Outsourcing Computer Consulting in New York City

Computer Consulting New York

If you run a small business, outsourcing your IT needs to a professional Computer Consultant is probably your most cost-effective means of supporting your computer systems. Even if you're personally qualified to maintain the systems yourself, your time is likely much better spent running your business rather than monitoring backups and troubleshooting buggy desktops.

And of course if something really goes wrong, you're going to want to have a professional that you know and trust to come to the rescue.

I provide computer consulting services to New York based small businesses. It's a highly competitive market with a wide variety of IT Service providers, ranging from the Independent Consultant who serves a limited, but loyal customer base, to large firms supporting hundreds of local businesses.

A small business in need of a qualified computer consulting firm has several criteria in which to measure their potential future provider. Gone are the days where you simply wait for the computer to break and then call in the computer consultant to perform the repair at an hourly rate. This reactive support model is inefficient and very ineffective at keeping the systems operating at peak performance.

To get the most out of your IT Maintenance budget, the best approach is to be proactive and try to prevent problems from happening in the first place. If your Computer Consulting firm is operating under the correct Managed Service Provider (MSP) business model, your ultimate support costs should be approximately the same as if you were paying for hourly, reactive support, yet your performance levels and system reliability should be much higher.

The things you should be looking for in a computer consulting firm are:

1. Network Monitoring - By installing a small application on your server, your computer consultant should be able to monitor all of the critical components of your network, including:

• AntiVirus updates and activity
• Backup status
• System Event Log alerts and errors
• Security status - are unauthorized users trying to enter the system
• Drive space
• Processor and memory utilization and possible bottlenecks
• Website and communication status - know immediately if a service fails

Many of the monitoring utilities in use today are web-based, which could allow you to monitor the network right alongside your computer consultant. Keeping an eye on your own network's health status is a good way to remain apprised of any issues and to keep tabs on your consultant if need be.

2. Remote Computer Support - Your computer consultant should be able to log into your systems (both the server and your user's desktops) remotely to address problems as they arise. With remote connectivity, your consultant could potentially provide support even faster than an in-house Network Administrator could.

3. Service Reporting - Your computer consulting firm should be able to provide you with timely and accurate reports as to what service was performed, for who and how long did it take. These reports will allow you to identify potential problem spots on the network (areas of repeating problems) as well as assist in budgeting for future support needs.

4. Inventory Reporting - A current inventory report of all of your technology components is useful for insurance purposes, budgeting for future needs and for identifying possible weak points in your infrastructure. Your data should be collected in real-time and your consulting firm should be able to provide you with up-to-the-minute reports via a web-accessible interface.

5. Location - Not every problem can be addressed remotely. There will be times when you need your computer consultant on-site ASAP! Make sure you select a consultant who can get to you when you need him.

6. Fees - Selecting the "cheapest" consultant you can find will most likely backfire on you and wind up costing you more in the long run. A qualified, experienced computer consultant commands a respectable salary. If your consultant is charging below-market rates, it's likely because of his lack of experience or talents. If it takes him twice as long to complete a job than a qualified consultant can do, then you're likely still paying the same amount, but getting a lower quality of service (which may cause additional problems in the future.)

Your consultant's basic fees should be flat-based as opposed to hourly. This works to both of your advantages.

By paying a flat, monthly fee, you'll be able to budget your expenses more accurately and you won't have to place restraints on the maintenance of your systems. And unlike with an hourly rate, your consultant's income doesn't improve the more your systems fail. Instead, with a flat-fee, the more reliably your systems perform, the less work your consultant needs to invest to achieve the same billable amount.

Under flat-fee billing, it's in everyone's best interest for your network to perform reliably at all times.

7. Dedication - If you want to gain the maximum lifespan and long term performance from your network, you're going to need someone to maintain it on a regular basis. Someone who is intimately familiar with both the systems and the users. If you're using a larger firm, you want to have a single consultant plus a backup dedicated to your account. This can often be difficult to accomplish for a consulting firm with a large client base. Qualified consultants are expensive and a large IT Support firm will want to employ only as many as absolutely necessary at a time to control overhead. This often results in spreading the technical talent too thin and you as the customer get a revolving door of consultants who are unfamiliar and take longer to resolve issues.

