About me

With many years of IT experience under my belt, I may be the perfect match for doing after-hours support for your company. This can result in saving your company many thousands of dollars in labour costs trying to figure out things on your own..

I take pride in my work, and will take pride in whatever projects you have under way. While following standard practise is always nice, I understand not every project calls for a "best practise". Being able to adapt and give options to complete a task is one of the best parts of the job!

I run Talk About IT!, a blog for IT Professionals and people who are thrust into an IT position from other areas. Check it out, and send in your feedback. If you have questions you want answered, try asking there and helping the rest of the World Wide Web.

Skills

I have been setting up servers and workstations for companies and myself for many years. Below is a short list of the best skills I have available to help you and your business:

  • Setting up central authentication (Active Directory and SAMBA)
  • Windows Server Administration/setup
  • Linux Server Administration/setup
  • Network administration/setup
  • Web site Hosting and Servicing
  • Off-site automated encrypted backups (in Canada, FOIPOP- and PIPA-compliant)
  • Training current IT departments (including creating documentation)
  • Workstation setup/troubleshooting

Service Rates

  • $100/hour, minimum 1 hour, standard on-site consultation/service*
  • $75/hour, minimum ½ hour, remote support (after contract is signed)
  • $140/hour, minimum 2 hours, for emergency service*
  • $60/hour for driving (out of Prince George city limits only, no travel cost in town)
  • Contractor Rates available upon request
  • Parts and Hosting Costs are charged at cost with no mark-up on my end. You pay what I pay.

Terms: Net 30 (payment due 30 days after invoice is sent). Payment Plans and Purchase Orders are available upon request prior to starting any work.

Payments: I accept Cash, Cheques (please make payable to "Luke Barone"), as well as Visa and Mastercard (must present card, no call-ins). Rubber cheques are subject to a $25 inconvenience fee, so please make sure they don't bounce.

*After hours is considered after 5:00pm during the week, and anytime on weekends. Emergency service is for short-notice work, or work required during 8:00 am to 5:00 pm during the week.

Projects

I like to program in my spare time, but I'm far from a perfect programmer. I'm learning C/C++, and trying more projects with PHP and MySQL. I specialize currently in scripting (either Windows Batch Files or Linux BASH scripts) for completing most repetitive tasks - backups, file analysis, updates, or scanning log files for patterns.

Zeitgrab
A time tracking system, specifically for easily keeping track of volunteers. I started building this to track hours I volunteered with Navy League Cadets.
List MP3s
My first major VB.Net program, from back in 2005. List all the MP3s in a folder, and optionally retag them all, rename them all, or virtually any other function with the file.

These projects can always use more help. If you feel you can contribute, branch them and improve! Great changes will be added within 24 hours of examining the code.

I am available on Github or via email.