Website and Server Rescue for St. Catharines Businesses
St. Catharines businesses bring me in when the person who built the site or server has moved on and something has stopped working. I find out what you have, recover access, fix what is urgent and document it for you. I work remote first, with a site visit by arrangement when hands are needed.
Someone else built it, they have moved on, and now it is yours to deal with.
The developer moved on or the agency closed, and the one person who understood the server left with them. Now the site is slow or the store throws errors, the passwords are missing and you are not sure what is even running. This is a large part of the work I do. I take it over, find out what is there, fix what is urgent, write it all down and keep it running from then on.
First, find out what you have
The onboarding audit
Before changing anything I inventory it. Servers, sites, domains, DNS, email, cloud accounts, backups, certificates, integrations and who holds access to each. A read only script gathers the facts without touching anything live. You get one page showing what exists, what is at risk and what to do first.
Past takeovers have turned up servers still billing that no one knew about, backups that had never been tested, domains a month from expiry and a former contractor who still held admin on everything, including the account the business phones depended on. All found before they became a Saturday emergency.
Past takeovers have turned up servers still billing that no one knew about, backups that had never been tested, domains a month from expiry and a former contractor who still held admin on everything, including the account the business phones depended on. All found before they became a Saturday emergency.
Then close the doors that are still open
Access review and leaver cleanup
Every password, key, API token and admin role gets listed, rotated or removed and handed to you in a password manager you control. Logins get two step sign in. Forgotten firewall rules get reviewed. The previous people are offboarded completely, while anything their accounts still ran keeps running.
You end up as the owner of your own systems, with a written list of who can do what, and the ability to let someone go without wondering what they still have.
You end up as the owner of your own systems, with a written list of who can do what, and the ability to let someone go without wondering what they still have.
Fix what is urgent, without making it worse
Careful repair of unfamiliar systems
Unknown systems get a backup proven to restore before anything is touched, then changes one at a time with a before and after check and a rollback ready. End of life servers get patched the same day and a rebuild planned. Broken stores get the sales path tested end to end. Slow sites get measured, then fixed at the cause rather than upgraded around.
Where a rebuild would serve you better, I say so and quote one that keeps your content and data. Either way you get documentation that the next person, or you, can follow.
Where a rebuild would serve you better, I say so and quote one that keeps your content and data. Either way you get documentation that the next person, or you, can follow.
How a rescue is priced
Onboarding audit
Full inventory of what you have, who can access it and what is at risk, with a prioritised action list. Half the audit fee is credited against the first fixes.
Emergency stabilisation
Something is down or actively broken. Proven backup, the urgent fix and a written account of what happened and what to do next.
Access review and offboarding
Every credential, key and admin role found, rotated or removed and handed over in a password manager you control.
Ongoing care
Monitoring, patching, backups and a monthly report after the rescue, billed for the hosting you use and the hours spent.
If you are in the middle of an outage, say so in the form and it is handled first.
Jobs are quoted in writing after a free scope, so you know the number before any work starts.
Where you stand afterwards
- A clear list of what you are running, what it costs and what it is for
- Every password and key in your hands, and the old ones gone
- Urgent faults fixed with a backup proven first and a rollback ready
- Documentation the next person can follow
- An engineer who answers when something needs attention
Rescue questions
- It is normal. Most takeovers start with a domain name and a login or two. Ownership of the domain and hosting account is usually enough to recover the rest, and the audit shows where the gaps are.
Takeovers I have done
Viscous Bits has been an irreplaceable partner to our business for years. They built us a Virtual Private Server and still maintain it, moved all of our lead generation sites onto it and modernized every one of them. They have built many web applications for us over the years and replaced our Zapier subscriptions with custom coded APIs, which took a recurring cost off our books. When we need a new site they help us stand one up in days with AI. If a lead ever goes missing they find it and get it back to us, and when one of our clients escalates a problem they respond right away. We are especially impressed with the personal service and quick turnaround time.
- Secret Lands FarmA farm store that stays safe and keeps sellingA family farm's online store moved to a faster server, kept up to date safely, watched day and night and explained to the owners once a month.Read the case study
- Sellmore Windows & DoorsNo lead left behindYears of looking after a lead generation business: their server, every landing site, the pipeline behind the forms and the day paid leads were being thrown away without anyone knowing.Read the case study
Tell me what you inherited
What it is, what is wrong and what access you have. If it is down right now, say so. You get a written plan back, free.