McLean IT Consulting

WORRY FREE IT SUPPORT

Call Us: 250-412-5050

What Does An IT Consultant Do?

By 16 Comments

I Am An IT Consultant

No matter how long I’ve known someone, there always seems to be some confusion about what it is I do as an IT consultant. The top impressions people have are that I fix or sell computers and that is not inaccurate. I do fix computers, and I do sell computers. But this is misleading and it is the very least of what I do.

In old corporate structure, a Computer Technician (aka Computer Consultant) and a Systems Analyst are two very different people. The systems analyst could be compared to a General where the computer technician acts as a foot soldier in the trenches at the front lines of battle. The Analyst has a very high-level view of issues that a business may have with their technology, or they are sometimes given a set of guidelines or a road-map that a company may have for advancing their IT infrastructure.

For example, say a large-scale enterprise has several departments using Windows workstations and servers, but they intend to convert their design department to Apple workstations running OS X. In the old days (and in some larger companies, even now), the Systems Analyst would collect information such as a list of software requirements, research potential pitfalls or issues with compatibility between now heterogeneous systems, evaluate software, and a plethora of other prep work… before sending a Technician to do the real work based on the Analyst’s report or instructions.

The Systems Analyst will often also be the liaison between the client (or end users) and the technicians. It’s an unfortunate truth that many extremely talented technicians lack certain social skills.

Systems Analyst+Computer Technician+Project Manager=IT Consultant

In the modern model, the more valuable assets to a company are both Systems Analyst AND Computer Technician. This is exactly the role of the IT Consultant. Not just the high-level administrative tasks, but performing the actual work, and being able to interact with the client. But without the high-level view of a qualified Systems Analyst, many technicians will blindly muck about with computers and while successfully making them work, perhaps not considering the other systems involved or the benefits of doing things another way.

I’ve had a history in corporate, small business, and contracted IT, and in my journey I’ve developed a set of core work values, some of which I’ll list below.

  1. Working with an IT Consultant should feel collaborative. Your success is my success.
  2. Records and documentation are of primary importance. If it’s not documented, it doesn’t exist. If your “computer guy” (whether that be an employee or a consultant) is hit by a bus today, how much do you know about your own systems? However, proper documentation takes time to complete and should not be expected to be done for free.
  3. Research is part of the business. No single human can know everything all the time. Except for very rare cases (where it is established and agreed upon in advance), I do all work-related research on my time. I don’t believe you should have to pay me based on how fast or slow I learn how to perform a task.
  4. Use experts. Being aware of #3, I have a vast pool of experts who I can call on or refer to when dealing with a problem outside my competency. In this way, a good IT consultant is also like a general contractor, knowing when to bring in outside help.
  5. In cases where I am asked to fix a problem, if I am unable to fix it, I will not ask to be paid for my time (except in some cases a nominal diagnostics fee to determine whether it is fixable).

My reasoning for #4 is about ethics. I’ve seen some so-called professionals misrepresent themselves as experts in systems they have no business touching. If I take on a project, I am stating that I believe I have the qualifications for it. You should not be asked to pay for my hubris.

But I digress.

Defining specifically what I do is an impossible task, because it varies so greatly. 90% of the time, am I configuring someone’s email, repairing a computer, or installing a printer? Probably yes. But the other 10% is what I live for. Configuring an Active Directory domain for a new enterprise. Designing and implementing a network or offsite backup solution. Creating a Virtual Private Network for a multi-site office. Migrating a corporation’s email service to the “Cloud“. The question of what I do becomes more a matter of what I am capable of doing. For more information, please visit my previous post: “Why Hire An IT Consultant“.

Save By Going Green

By 2 Comments

I’ve mentioned in the past that I specialize in “Green Computing” and I thought I should explain what that means.

Essentially it turns hardware investments into savings opportunities, with the added benefit of helping the environment by reducing or limiting power consumption. An easy example of this is when purchasing a new computer, you can invest in a high-efficiency power supply. The savings vary depending on the system, load, and electricity costs, but the ROI will typically happen between 6 to 12 months. Add to this a “smart” power strip that turns off peripheral devices when the “master” device is off or in standby, and any “One-Watt Initiative“{{1}} compliant devices (see Vampire Power), and you’re looking at significant savings, especially in the case of a large office space with multiple workstations. Newer computers run cooler and quieter due to better power efficiency and reduced heat, which will cut down on noise pollution in the home or office.

The initial investment in these technologies is minimal, and to conform to their respective standards the devices have excellent build quality and may well last longer than other non-green options. For information regarding smart power strips, you can read articles from BC Hydro here. Of special interest to businesses would be BC Hydro’s “Product Incentive Program” which grants you $7 for each smart power strip and many other devices, which you can read more about here, and see the list of eligible technologies here.

The Energy Star program is the international standard for energy efficient consumer products. The bar is constantly being set higher and higher to reduce energy consumption. Look for the Energy Star label in all consumer products, including many construction materials.

For the more environmentally conscious individual, industry directives such as RoHS aim to reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous substances such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and others from electronic equipment. Again, compliance with this standard results in superior build quality for devices.

There are green software solutions, too. Instead of running multiple costly servers, consider or outsourcing your infrastructure via cloud computing. With virtualization, you can run multiple “virtual” servers in parallel on the same physical device using software such as VMWare or Microsoft’s Virtual PC or Hyper-V. Added benefits to this and cloud computing include easy backups, system snapshots{{2}}, better uptime and reduced maintenance cost.

I use every opportunity to reduce gas consumption by offering phone support and remote desktop assistance to clients. To take advantage of this service, call me at 250-514-2639 and I will walk you through initiating a remote session. Remote sessions are billed by the minute with no minimum charge. All invoicing is submitted and processed digitally making McLean Consulting virtually paperless.

Please contact McLean Consulting for more information about green computing and how you can benefit.

Edit: I just discovered Microsoft’s Environment site: http://www.microsoft.com/environment/. It features articles and initiatives for more efficient and sustainable IT.

[[1]]The “One Watt Initiative” seeks to reduce standby power consumption in all consumer devices to one Watt, instead of the “power vampires” that needlessly plague homes and businesses today.[[1]]
[[2]]A system snapshot is basically a “saved system state” which you can return to at the click of a button.[[2]]

Our Mission

We seek to enrich and improve small and medium businesses by delivering best-in-class technology solutions, and offering a premier customer service experience. Contact Us Now!

Let’s Get Social