<li>The Volunteers CLC has had in the past were limited in what their strengths were. They often were at the end of their career and had lots of knowledge but were set in their ways.</li>
<li>From this, the need for a managed IT service company was born. The company CLC partnered with implemented many of the systems that are still in use today</li>
<li>However, this has a downside. All interaction with this company was through a ticketing system.</li>
<li>The advent of this position combined the best of both worlds. Being onsite, this allows for quicker time to resolution of technical issues.</li>
<li>While they may have a bit of a price premium, business class machines are generally easier to service/upgrade, have longer support cycles, and will have more readily available support</li>
<li>Enterprises are always upgrading. Used business machines can generally be found for a really good price.</li>
<li>These are in my personal opinion. Don't take this as the be all end all recommendation.</li>
<li>Laptops are convenient, but desktops generally have longer lifespans. Plus the accessories can be brought forward when it is time to upgrade.</li>
<p>Wifi is tricky to get right and its only noticed when it isn't working. With a few simple tweaks wifi performance can be greatly improved.</p>
<ul>
<li>Generally, you don't want an access point to have to reach more than one room over. ~30ft</li>
<li>This goes hand in hand with too few access points. If the transmit power is too high the signal from an access point can overpower one that may be closer to the device trying to connect.</li>
<li>In especially dense urban areas there are lots of wifi networks. They all use the same few channels to communicate so selecting one that is not as highly used will allow for easier communication.</li>
<li>Lots of devices can give off 2.4GHz signals. Or in short, don't put your access point on top of the break room microwave.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Ubiquiti: Sleek, does the job well, user friendly, cost premium, no recurring charges</li>
<li>TP-Link Omada: Does everything Ubiquiti can just cheaper. Not as user friendly</li>
<li>The Aruba IAP line is good for 2 or 3 ap deployments where a central controller would be overkill. Going beyond the IAP line is pricy.</li>
<li>Cloud managed. Industry leader. The price will reflect that.</li>
<p>The cloud can offer convenience and easy access to computers way outside of your price range. VPS services like Linode offer cost friendly options to run services in the cloud.</p>
<p>The cloud is not the be all end all. With the consolidation of resources, the severity of outages grows proportionally. AWS and GCP outages. Facebook and Cloudflare outages last year.</p>
<p>Self hosting is a great option if you want to control your data and services.</p>
<p>Callout to OBS Studio as being our livestreaming software of choice.</p>
<p>LibreOffice and its other alternative OpenOffice can be great for basic document editing. LibreOffice has good compatibility with all MS office documents.</p>
<liclass="fragment fade-in"><ahref="https://renewedvision.com/propresenter/">ProPresenter</a> - The definitive choice in live production & presentation software</li>
<liclass="fragment fade-in"><ahref="https://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/">Final Cut Pro</a> - Apple only video editor</li>
<liclass="fragment fade-in"><ahref="https://www.apple.com/mainstage/">MainStage</a> - Live rig for Mac</li>
<liclass="fragment fade-in">Technology is ever changing</li>
<liclass="fragment fade-in">The 'as a service' model adds up</li>
<liclass="fragment fade-in">Business class internet is a rip off</li>
<liclass="fragment fade-in">Remote work means more reliance on the cloud</li>
<liclass="fragment fade-in">There isn't a one size fits all solution</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<divclass="r-stretch"></div>
<asideclass="notes">
<p>There are ongoing costs as well as one time purchases with any aspect of business. Technology is no different. The pandemic has changed our reliance on certain aspects of tech and as such the costs associated with them has changed.</p>
<p>While you can spend less in some areas, there are areas where spending the money is worth it.</p>
<ul>
<li>There will always be something to upgrade.</li>
<li>SaaS products are generally more convenient than standing up your own infrastructure. However, this locks you into a platform and it's not always easy to leave. O365/ Adobe CC</li>
<li>Business and enterprise internet comes with SLA requirements, but you pay the price for it. Working internet on a Sunday morning example.</li>
<li>There is no cloud. Its just someone elses computer.</li>
<liclass="fragment fade-in">You don't always need the cutting edge</li>
<liclass="fragment fade-in">Enterprises love tax write-offs</li>
<liclass="fragment fade-in">Non-profits can get special pricing</li>
<liclass="fragment fade-in">Learn to love Open Source</li>
<liclass="fragment fade-in">Outsourcing is not always cheaper</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<divclass="r-stretch"></div>
<asideclass="notes">
<ul>
<li>Everyone likes new shiny things, but there is a lot of bang for the buck value if you know where to look.</li>
<li>Big businesses are constantly turning over hardware in favor of newer models. However, whats being replaced usually is perfectly usable.</li>
<li>There are organizations that will give special pricing to non-profits. Use example of TechSoup.</li>
<li>While the two are not one in the same, Open Source usually means free.</li>
<li>It may be tempting to outsource it needs to a 3rd party. However, it isn't always cheaper and generally unless otherwise stated, these companies operate 9-5 M-F. Not really the church schedule.</li>
</ul>
</aside>
</section>
<sectiondata-transition="slide-in fade-out">
<divstyle="text-align: left;">
<p>However...</p>
</div>
<hr>
<divclass="r-stack">
<divclass="align-left fill-width fill-height">
<ul>
<liclass="fragment fade-in">It benefits you to buy the best you can afford</li>
<liclass="fragment fade-in">One man's trash is not always another's treasure</li>
<liclass="fragment fade-in">You need to be ok upgrading</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<divclass="r-stretch"></div>
<asideclass="notes">
<ul>
<li>Sure you don't need a $4000 Macbook to wire sermons, but a $150 Chromebook probably isn't the best option either.</li>
<li>You are a church not an e-waste recycling program.</li>
<li>Just because it works doesn't mean its worth keeping</li>
<li>It benefits you to buy the best you can afford</li>
<li>One man's trash is not always anther's treasure</li>
<li>You need to be ok upgrading</li>
<liclass="fragment fade-in">Sometimes a paid solution is the best</li>
<liclass="fragment fade-in">Paying an expert can save you a lot of headaches</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<divclass="r-stretch"></div>
<asideclass="notes">
<ul>
<li>Sure you don't need a $4000 Macbook to wire sermons, but a $150 Chromebook probably isn't the best option either.</li>
<li>You are a church not an e-waste recycling program.</li>
<li>Just because it works doesn't mean its worth keeping</li>
<li>Industry standards/ compatibility/ more information or support for a product.</li>
<li>It may be tempting to outsource it needs to a 3rd party. However, it isn't always cheaper and generally unless otherwise stated, these companies operate 9-5 M-F. Not really the church schedule.</li>
