FAQ

The works. We can:

• Get your IT working (and keep it working) with our IT Support
• Improve your IT with our IT Project
• Improve IT flexibility and reduce costs with our Cloud
• Align your IT with your business strategy with our IT Management
• Keep your information safe with our Cyber Security
• Generate business value with our Advisory/vCIO

We even make a mean cup of coffee if you just want to talk about any of this stuff.

In a word, yes. In 42 words, we’re technology agnostic, which is just a fancy way of saying we’ll recommend and use the best technology for the job, without fear or favour, so we are across all the best hardware and software solutions out there in the IT universe.

Whether you’ve got an IT project in mind, or we recommend a solution to a business challenge, chances are we’ve tackled a project just like it before. We’ve successfully completed thousands of IT projects, from helping a sole trader get setup on Office 365 with email and OneDrive for their files, through to getting mine sites in Mozambique up and running, so we know our stuff.

Check out our client success stories for featured projects that we have completed.

All the time. We work with cloud solutions extensively, including private cloud solutions, Office 365 and more. Read more about our cloud IT know-how.

We support clients across Australia. And when we say ‘across’, we mean everywhere, from all the state capitals to the most remote locations. And when we say ‘Australia’, we mean clients who also have offices and operations overseas, from Asia to Africa to the Middle East to Europe and the UK to North America.

Unless you’ve been trying really hard to be obscure, we’ll be familiar with the software you use. Because we’ve worked with clients from practically every market and sector, we have teams and consultants with an impressive depth of specialist industry experience and expertise, so we’re even intimately acquainted with the most niche industry-specific software. Put us to the test.

No, we don’t, but if you’re looking for a reputable web development provider, we’ll gladly recommend the web dev partners we know and trust.

Yes, although we call vCIO by a different name – we call it Advisory. Find out more about our Advisory capabilities.

Yes, yes and yes.

Yes, we love Apple. What’s more, we have many clients that use Apple computers, so we have Mac-certified team members.

Absolutely.

Too right. When something’s not working, our priority is to get you up and running again. We’re happy to act as an escalation point and chat to your software vendor about an issue. That way, we work with them to resolve your problem, rather than you being stuck in a situation where your IT provider and vendor are both pointing the finger at each other. So, rest assured, we play nice.

Absolutely not. In fact, it’s our ability to flex to meet the needs of clients of different sizes that has enabled us to grow so fast. Take a look at what our clients say about us and you’ll see we work with clients of all sizes, from sole traders and start-ups to clients with 500+ employees. Our flexible service model means we can tailor and scale our IT expertise and resources to suit your changing requirements, so you’re never paying for stuff you don’t need.

Possibly. If you are an enterprise-level client with over 1,000 users, then we might not be the best fit for your business. It all depends on what you need. Contact us and we’ll tell you whether we’re right for you.

It isn’t (at least, not with us). We make it really easy with our tried-and-tested transition program, Switch IT. All we need is two hours of your time to answer some questions, then we’ll pick up the ball and run with it – and keep running – freeing you up to focus 100% on your work.

We’ll do all the running around and liaise with your previous IT provider. You can sit back and relax knowing there will be no password issues, no domain migration snags, and no software handover or transition problems. If only switching banks was so easy!

We’re here to help whenever you need us, but it couldn’t be easier to switch right now. Our tried-and-tested Switch IT transition program takes all the hassle out of switching – we’ll get all the information we need to pick up the ball and run with it in one upfront briefing. Think about it: How long will you spend dealing with the next IT hiccup or emergency that crops up, even if it’s just a problem with your laptop? You could be all set up and ready to go with us in the time it takes you to get back up and running, saving time and money from the get-go.

So, stop procrastinating and start enjoying made-to-measure It solutions that will save you time, money and stress, so you can focus on your work and business. Get the ball rolling.

Before you start talking to IT service providers, you need to be clear about what’s important for your business? What are your priorities? What challenges and opportunities are heading your way?

With these things in mind, you then need to ask prospective IT partners direct questions, such as: What are your response and resolution times? Would you recommend regular IT health checks? (Hint: the answer to that one should be ‘Yes’.) Can we engage you on a fixed-fee or contract basis? (Again, you’re looking for a ‘Yes’.)

If you’d like some more tips and pointers, contact us for our ‘Five things you need to ask your IT support provider’ crib sheet.

Aren’t all superheroes available outside regular business hours? While our office is open from 7:30 to 5:30pm, we’re here for you 24/7. We’ll even wear a cape if you ask nicely.

Our team-based model means you will only ever be dealing with your dedicated IT Partner and team. Not only will your team know your business and IT intimately, ensuring continuity and double-quick response and resolution times, but you’ll have a wealth of expertise on tap, again ensuring prompt resolutions.

We actively seek feedback, good and bad. We believe it’s the only way for us to learn, grow, and continually improve. That’s why, after every job we complete, you’ll receive an email with a happy face and a sad face – if you click on the sad face a few things will happen.

First, a partner will reach out to you the same day to find out why you’re unhappy and work out what we can do to fix it. From there, we’ll resolve the problem, keeping you in the loop every step of the way.

