IT strategy & consulting in Napier & Hastings
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.
Napier & Hastings is supported remotely. Our technicians are based in Auckland and Hamilton, so onsite work here is planned project work, booked and quoted in advance.
IT strategy & consulting for Napier & Hastings businesses
Napier and Hastings form Hawke's Bay's twin-city centre, built on horticulture, wine, food processing, the port of Napier, and the professional, health and rural services that support them. Napier's art deco centre and Hastings' business districts host most offices. Many firms in the region are family-run and serve growers and processors across the Heretaunga Plains.
Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 showed how quickly connectivity and premises can be cut off here, so businesses benefit from cloud files, offsite backups and backup internet. Orchards, packhouses and wineries also need networks that reach across sites and handle seasonal staff.
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 support Napier and Hastings businesses remotely for help desk, security, Microsoft 365 and backups. Onsite visits are for planned projects by arrangement and are quoted in writing.
What's included
Vendor management
We deal with internet, phone and software suppliers for you, chase faults and review renewals before they roll over.
Current state review
A written assessment of your systems, security, licences and contracts, with the risks ranked and explained in business terms.
Regular leadership meetings
A standing meeting with the directors to review progress, risks and upcoming decisions, with short written notes afterwards.
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.
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.
Software selection
Help choosing new business systems, from requirements and demos to checking integration, data export and contract terms.
Is it right for your Napier & Hastings 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 Napier & Hastings: questions
How can a Hawke's Bay business prepare for another major storm?
Keep data in cloud services with an independent backup, have a second internet connection, and make sure staff can work from elsewhere. We help set up and test that plan.
Can you support a winery or packhouse remotely?
Yes, for computers, accounts, security and network management. Physical installations are planned visits or done by a local installer, with our design and remote configuration.
Will you push us towards particular products?
We recommend what suits your business and explain why. Where we supply hardware or software, the price is quoted separately so you can compare it with buying elsewhere.
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.
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.
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 Napier & Hastings
- Managed IT
- IT support
- Cyber security
- Microsoft 365
- Backup & disaster recovery
- Email security & deliverability
- Co-managed IT
- Security awareness training