You can follow the masses, play it safe, and try to save a buck. Or you can defy convention, be resourceful, and master the tricks of the trade.

The computer industry is like the wild west during the pioneer days. A few rustlers have risen to the top and are trying to corral you into their particular style of computing. The result is constant upgrades, incompatibility, and inflexibility.

Unless you have a huge computing budget, you can't be a 100% Microsoft serf, nor can you constantly upgrade your hardware and operating systems to keep up with corporate earning strategies.

The good news is that there are a lot of alternatives for businesses who do a little bit of homework.

Kent Roller, the president of Island Network Solutions, LLC, has written a series of articles that espouses the truth in key areas of business and home business computing.

Use the links to the left to read these articles.