In the dedication department is where an Independent Computer Consultant has an advantage over the larger IT Support Firms. An Independent Computer Consultant who serves a limited customer base can provide a level of attention similar to that of an in-house employee. Assuming he's monitoring his client's systems properly, provides remote support and charges flat-fee based billing, a very manageable workload can be maintained, leaving enough flexibility in the schedule to provide equal and necessary attention to each and every client.

Ideally, you'd like to find a larger computer consulting firm with diverse resources, yet can provide the level of dedication and attention you'd get from an Independent Computer Consultant.

If you're looking for computer consulting New York City, you might want to give Perry Consulting a call. I hear good things...

Outsourcing Computer Consulting in New York

Computer Consulting New York.

If you run a small business, outsourcing your IT needs to a professional Computer Consultant is probably your most cost-effective means of supporting your computer systems. Even if you're personally qualified to maintain the systems yourself, your time is likely much better spent running your business rather than monitoring backups and troubleshooting buggy desktops.

And of course if something really goes wrong, you're going to want to have a professional that you know and trust to come to the rescue.

I provide computer consulting services to New York based small businesses. It's a highly competitive market with a wide variety of IT Service providers, ranging from the Independent Consultant who serves a limited, but loyal customer base, to large firms supporting hundreds of local businesses.

A small business in need of a qualified computer consulting firm has several criteria in which to measure their potential future provider. Gone are the days where you simply wait for the computer to break and then call in the computer consultant to perform the repair at an hourly rate. This reactive support model is inefficient and very ineffective at keeping the systems operating at peak performance.

To get the most out of your IT Maintenance budget, the best approach is to be proactive and try to prevent problems from happening in the first place. If your Computer Consulting firm is operating under the correct Managed Service Provider (MSP) business model, your ultimate support costs should be approximately the same as if you were paying for hourly, reactive support, yet your performance levels and system reliability should be much higher.

The things you should be looking for in a computer consulting firm are:

1. Network Monitoring - By installing a small application on your server, your computer consultant should be able to monitor all of the critical components of your network, including:

• AntiVirus updates and activity
  
• Backup status
  
• System Event Log alerts and errors
  
• Security status - are unauthorized users trying to enter the system
  
• Drive space
  
• Processor and memory utilization and possible bottlenecks
  
• Website and communication status - know immediately if a service fails
  

Many of the monitoring utilities in use today are web-based, which could allow you to monitor the network right alongside your computer consultant. Keeping an eye on your own network's health status is a good way to remain apprised of any issues and to keep tabs on your consultant if need be.

2. Remote Computer Support - Your computer consultant should be able to log into your systems (both the server and your user's desktops) remotely to address problems as they arise. With remote connectivity, your consultant could potentially provide support even faster than an in-house Network Administrator could.

3. Service Reporting - Your computer consulting firm should be able to provide you with timely and accurate reports as to what service was performed, for who and how long did it take. These reports will allow you to identify potential problem spots on the network (areas of repeating problems) as well as assist in budgeting for future support needs.

4. Inventory Reporting - A current inventory report of all of your technology components is useful for insurance purposes, budgeting for future needs and for identifying possible weak points in your infrastructure. Your data should be collected in real-time and your consulting firm should be able to provide you with up-to-the-minute reports via a web-accessible interface.

5. Location - Not every problem can be addressed remotely. There will be times when you need your computer consultant on-site ASAP! Make sure you select a consultant who can get to you when you need him.

6. Fees - Selecting the "cheapest" consultant you can find will most likely backfire on you and wind up costing you more in the long run. A qualified, experienced computer consultant commands a respectable salary. If your consultant is charging below-market rates, it's likely because of his lack of experience or talents. If it takes him twice as long to complete a job than a qualified consultant can do, then you're likely still paying the same amount, but getting a lower quality of service (which may cause additional problems in the future.)

