Pencil in those computer-woe costs.

Sandy Keathley recently dealt with a problem that many small business owners fear: Computer woes were holding her company hostage.

Keathley is the co-owner of K&K Industries, a laser-cutting company north of the Bellingham airport. One Sunday afternoon a computer glitch shut down the company's server, and work came to a standstill.

Since it was after normal business hours, Keathley knew she would have trouble finding a computer technician, and began to think about what the shutdown was going to cost the company.

"It's amazing how dependent we had become on computer technology, how our entire operation hinged on this server," Keathley said. "The shutdown was a stressful situation."

Many small businesses heavily rely on computers, from production facilities like Keathley's to retail stores keeping track of revenues and expenses, so system crashes and breakdowns have become a regular cost of doing business.

For local computer repair and service companies, it's been a particularly busy winter, whether it's helping customers fend off computer viruses, getting new computer software to work with older systems or fixing broken hardware. Add to it the wild, windy weather that created power outages in Whatcom County and it's no wonder that technicians are finding plenty of demand for their services.

"Computer technology has gotten so complicated that the average business owner shouldn't be expected to know it all," said David Koshinz, owner of 3D Corp. "Business owners want to be able to focus on the things that got them to start the company in the first place."

In Keathley's case, she was able to reach Mark Knittel, owner of the two Data Doctors stores in Bellingham. Knittel was able to provide a temporary solution until the problem could be fixed. The company was shut down for an hour.

"I was relieved that we were able to get back on track," Keathley said. "New technology is always going to be a challenge. On the one hand, it

has helped simplify things and made our company more productive.

"On the other hand, if the server goes down, everything stops. That wouldn't have happened with the previous system."

WINDS WERE REMINDER FOR BACKUP PLAN

When the winds were whistling through Whatcom County in November, knocking down trees and causing power outages, many business owners were holding their collective breath, especially those who hadn't backed up their computer data recently.

"Power failure can really do some damage to a computer, leading to hard drive failure," said Bryan Stone, production manager at Northwest Computer.

After the power came back on, businesses would soon find out whether their computers survived the jolt.

"It's tough when a business owner learns they have to go through data recovery to get important files," said Knittel. "It can easily get up to $1,000 for that kind of work."

At places such as 3D Corp. and Northwest Computer, there was a surge of phone calls as power was restored.

"There were issues such as dead mother boards and hard drives, which did put some businesses on hold," said Brandon Bjarnason of 3D Corp. "For those who did have data backup, it wasn't as big an issue as it could have been."

OTHER COMMON WOES

Here are some of the more common issues technicians are seeing in small businesses these days:

As businesses get new equipment, compatibility becomes an issue in many offices. Service technicians will walk into a business and find old printers that don't work with the new computer, or different versions of the same software, said Knittel.

"Because there is so much new software out there, compatibility issues is a very common problem," Knittel said. "One of the ways to avoid it is to not be on the leading edge, getting all the new upgrades and products."

One new technology businesses have been latching onto of late has been using computers off site, said Koshinz.

"The remote capabilities add another layer of complexity, but it sure makes communication easier," Koshinz said. "A year or so ago it was considered a luxury, but it had very practical applications when we were hit by those snowstorms earlier this winter."

Virus attacks will continue to be the biggest problem facing computer users, according to Knittel.

"Computer hacking has become big business, on the level of organized crime," Knittel said.

"One popular method now is to hack into someone else's computer to send out spam. It's something that makes money, so people will continue to try and find ways to do it."