OUR SERVICES

Advisory Services

Information technology and the optimization of the business processes that they support is one of those areas that can provide substantial productivity improvements when the business takes the right course of action. However, these same initiatives can provide substantial amounts of frustration and disappointments when the organization fails to make the right decisions and/or control the process properly.

We propose a group of pragmatic advisory services. The help we can provide will insure that you receive the advantages that well designed IT and smooth running operational processes can provide, while shielding you from all kinds of trouble.

We have the breadth, depth, and long-term experience that it takes to make your journey into productivity a pleasant and successful one. We have experience with most types of information technology used by SMEs and can expose you to the ones that would benefit you most. We can assess your current situation and offer you a custom-tailored plan on how best to improve with the least effort and cost.

Here is a more detailed view of the advisory services we offer:

We take a holistic approach when we assess a business' IT investments:

• The IT infrastructure in place
• The business applications in use
• The data/information that the systems store (including data-entry procedures, structure, organization/classification, and maintenance procedures)
• The processes that the infrastructure was implemented to support
• The skills of the individuals who use the systems
• The rules and policies in place
• The vendors and/or specialists who support the systems
• The level of self-sufficiency the firm enjoys (OR conversely: Its level of dependence on external vendors)
• The strategies and plans surrounding the use of IT in the business
• The ergonomics (or lack thereof) of the workspace

Recommendations often possess multiple components in order to address the situation from many sides:

• Procedural changes
• Technological changes
• Process improvements
• Data cleansing and maintenance
• Training and/or Coaching

Let us advise you on IT and productivity matters.  It will be a smart investment on your part.  Our advice will help you improve your decisions and your actions as well as reduce the probability of costly mistakes.  These benefits will more than cover the cost of hiring us.  Our advisory services include:

• Exposing you to the variety of ways that technology and process improvement could help your business
• Counseling you on the best uses of IT in your organization and helping you figure out the best way to get there
• Counseling you on ways to leverage the technological assets you already have
• Advising you on best practices regarding technological infrastructure, business applications, and/or business processes
• Assisting you to get the results you expect from IT products and IT suppliers
• Assisting you to avoid the many dangers and pitfalls of IT
• Assisting you with the planning and execution of your strategic business improvement initiatives involving IT
• Assisting you with important decisions regarding IT and processes
• Assisting you in keeping abreast of the fast-changing world of technology in the context of things that are relevant to your business
• Helping you understand the nature of the IT Industry and how to deal effectively with technical people and technology vendors
• Counseling you on ways to protect your technological infrastructures and your information from a variety of risks including natural disasters, theft, hackers, etc
• Teaching your staff basic preventive maintenance procedures and basic IT administration skills.  These will help reduce the organization’s dependence on technology vendors and specialists
• Assisting you with the implementation of rules and policies that will reduce legal liability if an employee misuses the Internet or email systems
• Assisting you to develop wise best practices and standards regarding your IT systems
• Counseling you on maintenance procedures and systems setup and configuration in order to maximize stability and minimize risks
• Assisting you with the evaluation and selection of specific technologies, applications and/or specialists/vendors who will implement and support them. Our long-term experience with Information Technology has proven itself invaluable when assisting organizations navigate the maze of technologies, products and processes being promoted as the next cure-all silver-bullets.
• Teaching you how to use computers to increase your own productivity (aka "Executive computing")
• Acting as liaison between you, the technical specialists, the vendors, and the consultants (by bridging the linguistic and conceptual voids)
• Acting as watchdog to protect the business from any abuse by the technical suppliers. This is a problem that we have witnessed in over 30% of  projects that we have dealt with. The fact that business owners do not understand the intricacies of technology allow vendors to cover up negligence or mistakes and/or to overcharge for services)
• Counseling you on industrial engineering and ergonomic tactics that can help improve your employees efficiency and interaction with computers

A comment about the need for honest, non-biased expert advice:  Sadly, many small businesses don't have a choice but to rely on the advice of IT “specialists” (read "Salespeople") who end up taking advantage of the situation. The business owners simply don't have the expertise to protect themselves from abuse (this is the same problem as the general public has with auto mechanics). Our involvement helps to rectify this situation.

Assessment & Analysis

•   Requirements Identification
•   Enterprise-Level Analysis
•   Business Process Analysis
•   Technical Architecture Analysis
•   Software Application Analysis
•   Data Analysis