Your consultant's basic fees should be flat-based as opposed to hourly. This works to both of your advantages.

By paying a flat, monthly fee, you'll be able to budget your expenses more accurately and you won't have to place restraints on the maintenance of your systems. And unlike with an hourly rate, your consultant's income doesn't improve the more your systems fail. Instead, with a flat-fee, the more reliably your systems perform, the less work your consultant needs to invest to achieve the same billable amount.

Under flat-fee billing, it's in everyone's best interest for your network to perform reliably at all times.

7. Dedication - If you want to gain the maximum lifespan and long term performance from your network, you're going to need someone to maintain it on a regular basis. Someone who is intimately familiar with both the systems and the users. If you're using a larger firm, you want to have a single consultant plus a backup dedicated to your account. This can often be difficult to accomplish for a consulting firm with a large client base. Qualified consultants are expensive and a large IT Support firm will want to employ only as many as absolutely necessary at a time to control overhead. This often results in spreading the technical talent too thin and you as the customer get a revolving door of consultants who are unfamiliar and take longer to resolve issues.

In the dedication department is where an Independent Computer Consultant has an advantage over the larger IT Support Firms. An Independent Computer Consultant who serves a limited customer base can provide a level of attention similar to that of an in-house employee. Assuming he's monitoring his client's systems properly, provides remote support and charges flat-fee based billing, a very manageable workload can be maintained, leaving enough flexibility in the schedule to provide equal and necessary attention to each and every client.

Ideally, you'd like to find a larger computer consulting firm with diverse resources, yet can provide the level of dedication and attention you'd get from an Independent Computer Consultant.

If you're looking for computer consulting New York City, you might want to give Perry Consulting a call. I hear good things...

Outsourcing Computer Consulting in New York City

Computer Consulting New York

If you run a small business, outsourcing your IT needs to a professional Computer Consultant is probably your most cost-effective means of supporting your computer systems. Even if you're personally qualified to maintain the systems yourself, your time is likely much better spent running your business rather than monitoring backups and troubleshooting buggy desktops.

And of course if something really goes wrong, you're going to want to have a professional that you know and trust to come to the rescue.

I provide computer consulting services to New York based small businesses. It's a highly competitive market with a wide variety of IT Service providers, ranging from the Independent Consultant who serves a limited, but loyal customer base, to large firms supporting hundreds of local businesses.

A small business in need of a qualified computer consulting firm has several criteria in which to measure their potential future provider. Gone are the days where you simply wait for the computer to break and then call in the computer consultant to perform the repair at an hourly rate. This reactive support model is inefficient and very ineffective at keeping the systems operating at peak performance.

To get the most out of your IT Maintenance budget, the best approach is to be proactive and try to prevent problems from happening in the first place. If your Computer Consulting firm is operating under the correct Managed Service Provider (MSP) business model, your ultimate support costs should be approximately the same as if you were paying for hourly, reactive support, yet your performance levels and system reliability should be much higher.

The things you should be looking for in a computer consulting firm are:

1. Network Monitoring - By installing a small application on your server, your computer consultant should be able to monitor all of the critical components of your network, including:

• AntiVirus updates and activity
• Backup status
• System Event Log alerts and errors
• Security status - are unauthorized users trying to enter the system
• Drive space
• Processor and memory utilization and possible bottlenecks
• Website and communication status - know immediately if a service fails

Many of the monitoring utilities in use today are web-based, which could allow you to monitor the network right alongside your computer consultant. Keeping an eye on your own network's health status is a good way to remain apprised of any issues and to keep tabs on your consultant if need be.

2. Remote Computer Support - Your computer consultant should be able to log into your systems (both the server and your user's desktops) remotely to address problems as they arise. With remote connectivity, your consultant could potentially provide support even faster than an in-house Network Administrator could.

3. Service Reporting - Your computer consulting firm should be able to provide you with timely and accurate reports as to what service was performed, for who and how long did it take. These reports will allow you to identify potential problem spots on the network (areas of repeating problems) as well as assist in budgeting for future support needs.

