IT strategy & consulting in Mt Eden
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 Mt Eden. Most problems are fixed remotely first; when a job needs hands, a technician comes to you.
IT strategy & consulting for Mt Eden businesses
Mt Eden spreads from the village shops on Mt Eden Road to the busy Dominion Road strip and the light commercial streets near Normanby Road. Physiotherapists, counsellors, small accounting practices, tutoring businesses and family-run trading firms make up much of the local business mix.
Many practices here work out of converted houses or small two-storey blocks with one internet connection, a cupboard of equipment and a mix of staff and contractor devices. Booking and practice systems are usually cloud-based, so a reliable connection, a decent firewall and good sign-in security matter more than any server in the back room.
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 Mt Eden practices and offices for setups and faults, and fix most requests remotely without anyone leaving their desk. Planned work is booked around clinic or client hours.
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.
Software selection
Help choosing new business systems, from requirements and demos to checking integration, data export and contract terms.
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.
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.
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 Mt Eden 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 Mt Eden: questions
Our practice runs on cloud booking software. Do we still need managed IT?
Cloud software moves the server away, but the computers, sign-ins, Wi-Fi, printers and email security are still yours to look after. Managed IT keeps those secure and working and gives staff someone to call on when something breaks.
Contractors use their own laptops in our office. Is that safe?
It can be, with the right controls. We keep contractor devices on a separate network, require multi-factor sign-in for business apps and limit what can be downloaded to personal devices, so your data stays under your control.
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.
Can you help with a cyber insurance renewal?
Yes. We answer the technical questions accurately, explain what each one is really asking and fix the gaps that would otherwise make your premium higher or put cover at risk.
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.
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 Mt Eden
- 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