One of the most common questions we are asked is: “What tools do you use?”. Below are links to the software, hardware, and services used to run Second Son Consulting. We can answer any questions you have about these products and demos are available upon request.
Productivity
Daylite – We can’t say enough about this product; it is simply the best CRM data manager on the Mac market. After years of using competing products, we were so impressed with Daylite and the responsiveness of its developers that we switched. And we will never look back.
FileMaker Pro – We have a custom database we designed to keep track of our clients (and our own) assets such as hardware, software, subscriptions, accounts, etc.
OmniGraffle – If you have to make diagrams, then this product is a must. We document networks and server rooms visually because it makes things easier to understand. This product has made the entire process easier. The good news is the regular (as opposed to the pro) version is pre-installed on many Macs, so you may have a copy already.
Notebook – We used to take notes and collect research using 4 or 5 different methods. Not any more. The best way we can describe Notebook is a multi-page outlining tool with embedded graphics and an automatic index. The automatic indexing is one of the best features. After sitting in a class for 3 days or researching a project for a couple of weeks, you might remember talking about a subject or concept, but you can’t find it in your notes. With Notebook, all you have to do is go to the index, find the word or phrase, click on it, and viola, you instantly see all instances of said word or phrase in the document.
Utilities / Backup
DiskWarrior – This is our first go-to utility when it comes to disk maintenance. (Please note you should always have your data backed up before running any utility on your system.)
Retrospect – Backing up your data is paramount. Retrospect is a cross-platform product aimed at the SOHO and Small Business market. We have been using it for years and it fits very well into the needs of small business owners.
NetVault – If you have large data backup needs, small backup windows, or a more complicated backup scenario, then NetVault will probably fit the bill. Also a cross-platform product, NetVault is targeted at enterprise environments, or special needs environments. For example, this was the tool we chose for a client who has 9TB of live data, and only a 5 hour backup window.
Services
DriveSavers – There are two kinds of people in the world….those who have lost data, and those who will. It happens when you least expect it, even to us. One of our laptop hard drives died at the end of the business day and contained some critical data that was not part of the last backup. So off to Drive Savers it went. A few days later we had the data we needed. If you find yourself in this position, you can use this number: DS14819, and you will get a 10% discount.
Ring Central – If you like our one-number phone system, then you need to look at these folks. Having the virtual phone system and allowing us to give our clients one phone number for the office, mobiles, and fax has been a dream. The system also emails us a copy of each voicemail message and allows us to create special rules to handle things like vacations or when an employee is out sick. There is so much power behind this product, you simply must check out the options.