4. Inventory Reporting - A current inventory report of all of your technology components is useful for insurance purposes, budgeting for future needs and for identifying possible weak points in your infrastructure. Your data should be collected in real-time and your consulting firm should be able to provide you with up-to-the-minute reports via a web-accessible interface.

5. Location - Not every problem can be addressed remotely. There will be times when you need your computer consultant on-site ASAP! Make sure you select a consultant who can get to you when you need him.

6. Fees - Selecting the "cheapest" consultant you can find will most likely backfire on you and wind up costing you more in the long run. A qualified, experienced computer consultant commands a respectable salary. If your consultant is charging below-market rates, it's likely because of his lack of experience or talents. If it takes him twice as long to complete a job than a qualified consultant can do, then you're likely still paying the same amount, but getting a lower quality of service (which may cause additional problems in the future.)

Your consultant's basic fees should be flat-based as opposed to hourly. This works to both of your advantages.

By paying a flat, monthly fee, you'll be able to budget your expenses more accurately and you won't have to place restraints on the maintenance of your systems. And unlike with an hourly rate, your consultant's income doesn't improve the more your systems fail. Instead, with a flat-fee, the more reliably your systems perform, the less work your consultant needs to invest to achieve the same billable amount.

Under flat-fee billing, it's in everyone's best interest for your network to perform reliably at all times.

7. Dedication - If you want to gain the maximum lifespan and long term performance from your network, you're going to need someone to maintain it on a regular basis. Someone who is intimately familiar with both the systems and the users. If you're using a larger firm, you want to have a single consultant plus a backup dedicated to your account. This can often be difficult to accomplish for a consulting firm with a large client base. Qualified consultants are expensive and a large IT Support firm will want to employ only as many as absolutely necessary at a time to control overhead. This often results in spreading the technical talent too thin and you as the customer get a revolving door of consultants who are unfamiliar and take longer to resolve issues.

In the dedication department is where an Independent Computer Consultant has an advantage over the larger IT Support Firms. An Independent Computer Consultant who serves a limited customer base can provide a level of attention similar to that of an in-house employee. Assuming he's monitoring his client's systems properly, provides remote support and charges flat-fee based billing, a very manageable workload can be maintained, leaving enough flexibility in the schedule to provide equal and necessary attention to each and every client.

Ideally, you'd like to find a larger computer consulting firm with diverse resources, yet can provide the level of dedication and attention you'd get from an Independent Computer Consultant.

If you're looking for computer consulting New York City, you might want to give Perry Consulting a call. I hear good things...

Outsourcing Computer Consulting in New York City

Computer Consulting New York

If you run a small business, outsourcing your IT needs to a professional Computer Consultant is probably your most cost-effective means of supporting your computer systems. Even if you're personally qualified to maintain the systems yourself, your time is likely much better spent running your business rather than monitoring backups and troubleshooting buggy desktops.

And of course if something really goes wrong, you're going to want to have a professional that you know and trust to come to the rescue.

I provide computer consulting services to New York based small businesses. It's a highly competitive market with a wide variety of IT Service providers, ranging from the Independent Consultant who serves a limited, but loyal customer base, to large firms supporting hundreds of local businesses.

A small business in need of a qualified computer consulting firm has several criteria in which to measure their potential future provider. Gone are the days where you simply wait for the computer to break and then call in the computer consultant to perform the repair at an hourly rate. This reactive support model is inefficient and very ineffective at keeping the systems operating at peak performance.

To get the most out of your IT Maintenance budget, the best approach is to be proactive and try to prevent problems from happening in the first place. If your Computer Consulting firm is operating under the correct Managed Service Provider (MSP) business model, your ultimate support costs should be approximately the same as if you were paying for hourly, reactive support, yet your performance levels and system reliability should be much higher.

The things you should be looking for in a computer consulting firm are:

1. Network Monitoring - By installing a small application on your server, your computer consultant should be able to monitor all of the critical components of your network, including:

• AntiVirus updates and activity
• Backup status
• System Event Log alerts and errors
• Security status - are unauthorized users trying to enter the system
• Drive space
• Processor and memory utilization and possible bottlenecks
• Website and communication status - know immediately if a service fails

Many of the monitoring utilities in use today are web-based, which could allow you to monitor the network right alongside your computer consultant. Keeping an eye on your own network's health status is a good way to remain apprised of any issues and to keep tabs on your consultant if need be.

