We frequently have potential customers ask – Why do I need a CIO for my business? Technology Pointe’s key benefit is the CIO guidance we’re able to provide our clients. You will get a dedicated CIO for all your strategy and technology needs.
Here are the Top 5 items to illustrate the importance of having a CIO.
1. Budgeting – Each quarter we provide a comprehensive budget including software renewals, internet connectivity and more. This allows you to see how you can make changes to your companies spending to instantly make an positive effect on your companies bottom line. We are all looking for small changes that end up making a big impact.
2. Research – Is your company growing and needing new tools and services? Typically, IT will be tasked with things such as “we purchased this accounting system, please install it”. Make sure you have researched the topic and allow us to answer questions and even talk to vendors with you to make sure it is going to be successful.
Technology Pointe’s CIOs are told “we’ve outgrown the accounting system” at which point, we go and find 2 or 3 viable options, put together a list of pros, cons and a recommendation, and then present to your team for a decision.
3. Vendor contracts and negotiation – We negotiate multiple contracts per month. For example, we were recently able to save one client over 25% per month, in addition to cutting annual increases by 50% on a $6000+/month vendor contract.
Our CIOs handle more contracts in a single month than many IT managers will in a few years, meaning we have the knowledge and experience to apply leverage and get you the best terms possible.
4. Purchasing – Technology Pointe sells a limited amount of hardware and software, so many of our clients purchase from other vendors as well. We will work with your team to make sure we achieve the correct requirements, then work with the vendor to make sure that you are getting the best deal.
Our CIOs put together a computer refresh plan for a company with over 100 users, scheduled out the deployments to avoid interruptions, then were able to save almost 20% off the pricing from the hardware vendor.
5. Office moves – We get involved with the planning from day one. While searching for a site, we will check each address for appropriate internet service. While building out and moving, we manage vendors, such as the cabling and AV teams, so the client can focus on other parts of the move, including figuring out requirements and ensuring the vendor meets the correct scope.