12-7-2011: Christchurch IT manager Connon Daly is a busy man these days.
The experience that helped him to win the 2011 CIO Emerging Talent award just a few weeks ago is being fully put to the test with the imminent launch of a new, fully fledged IT support business.
Daly’s win was largely down to his forward thinking approach that ensured web company hairyLemon had a strong backup and data recovery plan in place following the September earthquake.
“I have been running the hairyLemon tech team for several years as well as looking after IT for a number of external clients, so I had a strong awareness of the importance of ensuring our systems and data were well backed up and protected in case of events like fire or earthquake.
“The September earthquake definitely brought that home to us, and we put in place more measures to enable remote working and computer access by our staff, as well as extra layers of offsite backup.”
In February 2011, those measures were put to the test and since then have been further enhanced by the company’s investment in virtual server technology allow ing for multi-site replication and redundancy, which means systems can be restored and functional again within minutes.
“Working inside a web development and hosting company means that we have a strong understanding of the urgency and significance of protecting our data and online services,” Daly says.
“With the launch of the IT Team, we will now be able to take that expertise and offer it to a wider range of Canterbury businesses.”
The IT Team is fully owned by hairyLemon directors Sue Wilkinson and Graham Dockrill, and was on the drawing board before September 2010.
“Expanding our IT offerings to a wider group of businesses has been on our minds for more than 18 months,” Wilkinson says “but the motivation to get the new company launched has certainly increased since Christchurch businesses – including our own, realised how exposed they were to risk.”
Wilkinson says the post-quake environment has also helped shape the new company’s product offering to some extent, with an increased emphasis on virtual server and cloud based offerings.
“We wanted to ensure the service the IT Team provides was accessible to businesses of all sizes, and ensures they can quickly get back up and running after seismic interruptions.”
Daly and Wilkinson both say they have heard too many stories of CBD based businesses who were either unable to get back on their feet because all their data was on small servers inside their inaccessible premises, or those who conducted commando style raids through the cordon to rescue server hardware.
“The technology is available to ensure businesses don’t need to be that vulnerable, and there are enough companies out there who now know firsthand how challenging it can be to get their systems and processes running again after a natural disaster,” Wilkinson said.
The IT Team is offering a range of “easy” services on a new business model that is designed to streamline cashflow for clients. A fixed monthly fee is determined for each client, with various options depending on the size of the organisation and their specific requirements.
The offering includes virtual, dedicated and cloud based servers, management services, backup and security with 24/7 monitoring and alerts. The monthly fee includes all types of local and remote support including server recovery. Clients can also lease their hardware through the IT Team and have the cost included in their monthly fee.
Daly says this particular model is applied widely across other sectors but is unique in IT support.
“Most businesses out there catering for smaller clients are one man bands who operate on the break/fix model, reacting to problems as they arise and charging accordingly.
“We are the first IT company we know of in New Zealand to offer an end to end solution, on a simple monthly invoice model, and we are committed to helping small kiwi businesses drive down the cost of their IT services.”
Wilkinson says she and fellow director Graham Dockrill both strongly believe this monthly charging model is one that will work well for clients and for the company.
“Clients have predictable outgoings around their IT requirements, and the IT Team has a predictable revenue stream. We think it is a win-win, and that’s how we like to do business.”
Wilkinson and Dockrill both believe the IT Team has an affordable offering that can be applied throughout New Zealand and also internationally.
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