Who You Gonna Call?

Why Your Church Needs an IT Person

Section Overview


What do I do?


  • Troubleshoot technical issues
  • Maintain physical infrastructure
  • Update software
  • Setup Zoom calls
  • Fix printers, phones, computers, etc...
  • Develop websites
  • Repair or replace obsolete hardware
  • And as always... other duties as assigned

"But I can do those things!"


  • Is it scalable?
  • Is it secure?
  • What happens when someone leaves?
  • What happens when something breaks?
  • How do you backup data?
  • Does it get your full attention?

How much will this cost?


$$$

It's complicated


  • Technology is ever changing
  • The 'as a service' model adds up
  • Business class internet is a rip off
  • Remote work means more reliance on the cloud
  • There isn't a one size fits all solution

No money, no problem


  • You don't always need the cutting edge
  • Enterprises love tax write-offs
  • Non-profits can get special pricing
  • Learn to love Open Source
  • Outsourcing is not always cheaper

However...


  • It benefits you to buy the best you can afford
  • One man's trash is not always another's treasure
  • You need to be ok upgrading

However...


However...


  • It benefits you to buy the best you can afford
  • One man's trash is not always anther's treasure
  • You need to be ok upgrading
  • Sometimes a paid solution is the best
  • Paying an expert can save you a lot of headaches

Nuts and Bolts


Let's talk hardware

Office Computers


  • Go for business class
  • Used enterprise hardware is a great bang for the buck.
  • 2022 baseline specs*
    • CPU: At least 4 true cores
    • Memory/RAM: 16GB
    • SSD: At least 256GB
    • HDD: 1TB (Only as file storage)
    • Dedicated Graphics Card: It depends
  • Laptops vs Desktops

Networking - 1 The basics


  • Enterprise vs home networking
  • Basic terminology
    • Router
    • Firewall
    • Switch
    • Access Point
  • How they all fit together

Networking - 2 Wifi


  • Common mistakes
    • Too few access points
    • Transmit power too high
    • Channel congestion
    • 2.4GHz interference
  • Brands to know
    • Ubiquiti
    • TP-Link
    • Aruba Networks
    • Cisco Meraki

Networking - 3 Switches


  • Managed vs Un-managed
  • Speeds
    • 100 megabit
    • 1 gigabit
    • 10 gigabit
  • Power over ethernet
  • Fiber optics vs copper

Networking - 4 Firewalls and Routers


  • The gateway to the internet
  • Firewalls often act as the router in a network
  • Old desktops make great firewalls
  • Any firewall you build or purchase will outperform the ISP provided one

Servers


  • Do you need one?
    • Network Storage
    • Active Directory
    • On site services
  • When is the cloud is good?
  • When is the cloud bad?
  • Should I self host?

Wrangling the 1's and 0's


Software to get things done

Open source and free software


Non-profit Software options


  • TechSoup - Non-profit providing software options and hardware.
    • Microsoft Volume Licensing Center - Bulk licenses for Windows/Office/Windows Server
    • Adobe Creative Cloud
    • Discounted Hardware*
  • Amazon Smile - Receive a percentage of Amazon purchases for your Church

Questions?