Category Archives: IT Support

Cloud Migration, Cornwall News, Digital Transformation, IT Services, IT Support, News, Technology, Warwickshire

Techsol Group Acquires Charlton Networks and Expands to Gloucestershire

Techsol Group, a leading digital transformation company, are pleased to announce the acquisition of Charlton Networks, a Gloucestershire based MSP. The acquisition will enable Techsol Group to expand its presence to the West Country and to be able to offer a more diverse service offering to its customer base across the region.

Why Gloucestershire?

For more than 25 years Charlton Networks have been helping organisations and business users in Tewkesbury and across the region deliver and transform their IT systems. They have built up a strong reputation for delivering excellent levels of customer support and technical expertise.

“Techsol Group are delighted about our new partnership with Charlton Networks and are excited to see where this new chapter takes us,” said Gavin Morgan, Techsol Group MD. “We look forward to growing our new Tewkesbury base and providing our customers with the best possible service and solutions.”

Richard Perry of Charlton Networks added:

“We are all really excited about the new partnership with Techsol Group. Having founded the business almost 27 years ago, we built a loyal customer base and an excellent team, the continuity, succession and the fit of the businesses were all very important.

“We could not have found a better match in Techsol Group and we are delighted with the prospects this offers both customers and employees and wish the whole team every success for the future.”

The acquisition of Charlton Networks is part of Techsol Group’s ongoing expansion strategy. The company has been growing rapidly in recent years and has established itself as a leader in digital transformation.

Founded in 1996, Techsol Group has over 25 years of experience helping customers on they digital transformation journey.

Techsol Group now have offices in Cardiff, Tewkesbury, Coventry and Cornwall, and, with over a 90% retention rate, Techsol Group now have a customer base of over 600 customers.

Techsol Group is growing and the company now has over 55 members of staff located throughout England and Wales.

About Techsol Group

Techsol Group are experts in digital transformation, delivering robust and secure technology solutions.

By leveraging our expertise and industry-leading technologies, we help businesses improve efficiency, productivity and performance, assisting them with their transition to the cloud.

We have a proven track record of guiding our customers through their transformative journey with confidence, ensuring their systems are not just modernised, but also fully optimised for their individual needs.

Through strategic partnerships and continuous learning, our goal is to be at the forefront of digital transformation in the UK.

To learn more, visit https://techsolgroup.co.uk/

Appointments, IT Services, IT Support, News, Technology

New influx of staff helps Smart Capital Technology keep pace with demand from clients embracing the power of data

IT maintenance company Smart Capital Technology (SCT) has recruited nine new engineers and two operational support staff to keep pace with demand.

The Reading company provides parts and engineers to maintain, install, replace and repair business-critical IT infrastructure on behalf of IT suppliers who support an extensive range of organisations – from household brands to industrial businesses – in need of connected devices including networking, servers and other workplace technologies.

Its more than 90-strong staff team, now including 50 engineers, and more than 25,000 parts stored at more than 40 locations across the UK, Europe and the US, enables it to guarantee delivery of replacement parts, and in many cases an engineer, for 500,000 devices in as little as two hours.

The new engineers will be supporting clients in London, the Thames Valley, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle and Scotland.

CEO Andy Morgan (pictured above) said a new contract bringing in maintenance of 60,000 devices for a mix of retail and hospitality businesses is only one part of the reason for the growth. “We’ve also seen an uptick across the whole business over the past few months so the new engineers are part of us making sure we can maintain our exceptional customer service,” he said.

“We’ve seen our customers switching to faster and more resilient networks, which has meant more equipment and therefore more servicing. We are also seeing those customers wanting to be better connected to their operations and requiring more data and analytics to monitor performance and inform decision-making.”

With more sophisticated monitoring of businesses, especially in the retail and hospitality sector where workplace technologies both promote products and track customer movements within stores to understand their browsing behaviour in order to best position stock or configure store layouts, there is a demand for reliable sources of data, said Mr Morgan.

