IT strategy & consulting in New Plymouth
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.
New Plymouth 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 New Plymouth businesses
New Plymouth is Taranaki's main city, with an economy shaped by the energy sector, engineering and fabrication, dairy farming, the port and a growing professional and tourism base in the central city.
Engineering and energy service firms here handle large drawing files, safety records and client data, often with staff working on sites around the region. Secure remote access, managed laptops and dependable backups are the core needs, along with Wi-Fi for workshops and yards. Firms working in the energy sector are also commonly asked by clients to show their security controls before contracts are signed.
IT decisions in a small business tend to be made one at a time. A director picks a new practice system after a demo, someone signs a phone contract that renews for three years, and a laptop gets bought because the old one died that morning. Each choice makes sense on its own, but nobody is looking at how they fit together or what they will cost over the next few years.
We support New Plymouth businesses remotely for help desk, devices, security and Microsoft 365. Onsite visits are reserved for planned projects by arrangement and quoted in writing. Workshop Wi-Fi or cabling can be designed remotely for a local installer.
What's included
Regular leadership meetings
A standing meeting with the directors to review progress, risks and upcoming decisions, with short written notes afterwards.
Software selection
Help choosing new business systems, from requirements and demos to checking integration, data export and contract terms.
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.
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.
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 New Plymouth 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 New Plymouth: questions
Our engineers work at client sites. How do they get to large files?
With files in SharePoint or a suitable cloud store, synced to managed laptops, engineers can open drawings on site and changes sync back. We set that up to suit file sizes and connections.
Can you manage our workshop network remotely?
Yes. Business firewalls, switches and access points can be monitored and configured remotely. Physical changes are done by a local installer or on a planned visit.
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.
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.
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 New Plymouth
- Managed IT
- IT support
- Cyber security
- Microsoft 365
- Backup & disaster recovery
- Email security & deliverability
- Co-managed IT
- Security awareness training