July 24, 2007, Ottawa, Canada – The Utility Company™, a global managed service franchise that provides information technology (IT) as a utility to small and medium-sized businesses (SMB), today announced companies that have selected Connected Office™ over the traditional “pay and pray” break-fix model.
The Utility Company was founded to address the two major problems plaguing businesses today:
Over-Spending – the fact that the average business spends $360 per user per month on technology for an industry total of $400 billion annually.
Under-Utilization – unfortunately only 15% of this investment in technology is actually utilized.
For most small and medium-sized businesses technology has been traditionally viewed as a cost of doing business or even a necessary evil to doing business. Over the years, the proliferation of the Internet has provided businesses a seemingly limitless means to access, communicate and collaborate on corporate and client data. This has resulted in most organizations today becoming more and more reliant on technology to operate, communicate and manage their business effectively. Unfortunately, many businesses today still view technology and related services similarly to insurance – they don’t need it until something bad happens!
Forward-thinking organizations with 5 to 100 employees are increasingly turning to The Utility Company across North America to receive a much higher level of service in a more predictable and cost-effective model. The convergence of technology, including network/desktop, business applications, Web/Internet, copier/printer and telecommunications also provides businesses with a further desire to consolidate (or converge) their suppliers, as well.
“Today’s SMB technology supply chain is old, antiquated and costly – the traditional break-fix model is how 90% of these businesses consume technology, mainly because most people aren’t aware that our level of service is available from a national organization,” stated Mark Scott, President of The Utility Company. “Unfortunately, the old model is about businesses paying a service provider or technician to put them back where they were yesterday. Our model focuses on providing businesses with the ability to stabilize IT operations and budget while improving predictability and utilization – any new investments in technology are geared toward expanding revenues and streamlining business processes and costs.”
Connected Office 2.0 is available for a monthly fee per user through The Utility Company franchises across North America and includes:
1-866-My-Utility Live Helpdesk to support users with secure remote access to network and desktops for on-demand service and training.
Remote Monitoring and Management of network, desktops/laptops, security and data-back-up 24×7.
Security & Protection – ongoing anti-virus and patch management service.
Online Backup and Storage – remote backup of servers, desktops and laptops.
Asset & Lifecycle Management – tracking of all hardware and software assets, including updates, usage and compliance.
Communications Services – Hosted Exchange with advanced email and anti-spam.
Onsite service – network assessment, emergency support, onsite maintenance, end-user training.
The combination of the 1-866-My-Utility helpdesk and the Utility Service Center remote monitoring and management platform results in the majority of support incidents being detected and resolved remotely – no downtime or onsite service call. Essentially, businesses are paying The Utility Company for uptime instead of just break-fix technician time!
Georgetown Consulting Firm Moves from Internal IT Person to Utility
Early in 2007, the internal IT administrator informed consulting firm Municipal Tax Experts (MTE) that he was leaving the company. This left the business having to make a choice of replacing the annual salary or look at other alternatives. About that same time local Utility Service Provider, Ormac Inc of Georgetown, contacted MTE to discuss the Connected Office™ menu of managed IT services.
“We signed on with The Utility Company when our IT support person left, resulting in a 60% annual savings in our technology services,” stated Greg Powell, President and CEO of Municipal Tax Equity Inc of Georgetown, Ontario. “We are very pleased with the level of onsite and remote support we have received along with the predictability of fixed fee managed services for our network, desktops, security and data back-up. Moving from the convenience of an internal IT resource to the Utility service model has been a smooth transition and one I would recommend to any company under 50 employees.”
Ottawa Accounting Firm Selects Utility Over Break-Fix Outsource Provider
Hamel & Co. decided to move to The Utility Company based on their experience during tax season and determination that IT had become critical to their business to compile, collaborate and communicate business-critical data. Of particular concern to the firm were the security, protection and regular back-up of client and corporate data. The ability to work remotely and leverage a unified communications strategy was also important in the decision.
“We have contracted technology support in the traditional block service model for years,” stated Marcel Castonguay, Partner at Hamel & Co. “This model works well if you are not reliant on technology to operate your business. The Utility model really brings us into the 21st century by proactively monitoring and remotely managing the infrastructure we have, while trying to reduce its complexity and cost with solutions like online back-up and other hosted applications and services. We have moved away from wild variances in fees and service levels to a predictable, insurance-like model with The Utility Company.”
Georgia Medical Clinic Chooses Utility Over Reactive Service Model
Golden Isles Family Practice, a medical clinic in Brunswick Georgia, was using an IT service provider on an as-needed (or ‘break/fix’) basis before turning to The Utility Company. They were spending approximately $12,000 per year for a service that often took days to arrive on-site.
After feeling the frustration of “having our issues not being treated as a priority”, Golden Isles owner, Dr. James Greene, decided to make the move to a fully managed network at a fraction of his former reactive IT costs. “For $600 per month we now have someone looking out for our needs around the clock. We no longer feel like our problems come second to those of bigger organizations. As medical institutions become less and less reliant on paper – or continue to ‘connect their offices’, so-to-speak, access to critical patient data in a timely manner becomes a necessity, not a luxury worth waiting for. Already in our short period with The Utility Company, they have solved several issues with our Terminal Server – which is how we access patient data. They traced one issue to a licensing problem and had it solved within 15 minutes. We couldn’t be happier with our move to proactive IT care”.
For more information on these and other Connected Office Success Stories please visit www.theutilitycompany.com or register for one of our upcoming Thursday Webinars:
How to Address Technology Over-Spending and Under-Utilization – August 9th at 11am ET.
Technology is Converging (and So Should Your Suppliers) – August 16th at 11am ET.
Learn why you should join the hundreds of end-users that join The Utility Revolution monthly!
About The Utility Company™
The Utility Company is a global managed service franchise that provides information technology as a utility to small and medium-sized businesses, delivering the required hardware, software and service for a monthly fee per user. Our Connected Office™ technology service program empowers people to operate, communicate and manage their business more effectively to increase productivity, performance and ultimately profit. Our customers are supported by the Utility Service Network delivering on-site service and business-technology consulting across North America – our Beyond Managed Services™ franchise opportunity is available by prospectus only. Learn how to make technology work for your business today at www.theutilitycompany.com