2. Remote Computer Support - Your computer consultant should be able to log into your systems (both the server and your user's desktops) remotely to address problems as they arise. With remote connectivity, your consultant could potentially provide support even faster than an in-house Network Administrator could.

3. Service Reporting - Your computer consulting firm should be able to provide you with timely and accurate reports as to what service was performed, for who and how long did it take. These reports will allow you to identify potential problem spots on the network (areas of repeating problems) as well as assist in budgeting for future support needs.

4. Inventory Reporting - A current inventory report of all of your technology components is useful for insurance purposes, budgeting for future needs and for identifying possible weak points in your infrastructure. Your data should be collected in real-time and your consulting firm should be able to provide you with up-to-the-minute reports via a web-accessible interface.

5. Location - Not every problem can be addressed remotely. There will be times when you need your computer consultant on-site ASAP! Make sure you select a consultant who can get to you when you need him.

6. Fees - Selecting the "cheapest" consultant you can find will most likely backfire on you and wind up costing you more in the long run. A qualified, experienced computer consultant commands a respectable salary. If your consultant is charging below-market rates, it's likely because of his lack of experience or talents. If it takes him twice as long to complete a job than a qualified consultant can do, then you're likely still paying the same amount, but getting a lower quality of service (which may cause additional problems in the future.)

Your consultant's basic fees should be flat-based as opposed to hourly. This works to both of your advantages.

By paying a flat, monthly fee, you'll be able to budget your expenses more accurately and you won't have to place restraints on the maintenance of your systems. And unlike with an hourly rate, your consultant's income doesn't improve the more your systems fail. Instead, with a flat-fee, the more reliably your systems perform, the less work your consultant needs to invest to achieve the same billable amount.

Under flat-fee billing, it's in everyone's best interest for your network to perform reliably at all times.

7. Dedication - If you want to gain the maximum lifespan and long term performance from your network, you're going to need someone to maintain it on a regular basis. Someone who is intimately familiar with both the systems and the users. If you're using a larger firm, you want to have a single consultant plus a backup dedicated to your account. This can often be difficult to accomplish for a consulting firm with a large client base. Qualified consultants are expensive and a large IT Support firm will want to employ only as many as absolutely necessary at a time to control overhead. This often results in spreading the technical talent too thin and you as the customer get a revolving door of consultants who are unfamiliar and take longer to resolve issues.

In the dedication department is where an Independent Computer Consultant has an advantage over the larger IT Support Firms. An Independent Computer Consultant who serves a limited customer base can provide a level of attention similar to that of an in-house employee. Assuming he's monitoring his client's systems properly, provides remote support and charges flat-fee based billing, a very manageable workload can be maintained, leaving enough flexibility in the schedule to provide equal and necessary attention to each and every client.

Ideally, you'd like to find a larger computer consulting firm with diverse resources, yet can provide the level of dedication and attention you'd get from an Independent Computer Consultant.

If you're looking for computer consulting New York City, you might want to give Perry Consulting a call. I hear good things...

There is no better time for the Independent Computer Consultant than NOW!

In today’s small business IT Support market, the Independent Computer Consultant is the perfect business model for serving the small business customer, and any tech with the skills to support a small business network should strongly consider starting a small business of his or her own.

But this wasn’t always the case…

IT Consulting began, and for many remains under the break/fix support model. The computer breaks, the computer guy comes out to fix it – sends a bill – repeat.

Unfortunately, this design puts the needs of the computer consultant directly at odds with the needs of the customer.

The customer most often views the computer consultant as an expense. If the consultant makes an on-site visit to the customer, it probably means that something is broken, and it’s costing the customer money - both in lost productivity and for repair. Under the break/fix model, the customer is automatically conditioned to want to see the consultant as little as possible.

