If you would like to hire CIFNet to help you with your IT needs,

please feel free to reach out to us via e-mail to support@cifnet.com.

Below is an abridged list of the types of services and technologies in which we have significant hands-on experience. We are always willing to learn new technologies and are always open to new challenges.

Hardware and Systems

Server Hardware: Dell, HPE, IBM, Supermicro.

Network and System Security

Firewalls, IDS/IPS: Cisco ASA, Cisco Meraki, Palo Alto Firewalls, Barracuda Networks, Sonicwall, pfSense and pfSense+

Virtualization and Cloud Computing

Assistance with Virtualization, Migration, and Cloud Computing: VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Oracle Cloud.

Disaster Recovery

DR, Backups and Data Replication.

OS and Software

Operating Systems: Various flavors of Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft Windows Desktop.
Virtualization: VMware vSphere, VMware Cloud suite of products, Microsoft Hyper-V, Proxmox VE.
Extensive Internet-related expertise: DNS, DHCP, SMTP, POP3, IMAP, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SSH, SFTP, LDAP, NTP, SNMP, Syslog, RADIUS, TACACS+, IPSEC, OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP, and more.
Open Source Software: Apache, BIND, Exim, Dovecot, Postfix, Sendmail, Squid, OpenVPN, OpenSSH, OpenLDAP, OpenNTPD, OpenSMTPD, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, NetBSD, pfSense, pfSense+, and more.
Database: MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, and more.
Web Servers: Apache, Nginx, and more.
Development: PHP, Python, Perl, Ruby, Go, and more.
Monitoring: Nagios, Cacti, Zabbix, and more.
Backup: Bacula, Zmanda, and more.
VoIP systems: Asterisk, FreePBX, and more.

Diagnostics, Tuning and Optimization

Identify performance bottlenecks and tune network and server configurations to get the most out of your infrastructure.
Deep research, debug of various server hardware, network & software components, and their interactions.

Data Storage

NetApp SolidFire, HPE StoreVirtual, Dell EqualLogic, Synology.

On demand Remote Hands

Cabling & wiring, Assistance with equipment relocation, Move-In and Migration Assistance Services, Site survey and equipment mapping, and more.
See our Remote Hands page for more information.

We use our creativity, intelligence, experience and global knowledge to achieve outstanding solutions and create value for our customers. On every project, it is our goal to find the right pricing structure to align our incentives with your success. We believe the hourly model is outdated and is not aligned with the interests of IT consultants and their clients. IT firms should be rewarded for helping clients efficiently solve problems and find solutions, and be discouraged from spending more time than necessary to achieve the same end results. That's why we can offer alternative pricing models.

Monthly Retainers

We handle all of your on-going IT work in a given area for a monthly retainer, which we can adjust upward or downward based on your needs.

Example:
  • You ask us to review your current network and server infrastructure. Once we complete the process of virtualizing your environment, we can manage your day-to-day Cloud and network infrastructure (performing upgrades, patches, activating new VMs, turning off unused ones) on a monthly retainer, in which we include 10 hours of our time.  You decide if it’s 5 hours, 10 or 20.

Flat Rate or Project Fees

Under this model, we take the risk that we have underestimated the time that we have to spend on the project. If it takes longer, your fees for the particular project stay fixed and you don't pay any more. If we are very efficient, we get the benefit of our efficiency. We also offer fixed price quotes for sufficiently specific projects.
Examples:
  • Upgrade three (3) FreeBSD machines from 12.0 to 13.0; or,
  • Upgrade network switches OS / firmware; reboot, confirm that all is well.

Success Fees

For sufficiently specific projects, you pay us a reasonable rate or fee for the work and agree on an additional fee to be paid if we are successful, however you decide to define it. Not all projects qualify for this particular type of arrangement.
Example:
  • We are to convert your bare metal server infrastructure into VM/Cloud; then upgrade OS and system packages, optimize NGINX, Apache and PHP.  Then ensure that all sites are up and running after roll-out.

Hourly rate pricing

  • Consulting with CIFNet starts at $175.00 per hour, billed in 15 minutes increments, with one (1) hour minimum purchase required for new customers. Our fees are paid in advance.
  • Rates vary by complexity of the project. Before we start billing, we will do our best to meet with you (virtually or onsite) to understand your needs. 
  • Estimates can be given upfront, if a clearly defined scope of work is provided.
  • A one-hour appointment may be required to discuss larger, more complex projects.
  • If you have a larger network, a site survey may be required.

Frequently asked questions

Due to the nature of the work that we perform (custom solutions), there is no warranty on hourly work. However, we will do our very best to meet your expectations. Each hour that we work is billable regardless of the outcome of said work, unless we agreed on the flat rate or project fees. If the work performed is on the hourly rate pricing, while we will make recommendations on the level of effort required to implement a solution or fix an issue. It is up to you to let us know if there is a cap on the number of hours we spend per engagement.