Industry Standards: How does your IT provider compare?

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If you’re a non-techie who has been left to look after the IT department of your workplace, you may be wondering exactly how your IT provider stacks up in comparison to the industry standards of others in the country.




The following review will give you a break down of the industry standards across four categories: client satisfaction, service deliverability, IT spend and managed services cost.

1. Client Satisfaction


In August 2015, Client Heartbeat surveyed the clients of Australian IT providers to determine how happy they were with their IT provider. The survey asked clients to rate their IT provider on a scale of 1 to 10 across 5 areas: promptness, accuracy, partnership, advice and overall performance.




Here are their findings:




Promptness: 8.3/10

Accuracy: 8.3/10

Partnership: 8.4/10

Advice: 8.6/10

Overall: 8.4/10


2. Service Deliverability

Pink Elephant (the company who initiated this survey) collects, analyses and presents IT management metrics benchmarks. Between 2010 and 2012 a survey was taken by IT managers across the globe to measure the standards for incident, problem and change-management metrics.




Here are some of the standout findings:




Incident management


The report found that the number of incidents an organisation experiences is influenced by the organisation’s size, number of users and the number of years that the company has had an incident management practice in place. The numbers below represent an average of the total incidents per month during the survey period unless otherwise indicated.




First contact resolution: 74%

Incident maximum priority: 6%

Incident resolution within expected interval: 82%



Problem management


Problems with known errors: 48.8%

Problems Assigned Highest Priority: 8%

Problem / known error age at closure: 4.4 months (average of entire survey period)

Problems without known errors: 42%



Change management


Requests for change with no issues: 87%

Requests for change / right the first time: 90%



Among the several interesting metrics is an average 90% Change Executed Right First Time (no rollback or cancelation, and as scheduled). This appears to indicate that 10% of all Changes fail in at least 1 of the 3 ways, which is quite a disappointing benchmark.

3. IT Spend

According to research compiled by software security company Trend Micro, Australian small businesses spend an average of $52,100 per year on IT related expenses.




In the last year, small businesses with between five and 25 employees spent an average of $25,200 per year, while businesses with between 26 and 50 staff spent $20,600 and businesses with 51 to 100 employees spent, on average, $77,300 on IT.




The survey of 300 businesses found the way in which IT was managed across a business depended heavily on the size of the business, with smaller businesses more likely to manage IT simply on an ad hoc basis, and those with more employees more likely to have dedicated IT support.




Nearly one quarter of businesses surveyed said they had external technology consultants and channel partners provide their IT support, a figure much larger than other countries around the world.




Mark Sinclair, head of small and medium business at Trend Micro, said if small business owners have to manage IT themselves it can lead to inefficiencies and increased security incidents.




As a rule of thumb, if you’re spending less than 5% on IT, you should consider how important it is to your organisation’s success and how you can increase spending to at least 5% to take advantage of tools and services that will help you operate more efficiently.

4. Managed Services Cost

Kaseya surveyed 700 managed IT service providers to determine a few industry standards for pricing. Here’s what they found (in AUD):




Average hourly rate: $92 (level 1), $120 (level 2), $171 (level 3)

Average desktop support and maintenance charge: $51-65

Average server support and maintenance charge: $160-195

Average billing fee per user: 39% charge, between $65-130 per user

Average size of managed service contract: between $1300-6500

Conclusion

These industry standards should be referred when reviewing your current IT provider. Consider, are they meeting your business needs at a reasonable cost?




If you would like to speak with us about how we can effectively and efficiently manage your businesses IT, contact the eStorm office today.

How Apple’s ‘Shared iPad’ can benefit your classroom

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your data
If you are involved in the education sector, the ‘Shared iPad’ feature could be what you have been waiting to hear about for a long time…


Apple’s newly released iOS 9.3 software update is one of the best new advancements for the education sector as it changes the way iPads are used in the classroom.

As the name suggests, the ‘Shared iPad’ feature lets students share iPads. It is designed for schools where cost or policy concerns prevent the implementation of a one-iPad-per-student program. With the new update, students are able to login to an iPad, similar to logging onto their user account on a laptop or desktop. The result is that a student’s apps, content and progress through various tasks will be available, regardless of which iPad they actually use.

There is also a Photo ID feature that allows teachers to see which student most recently used a particular iPad, which should avoid delays related to downloading content and could help optimise on-device storage.
Students will have a four-digit login, similar to an iPhone passcode to login to their account, making it easier for younger students to remember.

As well as this, the iOS 9.3 update also features a new Classroom App that allows teachers to see what students are doing on iPads in the classroom. Teachers can also remotely launch and lock apps, and share student work on a classroom display connected to an Apple TV.

