The boring kind of IT. On purpose.
Computers, Wi-Fi, email, files and security for small businesses in Los Angeles, medical offices included. We set it up properly once, so it keeps working and you can get on with your day.
Questions are free. The person who answers your call is the person who fixes it.
Eight links, one chain
Office IT comes down to eight things. We handle each of them, and how they connect. Bring us the one that's giving you trouble, or have all eight set up together.
Link 01
Computers & Devices
Computers, phones and printers that work, and keep working.
- New computers. Refurbished business computers, built to your list on the hardware page. Or anything else, found to order: new or used, laptops too, any budget.
- Setup and moves. A new computer set up at your desk, your files moved over, the old one wiped.
- Fixes. Slow computers cleaned up, or wiped and rebuilt. Password resets. Anything that “worked yesterday.” See the everyday fixes.
- Printers and scanners, connected and working from every computer. We work on Windows, Macs and Linux, iPhones and iPads, and Android phones too.
We fix the printer. We don't judge the printer.
Private phones and security cameras are under Security & Privacy. Smart homes are under Private Cloud & Self-Hosting.
See the Computers & Devices page Ask about computers and devices
Link 02
Network & Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi that reaches every room, and a network set up on purpose.
- Wi-Fi for the whole office, the back room included.
- Firewalls and switches from UniFi, pfSense or OPNsense, set up around how your office works.
- Network cable run along walls and ceilings for small jobs. Octachain isn't a licensed contractor, so anything inside the walls, or bigger, goes to a licensed partner.
- Safe access from home or on the road, through a private connection to your office (a VPN).
Cameras live on your network too: see Security & Privacy. The VPN itself is under Private Cloud & Self-Hosting.
Link 03
Email & Office Apps
Email that arrives, and office apps that open.
- Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or Proton Mail, or whatever you use now: set up, or moved from one to another.
- Email on your own domain, set up so your messages don't land in spam.
- Outlook, Office and Acrobat problems, fixed.
- Spam going out from your address? We lock the account, clean it up and find out how they got in.
Link 04
Files, Cloud & Backup
Your files in one place, and backups that have actually been restored.
- Shared folders that open on every computer, every time.
- Storage in the office: a Synology or TrueNAS box for shared files and backups.
- OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox sorted out: sync fixed, files organized.
- Backups that get tested, with a second copy outside the office if you want one.
We test the restore, so you don't have to wonder whether it works.
Rather keep your files on your own server? See Private Cloud & Self-Hosting.
See the Files, Cloud & Backup page Ask about files and backups
Link 05
Security & Privacy
The basics done properly, and a calm plan for the day something goes wrong.
- The basics: two-step sign-in, a password manager for the team, encrypted laptops, and Windows' own protection set up right.
- When something happens: first we stop the damage. Then we find the cause. Then we close the door they came in through.
- Security cameras for the office, with recordings kept on a recorder in your office (or Ring, if you'd rather). Octachain isn't a licensed contractor, so we take on small installs only.
- Private phones: a Google Pixel running GrapheneOS, set up around the apps and accounts you use. See the private phones page.
Medical offices: we set things up with HIPAA in mind. Your own password vault is under Private Cloud & Self-Hosting.
Link 06
Private Cloud & Self-Hosting
Your own cloud, in your office (or your home).
- Files, calendars and contacts on your own server, with Nextcloud.
- Team chat and video calls that don't run through a big platform: Matrix, Jitsi Meet or Nextcloud Talk.
- Passwords and remote access you control: a password vault on your own server, RustDesk for remote help, WireGuard or NetBird for the VPN.
- A smart home without the cloud: Home Assistant, with devices that work locally.
Your files can live on a server in your office instead of someone else's. We set it up and show you how it works.
See the Private Cloud & Self-Hosting page Ask about your own cloud
Link 07
AI & Automation
Less busywork, and AI that keeps your data in the building.
- Automations with n8n for the routine work: forms sorted, reminders and follow-ups sent, reports put together, and apps that pass information to each other instead of someone retyping it.
- A private assistant that runs on a computer in your office.
- Meeting notes written up by AI.
- Answers from your own documents, without sending them to an outside service.
For medical offices this matters: with AI running on your own machine, patient records don't go to an outside AI company.
Link 08
Workflows & Training
Faster ways to do the daily work, and training people don't dread.
- A look at how your office works, and simpler ways to do the same jobs.
- On-site training on the computers your team uses every day.
- What we teach: working with files, email and calendar habits, the password manager, spotting scams, and the ethics of it all: what's OK to share, store and send.
Setting up a new office?
Tell us before you move in. We set up the computers, network, email and backups as one job, not eight. One plan, and one person to ask if anything comes up later.
How we work
Set up around your office
We look at what you have before we suggest anything new. Your front desk and your back office get different setups.
In person, mostly
On-site across LA County, including Los Angeles, Hollywood, Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena and the San Fernando Valley. Remote help, or travel, when a job needs it.
Questions are free
Ask before you decide anything. We'll tell you what we'd do, and what isn't worth your money.
Still here after the job
We're still a message away. If something comes up later, get in touch.
Tell us what's going on
A sentence or two is enough. We'll reply with questions, a plan or a quote.