“I think there’s a natural shift of people outsourcing more of the installation and maintenance of these devices and we have the personnel and expertise to capitalise on that,” he said. “So this demand for more and better data from our customers is seeing the demand on us grow to make sure these monitoring and analytical services are supported.”

In addition, SCT has also promoted from within a new project coordinator and operations analyst to take account of a rise in demand for maintenance and install services for end customers seeking to provide more reliable networking environments and workplace technologies.

“It’s all related to the growth in demand for connected devices really and we’ve been implementing similar tools to track customer satisfaction, which has been seeing our highly rated engineers averaging 9.7 out of 10 in their scores,” said Mr Morgan.

“Our customers are making key decisions on the strength of the data they gather about their business and they are relying on us to make sure that data, which is increasingly becoming a key component of their business, is resilient and has its highest possible uptime – and we are delivering that.”

Find out more about SCT at smartct.com.

Data & Analytics, Digital Skills, IT Support

Protection of the personal data of students in the online environment

We all have the right to privacy, the right to keep our private life only to ourselves, and to share information about ourselves with people around us. It’s a basic right of any person that is usually guaranteed by the Constitution. But at the same time, many people voluntarily or sometimes, without knowing it, share their private information online. The situations can be different, starting with some online payments and finishing with interaction with other users. Students, as one of the most active users of the Internet, should care a lot about the protection of their personal data, and this article was created in order to explain how to do it and why it is important.

What do we understand under personal data?

Personal data is everything that can be used to identify the person, like first and last names, citizenship, place of residence, email, IP address, geo location, etc.  Information regarding your race, religion, sexual orientation, state of physical and mental health, and biometrical data are also considered to be personal data and are supposed to be protected. Some people think that it is not a big deal if someone knows about your religion and has your picture, but all this data is used to create detailed profiles of Internet users. The most simple and innocent way to use it is when Google is showing you targeted ads. And other ways to use this info can be multiple. 

How do we leave our personal information online? 

The strange thing about sharing our personal data is that in real life, we all are very conscious about telling someone too much. It’s very easy to notice when we talk about students; they try to keep their personal lives secret from their parents, but they eagerly share the same info online. To make it clearer how you can unwillingly leave too much info about yourself, here is the explanation: you can do it when buying something online, creating profiles on different social networks, downloading something from the Internet, or vice versa, uploading some pics of yourself (active digital footprint); when you use smart things, like for example smartwatch or some toy, via cookies, or data about your location you are living so-called passive digital footprints. Let’s imagine you need to order term papers online, so for sure, you will Google and look for some reliable companies that can do this job for you. In this particular case, you will leave both your active and passive digital footprints. After making your decision and choosing the writing service, for example, Writemyessayforme cheap, you will share some of your private information, at least when you create an account to pay for the service. In this case, it will not be used against you because the service is reliable, and in the future, Google will inform you about similar companies just in case you need to find another service; it is not always that safe.  

        What can students do to protect their data?

Parents who worry about their children can talk to them and share these simple rules that will help them not to share too much private info with the digital world.

– If you are creating an email to exchange emails with the teachers in your school or college, then, of course, it’s reasonable to use your first and last name. But if this email is needed to register an account on some social network, then it’s better to go with some nickname. Just remember that it’s important not to use the real name of any of your acquaintances or relatives; invent something randomly. 

– The password must be reliable. Yeah, it’s difficult to invent something new every time because you end up having like one hundred passwords, and you don’t know which exactly you should use in each case. That is why you can make two or three reliable passwords using capital letters, special symbols, and digits. And set a rule to check using a special program whether the passwords were compromised and change them, for example, once every half a year.  

– If there is a possibility, use an avatar and not your picture. Of course, it doesn’t make any sense if we are talking about Instagram or TikTok, where you post your videos or pics, but for other profiles, it’s better to use a picture of a kitty or a daisy instead of your own face.   

– and, of course, it’s necessary to talk to your child about privacy settings; for example, explain everything about the importance of two-step verification, especially for those applications where scammers can somehow get access to your financial data. Another thing you should never skip is reading carefully the Privacy Policy of any service you are planning to use. In most cases, we all just skip it and put the tick without even reading the beginning of the conditions. And believe us, you can find a lot of surprising, and not in a good way, conditions. 

