Steven (Rack 911)

Portal Home > Knowledgebase > Articles Database > Steven (Rack 911)

Posted by webmediaky, 08-22-2009, 01:20 AM
Can anybody recommend someone who has the skill set of Steven Ciaburri from Rack911. I would love to have worked with Steven, but he has been completely unreachable for months. Steven was amazing in his abilities. I have never worked with anyone as good as him. However, he has not once responded to several requests. It is a shame, really. I liked him, and thought he was going to be invaluable to me. So, I really need someone who is a proficient in all areas as Steven. Any ideas?
Posted by Thomas, 08-22-2009, 06:55 AM
Chris from ServerAdmins.net is a good guy.. there's some reviews on here!
Posted by JustinAY, 08-23-2009, 02:34 AM
Are you contacting him via email? Have you tried to email him from a different server?
Posted by ayksolutions, 08-23-2009, 10:47 AM
Contact Dennis from Servaxnet.com. You won't be sorry. Jon from got-management.com is also very good.
Posted by HostFeverDan, 09-03-2009, 12:07 AM
I usually hire my guys locally so I can't really give you a recommendation except hiring locally gives you a chance to meet the guy your going to trust with your servers. =)
Posted by FourTwenty, 09-09-2009, 06:12 PM
I also need to replace Steven from Rack911... He was the best programmer at the best price, nobody came close in my 20 years of doing this... It's unfortunate he had to disappear again like he did... He was on top as one of the best for years, then dropped out of sight for a while and lost his core base and following... then came back with a bang and wanted to regain his status, but just as he was beginning to reach that wonderful plateau again, he drops off the face of the planet again for 6 months... If someone can strap him into a straight jacket and place him in front of the computers, we would all be in great shape... until then, please keep the recommendations coming for his amazingly wonderful replacement... Thanks.
Posted by Orien, 09-09-2009, 07:00 PM
I've heard good things about Scott @ admingeekz.com but no personal experience with him.
Posted by FourTwenty, 09-09-2009, 07:19 PM
Scott is the only one I found so far that can do what Steven does, but Steven does it a LOT cheaper...
Posted by UNIXy, 09-09-2009, 07:24 PM
What exactly are you looking to accomplish? Not many people know what Steven does / did so perhaps you could describe the tasks you need assistance with in general. Regards
Posted by KnownHost-JonathanKW, 09-09-2009, 07:26 PM
Uhhh...I've seen Steven on quite awhile now, have you not been able to remain in contact with him? Or are you saying he's just been real busy lately?
Posted by Ekin, 09-09-2009, 07:35 PM
Steven is always there for us when you need him, haven't had any problems.
Posted by David, 09-09-2009, 10:44 PM
Check out scott-mc @ http://www.admingeekz.com/ -- can't go wrong. He's responsive, a tad less inexpensive but overall worth it for the additional communication. He's very thorough.
Posted by TheServerExperts, 09-09-2009, 10:53 PM
same here never had a problem contacting him for his services.
Posted by RossMAN, 09-09-2009, 11:27 PM
A few months ago when I researched server admins, Scott @ AdminGeekz was at the top of my list. They had a ton of rave reviews.
Posted by David, 09-09-2009, 11:35 PM
And for good reason. I spent about ~3 mos. working with Scott and he's absolutely fantastic. Couldn't find better
Posted by FourTwenty, 09-10-2009, 04:09 PM
he simply ignores me, does not return my calls, emails, nothing... very confusing... not even sure if he is getting my calls or if i have the right number... my emails to him bounce back deferred... last we spoke he was my systems admin, was working out a deal for us... wish he would just communicate with me... we just got hacked and i need his help...
Posted by Dan_EZPZ, 09-10-2009, 07:08 PM
If you just got hacked I'd find someone that can sort the mess quickly rather than try to chase Steven if you're having no luck.
Posted by FourTwenty, 09-10-2009, 07:44 PM
yeah, i've got someone working on it now, but really don't want anyone else in there... i've had dedicated servers for almost 20 years... to date, i never found anyone i truly liked except for Steven... too many techs are sloppy, make changes and forget to turn them back, leave trash behind, screw up configurations of other things, while fixing others... they don't have any sense of ownership, so they screw everything up... this guy tom from linux-tech actually made my servers worse, charged me $500 and then deleted everything he did when he left, leaving me in even more of a mess... the guy straight up robbed me... the main reason steven was helping me was because he was upset with tom for doing this to me... i've been through so many losers, just want to stick with the winners so i can get my work done and not spend my whole life trying to resolve server issues... then another tech comes along and tries to fix things and they say, "man' who are all these losers screwing up your configurations?"... then Steven comes along and fixes everything and then disappears into thin air... so i pretty much fear that having other techs working on my servers are going to land me in the same boat i was in before Steven... so now i'm just screwed again... this sucks.
