Back in the 1980s, Rick Toll taught at a small private school in Rhode Island and during a teacher meeting came an announcement. St. Andrew’s would begin to offer computer classes. The question was asked: Who knows computers? Rick, who’d taken a computer class at University of Massachusetts, was the only one who raised his hand. Rick became the computer teacher.Today, Rick is the owner and chief network engineer for Strategic Computer Systems, the IT company he founded in 2000. He and his team of IT pros provide the technology and computer network expertise that small businesses and non-profits need to stay up and running and keep their data secure. As a small business owner who serves other small businesses, Rick understands that every IT support issue is urgent. When clients call, he or one of his technicians is there in a flash.While Rick got his start in computers when the Commodore 64 and Apple II were all the rage, he has kept pace in this mobile, wireless, cloud-based world. He has to. He enjoys the challenge of making sure all of the parts of a client's network talk to each other — and he’s good at it. When it comes to network security, Rick is well versed, and some of his tales of what could go wrong would keep clients up at night if they didn’t rely on his company to mitigate those risks.Rick is a self-taught computer nerd and network troubleshooter. That's what makes Rick a valuable asset to the clients he serves. After all, he’s never relied on an IT department or help desk; he IS the IT department and help desk.