We’re proud to say we don’t get much negative feedback – currently, we receive one ‘sad face’ for every 2,000 jobs we complete (about 0.05%). That’s pretty good. In part, it’s because of our team-based approach, which means you have a dedicated IT Partner who’s always available for you.

We think so! In fact, ‘fun’ is one of our core values – if we don’t enjoy our work and clients don’t enjoy working with us, what’s the point?! We love technology and, unlike a lot of geeks, we also love working with people. For us, it’s all about building mutual trust, partnerships and friendships. It’s all part of our frown-free IT philosophy.

Yes, we work really hard at this – you could say we’re very proactive about ensuring we’re proactive! We have a bunch of services that are designed to help us to help you get on the front foot.

From IT budgeting for the year ahead, to IT consumption analysis (where we look at where our time’s spent and find solutions to minimise that spend), to upgrade and replacement planning, to identifying and rectifying underlying problems so they never become recurring issues, we never stop looking for ways to ensure you’re getting the most out of our IT expertise and your IT budget.

We’d encourage you to check out our IT Management and Advisory services to learn more.

If you’ve got an IT issue, our number one priority is getting you up and running. But we believe it’s also our job to prevent potential problems turning into issues in the first place. Once we’ve got you back in business, we’ll investigate, identify and rectify the underlying problem, so you never encounter the same issue or disruption again.

Faster than you can say, ‘Industry-leading IT support response times.’ OK, maybe not that quickly, but pretty fast. You just need to complete our quick and easy online signup, but if your IT problems are preventing you from doing business, just let us know. Get in touch to get the ball rolling.

If it’s a high-priority issue, our average response time is under 15 minutes. We pride ourselves on fast and speedy support. Find out more about our IT support response times.

Our number one priority is keeping you up and running, so we’ll prioritise your IT issues accordingly. But once we’ve got you back in business, we’ll investigate, identify and rectify the underlying problem, so you never encounter the same issue or disruption again.

It depends. Often, it comes down to how quickly we can get the required hardware, but if you need an IT solution fast, we can usually make it happen. For instance, there have been occasions when we’ve got started on cloud migrations within hours. Tell us about your business challenge or requirements.

Typically, our contracts run month to month – we don’t believe in locking clients into contracts – although there are some exceptions. For instance, some managed services require a year-long commitment.

Almost certainly. Because we have a flexible model, we can tailor our solutions to suit almost any budget, so you can be sure you’re never paying for services you don’t need, which ultimately means a smaller IT bill.

Yes, we do. We offer almost all of our services on a fixed-fee, per-user, per-month basis, and it works really well for our clients because we’re able to scale up and down easily, thereby keeping your IT spend to an absolute minimum. That said, we’ll gladly work on an hourly rate, if you prefer.

We’re flexible, so it really depends. For example, the hourly rate for a relatively simple IT project for a sole trader will clearly be lower than the charge for a designing and deploying a complex solution for a large enterprise. Your best bet? Get in touch and tell us about your situation, so we can give you a no-obligation quote or estimate.

Yes. However, the cost is included in most of our managed services agreements.

It depends on your plan. Generally, our payment terms are 30 days; however, we have tighter 14-day payment terms for our Essentials plan. Find out more about our IT Support plans.

Our clients don’t like hidden costs, and neither do we, so the price we quote is the price you pay. For us, it’s all about creating long-term relationships that are built on trust, and that starts with being as open, transparent and upfront as possible about costs.

You’ve got better things to do than spend time worrying about IT or, worse still, trying to fix issues. IT is there to help you do more with your time, not less! We get it, and we’ll help you save time every day. Here are some of the key ways we’ll take the pressure off:

1. Switch IT. Our onboarding program ensures we hit the ground running, and keep running – we just need two hours of your time, then we’ll take care of everything.
2. Regular IT health checks. Conducted by your dedicated Partner, our health checks make sure we identify and rectify issues before they disrupt your business.
3. Strategic planning. We’ll help you plan a year or more in advance, so your people always have the technology they need to work as productively, collaboratively and seamlessly as possible. No more after-hours panics and last-minute scrabbles for new IT resources.

A fixed-fee contract is arguably one of the best ways to ensure you’re getting the best value for money from any IT support provider.

Not all It companies offer fixed-fee options (we’ll let you draw your own conclusions as to why that might be). But if your IT provider offers fixed-fee plans – as we do – you can be sure they have your best interests at heart, because they have a vested interest in proactively minimising the amount of IT support you need. Find out about our flexible plans.

We help our clients get the most out of their IT budget in all sorts of ways, but they generally break down into three key areas:

1. By keeping you up and running, fixing issues promptly, conducting regular IT health checks and identifying potential problems before they disrupt your business productivity.
2. By providing flexible and fixed-fee plans so you’re never paying for stuff you don’t need.
3. B regularly reviewing your IT expenditures. You’d be amazed how much money we can save for you, from renegotiating subscriptions and contracts (internet, phones, backups…), through to using our buying power to reduce your hardware and software costs.

Got a question? We’ve got the answer.

If there’s one thing we love as much as technology and the way it can transform your life and business, it’s talking about technology. That’s why we also love it when people ask us IT questions. And it’s why we’ve put together this extensive FAQs page.