about offthegridit

About Us


offthegridit is an IT consulting and managed services provider (MSP) company headquartered in San Jose, California.  We support the latest information technology as well as legacy systems including Mac, PC, & Linux networks.

Call or E-Mail us for support # 408-475-DATA

If you need support now it’s simple, call us at # 408-475-3282 and let’s get started. 

History

We have been servicing Silicon Valley, nationwide, and the Bay Area since 2012.  Our previous IT consulting firm started in 1999 in San Jose, CA performing computer and network consulting as a Cisco Authorized Reseller.  The offthegridit lineage supporting computers traces back to 1988 in San Jose, CA.

We have been in the networking industry since 1993.  Our experts are trained and highly experienced t solve your network problems and keep it running at top condition.

We are experts at Apple Mac repairs and consultation.

We are experts at PC systems and x86 hardware.  We have been repairing PC systems since 1988.

Most consumers have a variety of technologies that need support.  We have a wide background in IT with a successful track record, which means we can support just about any new technology faster.

We specialize in networking and cabling and wiring is one of our core services for systems integration.

We are experts at troubleshooting POTS and VOIP.  Plain old telephone systems are still around and most are migrating to VOIP.  We are the specialists that can bring you to the latest in voice and video communications.

Accordion Content

We are trained experts at protecting your data and network.

offthegridit IT Support

Going off the grid

What started as an idea has grown into a movement, a way of thinking.  The idea that people want to get off the grid and get back to nature or a more minimal state without the complexities of modern technology is not new.  But now we are at an era where we are defining what will be important for the future.

We aim to be your trusted advisor both off and on grid.  offthegridit has been an advocate of open source hardware and software to educate and innovate.  While being a great way to inspire, open source also opens the doors to the democratization of new technologies and the power to level the playing field for smaller innovators.

While we do constantly adapt and stay current with the latest technology, the principles we employ are focused on helping people and saving the planet.  We advocate and practice the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle.

offthegridit
offthegridit
IT Consulting

Business & Home Support

We do service enterprises, SMB, SOHO, small business, and homes in the Bay Area and nationwide.

Website Security

While our focus is not on website design we are experts at recovering websites that have been hacked such as WordPress web sites.  Our security experts can help to get your site back online and identify threats for continued protection.

  • We have worked with every major web hosting provider
  • GoDaddy, Bluehost, Inmotion, Siteground, and many more
  • Expert file system, database, malware, plugin support
There are times when your hosting provider will be in denial (this happens all the time), that is when you need an expert advisor that understands all the aspects of what is involved.  A true expert in security must be able to wear many technology hats.

What you can expect

  • Prompt, professional service
  • Expert advice

The technician that comes to visit you will be experienced and may have certifications in Apple, Cisco, Microsoft, Checkpoint, and security technologies.  All of our consultants are experienced professionals honoring our strict code of conduct.

Our clients:

We respect the privacy of our clients therefore, while we do not divulge our entire client list some of our clients include:

small businesses

police officers

churches

homes

accountants

bookkeepers

online businesses

transportation companies

realtors

CEOs

marketing professionals

architects

startups

Quizno’s Sandwiches

structural engineers

preschools

Target

Mountain Mike’s Pizza

Verizon

AT&T

hackers

software developers

creatives

compliance officers

Comcast

datacenters

retail stores

senior centers

congregations

Round Table Pizza

mechanical engineers

music studios

innovation centers

finance professionals

accountants

bookkeepers

mid sized businesses

telco operators

MSPs
(Managed Service Providers)

operations managers

video producers

security staff

construction companies

roofing companies

doctors

dentist’s offices

lawyers

Subway Sandwiches

We strive to provide a valuable service to our community and remain committed to professionalism and providing you with the best service possible.

IT Forensics & Cybersecurity

While we do provide Cybersecurity and IT security related consulting services, there are times when you should consider contacting law enforcement first.  In addition, we do not offer offensive hacking techniques or services. 

We can assist you with security assessments, defensive techniques, 3rd party verification, forensics, data recovery, and best practices.

IT Consultant Profile

  • With over 35 years of information technology industry experience, Michael Bolanos brings to you a vast amount of technical acumen from a broad range of industries in Silicon Valley and the United States. 
Having worked for some of the most valuable startups in the world, banking environments, Big 6 consulting firms, and many small businesses, we have gained a valuable resource by having Michael Bolanos as an IT Consultant.
 