 

IT Support

In-House vs Managed IT Support – Which is Best?

As technology becomes increasingly critical to the success of businesses, it is essential to have a reliable IT support system in place. However, choosing between in-house IT support and managed IT support can be a challenging decision for many organizations. In this article, we will explore the advantages and disadvantages of each option and help you make an informed decision for your business.

In-house IT support refers to the practice of having an internal team of IT professionals who are responsible for managing and maintaining the company’s technology infrastructure. This team typically consists of system administrators, network engineers, help desk technicians, and other IT specialists who are responsible for handling all technology-related issues.

One significant advantage of in-house IT support is that the team is intimately familiar with the company’s infrastructure, software, and systems. This familiarity allows them to troubleshoot and solve problems quickly and efficiently, minimizing downtime and maximizing productivity. Additionally, having an in-house team means that the company has complete control over the IT infrastructure and can customize it to suit specific business needs.

However, there are also some downsides to in-house IT support. First, it can be expensive to maintain a full-time team of IT professionals. In addition to salaries, the company must also provide benefits, training, and other resources to ensure that the team is up-to-date with the latest technology and best practices. Furthermore, if the company’s IT needs are limited, maintaining an in-house team may be overkill, resulting in unnecessary expenses.

On the other hand, managed IT support refers to the practice of outsourcing IT functions to a third-party service provider. This provider is responsible for managing and maintaining the company’s technology infrastructure, including hardware, software, networks, and security. Managed IT support providers offer a range of services, including help desk support, network monitoring, data backup and recovery, and cybersecurity services.

One significant advantage of managed IT support is that it can be more cost-effective than maintaining an in-house team. Instead of paying salaries and benefits to a full-time team, companies can pay a fixed monthly fee to a managed service provider. Additionally, because managed IT providers specialize in IT services, they can provide expert advice and solutions that may not be available from an in-house team, such as expertise in AI and specialist cybersecurity skills.

However, there are also some downsides to managed IT support. Because the provider is not intimately familiar with the company’s infrastructure, it may take longer to resolve issues. Additionally, the provider may not be able to customize solutions to suit specific business needs.  Also, if support is needed on site, an in-house team can respond more quickly.  For businesses looking for managed IT support in London or other major cities, managed IT support teams like Totality Services will almost certainly have an engineer within easy reach, but if you are in a rural, less populated area, then having at least some degree of IT support in-house could be useful.

When deciding between in-house IT support and managed IT support, it is essential to consider the unique needs of your business. Factors such as the size of your organization, the complexity of your IT infrastructure, and your budget will all play a role in determining which option is best for you.

Ultimately, whether you choose in-house IT support or managed IT support, the goal is to ensure that your technology infrastructure is reliable, secure, and scalable. By working with experienced professionals who understand your business needs, you can build a robust IT support system that helps you achieve your goals.

In conclusion, both in-house IT support and managed IT support have their advantages and disadvantages. While in-house IT support offers greater control and familiarity with the company’s infrastructure, it can be expensive to maintain. In contrast, managed IT support can be more cost-effective but may take longer to resolve issues. By carefully considering your organization’s needs and working with experienced IT professionals, you can make the right decision for your business.

IT Services, IT Support, Telecoms

SA1 Solutions embarks on new chapter of expansion with senior hire

SA1 Solutions, a leading IT and communications company based in South Wales, has embarked on a new chapter of growth and expansion with more new hires, as it reaps the rewards of changes to its offering made during the pandemic and other investments in the business.

The business has appointed Owen Price as Sales Manager. His role will be to further push SA1’s unique offering as a one-stop shop to organisations across the UK, helping further integrate the different aspects of the business, which comprise: SA1 Solutions, its IT arm; SA1 Telecoms, its communications offering; and SA1 Creative, which offers website design and digital marketing including social media management.

