What is our USP

During the course of a sales call or visiting new prospects, I often get asked exactly WHAT our Unique Selling Proposition is. That got me thinking...

In a nutshell it is this: Concentrate on running your business, we'll run your IT.

We also have a few other key components to our success:

1. Our People

We have a dedicated Team of people. One of the lines on our mission statement read: "We will keep each other's promises."

That means that the buck stops with me. I will not hand over the responsibility to complete a job/service ticket/issue to another staff member. Ultimately, I need to finish the job (even if it is not mine). And I will never blame another staff member if something goes wrong - I take ultimate responsibility for all that happens in the business.

We have an ethos of always learning something new. Every day. Never stop studying! We have in-house courses that prepare our technicians for a life in the trenches. COST1 (Certified Omniskilled Technician Level 1) will prepare them for the basics and once they have completed COST2 I feel comfortable allowing them to work on client PC's.

Here are some of the subjects covered in the courses:

COST1:

1. The OSI Model
2. PC Name Resolution: How do you find a PC name if you have the IP Address? Simple - its called name resolution.
3. Protocols and Ports: Common Protocols and ports used
4. Useful Command Line Tools : There are various tools that you could use from a command line (DOS) in either Windows or Linux. Here are a couple of them:
5. Creating email accounts: Setting up new email users
6. VPN Setup Instructions: Setting up a VPN to a WOWConnect Server
7. Posix Administration Interface: We use Posix as our ADSL provider of choice. This is how you add ADSL accounts
8. ADSL Router Setup: How to setup ADSL Routers correctly.
9. Client Remote Support: Giving clients remote support with UltraVNC.
10. Server Setup Basics: The absolute minimum requirements for you to adhere to when setting up a new server
11. How to create VOIP Numbers :How to create VOIP Numbers on the Portabilling Interface


COST2:
1. Connectwise Training - Complete your Connectwise modules and exams
2. XXXXX Training - Our Managed Services specific training
- Basic Introduction to Setting up a new Site
- Server Monitoring Server Monitoring
etc....
3. Firewall Setup and Configuration
4. Webmin Training
5. Qmailadmin Training - How to use qmailadmin properly
-Logging In Logging In
-The Main Menu The Main Menu
-The Admin Pages The Admin Pages
-Quick Links Quick Links
-Accounts Accounts

6. VMWare Console Training

etc...

7. Exchange Server Training
- Configuring Exchange 2003 for Proactive Management
- Exchange 2003 Security Part 1
- Exchange 2003 Security Part 2
- Exchange 2003 Recipient Management
- Exchange 2003 Address Lists
- Public Folder Administration
- Outlook 2003 and Outlook Express Clients

8. Linux Command Line Tools Linux Command Line Tools
etc...

9. Understanding MX Records
- MX stands for Mail Exchange Records. MX records are used in DNS records(or Zone files) to specify how email should be routed.
- New Domain Registration and Email Setup How to register new domains

10. The Network Documentation Workbook

- What is the Network Documentation Workbook?
- The Binder Table Of Contents and Backup Log

etc... You get the idea!

2. Our Clients

I always tell staff that we work for the nicest people in the world. In fact, 99% of all our clients really are the nicest people in the world. If we take the time to talk to them and listen and resolve issues properly and on time, all people are the nicest people in the world!

We have built up a loyal client base over the past 10 years and we see them as business partners. As such we take responsibility for our clients IT infrastructure and we have changed our business model from one where the client is taking all the risk in our relationship (if something breaks, they pay for our time UNTIL the problems are fixed) to having the onus put on us for ensuring that their systems are always up. We are now doing unlimited remote and on-site support. If a server crashes, we pay. If there is a virus outbreak and we have to work for a week to get it sorted, that's our problem. You get the idea.

We also try and take as much of the daily administration of managing their IT infrastructure off their shoulders. We act as the middleman to all the clients vendors, be it Telecoms, broadband, PABX's, printers or cellphones. We call this service vendor management. By funneling all IT issues through our system we are able to monitor the vendors and we literally give the clients "one throat to choke". Doing this burdensome job allows us the opportunity to become a trusted advisor to the clients, and it also helps them to concentrate on running their business, not their IT.

In tough economic times we have to be very frugal with our hard earned cash. This is why our service offering includes helping our clients with setting up proper budgeting which results in a smart total managed IT spend.

3. Our Systems:

We have invested heavily in state of the art business systems to allow us to be the most productive at what we do. We use Connectwise as our PSA (Professional Services Automation) tool. It used to be a 'Helpdesk' system in the past but it has evolved way beyond that.

Our PSA allows us to resolve our calls within SLA, escalates the call to management if they are not resolvedwithin the allotted time period, checks when our client contracts are due for renewal, helps us schedule our staff, runs our projects, does our business workflow, maintains our client's asset base and gets our billing in on time and accurately (among other things).

It gives clients access to a portal where they can view upcoming projects, all tickets logged, invoices and if we are keeping within our SLA's (among others).

Solutions like these do not come cheap, but that is what differentiates us from our competition and leads to happier clients. We use international best practices in our company. And we are always asking what best practices are in companies similar to ours.

