A woman owned, managed, and MA WBE certified IT consulting company
IT Assessment Yields Savings for Small Business
Client Description
The client is a, service-based, small business in Boston, MA with revenue of $2M. Systems were set up for client service, employee tracking and payroll, basic office processes, as well as sales and marketing activities. Existing systems were functioning, but the owner felt that things could be running more smoothly and cost effectively.
Challenge
The company had a long history of running their information technology support on a needs-based model and relying on the IT Support vendor to manage their technology landscape. This pay-as-you-go approach provides a reactive model to fix issues that arise with little ongoing maintenance or proactive management to ensure that systems ware up-to-date and functioning optimally. In addition, there were concerns that the vendor was not fulfilling their contract.
Ninestone’s Approach
The initial approach to the IT assessment included an:
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Inventory of all hardware including date of purchase and level of functionality.
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Review of all software including operating systems, productivity and financial software and other business-specific packages.
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Complete budget review with fixed and discretionary costs identified.
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Determination of all technology issues causing inefficiencies in business processes.
Based on the assessment, Ninestone developed and prioritized a list of projects to get technology back to running smoothly which included a:
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Plan and cost estimate for fixing existing technology issues.
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List of necessary software upgrades.
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Recommendation for new hardware purchases.
Technology
Ninestone was engaged to complete an IT assessment by evaluating the current use of technology supporting business processes and making recommendations for improvements. A budget review, analysis of the IT support agreement, and identification of current problems with technology were also included in the assessment.
Results
Given the extensive list of necessary work, immediate resolution of all issues was not within the budget. Ninestone developed and began implementing a staged plan to complete all necessary work over a period that fit within the businesses budget. Projects that have already been completed or will be completed include:
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Implementation of one file sharing and backup solution.
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Faster and more reliable WIFI.
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Installation of a new phone system.
In spite the significant number of projects required to get all systems back to optimal functioning, the business has already realized a significant cost savings as a result of budget reduction opportunities identified during the assessment. Within the first few months, the budget went from $24,000 to $19,500. Additional cost savings are expected, and the overall budget is anticipated to decrease to $12,000 by the end of 2018 representing a 50% savings. The new budget will include both services that were already in place as well as additional services which will provide a streamlined and managed technology landscape.
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IT Assessments
