Why IT Consultants Make Good Partners
Internal IT staff have their specialties in needed day-to-day networking tasks - administering servers, handling daily support issues. But what do you do when something unusual comes along?
A strange error that shuts down half your network, for example? Maybe it's time to replace some servers. Or to add new capabilities, like advanced security applications.
What's needed may be outside of your IT staff's field of expertise. That's where IT consultants like PlanetMagpie come in.
When Hiring an IT Consultant Makes Sense - When you need a specialist.
- When you need to size new hardware or select software.
- When you need a new solution, and don't know which vendor to choose.
- When the budget is better served by a consultant over new staff.
"But isn't hiring a consultant expensive?" No, not necessarily. Here at PlanetMagpie, we focus our solutions on reliability and efficiency, so that we can
save our clients money through our work. In fact, consultants are often hired for exactly that reason – to save the company money!
IT Consultants Save You Time & Money
IT Consultants help you get more efficiency out of current IT systems (Software Upgrades, Virtualization, Training on Time Efficiency).
IT Consultants can take over important specialized tasks, so existing IT staff is freed up to focus on daily operations.
IT Consultants keep you up-to-date on new technology that may solve certain problems (for example, using
MOSS 2007 to resolve document storage related problems, or
Data Protection Manager 2007 to remedy backup and recovery issues).
IT Consultants implement new systems that save money over older products (e.g., putting an
OCS-based VoIP phone system in to replace an expensive PBX).
And finally, IT consultants save time in implementing new hardware or software. They've already implemented the technology in various different environments. So they know how to reliably install the required technology, what to expect along the way, and how much time it'll take.
How PlanetMagpie Approaches New Clients
The most effective IT solutions are those that help our clients
improve their business, not
restrict it with the wrong kind of setup. The "latest and greatest" may be exactly what you need; it may not.
Our approach to IT consulting looks for a balance between available budget, the best technology for the job, and your existing environment. Here's an overview of how our consultants work with new clients:
- First, we audit your network. A PlanetMagpie Network Audit creates a complete picture of your infrastructure, including:
- Network Elements
- Documentation that currently exists
- Any Network Redundancy built-in
- Existing Support Contracts
- Operations Process & Management
- Network Security Status/Technology Used
*With this, we can determine if the project you've called us in on will work as desired. Or if additional work may be needed to resolve potential issues. - Consider the client's budget & intended goals.
- Make recommendations for a solution that fits into (or improves) the current infrastructure.
- When the solution is agreed upon, we implement the necessary hardware, then software to complete it.
- Thanks to virtualization (Hyper-V), new database technologies (SQL 2008) and our partnership with IBM, we're able to implement new systems in a fraction of the server space previously needed.
IT Products/Services We Handle Ready for the Bay Area's most pragmatic IT Consulting Partner?
Check out our services dedicated to
Enterprises,
Mid-Market Companies and
Small Business. Or call us at 408-341-8770 and ask for IT Consulting.