E-N Computers

03/09/2026

We have an opening for an L3 Systems Engineer at our Waynesboro office.

You’ll manage servers, networks, and security, lead projects, and provide escalation support for clients across Virginia. This role combines technical leadership, hands-on engineering, and customer interaction.

Apply directly on our website:

Do you love solving IT problems and putting smiles on faces? Join E-N Computers as a Level III Systems Engineer! You’ll manage servers, networks, and security, lead projects, and provide escalation support for clients across Virginia. This role combines technical leadership, hands-on engineering, ...

03/09/2026

🎉 One year ago today, Devin Frend joined E-N Computers as a business account manager. The people who work with him see the growth every day.

"Devin has been a fun and enjoyable coworker to work alongside. He brings a positive attitude to the team, remains dedicated to his responsibilities, and is always eager to learn and grow in his role. His enthusiasm for continuous learning is commendable," said Amy Birckhead, a colleague at E-N Computers.

That combination, sales instinct paired with a genuine drive to learn IT, is exactly what our clients notice. It's why Devin has become someone they trust with their questions and their accounts.

Happy work anniversary, Devin! We're glad you're on the team.

Drop a congrats for Devin in the comments 👇

31/08/2026

CMMC compliance tends to land on your IT person's desk by default. It's a computer thing, so it must be IT's job, right?

That assumption is usually where the trouble starts.

IT handles a lot of the technical controls, no question. But owning the whole program is a different job. Someone has to set policy for people who never touch a computer: the shop floor, HR, contracts. Someone has to decide what's in scope. And someone has to sign the annual affirmation with their own name on it.

None of that falls under an IT person's job description.

"It's above their pay grade to change how the company operates," said Ian MacRae, President of E-N Computers.

So what happens instead? IT builds a separate, walled off setup just for the people who touch federal work. It works, but it doubles the effort. Most of it would fit into the regular setup too, if the right person were in the room.

There's another catch. When an assessor shows up, they talk to both sides: the people who own the information and the people who run the systems. Technical answers from IT can raise more questions than they settle.

We break down what a better setup looks like in the full article: https://www.encomputers.com/2026/08/who-should-own-cmmc-program/

Most small contractors hand CMMC to whoever runs IT. Here's who should own your CMMC program instead, and the three things that decide whether it works.

26/08/2026

AIA Virginia signed with E-N Computers in March 2022. A few weeks later, they gave up their office for good and went fully remote.

That timing could have been a mess. No office means no one to send a technician to. So we built a new plan: scheduled remote sessions, laptops configured and shipped straight to each person, and a hardware refresh cycle that spreads costs out every six months instead of hitting all at once.

But the real shift happened at their first annual review. Our team didn't just talk about support tickets. We asked what their goals were, what hardware they'd need down the road, and where the organization was heading. Then we brought up a software platform they were considering, one we'd never manage and never even get paid for.

Member Services Director, Cathy Guske still remembers it. "I've never felt talked down to," she said. "It's like, wait, can you back up and explain why we need that or what that does for us?"

That's the difference between an IT company that shows up when something breaks and one that plans ahead with you. Clear billing. Straight answers. Reviews that look past what's broken to what's next.

Read the full case study: https://www.encomputers.com/2026/08/case-study-full-remote-richmond-aiava/

Want a strategy conversation like this one for your team? Book time with Ian MacRae, our president: https://www.encomputers.com/managed-it-services-inquiry/

24/08/2026

A technician needed one password. Nobody at the company could give it to him.

Ian MacRae, president of E-N Computers, sat down last week with a contact at a building materials company in Virginia that's shopping for a new IT provider. During the conversation, she described a recent fiber install: the technician needed the password to their firewall, and her team didn't have it. They never had it — their current IT company kept it, along with everything else.

"We have no documentation or anything. Everything is in their hands," she told him.

No passwords. No network records. No way to see what's running on their own systems unless the current provider decides to share it.

E-N Computers builds it the other way. Every password, every setting, every device gets written into a portal the client can open anytime. If a client leaves, they keep that access for 30 days, and E-N Computers hands a full copy to whoever takes over.

Your systems should belong to you — your passwords, your records, your history of what's been done and why. Not locked away in someone else's head or someone else's software.

If your IT provider walked away tomorrow, could you get back into your own network?

19/08/2026

5 things SEC examiners check for Reg-SP compliance.
Examiners want proof. They don't just want policies sitting in a binder. They want to see dates, names, and real actions.

