IT strategy & consulting in Epsom
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 Epsom. Most problems are fixed remotely first; when a job needs hands, a technician comes to you.
IT strategy & consulting for Epsom businesses
Epsom is largely residential, but Manukau Road and the Greenlane end carry medical centres, dental practices, specialist rooms, real estate offices and professional services, with several schools and the showgrounds nearby. Many businesses run from converted homes with a small car park out front.
Converted homes bring a familiar set of problems: a router in the old lounge, staff in former bedrooms with poor signal, and a printer cabled to one computer. Health practices also need patient data kept private under the Health Information Privacy Code, which means locked-down devices, proper user accounts rather than shared logins, and tested backups.
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.
Technicians attend Epsom practices and offices for network, computer and printer work, while routine requests are handled remotely. We book onsite work at times that suit appointment schedules.
What's included
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.
Insurance and security questionnaires
Accurate answers to cyber insurance, client and tender questionnaires, with a list of anything to fix before you submit.
Current state review
A written assessment of your systems, security, licences and contracts, with the risks ranked and explained in business terms.
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.
Regular leadership meetings
A standing meeting with the directors to review progress, risks and upcoming decisions, with short written notes afterwards.
Vendor management
We deal with internet, phone and software suppliers for you, chase faults and review renewals before they roll over.
Is it right for your Epsom 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 Epsom: questions
Our clinic staff share one login on reception. Should we change that?
Yes. Shared logins make it impossible to see who accessed a record and are hard to secure. We set up individual accounts with quick sign-in options, so staff still move quickly between front desk computers without sharing passwords.
Can you fix Wi-Fi in a converted house used as an office?
Usually with two or three business access points placed where people actually work, connected back to the network by cable where possible. We survey the building first and quote the job in writing.
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.
How often would we meet?
Most clients meet quarterly, with more frequent catch-ups during a big project such as an office move or system change. Meetings can be in person in Auckland or Hamilton, or online.
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.
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.
More IT services in Epsom
- 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