A Structured Approach to Managing I.T. Infrastructures

This company has evolved over time and through numerous product cycles and the slow maturing process of our industry. Has our mission changed? No, it remains to support organizations using technology to increase productivity and, therefore, success.

Working closely with profit-driven businesses and mission-driven nonprofits has allowed us to learn from both in order to select products and develop services that meet the needs of such organizations. Different needs at various stages of organizational development and at different levels of staffing are just two of the many variables that we consider in our customized approach to managing I.T. for clients.

We have also adapted our business model as external conditions have changed in the past decade: (1) The rapid evolution of PC-based office networks closely followed by (2) the emergence of the Internet as a major communications medium, a conduit for business transactions and, more recently, as a hotbed for development and deployment of a wide range of collaborative productivity applications.

And something else is happening besides the Internet: Networks and PCs, while growing increasingly complex, are also becoming much more dependable, smarter and more manageable. The upwardly spiraling total cost of ownership (TCO) is beginning to flatten.

What does all of this mean for our clients? For you?

We have been aggressively investing in technology, software tools and systems that will help us manage increasingly complex network infrastructures:

As of December, 2005, we have installed a major revision of our monitoring and managed services software, NetProbe, which, after two years of training and beta-testing, will be deployed to clients during 2006.

In addition, we are now using a service ticketing dispatch system to help us manage what has become a steady stream of client requests, scheduled services and response to issues.

It also means:

Managing all aspects of our clients’ networks and taking full responsibility for their performance and our response in critical situations.

Using sophisticated automated monitoring systems not only as part of the management process but to provide valuable metrics to help our clients understand their networks and plan for growth.

Moving from a time-based model to a service-level model for supporting network infrastructures.

Providing scheduled block time at very accommodating rates for desktop and user support.