We have meticulously documented methodologies for each and every new business client that we implement. Our new client take-on checklist encompasses more than 350 items that needs to be done! All new projects, be it a server install, a new ADSL line, an entire VOIP rollout or designing an online marketing campaign has a step-by-step checklist that needs to be completed. Why? Because that is best practice!

and finally,

4. Our Business Outlook

We always try and have bold and innovative strategies to empower our clients. We have recently launched a service where clients are able to rent anti-virus software from three major AV vendors on a monthly basis. This enables clients that are not properly licensed to get legal quickly without a huge Capex outlay.

I have to admit that we're not re-inventing the wheel. Everything that we are trying to achieve in our IT Practice has already been done somewhere in the world. And done better, probably. That is why we partner with the most successful and innovative industry leaders in our field.

Some of these technology partners include MSP University, Microsoft, Connectwise and Zenith. We also follow technology trends like a hawk. People like Karl Palachuk, the VAR guy (yes, nobody know who he is - some clues may be found here: http://www.thevarguy.com/who-is-the-var-guy/ ), Erick Simpson and Vlad Mazek have amazing insights into the industry. And we study them and their companies so that our clients don't have to.

We are focused. Our target market are the SMME's. Our sweet spot is the 75 to 150 PC range. We are hungry for new business and agile when it comes to client needs. Need a new laptop by 7 AM tomorrow? No problem, we will sort it. We are willing to go that extra mile and try and exceed client expectations with every touch point that we have.

That is basically it. Not an elevator speech, I admit, but we really do have our very own USP.....

Please remember, if you have any questions or IT problems that you would like us to have a look at, we are only a phone call away...... 087 806 1330 or 0861 CLEVER.

Regards
Arno

Budgeting your IT expenditure

In the current economic climate we are regularly asked to assist our clients with their IT budgets, and specifically on which areas they could cut costs.

As with setting up any budgets there are two sides to the coin.

Firstly, we need to look at maintaining our current technological infrastructure. We call this the Operational budget. This is the annual expenditure to allow the client to operate and continue operating the current IT infrastructure.

Secondly we have to consider any investments into new projects or equipment.

1. The Operational Budget
Primarily, you will need to budget approximately 10% of the current value of your equipment for maintenance. It is a good idea to budget 15% to have a bit of a cushion in case of a huge system failure. These monies will go towards maintaining the current equipment (disk crashes, motherboards packing up, screens that need replacing etc.)

You will also need to budget for current maintenance and service contracts with suppliers. These include your IT maintenance or Managed Services provider (had to get that in first), printer and copier maintenance, PABX contracts, Least Cost Router contracts, broadband costs, cellular contracts etc.

Finally, make sure that you have made provision for all licensing fees that need to be renewed. This could include anti-virus subscriptions, server backup software and line of business applications (accounting software, CAD software etc.)

2. The Investment Budget
The investment budget deals with all new purchases and projects in the business.

Do you need to upgrade any Servers or PC's? Are you planning any special projects such as implementing VOIP or video conferencing? Implementing access control in your building or installing IP cameras? Are you planning on building a new web site or doing online marketing? All new purchases and projects need to be budgeted for in the investment budget.

If you are not certain of any of the two facets of yor budget you have a bit of legwork to do. Make sure that you have a detailed asset register of all your equipment and a replacement strategy for old equipment.

Talk to staff and find out what their IT pain points are. If there are any gripes with a current supplier, this would be a good time to consider a new partner or at least re-negotiating your current contract.

Budgeting this way wil allow you to have a nice steady expenditure on Operational Costs, mitigating the sawtooth effect of sporadic IT spend and have some leverage to get the important new projects approved.

As always, if you have any questions or need help, we are only a phone call away ..... 087 806 1330 or 0861 CLEVER

Regards
Arno

Anti-virus software to rent

We have noticed that many of our clients use freeware versions of popular anti-virus packages duch as Avast Home or the free versions of AVG.

These packages were offered for free to use at home (non-commercial use), but it seems as if they have been installed on a large amount of work PC's as well. Unfortunately, the free ride is over and we have to get legitimate licenses.

Because of this we have added a monthly anti-virus rental option to our portfolio of services. We have partnered with three major anti-virus vendors and are now able to offer a rental option on three of the most popular anti-virus brands. You are now able to rent either Bitdefender, AVG or Viper Enterprise on a monthly per seat basis.

The rental cost per workstation or server works out to R30.00 per device per month. Cheap!

Any client on managed services gets the rental option at a discounted rate of R10.00 per device per month. Clients on our premium package get the anti-virus option thrown in as part of the deal.

I prefer and use AVG in my company, but we are able to support any one of the three products.

If you need help or advice on your anti-virus licenses or deployment options, please feel free to give us a ring on 087 806 1330 or 0861 CLEVER.

Regards
Arno

Our Managed Services website launched

We have recently completed our new web site that is geared specifically towards the Managed Services market. You can access it at www.clevercare.co.za.

