IT support in Dartmouth, NS
Burnside is where much of the region’s work gets done: trades, distributors, fabricators, logistics yards and service companies. Their IT has to survive dust, forklifts, steel racking and staff in gloves. We build and support networks and computers for that environment, and keep the front office running too.
Networks and computers built for the shop floor
Office IT advice does not survive contact with a warehouse. A consumer mesh kit will not push a signal through rows of pallet racking, and a desktop PC beside a CNC machine or a loading door will not last long.
Warehouse and yard Wi-Fi. We survey the building, then place industrial access points so scanners, tablets and handheld terminals stay connected from the office to the back dock. Where it makes sense, we link outbuildings with point-to-point wireless or fibre.
Ruggedized setups. Sealed or fanless PCs, rugged tablets, enclosures for switches in dusty bays and battery backup on the gear that matters, so a brownout does not take down dispatch.
Separated networks. Cameras, time clocks, machine controllers and building systems go on their own segments, away from the accounting PC. That limits the damage if one of those devices is compromised.
IT support for Dartmouth businesses
Flat per-user plans; extra network devices and servers quoted per device:
Fixing the one-login-for-everyone problem
Almost every Burnside shop we visit has a computer by the door or on the floor that everybody uses with the same password, often taped to the monitor. It is convenient until someone leaves on bad terms or a supplier invoice gets paid to the wrong account.
Individual sign-ins, fast
Each worker gets their own login, with quick badge or PIN sign-in where the hardware supports it, so shift changes take seconds, not minutes.
Locked-down kiosks
Shop-floor machines only run the job, inventory or time-tracking apps they need. No web browsing, no email, no downloads.
Know who did what
Changes to orders, inventory and timesheets are tied to a person. When something goes wrong, you can see what happened instead of guessing.
Quick lockout
When a worker leaves, one change removes their access everywhere, including the shared machines, the office Wi-Fi and any cloud apps.
Cut the per-seat bill for staff who barely use it
Many trades and logistics firms pay a full Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace licence for drivers, techs and warehouse staff who only need a schedule, a few shared documents and a way to message the office.
We can give those crews lighter, open-source tools: Mattermost for dispatch chat, Nextcloud for job photos, drawings and safety documents, and n8n to connect your job system to invoicing without paying for another integration app. Office staff can keep the tools they know.
We deploy on Canadian-owned hosting when data control matters. A Canadian data centre run by a US company is still subject to US law. Migrations are fixed-price, with packages from $1,500 CAD and are done in stages around your busy season. See all Big Tech alternatives →
Good fits for trades & logistics
Fixed-price projects, scheduled around your operations:
Open Stack Forge · Serving Dartmouth
Based in Lower Sackville, with on-site work across Burnside Business Park, City of Lakes Business Park, Dartmouth Crossing and the rest of Dartmouth.
info@openstackforge.ca · 902-706-8753 · Lower Sackville, Nova ScotiaMonday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Atlantic
IT support in Dartmouth: common questions
Our Wi-Fi drops out at the back of the warehouse. Can you fix that?
Usually, yes. Metal racking, stacked inventory and long open bays block ordinary Wi-Fi. We do a site walk, measure where the signal fails, then install properly placed industrial access points wired back to a managed switch, so scanners and tablets stay connected across the whole building.
Everyone on our shop floor uses the same computer login. Is that really a risk?
It is one of the most common gaps we find in Burnside. A shared login means you cannot tell who changed an order or approved a payment, and a former employee may still know the password. We set up individual sign-ins that are still fast enough for a busy shift.
Do you support businesses outside Burnside, elsewhere in Dartmouth?
Yes. Burnside and City of Lakes are where most of our industrial work is, but we support offices, shops and clinics across Dartmouth, from Dartmouth Crossing to downtown and Woodside, with the same plans and on-site coverage.