Lewisburg Sewer Authority Technology Upgrade

Back in March, the Lewisburg Area Joint Sewer Authority brought in for repair a workstation that monitors the plant. Attempts were made to fix the computer, but it was discovered that the motherboard was damaged and replacement was impractical for such an old computer. It was decided that a complete replacement was the best action so we quoted and sold them a workstation based on Intel workstation building blocks.

Catch: It needed to run Windows XP until the new software was ready. Not an issue with Intel workstations, they provided the hardware and drivers necessary.

One issue was the data contained on the old computer. It was needed by the engineers that designed the monitoring software. We were able to install the RAID card and SCSI drives in a loaner and send it and the new workstation to the engineers. They were able to boot the loaner and extract all the data as well as set it up on the new workstation. A special I/O card was used as well as a software liscense hasp. Both devices were able to function in the modern workstation.

After some minor changes onsite, the system was operational, allowing the staff to monitor the system from the control room and the lab.

Computition was also selected to upgrade the front office computers and server. LAJSA selected custom-built Computition workstations and a NAS (Network Attached Storage) to replace an aging Windows 2003 server. With careful configuration, we were able to support their old Okidata dot-matrix printer.

In less than 2 days, Computition was able to completely transition their office computers and server to the new equipment. The office was only without their business information for a couple hours during the transition.

Rural Broadband Solution

Central Pennsylvania is filled with little broadband “dead zones”, areas where traditional providers (phone and cable) aren’t interested in extending service. This is often because it doesn’t make business sense to make a large capital investment for too few subscribers.

Many people in our area have turned to satellite-based internet. Companies like HughesNet and WildBlue can provide internet service virtually anywhere. A common downside to these services are poor speeds and interrupted service during bad weather. Some area ISPs have wireless solutions, but they’re limited by distance and line-of-sight.

Over the course of the last few years, another solution has matured. Cellular-based internet has become more viable as providers like Verizon and AT&T continue to upgrade their networks. In the past, people could only use cellular internet on a single computer, but now you can use wireless routers designed to share cellular-based internet throughout your home or business.

If you’re in a broadband “dead zone” and you’d like to know more about available options, give us a call at 570-523-3373

SVWIT Transitions Auction

Computition is proud to be a part of the SVWIT Transitions Annual Auction, June 8th 2011. Be sure to check out the SVWIT webpage for more information.

Forget backup solution, think restore solution

Over the years I’ve dealt with countless situations where a customer thought their backup solution was working until they needed it. They’d try to restore files only to discover they hadn’t been backed up in weeks, maybe months. All too often the only thing monitoring your backup is the software and the secretary who was given a crash course. Does either one know if your critical business data is safe?

I would like to offer you a no cost analysis of your backup solution. The visit generally takes less than an hour and there’s no catch, no heavy sales pitch. After the visit, we’ll provide you with a report and offer a strategy to ensure your data can be restored should you ever need it. Even if another company is caring for your systems, we can offer an independent second opinion.

Call today, we want to make sure there’s nothing to lose.

Hard to find items

We recently had a customer stop in and ask if we had a SATA data cable. I told him we did and asked what color and length he wanted. He was surprised we even had them. Apparently he’d been to several stores and no one had them. I sold him one and let him know we keep all kinds of parts in stock.

Now a SATA cable really isn’t a hard-to-find part, but we do have a large selection of new and used parts and cables in stock. We carry everything from AT to USB, SCSI to SATA, ISA to PCIe. We know and stock technologies most shops never heard of.

So if you find yourself stretching the life out of some old computer or you’re just adding something to your new rig, give us a call. If we don’t have it, we can probably get it.

Smartphone Support

Smartphone leaving you frustrated? Looking for a solution and you think your phone is the answer? Call Computition and ask to speak with a technician about your iPhone, Android-based phone, or Blackberry. Your phone is capable of so many things and sometimes the phone stores can’t or won’t provide a solution.

Things like:

• Corporate/Exchange e-mail sync
• Wired and wireless tethering
• Remote control a PC or Mac
• Website and network monitoring
• Advanced web browsing
• GPS solutions
• Automotive diagnostics
• Data backup and restore

If you can imagine it, it’s probably available for your smartphone. Call us today! 570-523-3373

Remote Resolutions

Along with new features come new frustrations. Sometimes a computer issue isn’t severe enough to bring into the shop but is a little too complex to handle over the phone.

Remote Support by Computition is the perfect solution. If you have high-speed internet, our technicians can take temporary control of your computer to resolve your issue.

Call Computition at 570-523-3373 and see if Remote Support is right for you.