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Smoke and Mirrors, Inc.

6447 SE Stark St.
Portland, OR
 

Areas of service:

Portland, Beaverton, Gresham, Lake Oswego, West Linn and Clackamas
 

Credentials

  • Email verified
  • Fixr reviewed
 
 

Contact Smoke and Mirrors, Inc.

Describe what you need

IT Services for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

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Smoke and Mirrors, Inc. - Portland, OR

  1. You'll be asked to describe what you need.
  2. You'll be asked to provide your details so that Michael Peterson may contact you.
  3. You'll get estimates from other qualified service professionals.

About Smoke and Mirrors, Inc.

Hi, I am Michael Peterson of Smoke and Mirrors, Inc. I specialize in computer and network support. I also specialize in setting up small to medium size businesses with all the resources they need to keep their business IT needs covered.

Services I offer:

  • New workstations
  • New servers
  • Repairing and recovering from malware and viruses
  • Data backups (on and offsite)
  • Printers and other peripherals

I've been an IT professional since 1991 and clients include major engineering companies, retailers and small municipalities.

I provide services to anywhere in the Portland, Oregon area including small outlying areas. In addition to being a "techie," my first degree was in Psychology and my Master's is in Business so I understand how businesses work and I deal very well with both principals and staff.

Contact me for more info!

Questions and answers

  • How many projects do you average in a year?

  • About 20 small projects ranging from moving offices to installing new workstations and servers.

  • What information do you recommend to have readily available before looking for a professional in your trade?

  • 1. Usernames, passwords, as accurate as possible a description of what happened, when and any error messages you remember.

    2. Any installation disks that came with the system (operating system disks).

    3. Location and date(s) of any backups you have.

  • What types of jobs are the most common?

  • Recovering from damage caused by malware.

  • How did you get started?

  • Teaching blind adults to use computers using synthesized voices (1990).

  • Tell us something customers may not know about you.

  • I've been working with computers and networks since 1985.

  • What services do you provide your customers after the work has finished?

  • Follow up to make sure everything is working correctly.

    Backup resources both local and cloud.

  • Tell us about the project or job that you are most proud of (in the last 12 months).

  • Recovering hard drive for a small retail store that had all of their Quickbooks data on the drive.

  • What areas of your trade do you specialize in?

  • System recovery - from viruses and malware, from hardware failures.

  • What do you wish customers knew about your profession or trade?

  • Standard labor rates for an experienced IT professional are in the range of $95 - $125/hour. My rate is $65/hour and I don't charge extra for evening or weekend work.

  • What are the most frequent questions you get from customers? What are the answers?

  • Q - What is the best antivirus software"

    A - There isn't any "best" antivirus.

    Q - Why do I need to run more than one antivirus?

    A - Because no single version can protect you.

    Q - Do the "free" antivirus software applications work?

    A - Yes, but with some serious limitations.

  • What brands or products do you work with?

  • Mostly Dells.

  • What questions should a customer ask before hiring a professional in your trade?

  • Have you done this before?

    What are reasonable expectations for recovery?

    What, specifically do I need recovered?

  • What would you recommend customers looking to save money?

  • Craigslist has many bargains if you know what to ask and how to test.

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