Most companies don’t start out with a clear understanding of their IT
needs. Even for companies that may depend heavily on IT assets, getting
the company off the ground, landing customers and making payroll are
typically more important concerns. So it’s no surprise that many smaller
companies quickly outgrow their IT assets, yet still do not need a
full-time IT department to keep things running.
For these businesses, an outsourced IT department offers the technology
expertise and system performance required without expensive staffing
issues. The right technology partner can make IT a “hands-free” part of
the business. Houlihan Smith & Co., a specialized financial services
firm founded in 1996, fits this profile.
Houlihan Smith & Co. focuses on bringing its clients value through
the management of corporate financial events. Although it has had a
network server, computers, printers, and other IT assets — until March
2001, the company did not have the expertise to make the most of them.
“Because there never was anyone to oversee technology, Houlihan Smith
& Co. increasingly had problems accessing its data, protecting that
data and really taking advantage of the features of its existing
investments,” said Malik Gillani, director of technology integration at
Micro-Tech U.S.A.
Micro-Tech U.S.A. performed a Technology Assessment Profile (TAP) — a
comprehensive examination of all technology resources and practices — for
Houlihan Smith & Co. In addition to an examination of every piece of
equipment and software investment, the TAP included discussions with both
management and end-users to determine expectations and potential problem
areas.
“The TAP gave us a chance to talk about what they wanted out of
technology, how they perceived themselves in their industry and how they
wanted to use technology to achieve their goals,” Gillani said. “This
knowledge base is an important part of the assessment.”
After the TAP, Micro-Tech U.S.A. made several recommendations for
improving the IT assets and meeting business goals. Among them was an
upgrade of the network servers’ data backup solution. A new Veritas
software solution sends data to an auto-loading tape drive device. Instead
of swapping tapes each day, tapes only need to be exchanged once per week.
“Throughout the process, we kept one thing in mind — the solutions we
implemented needed to work with minimal effort on the firm’s part,”
Gillani said.
New antivirus software was installed on the network and an automatic
update feature is being used to keep the most current virus definitions on
each desktop without any effort from end-users. Security has also been
enhanced by the addition of a 3Com network firewall to protect the network
from intrusion.
Houlihan Smith & Co. employees also now have greater access to
company data thanks to a Citrix server solution that allows employees
secure access to applications from home or on the road, 24 hours a day.
“That’s had a huge impact on productivity. It has reduced the time
required to be in the office, and has made it much easier to work while
traveling, and I can get more done,” said Andy Smith, founder and
president of Houlihan Smith & Company. “It’s been as much a lifestyle
improvement as a business process improvement.”
Today Houlihan Smith & Co. has an ongoing service contract program
with Micro-Tech U.S.A. to make sure the firm’s IT resources continue to
perform as required. The firm has also been assisted by Micro-Tech U.S.A.
when it needed a new ISP and as it evaluates new contact management
solutions. The firm depends on its IT resources, but it simply cannot
afford to spend time managing them, so the relationship with Micro-Tech
allows Smith to focus on his core business.
“They have excellent technical expertise and their staff is very
knowledgeable,” Smith said.
And Micro-Tech U.S.A. technicians are also very available. With the
service contract in place, Houlihan Smith & Co. receives pre-scheduled
visits from a dedicated technician, as well as a four hour response time
guarantee for emergency support. With the installation of PC Anywhere
remote management software on Houlihan Smith’s server, system maintenance
and troubleshooting can be performed quickly and often without any site
visit, even if their Internet connection is down.
“We are absolutely in a much better situation than we were originally,”
Smith said. “Micro-Tech has been very responsive in getting us what we
need and getting everything implemented quickly.”
