Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?
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I don't know that we ever answered the matter of automation. I'm assuming the OP was looking for a god RMM tool?
I have been looking myself at what would be a fit for a small company like my current employer.
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@scottalanmiller said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
Here is the breakdown:
- LLC costs essentially nothing.
- LLC reduces the likelihood that someone will bother to sue you as they have nothing to win.
- Skipping the LLC advertises to the world that you have enormous exposure and have it all out for the taking AND that you are a highly susceptible target that likely doesn't have an attorney or other basic protections. It's not just that your exposure is high, it flags you as likely to be unable to handle a lawsuit logistically.
- LLC gives you the potential to sell your business if necessary.
- LLC gives you the potential to get investors or partners if necessary.
So zero effort, enormous protection.
I'm 100% lost as to why this is even a discussion. But it is your family's future, not mine. Do what you think is right.
Anything you read that is remotely business related recommends LLC or corp. Even just for an occasional side job.
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@magroover said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
I don't know that we ever answered the matter of automation. I'm assuming the OP was looking for a god RMM tool?
I have been looking myself at what would be a fit for a small company like my current employer.
Thank you.
Yes the idea is:
- Good tools for keeping systems running smooth. So paid copy of ccleaner maybe? Or some other "maintenance" tool that checks for updates and does some cache cleaning and such? It would be nice to force them to do a system restart at least once a week too.
- Basic system monitoring where I could at least get an email over things like new programs that are installed, disk out of space, RAM filling up, or AV finding something.
- Remote control (preferably for free, but I've found almost all free options to not be very robust).
- Tickets for issues. Must be extremely non-tech friendly. As easy as sending an email, not having to have accounts to log in to to generate a ticket. Ideally this would be a ticket system I can use for my own business universally, not just something set up for this one company. I'm already connected to free Zoho, just haven't tested extensively. Also I use Freshdesk at work but it has some issues I don't like.
I even wonder if I can use my Producteev project management/todo app for this. Like shuffle an email into a task. - Slack. The company already has a slack account, but so do I. Is it more appropriate for me to be a member of their domain, or to make them a member of mine as a business? If I add them to my network (or any/all clients) it keeps my Slack clean. But if I'm adding all my client's Slack domains, it makes me have to keep a crap load of accounts open all the time which is annoying.
- Access to company data. Mainly I'm talking about things like passwords. I have all my accounts stored in either my own LastPass, or a KeyPass file. What's the best way to maintain access to accounts, while keeping it fully in their control? For example I guess I could keep the KP file in their Box account and get at it from there? I wouldn't want to run in to sync issues if too many people have access to such a file. Or I could keep my own KP file as a clone of theirs, and then they have to update me on all new password changes?
- Billing. Once I go independent, I'll have to bill them and track my time. There are a million ways to do this. I already have been using NutCache for quite a long time for billing so I could keep using that. They can even pay the bill by clicking a link on the invoice.
These are not only concerns for managing the company I'm easing out of, but certainly these methods could be used for any new clients I start working with.
I'm a sucker for organizing data, and using apps and such. I just don't want a completely new toolbox for every company I work for. Standardizing on tools is pretty important.
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That's a bit tough because different engagements will need different tools. A traditional MSP uses an RMM. But other kids of work normally do not.
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@scottalanmiller said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
That's a bit tough because different engagements will need different tools. A traditional MSP uses an RMM. But other kids of work normally do not.
Of course, but think of it as very informal. I'd rather get notified that the USB drive is out of space, then to find out months later it's not been doing backups for months.
That's kind of a bad example since our backup program itself can email reports, but you get the idea.I'm just trying to do two things. 1) "know stuff" before someone calls me to report disasters. And 2) make it easier to work on the issue.
They are requesting a way to submit tickets.The remote access and management of passwords is a bit tricky. And computer "maintenance" apps are really sketchy.
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It may be informal, but most RMM are very expensive for "informal" tools.
I guess Comodo One is free, maybe that makes sense.
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@magroover Thanks for being humble enough to share your story.
@guyinpv I left a W2 job over a year ago, but it was a process that took 3 years. I'm glad it took that long. There is a lot I had to learn - and I'm still learning. Having been through the process, I would recommend a few things.
