Objective: Position a windfarm business for ongoing growth
When a windfarm operator set up operations in 2010, they aimed to expand rapidly. And they realised their IT systems could not be allowed to hold back business. In fact, IT not only had to grow with them, but also assist in their business expansion.
Initially, the windfarm operator would have offices in Sydney and Melbourne which would need seamless
access to data. A document management system was therefore a first priority. As they built windfarms across Australia, employees at those sites would also need to be connected to data and to the offices.
Thinking outside the box
Before the exponential uptake of cloud, conventional wisdom dictated that IT systems should generally be deployed on premises. So in 2010, the predictable course of action would be to create a dedicated server room in an office, and upscale and increase servers as business grew.
However the team at Nexio Group always look beyond the predictable to see if there’s a
smarter way of doing things. After discussing their requirements, it was clear that centralised access to data was key. Since this data is highly confidential, security and privacy would be essential.
At the time, both on-premises and hosted solutions were viable options. But after examining the advantages and disadvantages of data access, backups, security and cost structures for each option, a hosted solution became the front runner.
The team were then able to search the market and found a reputable Australian hosting partner, who then helped to fine-tune the solution for the windfarm client. All of the windfarm’s data and core communications systems including telephony were hosted by the partner. The Nexio team provided helpdesk and IT support. In effect, this was an early cloud solution, which at the time was ground-breaking. And it proved so successful, we offered similar solutions to other clients in tandem with our
hosting partner.
Support and expertise-sourcing
The team at Nexio Group continues to support the windfarm operator, not just in terms of daily operations, but also for major upgrades and changes. And if needed to, the team can work with outside resources. For example, when the windfarm operator needed to give more control of Microsoft
SharePoint to their business units, the team at Nexio Group worked with an external consultant.
The ability to work with subject matter experts throughout a customer engagement can be crucial. In this case, the consultant enabled Nexio Group to develop bespoke processes to ensure infrastructure being created was future-proof and matched the needs of the business. They became way more than just an IT support provider.
Advice to other businesses
A lot of businesses think it makes sense to run their IT as cheaply as possible when they start operations. For example, they’ll have the lowest-cost cloud subscriptions. But this can be a false economy. When business grows, they find their IT can’t scale to match that growth, or their subscriptions don’t provide the features to fully empower the business.
Ultimately, this means lost opportunities – opportunities to get new customers, tap into new markets, provide new and differentiating services – and more. Crucially, it can also mean opening up your business to cyberthreats. Cyber security is now more complex than ever, and it’s vital to ensure 24×7 protection.
The best course of action for any business without an optimal Cloud set up – whether you’re a new or established business – is to talk to IT experts. They’ll help you choose the right technology to enable growth from wherever you are now. They can also do cost-per-user projections so everything is easy to
budget for.
While IT consultants have their place, it’s better to talk to managed IT services experts such as the Nexio team. They can not only do an initial consultation; but they also know what’s most effective and economical to run over the long term – because it’s their business to know. In addition, they can discuss the pros and cons of managed IT support versus DIY and how your IT impacts on the rest of your business. In this sense, a Managed IT Services company becomes more than a technology partner, it becomes a business partner.
Talk to us today to find out how we can help your business scale.