Michael Bolanos enjoys being an innovator and a appreciates spending time with family and close friends.

 

IT Management Style

Having the backing of management is important for an IT organization.  Many IT organizations get a bad rap because of inexperienced and careless IT staff.  When people come to us they know they have a trusted advisor.

There is no blaming or passing the buck here.  I focus on solutions, efficiency, and effectiveness.  I work to align our business with our client’s management to provide strategic advantages. 

  • Keeping all critical systems running 24/7
  • Saving clients money
  • Being proactive and creating win-win relationships
  • Do not criticize, condemn, or complain
  • Always maintain respect for individuals and their privacy

Industry certifications for Michael Bolanos:

Industry Certifications

1992
A.S.E.E.
A.S.E.E. Electronics Engineering

A background in telecommunications and electronics engineering has come a long way towards solving technological problems even 30 years later.

1993
CNE
Certified Netware Engineer

Netware was the first network operating system to gain notable market share.  Being a CNE back in these days was being at the forefront of networking.

1996
MCSE
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
Microsoft MCSE

As one of the first Microsoft Certified Engineers we were sent to Xerox Document University in Virginia to study Microsoft and Comaq Computers for two months straight without work.  This was during the release of Windows NT 3.51.

1996
ASE
Accredited Systems Engineer
Compaq ASE

Being a certified ASE for Compaq meant we were certified to support the biggest Intel server networks in the world.

1999
CCSA
Checkpoint Certified Security Administrator
CCSA

Checkpoint has been a leadin Firewall provider for enterprises since back in the day.  Having this certification helped to deploy industriual grade firewalls on Sun Solaris, and X86 platforms with security expertise.

2006
ACTC
Apple Certified Technical Coordinator
Apple ACTC

Having Apple accreditation meant being qualified to deploy Apple OSX and MacOS servers and networking.

We love what we do

We love what we do, we love helping people.  We love to be organized, and pay attention to detail.  We love picky customers.  We love customers who are tired of amateurs and want to work with professionals.  But most of all we love our jobs.

Timeline of offthegridit

2012
Born
offthegridit is born

It was an idea.  People want to go off the grid.  But they still need modern tools, and a way to communicate with the grid.

2015
Expanded
Time for development

We worked with hardware and software developers to better understand the technologies that are coming.  Supporting a mixture of Mac, Windows, and Linux in enterprise environments at mass scale was a way to expand our vision.

2023
Expanded
A new era of artificial intelligence

After 10 years, many of the technologies we support (that have been in development) are coming to fruition.  It feels like we are entering a historic period where the technologies are being defined right now that will be so important for society going forward.

Partners

While we have always offered neutral unbiased opinions on technology purchases we have partnered with many hardware and software vendors to give you some of the best in class solutions and integration:

Hardware

SnapOne/SnapAV

  • Control4
  • Sony, Samsung, LG
  • Ring
  • A/V gear distributor
  • Ubiquiti Networks
  • Sonos

Savant Authorized Dealer

Ubiquiti Networks

  • UniFi experts

LTS Security

  • Video Surveillance
  • Access control
  • (HikVision OEM)

Verkada

  • Video Surveillance
  • Access control

Dell Partner

  • Expert hardware repairs for servers, RAID, networking

HP

  • Expert hardware repairs for servers, RAID, networking
  • Previously certified on Compaq/HP Servers
  • GPU Clusters
  • CPU Clusters
Apple Computers
  • Supporting Apple hardware since 1999
  • Previous member of the Apple Consultants Network

Software

Microsoft Partner

  • Microsoft Partner since 1996

Malwarebytes

  • Antivirus
  • Endpoint Control for centralized monitoring

Bitdefender

  • Antivirus
Apple Computers
  • Supporting Apple software since 1999
  • Previous member of the Apple Consultants Network

Intuit

  • Intuit Quickbooks Advisor
 

Cloud

Amazon AWS

  • Virtualize servers, VMs

Microsoft Azure

  • Virtualize servers, VMs

Acronis

  • Data backups

Would you like to become a Partner?

If you would like to become a partner, vendor, or have something to offer please do not call.  

For inquiries you can E-Mail us for a review of your product or offering.  We review many products, companies, and services and cannot work with all of them.  But we do seek to work with the best in every industry we support.  If it is a match with offthegridit and your offering we will contact you.

For questions or inquiries E-mail us at:  [email protected]

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