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hello
I am returning to Lebanon , what do you think about opening a small IT support company ?
networking, servers, systems , etc ?
give me your ideas, advice ...or should i travel again ?
An IT support company well be very good in Lebanon. I for one would be glad to have one.
the idea is not selling , but providing IT audit , consultancy , IT project management , implementing projects ( even as small as 2 computers network ) ..
Providing IT support would make a killer job. I make more money with fixing PC's then selling them.
is the market ready for recent trends? N-computing , Clouds , Virtual computing , etc ?
or should I stick to small to medium business ( not more than 100 user )
Tarek wroteis the market ready for recent trends? N-computing , Clouds , Virtual computing , etc ?
or should I stick to small to medium business ( not more than 100 user )
Nop :P

Learn to install surveillance equipment, some laptop repair, some small server maintenance and basic networking. You'll dominate the market.
I have MCITP 2008 entreprise , CCNA/CCNP , ITIL V3 , A+ , Network + , TCE ( Toshiba certified engineer ),I have extensive experience with CCTV/PSS and low current , etc ... but i don't want to end up fixing laptops and getting dirty ..i want to manage , advise , train , etc
I believe Tarek wants to deal more with businesses rather than individual end users?
not totally , of course I can fix a laptop or install wifi for a villa or something , but yeah i am looking more for SME ( small -medium entreprises ) installing servers , racks , hardening servers ( i don't know any company who does that ) installing VOip , regular pbx , hell even installing multimedia systems
I believe Lebanon need brains and good technical teams, not more "managers". And if there is manager, he should know the area very well.
My common experience in Lebanon with IT integrators: 10 managers, 1 barely understanding things tech guy. As soon as this guy learn few things that let him put his nose up, he open his own company and become manager.
P.S. Personal rant: Especially i don't like people who don't want to "get their hands dirty". Most successful CEOs had their hands dirty and were not ashamed to do things by their hands when they was in high position. Exception: truly talented managers from god, e.g. Steve Jobs.

My way, where you have small team of people you trust 100%, and you at beginning combine management with technical tasks. Then you start hiring new people, let them enter team, feel them as part of "family" and work "shoulder to shoulder", so they can learn real life, and then slowly you can move to more managerial work, if you teached skilled enough person to replace you in routine jobs. Sure keep in mind that loyality to employer in Lebanon - very low. Your fresh tech guy learn, guy become your competitor. Think how to keep him interested.

Last words:
Lebanon really lacks IT integrator companies who can DO JOB PROPERLY!
Btw, Tarek, can i ask you few questions? I very much doubt when someone says in Lebanon "i know how to do hardening servers" :) Sorry for Lebanese people, but truly experienced in their (IT) profession people can be counted by fingers in Lebanon.
I didn't get it , what is your question? By the way when i stated my certificates i meant i will work on the projects but i will manage everything .i will do it my way..
This days customers doesn't look to certificates, they look to knowledge and how person do the job, especially when i was interviewing applicants (not in Lebanon, one of gulf countries), all of them had CCNA/CCNP, and zero knowledge in their head. Ah, and i forgot, high demands for their salary because of their certificate. It is common that true difference visible from CCIE. This is as example. M$ certificates

Regarding hardened servers ill write when i come to office.
i still don't understand what you are ranting about .
i asked a yes or no question with a small margin to discuss your answer..very easy
anyway thank you , i hope you have extensive knowledge and experience !
For example:
IIS server, complicated website (and in some places it may appear insecure, during updates, e.g. SQL injection) using MSSQL, website are updated with FTP and MSSQL replication. Load-balancing and fail-over required.
How you will harden it?
give me some more details on the IIS server version , what ports the MSSQL is using , what type of NLB you are using ( single server/multi NICs . multi servers , multi clusters , etc ) and pm me and i will give you the main points that can help you
keep my topic clean please
IIS 7.5, MSSQL default ports, balancing (let's say) - planned.
I already finished this job my way, just want to know your view to this, how you will do this.
Then i will tell how i did.
i sent you some general points by pm
Got it. Very good knowledge of topic. I don't know if people really can pay for that, but there is not much people who know this field well as you, i'm impressed :)
But sure you should improve knowledge, IMHO Linux for question i asked can lower down costs a lot for customer and increase profit for you.
I want to install linux on a VM and try your method, give me some hints and guides to start