This is the first time Apple have shown an interest in allowing iOS devices to be shared and could be a big step in the right direction for them.

This new update is a breakthrough for digital learning and we look forward to putting it into practice.

If you would like to know more about this, or want to having it implemented in your classroom, please contact the eStorm office today.

Digital Learning: Why embrace it?

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What is Digital Learning

In today’s classrooms digital learning is a tool being used more and more by teachers to enhance the learning of their students. Digital Learning can be described as learning facilitated by technology that gives students some element of control over time, place, path and/or pace.




Working in the IT industry and working with educational institutions, we are seeing very positive results in schools that have implemented a digital learning strategy to their classrooms. We want to share these benefits with our readers to help you decide whether digital learning is right for your learning facility.



Time

Learning is no longer restricted to the school day or the school year. The internet and a growing number of internet access devices have given students the ability to learn anytime.



Place

Learning is no longer restricted within the walls of a classroom. The internet and technology devices have given students the ability to continue their learning anywhere; whether that be at home, with a tutor, or on a family vacation.



Path

Learning is no longer restricted to the methods used by the teacher. Interactive and adaptive software allows students to learn in their own style, making learning personal and engaging. New learning technologies provide realtime data that gives teachers the information they need to adjust instruction to meet the unique needs of each student.



Pace

Learning is no longer restricted to the pace of an entire classroom of students. Interactive and adaptive software allows students to learn at their own pace, spending more or less time on lessons or subjects to achieve the same level of learning.






We are continually seeing how digital learning is enhancing the classroom experience. Our most successful school, Redlands College, have been awarded for their commitment to enhancing their classrooms with technology devices.




For more information on how you can implement digital learning in your school, contact the eStorm office today.

Drive Profitability With The Right IT Support

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In order to continue to drive profitability for your business, you need to make sure your IT systems are up to date and running smoothly. IT is no longer just a way to improve your competitive advantage; staying connected and keeping your business applications running smoothly is an essential part of every successful business operation. Whether your primary work involves service-based activity or consumer retail, your customers, suppliers, and employees depend on your IT performance. Downtime not only costs you money, it harms your business’s reputation.

However, the right IT support provider can help you overcome IT challenges and drive profitability in your company by empowering your users, optimising your application delivery and by customising your IT systems to your specific needs. This allows you to ensure your business’ responsiveness now, in preparation for future growth.

Ensuring IT service availability

On-demand expectations have changed the way businesses operate. Your employees, customers and suppliers rely on the critical data and operating systems you use. Building true business continuity isn’t a matter of just having the ability to recover your files from an isolated date or time; you need to be able to continue working, regardless of interruptions.

IT providers can offer cloud-based recovery and back-up solutions that ensure business continuity. They will manage the integration of services that benefit your users. By offering the right software and the right service level cloud solutions, IT providers offer new opportunities and possibilities that benefit your users and improve your profitability.

Empowering users

In today’s economy, IT services are a core part of nearly every business. A large majority of employees will be using your company’s IT services daily. The more time employees are spending using IT, the more it affects their productivity and thus the business’ profitability. Providing your employees with the right IT tools to do their job is essential, as well as making sure those IT tools work quickly and reliably.

Some important considerations are:

Performance – Uptime and business continuity have already been covered, but it’s also important to ensure that the IT systems are responsive and reliable all of the time. Constant delays such as, applications and crashing computers, waste employees’ time and reduce productivity, even if they aren’t officially counted as “downtime”.

Accessibility – Are your employees able to access all of the IT services from wherever they need them? If they are at a different office for the day, or using a different computer can they still work as normal? Remote working solutions not only let people continue to work when they can’t work from the office, but can also provide flexibility within the office too.

The right IT provider should have a good understanding of your business and industry sector, so they can appreciate the challenges your employees face and suggest improvements where appropriate. Regular engagement between your IT provider’s team and both your management and floor level users is essential to this process, a purely reactive and faceless help desk only service will not achieve this.

The Benefits of Enterprise Level IT & How They Drive Profitability

Many small businesses rely on the combined IT knowledge of their current staff members to handle any IT problems. But, the fact remains that in today’s economic environment if you experience problems such as downtime, you can experience serious, long-term impacts on your business. Your customers will go elsewhere, and the loss can be irreparable.

Outsourcing IT support with the right IT provider removes IT burdens from your existing staff. It allows you to access the resources that large companies enjoy, without incurring the same costs. Moreover, instead of having to upgrade, replace, and purchase hardware, your provider can offer linear grow options that tailor your IT performance capabilities to your needs.

