We don’t say it often enough to our clients, a big thank you for those who participated in our six monthly client satisfaction index. We are delighted with the results.
Our participation in the survey is due to our Microsoft Gold Partner status – they have recognised (and this has some irony) that strong customer loyalty leads to a stronger business. The results are particularly interesting in that we can benchmark against partners of a similar type, and against the results within NZ.
Whilst we have some fantastic results, such as a 97% client satisfaction rating, we are still going to work really hard to lift our game in areas that clients have identified we can improve.
IT Partners continues to grow, this has been driven by two factors. The dedicated and incredibly talented team of people that makes up IT Partners. Secondly, more and more leading and progressive Waikato companies are asking IT Partners to manage their IT systems (more about that later).
No one seems to like licensing and businesses like licensing audits even less – and for good reason, arcane rules, uncompetitive pricing models, inflexibility, and an attitude of indifference towards the end user by software companies.
I can’t say that we love licensing (few things have been cursed as often and as loudly in the IT Partners office) but we are good at it. Three times in the last two months, we have helped new clients with large and complex licensing requirements. Large in terms of greater than $50,000 per annum cost.
We don’t have a problem with licensing because we understand it, and have surrounded ourselves with experts that we can call upon for the tricky stuff. We don’t have the problems that other firms might do, because we have systems, and we don’t let clients get into a position of being under (or over) licensed.
Best of all we save clients thousands of dollars annually through licensing effectively. We do this through really understanding a clients business. We ensure we understand what they are trying to achieve, what issues are confronting the client, and we compare their current status to their strategy.
So if you have software licensing issues call Michael or myself and let’s talk it through.
If you are a software vendor, and happen to read this blog post, you could do a lot by learning from Apple and Citrix. The lesson to take from Apple is the iPhone. Continuous feature releases throughout the life of the phone, with the cost built into the original purchase price. The lesson from Citrix? Allowing concurrent licensing of the users. That is as fair as it gets.
At IT Partners we are very keen on the subject of productivity. Some changes we have implemented because we have felt intuitively that they aid productivity, such as dual screens. We found it very hard to find any research supporting this until recently. The New York Times recently ran this article which discusses research by the University of Utah.
The research makes a big point about the actual display configuration and user setup, which is why in our office we use the Ergotron Monitor Stands. Everyone in our office has a laptop, and one of the great features of the HP Elitebooks (models with the P designation and dedicated graphics) is their support of dual monitors with a docking bay.
Once you get used to two monitors, you start to think of the times when it would be handy to have three – not possible… until now with the HP USB Graphics adapter.
The latest trend in personal computing is the emergence of the “Netbook” – a cutdown laptop that’s smaller, lighter and cheaper. Your first impression might be that it has no place in your technology arsenal – but think again…
Firstly, let’s define what a netbook is exactly.
It’s smaller – with a screen somewhere between 5 and 12 inches (Laptops range from 12”-18”). It’s lighter - weighing somewhere between 800g and 1.3 kg (Laptops range can weigh 4kg). And it will have less processing power and disk storage than your average laptop – but it will generally run Windows so most of your normal applications still work.
Because netbooks are smaller, you wouldn’t want to have to create significant document on one. But netbooks are great for simple internet applications like checking email or browsing websites. In short, when you’re simply looking at content rather than creating it.
So the netbook is not going to be the laptop that you’ll use in your everyday business. However, because it’s smaller and lighter, and because your needs on a trip aren’t as great as when you’re in town, a netbook is a great option as your travelling laptop. That’s what I use it for and you really appreciate the reduction in size and weight.
What are your options? HP has just released a new business version, the HP Mini 2140 Notebook. We recommend that you go for the Windows XP option or wait for Windows 7 to replace Vista. The cost is also attractive - HP Netbooks start from $869 + GST and go up to $1149 + GST.
If you’re looking for alternatives, there is nothing more stylish and cool than the Apple Mac Book Air, or if you are stuck with Windows, and want a full spec laptop while maintaining a smaller footprint, try the HP Elite Book 2530p.
Citrix XenServer - “The Porsche of hypervisors”.
Keith Ward has written a great article on the performance of Citrix XenServer, which he has described as “The Porsche of hypervisors”. IT Partners has made a significant investment in XenServer training and resources, and is really pleasing to see this endorsement.
This week sees the first issue of our IT Partners newsletter. I’m very proud of the quality of our relationships with clients and suppliers and hope this newsletter will give you some insightful tips, and information on what IT Partners can do for you!
Here’s some of the content from our first newsletter:
The year ahead: This year is going to bring both challenges and opportunities, and we can help you in a number of ways. In particular, we can help you lower your communication costs and increase your productivity through our partnerships with Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, IBM and Vodafone. More…
Green IT!! We have always been uncomfortable about the waste generated in IT, and have recycled hardware to schools, even used Trade Me to find buyers for secondhand materials. We’ve supported a range of recycling programs, but with all our efforts, we were still putting e-waste into landfill. In this article we’ll show you how we can either re-market or re-cycle 99% of your e-waste using an innovative Auckland company. More…
Changes: IT Partners continues to grow and increase its depth of talent with Carl Buckley, Lance Wright, Kristy Wood, Michael Pook and Frazer Thompson all joining us in the last 12 months. It is a great privilege to have so much skilled resource available to our clients. I want them to use their skills and experience to help you make 2009 a year to remember – for all the right reasons.
If you didn’t get the newsletter, please register to receive it on this site. And feel free to post your thoughts about the newsletter in response to this blog, or you can contact us by email.