This works directly against the needs of the consultant, who needs to bill enough hours in a day to make a living.

It would be a lot easier and probably more pleasant of a consultant-customer relationship if our support model was based on a win-win principal. For us to do this, let’s take a look at what everyone wants.

Well, we should know what the consultant wants…

The Computer Consultant Wants:
• To make a good salary. Perhaps a great salary.
• To not have any concerns for job security.
• To continue to learn and be challenged by new technologies.
• To work with a diverse group of clients, keeping the work week varied – avoiding boring routine.
• To work reasonable hours and to take an occasional vacation.


The Customer Wants:
• They want their systems to work reliably, with minimal downtime.
• They want immediate response when they have a problem.
• They want problems prevented or identified early, before a larger problem develops.
• They want their consultant to be able to fix their problems remotely (instant gratification).
• They don’t want surprises when the bill comes. And a large bill is ALWAYS a surprise.
• They want up-to-date technology (even if they don’t always appear to want to pay for it).
• They want a consultant who understands their network and their needs.
• They want to have confidence in their consultant’s abilities to maintain their current systems and to guide them in future growth.


When looking at the above lists, the solution as to what needs to be provided is readily apparent:

System Monitoring
• Minimal downtime
• Early problem detection
• Asset Management
HelpDesk
• Immediate response
• Remote Management
Personal Attention
• They want a dedicated consultant
Low Cost
• Not necessarily the LOWEST cost, but at least a fair and competitive rate

The Managed Service Provider (MSP) model (which if IT support is your chosen career, you should be very familiar with by now) is designed to address the above Customer wants by taking advantage of emerging technologies, allowing the support of larger numbers of customers, with less overhead. The development of support tools that provide remote preventative maintenance, remote monitoring and remote computer desktop and server support, has helped the industry of IT Support provisioning to evolve into a commodity that can be provided more efficiently and for lower, more predictable fees than was ever possible under the break/fix model.

Many well run and well funded MSPs are now emerging – vying for market share and working to establish name recognition and market dominance. As regional and national companies become more prolific and as current market leaders on the retail and development side of IT, such as Microsoft, Dell, CDW, etc. enter the realm of small business IT Support, it can seem inevitable that the role of Independent Computer Consultant is destined for extinction.

Not so!

There is not a single item in the above list that YOU, as an Independent Computer Consultant cannot provide to your customers.

• YOU can monitor your clients around the clock, receiving early alerts to potential problems.
• YOU can minimize downtime by keeping tabs on the age and performance levels of your customer’s equipment.
• YOU can provide your customers with real-time inventory, service and network performance reporting.
• YOU can provide remote computer support to your customers INSTANTLY from ANY location.
• YOU can provide your customers with the consistency they want from a dedicated consultant who knows their network, their users and their needs.

And you can do ALL of these items with lower overhead than your corporate competition, resulting higher profitability and greater growth opportunities for YOU!

Because the tools required for providing the necessary proactive system monitoring and remote computer support have become low-cost or even no-cost, there are very few barriers to entry for the qualified network administrator to branch out on his or her own and support a small, but very profitable client base.

By providing remote monitoring and administration, the Independent Computer Consultant is able to move away from the inefficient break/fix, hourly support model and over to the much more profitable and reliable flat-fee support model.

When charging flat rates for service, the consultant is able to calculate in advance the number of clients required to meet a desired salary level. Once this client base is secured, there is no longer any concern for getting enough billable hours in a month to survive.

And because this proactive model for support is designed to reduce and prevent problems, there is more time in the day for the progressive small business computer consultant to go out and prospect for even more clients to boost the bottom line.

By following the correct model of flat-fee, proactive monitoring and remote computer support, there has never been a better time for the Independent Computer Consultant to branch out and follow the ultimate dream of starting a small computer consulting business of his or her own.

Robert Peretson has been both a successful Independent Computer Consultant and has started multiple, New York based consulting businesses since 1996. He has created the website SuccessfulComputerConsulting.com designed to help talented computer consultants quickly and easily develop their own Independent Computer Consulting business.