Price has a wealth of experience in sales and has spent the last 10 years working within sales and recruitment for the education sector. He studied Accountancy and Finance at the University of the West of England.

SA1 has seen a great demand for its services post pandemic, especially in areas of IT security and remote working. It will now be Price’s responsibility to facilitate this growth and push SA1’s offering to a wider audience.

Owen Price, Sales Manager of SA1 Solutions, commented:

“It has been a steep learning curve, but that is exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a new challenge, something that would excite me and push my capabilities. I already can see what a great service SA1 provides many organisations and just how much they have to offer any company in any sector. Their ability to cover all areas of IT is impressive and I look forward to participating to the growth of this great organisation.

“Even after only a short few months within the company, I can see that SA1 has so much to offer an organisation. SA1 is very much a group that represents a one-stop shop for any organisation as it provides IT, communications, web and digital marketing. This message is something I believe I can drive more, drive to new businesses and further drive to our existing customer base.”

Simon Ahearne, Managing Director at SA1 Solutions, added:

“At SA1 we believe more about a candidate being a right fit than their IT knowledge, we can teach someone the tech, but we need their personality to fit in well with our team first. Owen has the fundamental sales drive and ambition we were looking for in a candidate. I am looking forward to working closely with Owen, to build something special and take SA1 to the next level.”

IT Services, IT Support, Midlands, News, Technology

IT specialist issues payroll warning ahead of National Insurance changes

Businesses across Wyre Forest have been warned to update their payroll systems and software ahead of July changes to the National Insurance regime.

The timely alert has come from local IT and payroll specialist Susan Marlow who says she fears many businesses in the county are yet to revise their in-house systems despite the planned uplift to the National Insurance Primary Threshold and Lower Profit Limits – both of which will impact on worker’s wages.

Ms Marlow, managing director at Kidderminster-based IT and software provider Minster Micro, says employers must plan and implement the changes now, or face seeing an “administration nightmare” this summer.

The changes, which come into force on 6 July, were announced in March in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement as part of the Government’s tax plan to support the UK’s economy.

Under the new rules, there will be increases to the National Insurance Primary Threshold for Class 1 National Insurance Contributions, and also the Lower Profits Limit for Class 4 contributions. The move will align them with the equivalent income associated to the tax personal allowance which is set at £12,570 per year.

Susan said: “The Government is doing all it can to claw back losses following the devasting Covid pandemic and one of those solutions is to amend National Insurance which will essentially see millions of people paying more contributions.

“What I am concerned about is that the 6 July deadline is quickly creeping up and it’s clear from the business networks I am speaking to that they aren’t prepared – meaning that wages and deductions could be incorrect and cause unnecessary financial pain for employees.

“Essentially incorrect data would mean a huge administration nightmare for any company, large or small, so my advice is to take extra care to ensure their payroll systems and software are capable of adjusting to the change.”

Minster Micro Computers has more than 40 years’ experience in ERP and payroll systems and have delivered numerous payroll-related seminars. Supporting a range of business sectors, the company is an accredited provider of Pegasus business software.

The firm supplies payroll software, training and implementation as well as IT support services.

Businesses looking for advice on updating their payroll systems in preparation for the 6 July changes can email sales@minstermicro.co.uk or telephone 01562 68211.

IT Support, News, South East

TWC IT Solutions helps UK SMEs to migrate from Skype to Microsoft Teams free of charge.

TWC IT Solutions, one of the leading IT companies for SMEs in London with more than 300 clients across 24 countries, having driven the change within the UK telephony market for the last ten years, announces free migration services from Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams for companies located in the United Kingdom.

Following Microsoft’s recent shutdown of Skype for Business service on 31 July 2021, many companies failed to migrate on time, resulting in severe operational issues. TWC aims to be at the forefront of these changes. As a Microsoft Gold Partner, it has responded to the needs of these businesses by offering free migration services, as Skype’s telephony system will go end of life April 2022. 

