Mike O'Donnell
Safe Computing was founded by Mike O'Donnell, a retired IT Director with more than 40 years of experience in the Information Technology industry.
During his career, Mike's primary focus was managing data center services and IT operations in 24x7 mission-critical environments—where reliability, availability, security, and protecting critical information were not optional.
Systems had to work, problems had to be resolved quickly, and risks had to be understood before they became serious problems.
Mike is also a co-author of 13 U.S. patents, reflecting a career of developing and solving complex technical and business problems.
Founder, Safe Computing
Why Safe Computing?
Today, Mike brings that experience to a different audience: small businesses, home users, and people interested in building a career in information technology.
Cybersecurity has become a problem for everyone. Large organizations may have teams of security professionals, dedicated IT staff, security monitoring, and substantial budgets. Small businesses and individuals often have none of those resources. Yet they face many of the same threats—phishing, ransomware, stolen credentials, compromised accounts, malicious software, data loss, and increasingly sophisticated scams.
The goal is simple: help people understand the risks they face and give them practical ways to reduce those risks.
Cybersecurity doesn't have to be complicated or intimidating. In many cases, a relatively small number of sensible precautions can make a tremendous difference.
More Than Just Cybersecurity Advice
Safe Computing provides cybersecurity education and consulting, but security is only part of the picture.
A secure environment also needs reliable infrastructure and, most importantly, a way to recover when something goes wrong.
Depending on the needs of the customer, Safe Computing can also provide services such as:
- Cybersecurity assessments and recommendations
- Cybersecurity awareness and training
- Firewall installation and configuration
- Network and computer security
- Network Attached Storage (NAS) solutions
- Redundant and automated data backups
- Backup and recovery planning
- Assistance responding to security incidents
- Computer and technology consulting
- Guidance for improving the security of home and small-business networks
The objective isn't to sell technology for technology's sake. It's to help customers build an environment that is secure, reliable, understandable, and appropriate for their needs and budget.
Inspiring the Next Generation of IT Professionals
After spending four decades working in information technology, Mike also believes strongly in helping others discover the opportunities available in the IT industry.
Information technology is much more than programming. The industry needs people with skills in cybersecurity, networking, systems administration, cloud computing, data management, technical support, infrastructure, project management, and many other areas.
IT Careers: More Than Just a Job
Safe Computing offers an IT Careers class that introduces students to the many different career paths available in information technology.
The goal is to help participants understand what IT professionals actually do, what skills employers are looking for, and how someone can begin building a career in the technology industry.
Safe Computing also offers a hands-on IT workshop, giving participants an opportunity to work with technology rather than simply hearing about it in a classroom.
You don't have to know exactly what you want to do in IT before you get started. Sometimes the best way to discover your path is to get your hands on the technology and see what interests you.
View Safe Computing Training →A Practical Approach to Security and Technology
After four decades in IT, Mike understands that technology is only part of the solution.
Good cybersecurity starts with understanding what you are trying to protect, identifying the risks, and then putting practical safeguards in place.
That means asking questions such as:
- What happens if your computer is compromised?
- What happens if someone steals your password?
- What happens if ransomware encrypts your files?
- What happens if your hard drive fails?
- Would you know if your network had been compromised?
- And most importantly—could you recover?
Safe Computing helps customers answer those questions before they become an emergency.
The Mission
The mission of Safe Computing is to make technology and cybersecurity understandable and accessible to small businesses, individuals, and aspiring IT professionals.
Whether you need help securing a business network, protecting important family photographs and documents, establishing reliable backups, improving your cybersecurity awareness, responding to a security incident, or exploring whether an IT career might be right for you, Safe Computing brings decades of real-world IT experience to the problem.
Technology should make our lives better—not put our businesses, information, or privacy at risk.
And for those who want to build a career in technology, there has never been a more interesting time to get started.