Yes, I'm an internet consultant, but what does that mean? Does that mean that I know everything there is to know about the internet? No. Not even close. An internet consultant helps people and businesses determine and meet their needs. That's what I do for customers not only in Portland, Oregon where I live, but in five countries all over the world.

A good internet consultant will ask a lot of questions, since there are always several ways to accomplish any internet based goal. Depending on your needs, your budget, and your projected growth, there may be a wide range of choices, and only a well rounded internet or computer consultant can help you make the right decisions for your future.

What can an internet consultant offer you? There are many things that pertain to the internet, and you practically have to be a science fiction writer to understand all the possibilities. Did you know that you can share a folder or files on the internet with another user halfway across the world? Did you know that even if youre halfway across the world you can log into your very own computer?

Things like Ecommerce, remote desktop security, VPN's (Virtual Private Networks), internet shared applications, online databases and more are out there, and unless your consultant can identify your need, you could miss out on opportunities that you didnt even know existed!

Along with this internet convenience comes danger. Did you know that people can break into a poorly protected computer over the web and read, change and delete files? Did you know that someone can use the internet to hack into a web or mail server and use that server to send millions of spam messages in a matter of minutes?

Did you know that if that happens in your office, you could get blacklisted have all of the major ISPs (Internet Service Providers) refuse to accept any of your email, effectively blocking all of your communication with their subscribers.

There are specialists in web based security, and a good internet consultant will help identify the right company for the job, based on the clients needs, budget, and level of technical expertise.

Web design and Web hosting are both specialty services, and a good consultant should steer you to a reputable company providing both. In many cases, consulting companies may offer these services themselves, but more often, they use subcontractors and affiliates. This allows you to get not only a recommendation from the consultant, but also a sense of responsibility and follow through as well. It also allows you to not put all your eggs in one basket, in case your consultant becomes unavailable.

A good internet consultant can help you not only determine what your needs are, but review those options with you too. In many cases, a consultant can even contact these companies on your behalf, and explain your needs to them. Then theyll get the written quotes, and review and explain those quotes to you in laymans terms. This helps you maximize your time, giving you an efficient way to make an educated decision, without having to become an internet consultant yourself.