Why choose TWC to migrate to Microsoft Teams: TWC’s Teams Telephony application is built on Microsoft’s infrastructure, utilises the power of BT and Gamma, the UK’s primary voice carriers, whilst offering an industry-leading online portal for management of call routing, time schedules, AI agents, IVR, call analysis, international local presence DDIs, voicemail, etc. – the platform is far more feature-rich than Microsoft’s standard Teams telephony.

 

Steps to claim the free migration offer:

  • Visit the company’s website
  • Complete the contact form
  • Book a meeting

 

TWC’s Managing Director Paolo Sartori said:

“TWC has been present in the global IT infrastructure scene for over a decade. We believe the best way to become a responsible and efficient IT Solutions provider is by staying ahead of changes and responding to them by providing ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions to businesses. In response to Microsoft’s decision on shutting down Skype for Business Online, we created an opportunity to guide companies through the migration, free of charge. As a Microsoft Gold Partner, we have adequate experience to ensure a smooth migration and assist companies beyond the process for greater business continuity.”

 

You can read more about TWC’s free Skype to MS Teams migration service here:
https://twc-it-solutions.com/skype-to-teams-free-migration-announcement/ 

About TWC IT Solutions
TWC IT Solutions provides world-leading IT and Communication solutions across a range of services including IT support, Cloud telephony, contact centre , business connectivity, cybersecurity, systems integration, unified communications & disaster recovery capabilities.

TWC is trusted by over 300 companies, has an excellent NPS score, is one of the very few IT companies offering an on-bike response team, 10-minute SLAs to its clients, and has more than 40 different Technology Partners. TWC is also a Microsoft Gold Partner, a Cisco Systems Inc. Premium Partner, and a preferred partner of Samsung Electronics.

The company’s HeadQuarters are located in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, with international offices located in the US (New Jersey) and Asia (Hong Kong).

 

IT Support, News, Tech

4 Ways Small Businesses Benefit From Proactive IT Maintenance

Technology is vital in modern businesses. It helps in streamlining daily processes and allowing businesses to remain competitive. 

However, technology has its fair share of challenges. But most of these problems stem from the fact that most business owners view information technology (IT) as a “set-and-forget” asset.

If you’re like most businesses, you probably don’t give a second thought about your IT infrastructure, unless something isn’t right and it starts to disrupt workflow. However, giving your IT infrastructure a little attention even if they are working just fine can go a long way.

If your current capabilities are limited, then you can always leverage the expertise of reputable managed IT service providers like what this site offers. They can help you in reaping the rewards of taking a proactive approach to IT maintenance. 

With that said, what are the benefits you can get from taking a proactive approach in your IT maintenance?

  •  Enhanced Security

Cybercrime has increased by 600% since the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts estimate that cybercrime incidents can cost businesses about $2.9 million every minute. With new vulnerabilities occurring, making sure that your cybersecurity is up to date can mean the difference between a growing business and bankruptcy. 

Most businesses already have common safeguards against viruses, phishing, hackers, trojans, and other intrusions. However, one of the mistakes that most business owners make is that basic security measures are enough. 

Being reactive to threats means that you’re still vulnerable to the mercy of attackers who can spot vulnerabilities in your infrastructure and use it to their advantage before you even know it. 

With proactive IT maintenance, tech experts will regularly check and install security patches and keep your antivirus software up to date. A proactive approach also allows you to maintain a list of updated servers, devices, and workstations so you can stay on top of firmware patches. 

This allows you to detect issues and flaws early and keep your systems safe from threats, both old and new. 

  • Minimizing Downtime And Allowing Faster Recovery

In the tech world, downtime usually refers to the unplanned period of time during which a part of your whole IT infrastructure is unavailable to use. 

All IT systems have to undergo a certain degree of downtime. Whether it’s for performing preventive maintenance or updating infrastructure, your IT systems will have to go offline at some point. 

Planned downtime allows you to inform your team and customers in advance, so you can work around the schedule to minimize impact. 

However, unplanned downtime is different. When your systems suddenly go offline, it can cost you a lot of money. For every minute that business operations stop, you lose out on potential sales. In fact, a survey revealed that roughly USD $26.5 billion in revenue is lost every year from IT downtime. 