1. A written incident response plan
This plan shows how your firm spots a breach, stops it, and recovers. Examiners will ask for proof you tested it. That means:
- The date of your last tabletop test
- Who took part
- What you changed afterward

2. Monitoring and logging tools
You can't report a breach you don't know about. Set up tools that watch email and every device your team uses for work — laptops, servers, and phones.

3. A 72-hour rule for vendors
Any vendor who touches customer data — especially your IT provider — must agree in writing to tell you within 72 hours if they get breached.

4. Customer notice within 30 days
The clock starts the moment you learn facts that point to a breach of sensitive customer data. You need:
- A system ready to send that notice
- If you decide not to notify customers, a written record of who made that call, when, and why

5. Keep records for 5 years
Save all your safeguard and disposal records for at least five years.

So, what should your IT provider be able to hand you? read/watch here: https://www.encomputers.com/2026/07/reg-sp-sec-exam-what-examiners-look-for/

17/08/2026

A 40-person machine shop can get two very different numbers for the same IT setup.

An online pricing calculator says about $1,250 a month. A real provider quote comes in at $2,455. Neither number is wrong.

Online calculators assume every employee sits at a desk with one laptop, the same setup as a law firm or an accounting office. A shop floor doesn't run that way.
You might have 10 people in the front office. Then 30, 40, even 50 more running CNC machines, sharing workstations across three shifts, and scanning barcodes on the floor. Every one of those counts, just differently.

Manufacturers routinely underestimate what their IT setup covers, said Ian MacRae. "It's not uncommon to have 10 people in the office, when there’s actually 100 people who work here, multiple shifts, and all these shop floor assets that need to be supported.”

So which number is closer to what you'd really pay? And what happens to your service if your provider gets the shop floor pricing wrong in either direction?
The full math behind that $2,455 quote, plus the four factors that really drive manufacturing IT costs, is in the article:

Discover how much managed IT costs for manufacturing plants in 2026, including per-user rates, shop-floor pricing, and co-managed support options.

11/08/2026

Happy Workiversary to Jonathan Lambert

Jonathan Lambert joined our team in August of 2021 as an L1 Technician while making a career change. Since then, he has shown tremendous dedication and growth—quickly advancing into a Security role where he spent several years strengthening our services. Jonathan has recently stepped into the role of Service Team Lead, where his leadership and experience continue to make a positive impact on the team.

We are proud to have him as part of the E-N Family and look forward to his continued success.

See more about Jonathan and the rest of our team: https://www.encomputers.com/about/team/

10/08/2026

Why did your IT bill go up this year when nothing in your office changed?
For a lot of Virginia accounting firms, the answer comes down to one thing: you're paying twice for the same protection.

Here's how that happens. Many firms buy Microsoft 365 Business Premium through their IT provider. That plan already includes login security, device management, and email threat protection. But some providers never turn those tools on. Instead, they sell you separate add-ons for things you already own.

"They really are paying twice for these things," said Ian MacRae.

Add a cloud tax hosting platform on top of that, and some firms end up paying three times for overlapping coverage.

Here's what the numbers look like. Cloud tax hosting alone runs $79 to $199 per user each month, but it won't cover your firewall, your Wi-Fi, or a computer that breaks down. Full local IT support in Virginia runs $125 to $250 per user each month and covers all of that, plus your Microsoft 365 security and compliance work.

Before you sign with any provider, find out if they are using what you already pay for in Microsoft 365, or selling you a second and third layer you don't need.

We broke down the full cost picture, including what drives prices up in Northern Virginia versus the Shenandoah Valley, in the article: https://www.encomputers.com/2026/07/managed-it-cost-accounting-firm-virginia/

What's included in your firm's current IT plan?



https://www.encomputers.com/2026/07/managed-it-cost-accounting-firm-virginia/

Get real 2026 pricing for Virginia CPA firms: per-user IT costs, FTC Safeguards compliance, and how to avoid paying twice for features you get with Microsoft 365.

05/08/2026

Is your business technology quietly draining your bank account every month?

Old IT is a lot like an old car. It's a gas guzzler. It breaks down at the worst times. And the repair bills keep piling up, so you never have enough left over to fix the real problem.

Our president, Ian MacRae, breaks down this comparison in our newest video.

"Financing can be really helpful to flip that equation," said MacRae.

But he also says a loan often isn't enough. Sometimes a business needs to rethink how its systems are built in the first place, including which tools make sense to run in the cloud versus on site.
Want to know what that looks like for a business stuck in this cycle? Watch the full conversation with Ian: https://youtu.be/Lo8prizGocg

What's costing you more each month right now: old hardware, or an old way of thinking about IT?