categories. We will examine what each of those options are, their pros and their cons, and why Arlyle Consulting is your best option.

#	Option	Pro	Con
1	Hire an IT (Information Technology) person full time.	You'll have a person on staff at all times, at your beck and call. Also, the convenience of having someone on staff, in the office at all times is obvious.	Unless you have a moderate user base to support at your business (about 20 people), hiring a full-time IT professional is not very practical. Also, with the salary of a well-trained and experienced IT professional starting around $60,000 a year, this can be, by far, the priciest option you take. If you are an individual, this is just not an option.
2	Do the work yourself.	You know exactly what was done to your computer, and you have the peace of mind of someone not peering into potentially sensitive data.	Unless you know what you are doing, in an effort to fix a problem, you may wind up making the problem worse. Computer systems are very complex today, and they haven't exactly gotten to the stage where anybody can fix a problem computer. Also, if you are running a business that is not heavily involved in computer technology (i.e. a pottery store), your time is better spent running your business than trying to fix a cranky computer.
3	Take your computer into your local computer store.	The people who work in computer stores (particularly stores with extensive service facilities) have highly trained personnel to handle most, if not all, problems you may encounter with your system, at competitive prices. Also, if your problem happens to require a part replacement, they probably have the part in stock so you can get it replaced and be on your way quickly.	Computer stores specialize in selling new computers. While most computer stores will gladly accept your ailing computer for repair, they can command higher price tags if they can convince you to buy a new computer. They can also command better margins if they migrate the data and programs from your old computer to your new computer. Also, the level of expertise tends to decline if you go to major superstore chains; a problem if that is all you happen to have in your area.
4	Just go out and buy a new computer; junk the old one.	You will have the latest technology, along with the latest Operating System. Support for new types of devices is almost guaranteed, as well as the latest software packages.	This can be a very expensive option which may not work. Often times, problems with computers turn out to be software problems. If you buy a new computer and load the same software you were running on your old system, you could encounter the same problem. Also, if you buy a computer with the latest operating system, you may find the new operating system may not be as reliable as your old system running the operating system that is a year or two old. In addition, most old systems and operating systems can be upgraded to support all the latest hardware and software. Why spend $800 when you only need to spend $50?
5	Hire a consultant to fix your computer problems.	Consultants are often highly trained, and know about most computer problems people encounter. Even though consultants would like to fix your problems forever with a single visit, chances are you'll need more visits to help you with future problems. It is, therefore, to the advantage of the consultant to fix the problems well, the first time around.	It can be very difficult to find a competent, or even credible, computer consultant. There are many people out there who offer computer consulting services, but their expertise only goes as far as knowing how to connect devices and install software. Their diagnostic skills may leave much to be desired, and you may be better off doing the work yourself (see Option 2).