One of our new years resolutions is to try and stop using as much paper as we can. To that end, we are starting to e-mail our invoices and statements. For the next little while we will still send out paper items, but we will also send letters telling our clients about the transition. Of course anyone who needs paper will still get paper, but we are hoping that in may of our clients will join us in trying to make the “paperless office” dream a reality.

Back 15 years ago, I would spend 30 minuets driving to and from a location to preform a 5 minute “fix” for a problem. To overcome this discrepancy of billable time my employers of the past would often institute bizarre fees such as “Service call charge”, “one way travel bill”, or bill at a high rate for work done on site. When I started TCG I wanted to eliminated this confusion, and not penalize a client just because I was clever enough to fix their issue in 5 minutes. This is one of the reasons we never bill for things that take less than 10 minutes to fix.

However, time is the most valuable of all resources, for both our clients and our techs. As much I enjoy my clients company, sometimes the best use of everyones time is for me to go “hands on” with technology without the need for scheduling an onsite visit and travel time. This is were the gem of IT Consulting comes in, Remote Access. Remote Access gives the ability for a tech to take “remote control” over a system, and use it as if he or she was siting at the desk.

This is not new, in fact remote access features have been a core part of the Windows Operating system for almost 10 years. Even here at TCG we have a collection of remote access methods, mainly centering about the use of Windows RDP, Open Source VNC, and Mac Screen Sharing. The problem is however that there is not a unified and simple way for any of these methods to transit the complex world of Internet security and firewalls. The end result is that even with our own remote access methods we spend more time maintaing the access paths (port forwarding, routing, etc) than we ever do proving support.

Starting late last year, I started a research project to find the “best” method to create a system that would allow us at TCG to best serve our clients via remote access. The fruits of that research have lead a company called LogMeIn.

There are several commercial and free remote access software packages, such PC Anywhere, RealVNC, Windows Remote Desktop, and MAc Screen Share. The problem with a software package is that it requires that we here at TCG maintain a “path” into whatever system needs to be remotely accessed. This gets even more complicated when realized that most computer no longer connect directly to the internet, but rather are behind NAT routers and firewalls. Several computers within a single office all share a common “gateway” to the internet, and transitioning this gateway to access a single system within that network is a non-trivial task. Also, there was no real uniformity between Macs and PCs. Both had native remote access system, but of course they are not compatible. VNC does work on both, but it’s not a totally secure method. Because of all of this, we ruled out using a “software only” solution.

The other possible solution was a “hosted” remote access system. The advantage of a hosted system is that it is much easier for client and tech to link up. Both sides report to a common third party computer that handles the messy technical details of the connection. This means that accessing any number of computers behind an office NAT router is no longer a problem. There are several high profile companies that offer this hosted remote access service, they include Webex, GoToMyPc, and LogMeIn. The down side of these hosted remote access services is the cost and the dependancy on a third party companies which may or may not be around in the future.

Of all the services I looked at, I liked LogMeIn. I felt like they offered the best overall package of features for the price. But what really tipped the scales was they apparent embrace of new technologies. They no only offer remote support for Mac and PC, but also Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and Symbin Phones. They also have an iPhone app that will allow me to take a quick look at a clients machine directly from my iphone.

The correct software for LogMeIn can be downloaded from the software section and instructions for installation and use can be obtained by contacting us at TCG.   

With this in mind, we are considering offering an economic incentive to businesses and individuals to help them keep up this vital regular maintenance. On-going maintenance can often be a complicated and confusing endeavor for both the receiver and provider of services. We have looked at several ideas for ways of providing this service, and have come up with a plan we feel is very cost effective for our clients. Before we implement this plan, we wanted to present it and ask for comments about it. After all, while we feel it’s a good idea, we also feel that our clients should have input in the process.

First, some background. Our rates for service have been he same for many, many, years. We’ve never gone in for complicated billings arrangements. Our fee structure is VERY simple: flat hourly rate, billed in half hour increments, and we don’t bill for time that is not productive. This has held us well all these years, but the higher level of expertise we have now, combined with the higher costs of doing business have conspired to force the issue of a rate increase. Starting January 1, 2010, we will have to raise our service rates. We are currently in negotiation with our sub-contractors and other service providers to keep the increase as low as possible. One of the ideas that came up was to try and “normalize” our business by moving from a “reactive” to a “proactive” model of service. This would allow us to have greater control over our work flow and better budget our resources.

Simply put, under our current “reactive” model, when something breaks, we go and fix it. The danger here is that if too many things break in too many places, we are unable to react in a timely manor. There is also the strange (but very real) fact that things happen all-at-once. We spend several days doing very little, then become inundated with calls.

The Plan:

To promote good system maintenance, and to help avoid costly downtime, we are asking our clients to consider retaining us as professional IT managers. The arrangement is very simple, we ask for a monthly retainer equal to the amount of time it would take to preform normal system management and maintenance. The amount will vary from business to business based on individual needs.