We have seen that very few I.T. Companies in South Africa have embraced the new technologies available to them to transform their businesses from a reactive "break/fix" type of business to a much more competitive Managed Services model.

Once more, the site is available at http://www.clevercare.co.za

We will try and keep you informed on our service offerings and any new technologies that we are implementing to keep our managed services offerings the best of breed.

If you have any comments or questions please send an email to myself or give us a ring.

And as always, if you need any help, we are only a phone call away... 087 806 1330 or 0861 CLEVER.

-- Post From My iPhone

Defining Managed Services

Garth Hayward, Regional Manager for Kaseya recently wrote an interesting article on Managed Services in ITWeb. I've posted the article here as it gives a very good insight into the emerging role that managed
services are starting to play in the S.A. IT landscape.

"As this is the first edition of the managed services newsletter I thought it would be appropriate to define and discuss exactly what is meant by the term IT managed services provider (MSP).

Wikipedia defines an MSP as "an IT services provider who manages and assumes responsibility for providing a defined set of services to their clients either proactively or as they (not the client) determine that the services are needed, usually for a fixed monthly fee".

In practice, this is an attractive and rewarding value proposition for the key stake holders. MSP service automation platforms have the added advantage of ensuring that the mundane but extremely important daily IT tasks required to ensure MSPs meet the SLA conditions contracted between MSPs and their customers are met.

Automation is key for South African MSPs as it increases the productivity by at least 300% (and growing) in the amount of end points each technician can manage and maintain.

Given the shortage of qualified IT technical personnel in SA, perhaps it is no small wonder that its claims to be the fastest growing sector in the IT services market are justified.

Garth Hayward, regional manager for Africa, Kaseya"

Garth also answered a couple of questions;

Q:
What is the major trend you are seeing in your industry?

A: We are seeing a transition in IT service organisations from an old business model of 'break- fix' type services, where a company only calls upon them when their computers are not working, towards a proactive delivery service ensuring customers' installations do not break in the first place.

Q: What do you love the most about your job?

Assisting IT service organisations in transforming their businesses from unprofitable and ineffective 'break-fix' organisations to profitable and proactive world-class IT managed service providers.

Remember, if you need help we're only a phone call away....087 806 1330 or 0861 CLEVER

-- Post From My iPhone

CleverCare Portal

The URL is http://help.omniholdings.co.za/support

Our CleverCare Portal allows our clients to access their tickets and log calls. You are able to view the following:

1. Service Tickets

* Create New Ticket
* List Tickets
* Search the Knowledge Base
* List Projects
* List Configurations (PC's on the Network)

2. Agreements

* List Agreements

3. Invoicing

* Search Invoices - Managed Services and WOWConnect Clients Only

4. Reports

* Run Reports

5. Do Portal Administration on

* My Account
* All Users
* Options

If you do not have a sign on to the portal please give us a ring and we will set one up for you.

And as always, if you need help....Give us a call! 087 806 1330 or 0861 CLEVER

Fast Tracking your Service Request Resolution

I often get asked what the best way is to get a quick response on service calls. The fastest way to get the ticket logged and attended to would be to mail our service desk on help@omniholdings.co.za and then follow up with a phone call to our Service Desk on 087 806 1330 or 0861 CLEVER (0861 253 837). That way the call will be logged on the service desk and we will be able to confirm who has been assigned to the ticket and when they will attend to the ticket.

Basic Call Resolution and Escalation Process:

Calls are logged by our Helpdesk Despatch staff. They will coordinate the technicians and ascertain the priority level of the call. The technicians will then start working the ticket to completions. If they cannot resolve the issue remotely, the call will be escalated to Level 2 support. If they can not resolve the call remotely, despatch will assign the call to a field technician who will resolve the problem onsite. That way the call will be logged on the service desk and we will be able to confirm who has been assigned to the ticket and when they will attend to the ticket.

We categorise call priorities based on the following criteria:

Priority 1: Calls logged as priority 1 of Critical Importance. This means that a crucial business system is down and that you are losing money (all users and functions unavailable). An example would be when your email server goes down we would consider it a Priority 1 call. We will respond to these calls within an hour and try to resolve it ASAP.
Priority 2: High Priority - These calls are Very Important. Until this is fixed, work is being interrupted or not flowing the way it should. Some equipment or software is unusable. Affects productivity (large number of users or business critical functions affected). We will respond to these calls within 4 hours and try to resolve it ASAP or Best Effort.
Priority 3: Medium Priority - Important. A problem needs to be fixed but work can continue (limited number of users or functions affected, business process can continue). We will respond to this call within 24 hours and resolve it ASAP.
Priority 4: Low Priority - Annoying. These are things that should be fixed while doing other work or when everything else has been completed (business process can continue, one or two users affected). We will respond to these calls within 48 hours and resolve it ASAP.

Please use these criteria when logging new calls. Priority 1 calls are never assigned by yourself, they assign themselves.

Please note that your call resolution will be delayed when you log it directly with a technician. They are good at IT, our despatchers are good at managing their schedules.

Remember, if we can help... Give us a call! 087 806 1330 or 0861 CLEVER (253 837)

Arno Joubert