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Weathering Economic Turbulence and Preparing for Economic Upturn

The current economic downturn has challenged many business owners to re-evaluate existing business models, operational efficiencies, and capital expenditures.  Many forward thinking organizations are finding unique opportunities and looking past near-term challenges to position themselves for success when market conditions calm and return to vibrancy.

Doing More With Less

A critical role information technology firms play in uncertain economic times is to help clients manage costs and identify inefficiencies.  Taking advantage of technologies that are already owned can create returns through reduced management costs, more effective compliance with regulations, and increased efficiencies in operational execution.  Cost savings and efficiencies free cash flow for investments and capital expenditures that competitors may not be positioned to leverage.

Clever Ducks applies best practice solutions that are unique and optimized to our specific customer’s needs.  IT is not a one size fits all business and through investments in technology and people we are able to deliver unique strategic solutions, exceptional customer service, and timely technical support.  Our Clever Ducks Flight Plan customers benefit from having quarterly business reviews in which strategic roadmaps, efficient application of technology, business process evaluation, and budgeting considerations are taken into account.

 Down to the Nuts and Bolts

Clever Ducks uses sophisticated tools to create efficiencies and to deliver services and support in a deliberate and consistent manner.  Software upgrades and Windows patches are often applied through automation in the evening; removing the labor, expense, and operational interruption of having a technician visit workstations and laptops.  Our tools are designed with early warning indicators that alert us to potential problems with workstations, servers, and networks so issues can be resolved before work interruptions or failures occur.  Additionally, secure remote access tools enable us to troubleshoot and resolve 80% of problems remotely eliminating extended system outages, downtime, and the expense of an onsite technician visit.

In 2008 Gartner released a study of the total annual cost of ownership of workstations and laptops in an unmanaged environment versus a managed environment.  The study took into account all direct (hardware, software, support consumables, network-related costs, facilities, and administration) and indirect costs (downtime, suboptimal functioning, user-induced problems, user-to-user support costs, non-business computer usage, time spent customizing desktops, time spent researching technology purchases, getting quotes, and dealing with vendor problems).  The cost savings on a well managed workstation was nearly $2,500 annually while the savings on a laptop was nearly $3,000.   These are real cost savings for companies, achieved by minimizing time spent by employees trying to make their systems work, minimizing downtime, and extending the life of equipment through proper maintenance. Ultimately, as the Gartner study show, well managed technology not only saves money, but provides you the freedom to manage your business. 

Where do we go from here?

If your organization is not realizing the cost savings and efficiencies that our Clever Ducks Flight Plan service provides, please contact us at 805-543-1930 to learn more about how we can help your business become more successful during these uncertain economic times.  Additionally, we welcome referrals of colleagues, friends, and customers that are struggling with IT.  Together we can harness technology to control costs, and make technology as asset to your organization.