You might experience downtime because of various issues such as data loss, power failures, software or hardware issues, and poor maintenance. 

Proactive IT monitoring and maintenance can help in reducing incidents of unexpected downtime. Your proactive IT provider can identify and resolve small issues before developing into wide-scale system failures. 

In addition, a proactive strategy can also prepare you for unavoidable catastrophes by setting up systems like a backup and disaster recovery server. This allows your system to recover faster in case of system failures. 

  • Improved Performance

Without upgrades to your IT infrastructure, work performance will become noticeably slower. However, it’s tough to assess the performance of your tools and technologies without consistent monitoring. 

Proactive IT maintenance can help in identifying and eliminating issues that may be slowing down your systems. For instance, a proactive IT provider can implement regular disk cleanups to remove the unnecessary files and programs that may be slowing down your computer. 

With an effective proactive maintenance strategy, you can streamline performance issues while increasing the reliability of your IT infrastructure. With faster and more efficient technology, you can also boost your team’s productivity, allowing you to scale projects over time. 

  • Saving Costs

Businesses often call a technician only if a computer breaks down which can be costly. Hiring a traditional IT technician may charge on an hourly basis, and you might have to spend on repair parts or even replacing the whole system. There’s also the wasted time and productivity. 

Proactive maintenance can help in cutting costs with regular monitoring of your systems which allows you to catch and resolve issues before they become serious. Also, constant caring for your hardware and software can extend its lifespan. This means that you don’t have to reinvest in new products because of old ones that keep breaking down. 

Conclusion

As you can see, taking a proactive stance on your IT maintenance offers you numerous benefits. With regular IT maintenance, you can prevent tech problems before they happen. This helps save you from expensive costs, delays and improves your business’s overall performance. 

IT Support

4 Reasons to Consider Outsourcing Your Company’s IT Support

Not having a proper IT support team or no team at all puts your business, employees, and clients at serious risk. You become more vulnerable to attacks, or you could even have your whole operation at a standstill because of a major system failure.

Building a good in-house team is not easy, however, and it’s costly. You also never know when one or multiple members of your team decide to go elsewhere. All of this can be a major source of headaches for business owners, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are a few reasons why you should consider outsourcing your company’s IT support.

You Don’t Have to Hand Everything Over to a Third Party

It doesn’t have to be all or nothing when it comes to outsourcing IT. You can hire a team to help supplement some of the skills your resident expert(s) may have, or to have a solution in case you can’t reach them or they decide to leave. Your workload can also fluctuate through the year or increase if your business decides to expand. Outsourcing IT would allow you to scale or hire only when you need it.

You also have to know what type of impact a cyberattack can have on a small IT team or a single IT support employee. Countering a cyberattack and stopping it before it results in a major breach demands a lot of manpower, and your employees could end up being in way over their heads with work. Investing in a third-party team will make sure that you always have the resources on hand to deal with any attack and recover fast.

You’re Trying to Go Remote

If you want to go remote, you’re going to have to let your employees connect to your network and cloud applications remotely from different devices. This comes with all sorts of security implications. Monitoring what your employees are doing on your network is already difficult in an office setting, but it can become close to impossible when they’re working from home or on the road. You also need to have systems in place to detect suspicious activity over the cloud, which can be very difficult if you don’t have the proper resources and expertise.

If you are thinking of going remote and don’t know where to start, we strongly suggest you work with an outsourced team like the Bristol IT company Dialageek. They will be able to help you deploy a secure remote working/BYOD policy that will make your network more secure. They will also be able to put systems in place that will allow you to monitor the activity on your network and cloud services in real-time and possibly stop attacks in their tracks.

It’s More Cost-Effective

Having an IT expert on-site 24/7 is not something that makes sense for many businesses, especially small ones. Though you need someone to be ready to deal with issues at all times, an IT pro will have to get very creative during the day when there’s not much to be done since a lot of IT work is maintenance and isn’t active.

