IT strategy & consulting in Wairau Valley
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 Wairau Valley. Most problems are fixed remotely first; when a job needs hands, a technician comes to you.
IT strategy & consulting for Wairau Valley businesses
Wairau Valley is the North Shore's established trade and light industrial area, with showrooms, building suppliers, automotive businesses, wholesalers and service firms along Wairau Road and the surrounding streets. Much of it is low-lying, and the area was badly flooded in the January 2023 storms.
Flood risk changes how IT should be set up here: comms cabinets, servers and backup drives belong off the floor, and important files belong in cloud storage with an offsite backup, not only on equipment in the building. Trade counters and showrooms also need POS, quoting systems and Wi-Fi that keep working through a busy day.
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.
Technicians attend Wairau Valley businesses for network, POS and computer work, and support everyday issues remotely. We can review where your equipment sits and quote changes to reduce flood exposure.
What's included
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.
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.
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.
Is it right for your Wairau Valley 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 Wairau Valley: questions
Our business flooded in 2023. How should our IT be set up now?
Keep comms gear and any server raised well off the floor, store files in cloud services with an independent backup, and make sure staff can work from home if the building is closed. We can review your site and quote the changes.
Can you support our trade counter computers and POS?
Yes. We look after counter computers, receipt and docket printers, scanners and the network they use, and keep them separate from office systems. POS software support stays with its vendor, and we work alongside them.
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.
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.
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 Wairau Valley
- 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