Businesses may find themselves with IT needs which will be very familiar – Obsolescence and old systems undermining productivity and communications. These are true bottom line issues for businesses, and they can be very complex, impacting daily business, adding costs.
Inevitably, also, the cost of replacement of systems will strike, adding budget issues to a difficult problem. Many businesses find themselves in the unenviable position of being stuck with a significant cost to upgrade.
The good news for businesses is that these situations are avoidable. Business IT solutions can future-proof your business against the cycle of replacing old technologies, solve functional issues, and improve productivity.
We have a case study here to show you how your business can avoid these issues very cost-effectively. This case study examines the issues faced by a town planning consultancy, and the various business IT solutions required. maxIT was called in to solve the problems, and this is how we did it.
Consultancy IT and communications problems
The problems for this consultancy were truly systemic, affecting their entire communications system, data management, and accessibility:
- Server out of date – Old and aging physical local server
- Old phone system – An older PBX using old handsets with minimal functionality
- Problematic communications – No easy access to their data while offsite and working remotely
- Hardware issues – Old computers and equipment
This is the classic “Upgrade now!” scenario. The consultancy was very much impeded and obstructed by these older systems. Their role as a consultant was naturally data-intensive in many areas of their work. The older systems simply couldn’t deliver the services they needed. Managing data access, in particular, was unacceptably inefficient.
Business IT solutions core concepts
Business IT solutions require creative design and planning to achieve the best results. This case is a good illustration of how business IT solutions are created.
In this case:
- Upgrading a system for a professional service company requires study and planning. The IT solutions for these issues had to deliver the efficiency of service needed for specific operations.
- The consultancy’s data management, in particular, required a solution that would factor in real-time consultancy functional needs. There was also a clear need to improve operational efficiencies in terms of access.
- The phone system was obviously obsolete, lacking basic functions. The need was to replace it with an integrated modern phone system that would deliver all the necessary functions, onsite and offsite.
- The old computers and other hardware were also obvious liabilities. They were on the verge of being almost totally inadequate for the company’s needs. This situation considerably exacerbated the big picture issues with inefficient data management and system functionality.
The “strict best practice” MaxIT solutions
Our IT solutions were systematic, delivering a fully integrated, “designer” business IT solution for the consultancy. The overall concept was a completely upgraded, fully functional business IT system for the consultancy, solving all the current problems and improving business efficiencies.
Our IT solutions covered all aspects of the consultancy’s needs, ensuring reliability and smooth operations at all levels:
Server solutions
Old servers are true liabilities. They can even be security risks, in some cases. The consultancy’s old server was retired, and server operations were migrated to Cloud Microsoft Azure Active Directory. This Microsoft server is a broad -spectrum scalable Cloud server, expandable according to business needs. It’s very cost-efficient and can be tailored to any type of business operations, with backups and support built-in.
Access and document management solutions
This highly problematic issue was absolutely critical for the consultancy. The solution was to develop and design a SharePoint site that could upload all data into document libraries accessible from any location. SharePoint sites are intranet sites which can be configured to any range of data-sharing needs in any organisation. The new SharePoint site allowed easy management and access for the consultancy to cover all its operational needs.
Phone system solutions
The old phone system was truly out of date, and could not possibly be upgraded to meet future needs. The best solution for the outdated phone system was to install a Cloud-hosted phone solution. This upgrade was implemented with new handsets and greatly improved functionality, integrated with the new business communications systems.
Cloud backup and business continuity
Another, much less obvious issue for the consultancy was its need for proper backups across the board. System crashes and data losses can be very serious indeed, incurring costly downtime and expensive remedial work to recover data. We protected against these problems with our overall solution. Cloud backup and business continuity solutions were implemented to ensure that the consultancy was fully prepared for any crashes or other data issues.
Business computer solutions
The older computers had reached their operational expiry dates. They were also inadequate to operate with the other new systems in our IT solution for the consultancy. The old computers were replaced with high-performance current generation computers with all the new operating systems and much higher processing speeds.
IT solutions for the future, today
Obsolescence is a recurring issue with all types of business technologies. Fixing these problems can lead to recurring expensive acquisitions of new technologies.
There are better options available for businesses with professional business IT solutions. Good IT solutions make business IT management a lot simpler, cheaper over time, and avoid the common problems and issues of obsolescence.
For example, our solutions for the consultancy also included provisions for future business needs:
- Fully upgradable new phone, document and computer systems that can be configured according to business needs.
- Cloud-based servers that will maintain data management to top quality standards.
- Built-in scalable systems for business growth and future needs.
- Top quality solutions in the forms of a SharePoint site, Microsoft Azure Active Directory, with business continuity solutions incorporated.
Our IT solutions quickly and effectively delivered all the essentials for our business consultancy client and added all the resources they needed for the future. If you’d like to find out more about our services, contact us. We’ll be happy to assist.