Like any outsource strategy, it allows your team of professionals to concentrate on doing what they do best, rather than be distracted and importuned by IT necessities.

To find out more about outsourcing your IT to drive profitability in your business, speak to one of our IT technicians today on 1300 378 678 or email us.

Digital Learning at Redlands College

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The team at eStorm Australia would like to extend our congratulations to our friends at Redlands College!

We have worked with Redlands College for over 2 years, and in that time have been continuously impressed with their level of commitment to high quality, meaningful technology in the classroom. This resolute purpose has earned them Apple Distinguished School status.

In the very competitive Education Market, Redlands College is leading the way with the use of excellent technology, used practically, to ensure excellent outcomes for students. Last night’s 7 News story gave a small insight into Redlands College’s digital learning strategy, using technology for teaching and learning.

Well done to Dale, Adam and the very committed team at Redlands College!

Our guide to choosing IT Support for your business

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IT support is an important factor for a business of any size in today’s economy. The choice of hiring an in-house tech or outsourcing your IT can be tough so we wanted to give you a guide to choosing the right IT support for your business.

In-House IT Support

An internal IT department can definitely be beneficial to businesses both big and small. The team will develop an in-depth knowledge of your company, allowing them to implement programs and systems that are most fitting for you. Having your IT team know your company inside-out can provide quick fixes to problems that may otherwise be difficult to locate. With techs working in-house, support will be available quickly and efficiently as they are always onsite.




However, internal IT support is costly. With a lower-level tech’s salary ranging between $50,000-$80,000 p.a. (experienced IT managers will expect much more) plus the cost of regular training and the need to frequently sit certification exams to stay current in the ever-changing technology industry, in-house support it can be expensive.




As well as this, it can be a mistake to just reply on just one or two people to run your IT support. If one member is on holidays and the other calls in sick there will be no one to fix problems that may arise on the day.

Outsourced IT Support

Generally outsourced IT support is more cost-effective than in-house support. With the ability to call someone just when you need something fixed, or have 24/7 support and monitoring of your IT systems, outsourcing allows you to choose what works best for your business. There is generally pricing options of fixed fees, hourly rates or contracts available when outsourcing, tailoring the outgoing costs to suit you.




Outsourcing also gives you a larger bank of expertise. If you choose a good IT support company the staff will have experience and qualifications in a range of areas. The company will always have someone to help you, no matter what your requirements are. As well as this, the company you outsource from will have a large team of people so, you can guarantee that someone will always be available to help you.

Conclusion

The choice of what IT support option is right for your business ultimately depends on your business needs. If you are looking for someone to always be on site, but you will be okay if no one is available for a number of days, in-house support could be the better option for your business. If you are looking for 24/7 support and monitoring or techs who will be available ‘on demand’ and have a broad range of knowledge, outsourcing could be the best option for your business.




If you are looking to outsource your IT support, contact the eStorm office today to find out what services are available.

eStorm at E20

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The Education 20 Group (E20) challenges teachers to find innovative ways to enhance learning experiences through technology. As a proud sponsor of E20, eStorm was invited to attend and judge their annual awards night which recognises the best digital learning creations of 2015.

The night showcased a large variety of creative ideas, making our role as judges very tough. We would like to congratulate every entrant on their inspiring digital learning innovations.

E20 Awards

We saw a wide range of ideas from artwork created by a coding robotic, to programs designed to inspire potential entrepreneurs. With the major prize consisting of a new iPad Air (donated by eStorm Australia) amongst a range of other prizes, there was a lot of excitement around the winners.

E20 Winners

2015 Winner: Minecraft edu Oakleigh SS

E20 Winner

E20 Winner, Jason Schutz

Highly Commended: THE OPEN ACCESS PROJECT Western Downs Libraries

Highly Commended: U!MAGINE Charles Sturt Uni

Highly Commended: CREATE A BETTER ONLINE YOU QUT

Highly Commended: Sphero devices and code for art making

Highly Commended: Natalie Denmeade Gamification

Peoples Choice: Te Akau ki Papamoa School

Read more about the winners and the event.

 

The Benefits of Outsourcing your IT

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Technology is advancing at a rapid rate, which can place a strain on your business to keep up and compete against other companies already harnessing the benefits of rapid IT evolution. Businesses are forced to become more reliant on their IT systems, so companies looking to outsource their IT frequently approach us. If you’re considering outsourcing your IT we have outlined some of the benefits below:



REDUCED COSTS

Reducing costs is the main reason why companies choose to outsource their IT needs; savings can be seen with both labour and hardware. It is often cheaper to outsource instead of hiring your own IT administrator. With fixed termed contracts you can budget your IT expenditure, saving much-needed dollars over the long term.



LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

Outsourcing your IT gives you access to resources usually reserved for much larger multi-national organisations. For often less than the cost of a single staff member, you can have the support, expertise, experience and efficiency of a large IT support team.



INCREASED EFFICIENCY

IT administration is usually not your core competency and therefore not the most effective use of your time. It is however the core focus of the IT company you outsource from. Outsourcing allows you to have a complete IT team at your fingertips, with a number of technicians holding skills and knowledge across a wide range of areas. This allows you to focus on growing your business, which is what you do best.



FUTURE PROOF YOUR IT

By being immersed in everything IT; the company you outsource from invests in research and development to find and test new technologies that can be utilised in your work place. This means that when a project is proposed, it will be up to date with the latest and greatest technology available. This ensures there are no shortfalls when it comes to your IT infrastructure. The projects will be managed from conception to completion.



ACCOUNTABILITY AND RELIABILITY

Outsourcing your IT department means that you have 24/7 IT support. You no longer have to worry about members of your IT administration being away or leaving your business. It is the responsibility of the company you outsource from to ensure they have technicians ready to help as and when you need it. They are accountable for the work they undertake, so your IT investment is protected.



VENDOR PARTNERSHIPS

IT companies often partner with leading vendors to ensure the best pricing and support for both hardware and software. Our partners at eStorm include HP, Microsoft, Apple, VMWare, and Amazon. This diverse group of partners allows us to select the most appropriate hardware and software for your business.





If you are thinking about outsourcing your IT, contact the eStorm office today to find out about how we can help you.

The fourth generation Apple TV has arrived!

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The fourth generation Apple TV was announced at Apple’s September event and now that it has been released worldwide we wanted to give you the low-down on what’s new to help you decide if you need it is something you need.




The big selling point for the new device is the ‘tvOS’ platform, which includes a TV app store that has not previously been seen on the Apple TV. This means that 3rd party developers can add apps that will increase the value of the Apple TV immensely over time. Previous generations have been limited to the apps that Apple had put on the device.




apple tv




With Channel 10’s ‘TenPlay’ already on the device, and Plus7, 9Jumpin, SBS On Demand and ABC iView expected to be available soon, the Apple TV is eliminating the need for a set-top-box.




apple tv




The Apple TV now also allows you to access movies, music and photos from your computer to watch on screen, which can be extremely useful and will significantly reduce the need to AirPlay media from your phone or computer.



Siri has also been incorporated into the device, allowing you to press a button on the remote and speak commands such as “Find movies with Orlando Bloom” or “Open Netflix”. Siri will search across the apps you have installed in order to find what you asked. Siri is also useful when watching a movie, you can ask for the movie to be fast forwarded 20 minutes, or if you missed something you can say “what did they say” and Siri will rewind the movie 15 seconds so you can hear it again.




You can also now control the volume and turn subtitles on and off with one swipe of the remote.




The Apple TV now doubles as a device similar to the Nintendo Wii. You can use the remote as a swinging baton to play games such as Beat Sports.




With Apps such as AirBnB, Periscope, Sing Alongs, online shopping and much more to come, the fourth generation Apple TV is definitely a device worth having in our opinion.




apple tv 3




The fourth generation Apple TV comes with the option of 32gb and 64gb of storage needed to store your apps and games.




For more information on the fourth generation Apple TVs, please contact the eStorm office today!

eStorm Australia scores 10th place on the 2015 BRW Fast 100!

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Each year Business Review Weekly (BRW) publishes a number of high profile lists that recognise noteworthy Australian business people and companies. One of these lists is the BRW Fast 100 list which ranks Australia’s fastest growing, public and private, small and medium businesses. The quality of the 2015 BRW Fast 100 list was as high as ever, as businesses and entrepreneurs from all of Australia’s major vertical industries presented the solid business practices required to deliver growth.




Companies and entrepreneurs on this year’s BRW Fast 100 list have increased their revenue and continue to grow and outperform their competitors.




This years list saw eStorm Australia come in 10th position, an achievement we are very proud of! Here at eStorm Australia we pride ourselves on continuously delivering on our promise to bring technology on the frontier of IT to you and offer the best solutions tailored to your business.




We would like to thank all of our clients for helping us in this achievement and we look forward to continuing to grow with you.




–eStorm Australia Team




The complete BRW Fast 100 list can be found online at www.brw.com.au/lists/fast-100/2015/

BRW Fast 100 Winners