On a scheduled cycle we will perform these normal system management tasks and maintenance as needed. This will not only accomplish the routine tasks, but also give us “hands on” time with the equipment so that we can spot trouble and correct it before it becomes a serious and costly problem.

These normal system management and maintenance services include things like anti-malware, OS updates, software update, physical system cleaning, hard drive integrity testing, backups, extraneous software removal, and system optimization for all IT systems, servers, printers, connected devices and even cell phones.

Our Retained Services Clients will also continue to receive the same hourly rate ($50) and the same “at cost” arrangement on parts for anything they require above and beyond normal system management and maintenance. We will also be providing a 2 hour incident response program that will have one of our specialists at your location within two hours of your call for those times when emergencies arise. As we have in the past, we intend to be very open and giving in regards to our services, so our clients never have to worry about “nickel-and-dime” invoices for things not maintenance related.

In addition to the tasks for normal maintenance, we will offer two additional services to our Retained Services Client, “remote support” and “backups”.

With “remote support” we will be able to asset our clients with many simple questions either over the phone or via remote access to their system. Our Retained Services Clients will have access to our specialists for assistance over the phone or by remote access at no additional charge.

The sad reality is that no matter how much maintenance is given, all things man-made will fail. Unless your data is backed up on a regular basis it will be lost. We want to make sure that your data is backed up regularly both at your location, and in a secure offsite location in the event of fire or flood. We have over the past year created and perfected a means by which your data can be securely and safely stored in both your office and our data center in Cumberland County. While there are many “online” solutions that claim be be able to provide offsite or “cloud” backups, these are limited in space and/or can have high monthly costs. We have always felt that for proper security, data needs to be stored in a location where you as the client can walk-in and be given your data in person, working with people you know and trust.

The Cost:

Starting in January we will be contacting our key clients with details and estimates. Until then we would genuinely like to get feed back from our clients and friends as to this new strategy. We hope that it will lead to lower IT costs and greater peace of mind for our clients, as well as better management of our own resources here at TCG.

Our Primary phone number for EVERYONE at TCG is now: 800-705-4043

Why the toll free 800 number? — Well, we are still based in Crossville/Cumberland County but our clients come from all over the region. We felt having a toll free number made it easier for our clients not in the Cumberland County local dialing zone to reach us. Of course for our clients in Cumberland County, the toll free number works just the same.

Does the 210-3138 number still work? — Of course, that number has been used to contact TCG (or McKinley Tabor) for over 12 years, we’re not letting that go anytime soon. If you call 210-3138 you may get someone directly, or it will go to the new system.

Faxes? — The Fax machine was invented in 1947 by Alexander Muirhead (though AT&T had a previous detected wire system in 1924), and while Fax is a very old system, we understand that people still use it. To that end our new number, 800-705-4043, will accept faxes just fine. There is no “official” standard for color faxing, so it only does black and white.

Does the New System use an Automated Attendant? — Sadly, yes, the new system does have an “Automated Attendant”. For those unfamiliar with the term, an Automated Attendant is one of those pre-recorded, “Thank you for calling, if you know your parties extension you may dial it now” systems. Because we do not have a full time secretary/receptionist we had to use one of these systems so that our clients could reach the right person here at TCG. Don’t worry, all our “extensions” are given right up front, and the system allowed we to bring back the “Patton Theme” from our first generation system (we lost that when we all got iPhones).

What are some of the technical details? — First, the system is what is called a “Virtual PBX”. People who work in multi-person offices often times will have either a “key system” or a “pbx” for thier internal phone system. PBXs are often used in somewhat larger installations, like hotels or hospitals, while key systems are more familiar to most office workers. A “Virtual PBX” has all of the features normally associated with large PBX systems, but it’s paired down for smaller offices. It’s also the perfect system for “mobile” persons like us. Here at TCG, most of our people do not spend their days lounging around the office. We are out seeing clients. Like most people, we ALL have cell phones, but cell phones are a disconnected thing. They are not part of a cohesive and integrated phone system. Having an integrated phone system allows features like passing a call from one person to another, putting a call of hold, or having all the companies voice mail in one place. For years we struggled with the ideal of having an integrated phone system but still keeping the mobility that cell phones provide. A “Virtual PBX” lets us do just that. When a client calls our 800-705-4043 number, and then dials one of our extensions, that client is then “transfered” to the mobile phone of the person hey are trying to reach. If that call needs to be transfered to someone else, it is possible then to put the call on hold, and then “pass” it to someone else’s mobile phone in TCG. The client never needs to hang up and call someone else. If the person in TCG in not available, then the “Virtual PBX” voice mail takes the message, and not the individual cell phone carrier.

It’s been a great system in testing, and we are looking forward to seeing how well it’s going to work full scale.