The Utility Company Announces More Customer Wins with “Green IT” Benefits
Utility IT Services Result in 95% Remote Problem Identification, Triage and Resolution with Focus on Reducing Onsite Infrastructure and Complexity
October 30, 2007 Ottawa, Ontario – The Utility Company™, a leading provider of information technology (IT) as a utility to small and medium-sized businesses (SMB), today announced more companies that have selected Connected Office™ over the traditional, antiquated break-fix model.
The Utility Company addresses the two major problems plaguing businesses today:
- Over-Spending – the fact that the average business spends $360 per user per month on technology.
- Under-Utilization – unfortunately only 15% of this investment in technology is actually utilized.
SMBs have become more cognizant of the threat from information security risk as more corporate data is shared over networks, e-mail and the Internet. More recently, environmental impacts from corporate and consumer traditional consumption patterns have become a far-reaching global concern. 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.
“We are pleased with the continued adoption of our utility IT service model by forward-thinking organizations across North America,” stated Mark Scott, President of The Utility Company. “Corporate IT is not only one of the top expenditures by most businesses; it is also the top consumer of energy and other non-renewal resources in most offices. Having a service technician jump in a car to service you onsite, when 95% of support and problem resolution can be delivered remotely, contributes to this inefficiency. Choosing more energy efficient systems, or even better virtualizing those systems into Web-based services, allows businesses to reduce energy consumption by over 80%.”
Connected Office 2.0 is now 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 24x7.
- 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.
- Hardware/Software – full range of hardware and software to meet your network, desktop and security requirements with both on-premise and virtual options.
- Onsite Service – network/security assessment, emergency support, onsite maintenance, end-user training.
- Utility Meter Reading – business-technology assessment to quickly determine what you are spending on technology and how you are utilizing your investment.
The upcoming release of Connected Office 3.0 in November will mark the addition of more usage-based services like 1-866-My-Utility “Per Minute” and Virtualization options for desktops, servers and software to reduce the costs of managing on-premise IT - which represent 50-70% of the total cost of ownership
“100 years ago electricity moved from a corporate-owned asset to a utility delivered in a consumption-based model,” concluded Scott. “That happened when an electrical grid was established. That same grid now exists for information technology to be delivered in a high-efficient, low-cost model – that grid is the Internet.”
Financial Services Highlights
Connected Office services appeal to the vast majority of SMBs from 5 to 100 users that are reliant on technology to operate their day-to-day business. Reliance is usually determined by the amount of corporate data they compile, collaborate and communicate via a network and/or the Internet. Financial services firms represent one vertical market that relies heavily on technology, and now The Utility Company.
Patton, Albertson and Miller Chooses Utility for Full IT Infrastructure Management
Patton Albertson & Miller is a wealth management firm headquartered in Macon, Georgia with offices in Atlanta and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The firm provides comprehensive financial management advisory services for high net-worth clients throughout the United States. Patton operates in a very competitive marketplace and high quality service differentiates the firm from its competitors. Their reputation depends upon effective communication, both with clients and fellow team members A reliable IT infrastructure was very important to the firm’s future success but growth to three geographically separate offices was straining their IT resources. Furthermore, regulatory compliance was more challenging, particularly with regard to data privacy and email retention.
Enter The Utility Company who quickly took command; placing all employees under Connected Office Managed packages in all three of their offices (Macon, Atlanta and Winston-Salem, North Carolina), migrating all email from an overtaxed Exchange server to Hosted Exchange solution and transitioning their archival company to a new secure one – saving them money and ensuring their compliance, which in turn helps ensure Patton’s reputation. Jimmy Patton, Managing Principal and CEO commented “I couldn’t be more pleased with our decision to move to a more proactive IT solution. The Utility Company isn’t just here to react and fix our problems. They take a full solution approach to our entire business and look at how we use IT now, and how we should use it in the future. This is the IT solution I have been looking for!”
Accounts Recovery Inc. Enjoying Remote Support
ARI, a financial services company in Brunswick Georgia, has a heavy reliance on data for day-to-day operations. Over the past 4 years they have grown steadily requiring constant upgrades to their network and servers to accommodate client requests. Finally when their system backups began failing, ARI felt the need for change and looked to The Utility Company to take control of their full IT infrastructure in a complete managed Connected Office service plan.
Under the new package, Accounts Recovery can now concentrate on their tasks at hand instead of wasting their time ‘fighting fires’ on a daily basis. With continuous monitoring of their infrastructure and support for even their remote users, ARI trusts The Utility Company to keep their operations running efficiently.
Lori Garza, partner at ARI, has nothing but praise for the 1-866-My-Utility Live Helpdesk offered as part of her managed Connected Office service. “Since moving to proactive support, we’ve called the helpdesk several times and always received a prompt solution to whatever issue we’ve had. It’s like having an IT support person on staff except it’s even more convenient. There is no waiting whatsoever and are always available”.
Golden Bear Mortgage Receives Proactive Support for Less than the Price of Break/Fix Service.
In the financial services industry, particularly the mortgage industry, valued customers looking to buy their dream home expect timely responses to enquiries. The Golden Bear Mortgage Company, of Folsom California, had been working with another IT service provider for the past ten years. Like most seemingly captive small businesses they “took their advice and paid whatever they asked for” despite the fact the provider would simply “show up to their office twice a month, work on their computers, upload all updates and then charge them about $1,100.00 per month.”
When Golden Bear’s server started to have problems they were told that it was time to purchase a new one. They received a quote for over $15,000.00 to replace and reconfigure their system. Since they had bought two HP 4345 Multi-Function copiers from Western Blue (the Utility Service Provider of Sacramento) earlier in the year their President and owner, Chris Long, decided to see if Western Blue could help them out with their problem. “I felt $15,000 was enough for me to get a second opinion”, stated Long.
“After coming in they kept us up and running while they figured out that I didn’t need a new server. I just needed to host Exchange off-site. This has proven to be a big savings for us. All my updates are done at night, if there is a problem a tech shows up right ‘out of the blue’. Generally we don’t even know about the problem. I feel now that I have essentially received two copiers free. At this current time I am spending under $1,100.00 per month and receiving more service than ever.”
For more information on these and other Connected Office Success Stories please visit www.theutilitycompany.com or register for one of our upcoming Friday webinars:
About The Utility Company™
The Utility Company is the leading provider of 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-as-a-Service program provides a single-source solution for SMBs proactively managing ALL your IT for one flat fee. 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
For more information contact:
Aaron Bradley
Marketing Manager
1-866-My-Utility (698-8454) ext.7675
abradley@theutilitycompany.com