Posted by TheServerExperts, 09-10-2009, 08:42 PM
Never thought of hiring someone local? you can meet him in person and see who your dealing with.
Posted by neuman, 09-11-2009, 03:27 PM
Happen to me months back. Was going to bring it public but did not.. He talked me into buying a new machine elsewhere for a move and then went MIA for 5 days when he said he would complete the move that night. Long story short he refunded my money and I had to put someone else on the job. Guy knows what he's doing but is to lazy to run a business.
Posted by RyanD, 09-11-2009, 04:21 PM
I would suggest looking into hiring a professional COMPANY as opposed to these one-off server tech guys that are fly by night.
Posted by FourTwenty, 09-11-2009, 04:31 PM
yes, that is exactly why I went with him, he is local. i fully agree, the only problem is my budget does not... when you go with a company, you have to pay for their overhead... the small guy has less overhead, so you get a better rate... if i can get my project to actually generate a profit, i will definitely go with a company, probably admingeekz...
Posted by RyanD, 09-11-2009, 04:32 PM
I'm curious as to what you expect for a reasonable rate, would $99/month be unreasonable?
Posted by FourTwenty, 09-11-2009, 04:37 PM
that's a perfect price, 100 a month vs. 100 an hour for admingeekz, see the difference? not saying admingeekz is not worth every single penny, they definitely are, i just simply cannot afford them right now, that's all... just an unfortunate situation i am in, thanks to everyone for your concern, support and feedback, i am truly grateful.
Posted by Dan_EZPZ, 09-11-2009, 04:42 PM
For such a huge difference in price you'll also see a huge difference in quality. If you're always searching for the cheapest deal it's likely you'll not get things done as fast as you want to.
Posted by FourTwenty, 09-11-2009, 04:46 PM
trust me bro, i fully understand and support your logic, i was getting 100 an hour quality service for a few hundred a month with Steven, that's probably why he doesn't feel like working for me anymore... i think he wants more money but just isn't a good communicator... when you find a deal as good as what i had, you don't want to accept anything less... i'll get through it eventually, always have, always will...
Posted by Dan_EZPZ, 09-11-2009, 04:54 PM
Were you paying his normal rates or were you getting a discount? I use Steven quite a bit and have never had a problem getting hold of him.
Posted by FourTwenty, 09-11-2009, 04:59 PM
i was getting a discount... that jerk tom seriously screwed up my servers and steven felt bad for me... maybe if you pay top dollar, he takes your calls, that's probably it, as i said before...
Posted by vito, 09-11-2009, 05:00 PM
Over the years, I have been Steven's biggest critic when he pulls his disappearing act, and his biggest cheerleader when he is on top of his game. None of us really know what is currently going on behind the scenes. Perhaps he is dealing with some personal issues (health or otherwise). Still, that does not excuse the lack of communication. Totally inexcusable. I have always lectured him about timely communication. Even if it is a brief "Mail All" email blast to let everyone know that he will be unavailable for personal reasons. That's all people want to know. They can then act accordingly. He owes his customers that courtesy. Over the past year or so, I have seen him make great strides in improving his communication skills, and that is great to see, since he is such a brilliant and knowledgeable server admin. He truly is unmatched. But, it all means nothing if he is unreliable. What a friggin waste of talent. My best guess is that he is going through some personal challenges, and has fallen back into his old MO of ignoring customers rather than keeping them briefed on what's going on. Again, a real pity. What a waste of exceptional talent. Vito
Posted by FourTwenty, 09-11-2009, 05:07 PM
i agree with you 420% Vito... he is a shining star for sure... just lacks proper business etiquette and communication skills... he's still young, maybe his lacking skill set will develop as he ages some... i don't believe Einstein was great at customer service either... such a shame to lose such an amazing talent, was even beginning to believe we were friends there for a while... i still wish him luck and send him lots of positive energy through the universe...
Posted by RyanD, 09-11-2009, 05:27 PM
Just because some consultant is charging you $100/hour doesn't mean you'll receive a higher level of quality. I this case an experienced company offering services at $99/month could have just as easily handled his box as someone he was paying $100/hour to to break it completely.
Posted by ayksolutions, 09-11-2009, 09:20 PM
If you guys are looking for capable admins who are truly there, I can easily recommend Dennis at servaxnet.com and Jon from got-management.com. I have worked with both for over a few years and they both do terrific work. I can't compare them with Steven since I have never used their services.
Posted by RossMAN, 09-19-2009, 02:26 AM
http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=890892
Posted by Steven, 09-19-2009, 03:06 AM
I don't see what this has to do with anything? I've talked to the other posters in this thread. All you are doing is getting involved in things that do not concern you.