Insula Labs - The Beginning
What is Insula Labs, and what does the name mean?
Insula Labs is a small business thats just getting started to help support the small community of Drummond Island and the surrounding area. When you live in a small town there is an unspoken obligation on the community members to help each other to the best of our abilities. Its an obligation that comes from the very nature of its size. When you live in a remote area you can’t count on big companies and services to be there for you, and for the most part, thats an attraction to living in a small town; no big businesses. With big businesses comes people and big problems. Part of the charm of living in an area like this is a small population density and beautiful landscapes. My wife and I decided to move back to the Island so we could be closer with family as we started our own. Now that we are here and we are established we figure its time to offer back to the community what we can, thus, Insula Labs was created. My wife and I have years of experience in the I.T industry, and I am an currently a software engineer working in the communications and aerospace industry. What we have to offer is our technical know-how and experience in the industry. With the world we live in being more connected every day and people looking to move to remote areas when they can work from home, we figure now is a good time to open up shop and help how we can.
So whats with the name?
”Insula” is the Latin word for “Island.” Its common for Michiganders to know what a “peninsula” is, so we will use that as a reference. “Peninsula” has its etymological roots in the combination of the latin words “pæne” and “insula” meaning “almost” and “island” respectively. A peninsula is a body of land surrounded on three sides by water so its literally “almost an island.” Since we are island-based we figured “Insula” would be a fitting name, and we tacked on “labs” for a an emphasis on the technical nature of our work.
What will we offer?
”Whatever we can” is the response I’d tell most people in person, but for the most part what it will most likely boil down to is the following:
Business/ Personal I.T support (troubleshooting, maintenance, and replacement of computers/tablets/phones/televisions/security cameras/etc)
Business SEO (search engine optimization) - Helping businesses get the most out of their online presence to attract visitors that are searching for information about Drummond Island
Custom websites for personal and professional use
Designing home networks and performing network installation services
Technical training (office products/ hardware/ etc)
While the above will be our primary focus, I’m also hoping to get the resources together to start a local “maker space” to encourage people to come together to work on projects and learn about new technologies. I would like to use a space like this to encourage STEM interests in the local schools, and to give young minds the chance to explore technology through more than just social media and silly apps.
As progress is made on this front, I will post the information here. My goal is to have something of an idea hobbled together within the next year.
Keep an eye on our website here for more information about our services/ events/ and updates on the maker space. If you have any questions, comments, or require assistance please feel free to send us an email at bosley@insulalabs.com.
