[Lias] Seeking Recommendation for Tech Support Company

[Les Bell]

Can anyone recommend a company that can provide technical support for a
school network consisting of:

20 NT workstations (plans in hand to replace those)
20 (approx) Windows XP workstations
8 (approx) Windows 2000 workstations
around a dozen Windows 98 machines
2 x Samba/Apache/Webmin servers

in the Chatswood / Northern Beaches area of Sydney?

The company that were providing tech support have thrown up their hands in
horror at the presence of Linux boxes (though they're based way out west,
so I think this was a convenient excuse), and while I'm happy to help out
as a parent, the school really needs someone who can respond quickly in the
event of virus/worm outbreaks, patches to be distributed, etc.

The Linux servers aren't the problem, by the way; they're chugging along
quite happily - it's tasks like joing new machines to the domain,
installing Service Packs, etc. that's the issue. The setup is
comprehensively documented, and there's the possibility of re-using some of
the older machines in a K12LTSP lab in the not-too-distant future. Anyone
with questions can ring me on (02) 9451 1144 or 0408 239 711.

The local district technology adviser is being less than helpful, pointing
out that by installing Linux the school can't expect support from DET.
Considering the level of support seen in the past, and the fact that the
Linux servers are the only trouble-free part of the network, I can't say
I'm impressed.

Best,

--- Les Bell, RHCE, CISSP
[http://www.lesbell.com.au]