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read the book "Quitter" and some of the others by Jon Acuff
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meet with a mentor from score.org
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define your new business. "getting whatever work you can find" is a bad approach. You need to have an elevator pitch. You need be able to tell people what you do and why they should hire you.
Some costs are variable, but there are many fixed costs such as health care that you have to be able to pay each month. That's covered in the Quitter book. I would suggest reading the book "Miserly Moms" as well. She outlines all the fixed costs like health care and your mortgage and then looks at variable costs like your grocery bill and suggests how save money on those expenses. At the prices you're talking about, things are going be very lean.
Your original request was for tools to automate monitoring and management of systems. Solarwinds has this - for a price. Even if you choose something like building your own Zabbix server, it still costs money to host the thing.
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@scottalanmiller said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
@IRJ said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
Making an LLC in Florida is $120, takes 15-20 mins, and is 100% online. It takes less than a week before you have your EIN in hand. I assume it's just as easy anywhere else.
Texas used to be $60 but I heard is $600 now. My roommate is trying to do that for her business. Pretty much everyone I know has an LLC for any little side work or projects that they might want to do. Not IT people, I mean just in general. Not people "starting businesses" but just wanting basic legal protection for normal stuff in life.
I know that this is after the fact, but Texas is actually $300 for an LLC.
https://www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/forms/205_boc.pdf Page 3 of 6
Payment and Delivery Instructions: The filing fee for a certificate of formation for an LLC is
$300. Fees may be paid by personal checks, money orders, LegalEase debit cards, or American
Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa credit cards. Checks or money orders must be payable
through a U.S. bank or financial institution and made payable to the secretary of state. Fees paid by
credit card are subject to a statutorily authorized convenience fee of 2.7 percent of the total fees.Submit the completed form in duplicate along with the filing fee. The form may be mailed to P.O.
Box 13697, Austin, Texas 78711-3697; faxed to (512) 463-5709; or delivered to the James Earl
Rudder Office Building, 1019 Brazos, Austin, Texas 78701. If a document is transmitted by fax,
credit card information must accompany the transmission (Form 807). On filing the document, the
secretary of state will return the appropriate evidence of filing to the submitter together with a file stamped copy of the document, if a duplicate copy was provided as instructed. -
@guyinpv said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
@scottalanmiller said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
That's a bit tough because different engagements will need different tools. A traditional MSP uses an RMM. But other kids of work normally do not.
Of course, but think of it as very informal. I'd rather get notified that the USB drive is out of space, then to find out months later it's not been doing backups for months.
That's kind of a bad example since our backup program itself can email reports, but you get the idea.I'm just trying to do two things. 1) "know stuff" before someone calls me to report disasters. And 2) make it easier to work on the issue.
They are requesting a way to submit tickets.The remote access and management of passwords is a bit tricky. And computer "maintenance" apps are really sketchy.
Atera for $79/month billed annually.
https://www.atera.com/pricing -
@JaredBusch said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
@guyinpv said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
@scottalanmiller said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
That's a bit tough because different engagements will need different tools. A traditional MSP uses an RMM. But other kids of work normally do not.
Of course, but think of it as very informal. I'd rather get notified that the USB drive is out of space, then to find out months later it's not been doing backups for months.
That's kind of a bad example since our backup program itself can email reports, but you get the idea.I'm just trying to do two things. 1) "know stuff" before someone calls me to report disasters. And 2) make it easier to work on the issue.
They are requesting a way to submit tickets.The remote access and management of passwords is a bit tricky. And computer "maintenance" apps are really sketchy.
Atera for $79/month billed annually.
https://www.atera.com/pricingI've heard of that one, and Comodo, almost had that one set up for testing some time ago.
I would just pass the costs along. If they want some kind of remote management and monitoring tools, it would cost $x a month plus some extra for the time it takes me to constantly have to read the reports and notices. I bet they would say no to that.
And that means, really the only tool that would be the most helpful is easy remote access. If I can remote in on a regular basis to do updates and clean things, as long as I can reconnect after restarts and such, be able to log the user in, etc, then I'm good with that.
Of all the tools I've tested, TeamViewer has been the most solid.
