Taking a leap from the security of the corporate world, Justin LaRocque decided to take his almost 10-years of experience in the business IT world to offer technology services to area businesses through his company, Wirebox Solutions.
Through enterprise IT work at Busey Bank, LaRocque serviced a network with over 1,000 workstations and 100 servers.
“I’ve gained the skills I needed while I was there to come out and do this on my own,” he said. “It gave me the nudge to say, I think I can do this.”
Although starting Wirebox Solutions had been in the back of LaRocque’s mind for years, he decided to make the change in May.
“Servicing businesses is where we shine,” he said. “The strategy and consulting part, helping them improve efficiencies, and helping a business grow profitably by using technology.”
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Wirebox Solutions offers IT infrastructure support which includes set up and maintenance of servers, email, storage and networking components.. They also offer multi-platform device troubleshooting and repair services for computers, tablets, and printers.
LaRocque can also help businesses trim down their physical infrastructure. With advances in technology, a business with 10 servers can now be reduced to 2 to 3 servers, which will provide efficiency, power and space.
Instead of manually transferring files to a new computer, LaRocque is able transfer data from one computer to the next without losing the content of the stored information or programs.
With the development of cloud computing, LaRocque believes it is important to educate businesses on the new tools available through software developers. He also realizes the importance of staying up on technology information so his clients know about the latest trends.
“I think the solution is a mix of traditional IT for your business, and augmenting it with a hand-full of services that make sense within the cloud,” he said.”
LaRocque believes services such as Carbonite or Mozy, which offer data storage and backup services, will offer small businesses a peace of mind for a small monthly fee. Also, software companies, which offered high dollar programs, now deliver their latest programs through the internet for a monthly fee with an annual commitment.
“Now I’m paying for the service and I don’t have to worry about the fact that if my machine dies, I’ve lost my program and my files.”
LaRocque said while everyone worries about the security aspect of cloud computing, the company’s which provide these services have advanced security systems to target potential risks. Through working in a bank atmosphere, he understands the needs for information security.
“Change is difficult,” he said. “Not everyone likes change. But you can use technology to your benefit and become more efficient than you ever imagined yourself being by putting just a little bit of work in up front and embracing the concept.”
With the services Wirebox Solutions can provide, LaRocque believes business can de-clutter, make files searchable, and retrieve archived information faster than ever before.
“My main goal with Wirebox is to be a technology advisor to small business,” he said. “If training is going to benefit them most, the let’s train you on the technology. Through normal interactions with clients, I do whatever I can to pass along my knowledge.”