Managed IT teams will work on contract and will give you the peace of mind of knowing that you always have someone looking over your systems and there to put out fires whenever needed. Also, you won’t have to keep them on your payroll. Not only will this allow you to save on wages, but you won’t have to spend time and money recruiting or replacing employees. You also won’t have to spend money on training them, and you won’t have to worry about them not coming in out of the blue. Good managed IT teams are well-staffed and will handle all the training, recruiting, and onboarding part for you.

If you want to hire someone to look after your systems around the clock, that is three full shifts during the day. That is a lot of money to pay for people who may spend a lot of time sitting on their hands. This becomes even worse when you add in weekends. No matter how you slice it, you will most likely be making savings through a managed service, and there’s a good chance that you’ll never get access to the same level of talent they have.

Focus on What You Do Best

Businesses should focus on what they do best, and that is serving their clients. You shouldn’t be directing time and energy you could be spending on increasing your profits on IT. Your employees don’t want to have to deal with IT issues either. Your accounting employee should be spending most of their time on your books, not looking up ways that they can back up their accounting software’s data. You also shouldn’t try to turn people into jack-of-all-trades and have them handle tasks they aren’t qualified for. This is why you should consider leaving everything to a managed team and let your employees perform the functions they were hired for.

These are some of the reasons why hiring an outsourced IT team makes sense for so many organisations. Look at your current systems and your team if you have one, and see if you could benefit from handing over part or all of your IT functions to a third party.

Cybersecurity, IT Support, News

Clearvision Launches Experts on Demand Subscription Service

Experts on Demand gives customers the ability to plug skills gaps, focus on their business priorities and tap into guidance, advice and support as and when needed.

Clearvision, an ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials-certified software services company, today announced the launch of its Experts on Demand Atlassian Subscription Service.

Experts on Demand is a monthly subscription-based Atlassian consultancy service designed to provide teams with coaching, mentoring, and advice. Working on a credit basis, with each credit granting access to a solution expert for up to half a day, this unique service means that organisations can now access Atlassian experts and consultancy services on an ad-hoc basis.

The service offers a range of consultancy services such as one-to-one coaching and mentoring, optimisation and configuration, health checks and problem-solving, process improvements, consultant-led training sessions and Q&A sessions with an expert.

There are also a range of consultancy services in this new offering include solution design for digital transformation programmes, Agile/SAFe best practices, ITIL/ITSM/eSM best practices, continuous improvement, as well as prototyping and managed adoption.

“We launched this service in response to increasing customer demand and, in a matter of weeks, we already have a number of beta customers benefiting from it,” says Gary Blower, Solutions Architect, Clearvision.

“Knowing that it will typically be the small-to-mid sized organisations that will utilise the service most frequently, we based it on a subscription model as the cost per hour or day is lower. This enables customers to plan more effectively, as each credit grants access to a solution expert for up to half a day. Additionally, organisations can budget for this, rather than have unexpected costs at the end of the month, our fixed cost price puts them in control, and they aren’t hit with any nasty surprises,” Blower adds.

Experts on Demand is available in three packages: Starter, Annual, and Enterprise.

  • The Starter package is for small/medium teams looking to expand their Atlassian usage with minimal commitment and investment. It includes one credit per month for six months.
  • The Annual option is for teams with well-defined needs and objectives looking to benefit from the knowledge and availability of an Atlassian expert. It includes two credits per month on an annual basis.
  • The Enterprise package is for large teams with strategic requirements in need of bespoke solutions without limitations or constraints. It includes unlimited monthly credits on an annual basis.

In the current economic climate, among the many ‘hard-to-fill’ and skills shortage vacancies in 2020 were IT programmers and software developers. As businesses look to digitally transform so demand for IT skilled professionals and developers continues to outperform supply. In fact, a recent article from Deloitte suggests that less than half of executives believe they have the skills to compete and lead within the digital economy.

Experts on Demand will help to fill that gap and ensure that organisations have the specialist skills, knowledge, support and expertise that they need in order to compete and remain relevant – both now and in the future.

For more information on Clearvision, visit www.clearvision-cm.com.