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@guyinpv said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
Of all the tools I've tested, TeamViewer has been the most solid.
Of all of the tools that I would recommend for remote management, TeamViewer would not be one of them. It used to be, until it hit the news.
https://arstechnica.com/security/2016/06/teamviewer-says-theres-no-evidence-of-2fa-bypass-in-mass-account-hack/
https://arstechnica.com/security/2016/06/teamviewer-users-are-being-hacked-in-bulk-and-we-still-dont-know-how/ -
@guyinpv you are really good at ignoring advice and doing things the hard way. Have fun with things.
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ScreenConnect has been a great tool for us.
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@scottalanmiller said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
ScreenConnect has been a great tool for us.
I use it also, but it would not fit his needs. Atera would. It is not the best RMM, but it gives him everything in a single window. Ticketing, remote access, alerts, patching.
You really cannot beat it for the price for a small setup.
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RMM type tools do sound like what I'm looking for. It's just silly because doing MSP stuff is not what I'm trying to go in business for, I just want a way to help out my company for however many months I hang on to them.
I guess in my mind I thought I could just install some "cleaner" tools to keep the systems maintained. Install a little system monitor to send me email reports about various stats, and then a decent remote control app so I can hop in as needed.
It's almost like, all or nothing regarding this type of software, no middle ground.
Well sort of, I do need to give Comodo a test.
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@guyinpv said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
RMM type tools do sound like what I'm looking for. It's just silly because doing MSP stuff is not what I'm trying to go in business for, I just want a way to help out my company for however many months I hang on to them.
I guess in my mind I thought I could just install some "cleaner" tools to keep the systems maintained. Install a little system monitor to send me email reports about various stats, and then a decent remote control app so I can hop in as needed.
It's almost like, all or nothing regarding this type of software, no middle ground.
Well sort of, I do need to give Comodo a test.
Kind of hard to imagine what a middle ground would be. If an app could do what you mention, you'd want it as an RMM tool. If it can't work as an RMM tool, it won't do enough for your needs. What you are doing with the one company here is acting as a traditional MSP and need a traditional MSP tool. You are doing "MSP Lite" but... not lite enough to make you not need a tool.
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@scottalanmiller said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
@guyinpv said in Moving from full time to part time, what can I automate?:
RMM type tools do sound like what I'm looking for. It's just silly because doing MSP stuff is not what I'm trying to go in business for, I just want a way to help out my company for however many months I hang on to them.
I guess in my mind I thought I could just install some "cleaner" tools to keep the systems maintained. Install a little system monitor to send me email reports about various stats, and then a decent remote control app so I can hop in as needed.
It's almost like, all or nothing regarding this type of software, no middle ground.
Well sort of, I do need to give Comodo a test.
Kind of hard to imagine what a middle ground would be. If an app could do what you mention, you'd want it as an RMM tool. If it can't work as an RMM tool, it won't do enough for your needs. What you are doing with the one company here is acting as a traditional MSP and need a traditional MSP tool. You are doing "MSP Lite" but... not lite enough to make you not need a tool.
Sounds about right.
At worst if I just keep my remote log in options open and access to accounts/passwords, that should get me there, even if it means I have to bill more time.
I know about the TeamViewer issue, it even happened to me. I opened up the computer and there was a dialog box about the session being over. I couldn't find that anything had happened, everything was exactly as I had it, open programs, same window positions, no additional URLs in browser history, same email open etc.
I also use Remote Utilities but it's not as robust as TV. For example, RU will fail to connect or say the computer is offline, so I open TV instead and it gets right in.
I like RU, it has some cool abilities, but it keeps failing to connect for no reason I can find. -
Just setup a VPN and be done with it. You said you are only doing this for one client and you don't know how long they will let you hang on.
How many hours will it take for you to setup these tools?
What will the cost be?
Who will maintain them after you are gone?
Will you really be saving them hours considering the amount of effort for a short term goal?
Why do you need RU or TV? Is VPN not sufficient? -
Good advice... keep it simple probably applies here.
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If they are going to be your only client like this, I would just do the VPN thing. The fixed costs and overhead of some of the other tools are not going to be worth it.
