Operations
Consulting
Our consultants collaborate with your designated staff or IT department to
develop
a
best case scenario designed to optimize your office reliability,
productivity and security. We evaluate your current operating
environment, conducts risk assessments and gather a fullunderstanding
of your vision for current and future operations. Based on the
findings, we compile a concise recommendation and action plan how to best
facilitate your existing technology and implement newly developed solutions.
Our mission is to fully optimize your business through technology.
The every day activities of
running a business are sometimes hectic and stressful. A basic
principal in business management and a primary element in minimizing the "stress"
factor is the strategic delegation of responsibilities to qualified experts.
There are
three fundamental scenarios we encounter while consulting businesses. Although
each scenario indicates a solution at first glance, there are potential flaws inherent to each.
The
business maintains a designated internal IT department or staff
We work with existing IT departments to provide a
third party perspective to operations. Many times internal staff may lack
specialized expertise necessary to productively implement a procedural change or
migration to newly developed solutions. Just as a doctor chooses specialized
areas, computer technicians do as well. There are multiple facets of technology
ranging from a diversity of programming languages and application
specialists, to expertise in Linux, Unix, Windows and MAC operating systems.
With this in mind, we maintain a diverse compilation of service technicians with
varying areas of expertise and certifications. We are often called upon to
assist existing departments during transitions to new operating environments and to assist in specialized areas outside the knowledge base of
a customer's technical staff.
Potential negatives to internal IT department
- Limited expertise -
internal techs sometimes need help with specialized knowledge
- Staffing - potential
high turnover and payroll burdens
- Limited or no
outside perspective to
alternative solutions
- Sometimes structured
on a reactive service model
top
The
business relies on a service provider to fix problems after an occurrence
This is the most commonly found business model. When the office needs help, a
service tech is contacted. Put simply, if it's broken you call to get it fixed. On the
surface there seem to be no flaws, but looking closer there are potentially
devastating consequences to this "reactive service model". When your office
experiences application issues, hardware failures or network down time, you are
ultimately losing revenue as a direct result of reduced productivity. Most
commonly a service technician is paid for time correcting problems not
preventing them.
Here is
a simple question to ask. Is your service provider making money if your office
is not having any problems?
Based on the most common answer, it would seem the motivation for a service
technician would be to allow your office to continue to experience difficulties
rather than proactively preventing them. Occasionally there are proficient service
providers that schedule proactive maintenance. Unfortunately, most service providers provide little or no preventive
maintenance features to their service offerings.
Potential negatives to
on call service providers
- Delayed service -
hours or days waiting for onsite services
- Service provider only makes
money when you have problems
- Down time can be
experienced without warning - no early detection process
- Reactive service -
little or no proactive / preventive maintenance
- Unpredictable cost
projections make budgeting difficult
Our
proactive service model is developed to put us all on the same page. We combine
a scheduled maintenance procedure with scalable enterprise management utilities.
Features include advanced notification tools, hardware monitoring utilities and
automated software/hardware inventory cataloguing. This process establishes
early detection of potential issues prior to catastrophe and allows corrections
to be implemented at times best suited to your business activities. If you are
going to have a problem, we will know before it happens and have a solution
ready. Downtime is something best put on your terms, during scheduled
maintenance, not due to undetected failures.
top
The
business assigns technology maintenance as a collateral duty
.......
All to often small and mid size businesses rely on internal staff members to
provide technical services as a collateral duty to their standard position. Most
often this added responsibility greatly reduces the performance of the
individual's primary roll. As mentioned prior, there are a multitude of skill
sets within technology. Realistically it is uncommon that a person leading
this dual life can remain proficient in both responsibilities. We have seldom
found an office facilitating this model to have a reliable and secure operating
condition. The majority of the time configurations were incorrect,
security was minimized and the office was void of any proactive maintenance
procedures.
Potential negatives to
collateral duty technicians
- Lack of expertise and
limited skill sets
- Sometimes overworked
and not enough time to handle both rolls
- Improper
configurations and lack of security
- Reduced productivity
in primary roll reducing profits to business
Our service is not intended
to finger point, but is designed to assist with the transition to true business
operations. By setting up a structured proactive service schedule we can cost
effectively assume the technology responsibilities. This allows the collateral
duty staffer to focus on the position they were hired to fulfill. Alternatively,
we can provide assistance as needed to the staff member when needed. Individuals
leading the dual roll always seem to greatly appreciate our services.
top
