IT strategy & consulting in Glenfield
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 Glenfield. Most problems are fixed remotely first; when a job needs hands, a technician comes to you.
IT strategy & consulting for Glenfield businesses
Glenfield combines a suburban town centre with small business units, medical and dental practices, tutoring and childcare centres, and service businesses run by locals. It sits beside the Wairau Valley commercial area, and plenty of trades and consultants work from home offices nearby.
Typical Glenfield businesses have three to twenty staff, cloud accounting and a mix of personal and company devices. The quickest improvements are usually separating guest and staff Wi-Fi, replacing an internet provider's basic router with a business firewall, and making sure email and files are properly backed up rather than trusting the cloud alone.
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.
We send technicians to Glenfield offices and practices for setups and fixes, and handle most requests remotely. Monthly plans and pay as you go both work for smaller teams.
What's included
Insurance and security questionnaires
Accurate answers to cyber insurance, client and tender questionnaires, with a list of anything to fix before you submit.
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.
Regular leadership meetings
A standing meeting with the directors to review progress, risks and upcoming decisions, with short written notes afterwards.
Current state review
A written assessment of your systems, security, licences and contracts, with the risks ranked and explained in business terms.
Software selection
Help choosing new business systems, from requirements and demos to checking integration, data export and contract 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.
Is it right for your Glenfield 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 Glenfield: questions
Isn't Microsoft 365 already backed up?
Microsoft keeps the service running, but it is not a full backup of your mail and files in the way most businesses assume. A separate Microsoft 365 backup lets you recover deleted or encrypted data from a point in time, and we include it in our plans.
We want a guest Wi-Fi for clients. Is that complicated?
No. With a business access point and firewall we set up a separate guest network that gives internet access only, so visitors never see your computers or printers.
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.
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.
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.
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 Glenfield
- 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