IT strategy & consulting in Cambridge
Most growing businesses need IT leadership long before they need a full-time IT manager. We act as your virtual IT manager: setting a budget, planning the next three years, dealing with vendors and giving you straight answers when an insurer, auditor or client asks hard questions.
Onsite technicians cover Cambridge. Most problems are fixed remotely first; when a job needs hands, a technician comes to you.
IT strategy & consulting for Cambridge businesses
Cambridge is a Waikato town about 20 minutes southeast of Hamilton on the expressway, known for thoroughbred breeding and equestrian businesses, with a strong professional services, retail and hospitality centre and many rural service firms serving surrounding dairy farms.
Firms in town usually have fibre, but clients and staff on studs and farms around Cambridge may rely on fixed wireless or satellite, and equine and farm businesses need Wi-Fi that reaches stables, sheds and offices spread across a property. Professional practices hold client financial and property records that need solid security.
We also deal with the people around your IT. We read software contracts before you sign, talk to vendors on your behalf, fill in cyber insurance and client security questionnaires accurately, and sit in on meetings with new suppliers so somebody on your side understands the technical details being discussed. That saves directors hours each month, avoids contracts that lock you into the wrong system and means the answers you give insurers and clients are accurate, which matters if you ever need to make a claim.
Cambridge visits are booked from Hamilton for installs, networks and onsite faults, and everyday support is done remotely. Rural property work is surveyed and quoted first.
What's included
Regular leadership meetings
A standing meeting with the directors to review progress, risks and upcoming decisions, with short written notes afterwards.
Yearly IT budget
A budget for hardware, software, services and projects, so IT spending is planned before the financial year rather than discovered during it.
Three-year roadmap
What to replace, upgrade or retire over the next three years, in order, with the reasons and the expected cost of each step.
Current state review
A written assessment of your systems, security, licences and contracts, with the risks ranked and explained in business terms.
Vendor management
We deal with internet, phone and software suppliers for you, chase faults and review renewals before they roll over.
Software selection
Help choosing new business systems, from requirements and demos to checking integration, data export and contract terms.
Is it right for your Cambridge office?
A virtual IT manager suits businesses that:
- Are growing and making bigger IT decisions than before
- Have IT spending that varies wildly from year to year
- Are choosing a new core business system
- Face insurance, client or tender questions about security
- Want someone to manage vendors and contracts on their behalf
- Have a director spending hours each week on IT decisions
How getting started works
- Free IT health check. We look at your devices, accounts, backups and network and tell you what we find, in plain English.
- Clear proposal. A written monthly price per user and a list of any fixes, with nothing hidden.
- Handover. We collect admin access and documentation from your current provider and keep your team working.
- Day-one fixes. Security gaps, failed backups and urgent risks are dealt with first.
IT strategy & consulting in Cambridge: questions
Can you get Wi-Fi to stables and sheds on our property near Cambridge?
Yes, using point-to-point wireless links or outdoor-rated cabling to buildings, with access points where staff need coverage. We survey the property and quote the low-voltage work in writing.
Do you come out to Cambridge or only support remotely?
Both. Technicians travel from Hamilton for planned visits and hands-on work, and most everyday issues are solved remotely.
What do we get at the end of a review?
A written report covering where you stand, the risks in order of priority, a three-year roadmap and an estimated budget. It is yours to keep, whoever does the work.
How is consulting charged?
Small pieces of advice are billed at our hourly rate of $109 plus GST. A full review and roadmap, or an ongoing virtual IT manager arrangement, is quoted in writing first with a fixed scope.
Do we need a managed IT plan to use this?
No. Some businesses have their own IT person or another arrangement for daily support and use us only for strategy. We are happy to work that way.
Is this the same as managed IT?
No. Managed IT keeps things running day to day. Strategy and consulting is about planning and decisions. The Complete plan includes a yearly budget and replacement plan; deeper consulting can be added on any plan or bought on its own.
More IT services in Cambridge
- Managed IT
- IT support
- Cyber security
- Microsoft 365
- Networks & Wi-Fi
- Internet & phones
- Backup & disaster recovery
- Cloud & servers
- Email security & deliverability
- CCTV & access control
- Printers, copiers & scanning
- Laptops, PCs & devices
- Office moves & fit-outs
- Co-managed IT
- Security awareness training