Help Desk Increases Efficiency at John Deere

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Industry: Industrial Equipment

John Deere Equipment dealer increases efficiency with Help Desk. As one of John Deere Construction Equipment’s largest dealers, ISG’s first Support Center client provides full sales and product support through 28 locations serving Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska,  and Western Missouri. Along with corporate offices in Wichita, KS, each location has a full complement of equipment and parts inventories, service technicians and field service capabilities. Continued expansion and excellent client service maintains their place as the centerpiece of their long-range planning.

Challenge

The company’s client base comprises a finite set of businesses needing heavy construction equipment. “It is imperative that every one of our client is happy with the service we provide,” states the company’s Assistant Controller. “They are our number one priority. We recruit and hire with client service in mind— not necessarily computing skills. With 16 locations and 700 employees, we needed the support of a full IT staff but lacked the skills internally. Our employees were hired to serve the clients, not service and diagnose daily computer problems. Employees from various locations were calling the corporate office with all of the computer issues. It often took us days to respond and deliver a solution. And, it took managers off task to work through the issues.”

Solution

The company worked with the ISG office in Wichita to implement the ISG support center service across all of their locations. When an employee needs IT support, they call the ISG support center via a personalized toll-free phone number. The number is answered with the company name– as if it was answered within their building. A trouble ticket is entered and the status of each ticket is available through the web. The Support Center handles standard desktop applications, network management issues and a custom John Deere application for all 16 locations. When on-site service is required, ISG will dispatch out a service technician to resolve the problem. Management reports are provided on a monthly basis to assist with decision-making.

Results

  • Desktop application support
  • Network administration support
  • Call logging/categorizing
  • Call triage and routing
  • Dispatch services
  • Call monitoring and escalation
  • Call closure and confirmation
  • Management reporting
  • Client satisfaction survey

“The support center has been a very cost effective solution for delivering quality support to our employees. It provides a single point of contact to manage all of our daily computing issues. Most importantly, it allows us to focus on our core business,” states the company. Support Center delivers quick resolution to end user computing problems.

“With the depth of support that ISG provides and by instituting a consistent process, there is no doubt that problems are solved faster and our employees spend more time serving clients,” states the company. “We are getting more than a help desk, we get the skill of an entire IT staff.”

The benefits of the solution include:

  • Reduce IT costs
  • Increase end-user service levels
  • Focus on core projects
  • Eliminate turnover
  • Reduce downtime
  • Reduce personnel issues
  • Save on training and certification expenses

Video: Office 2007 End-Of-Life

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It’s important to ensure your business is protected, which is now more difficult without security updates, new features, bug fixes or other updates. Upgrading is easy and will keep you well protected.

ISG Technology has multiple solutions for your business to limit disruption and deliver the latest features and benefits from Microsoft Office. Contact us today to upgrade without any interruption to your business.

For more information, visit these links:
Support is Ending for Office 2007
Support is Ending for Mac 2011

 

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Video: ISG Security – Put Trust On Your Side

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Just as quickly as new technologies are developed to secure the information your organization is responsible for, cybercriminals are discovering new ways to get in. And to do it, they’re exploiting one thing – trust.

When you put ISG Technology to work for you, you don’t just put industry leading security experts on your team, you put security at the top of your priority list. You put the concern that someone might be selling you a short-sighted solution to the wayside. You put trust back where it belongs – on your side.

Get Our Whitepaper: 5 Things You Probably Trust, and How They Affect The Security Of Your Business
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How to create a successful data management strategy

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Data is king for today's businesses to yield actionable insights and drive educated decisions. Organizations actively collect and analyze information to improve their offerings, better serve customers and identify trends that they might be able to capitalize on. With more data being generated than ever before, it's important for company leaders to develop a clear plan detailing how information will be handled. Here are a few tips to help you create a successful data management strategy:

1. Map your data

First of all, it's important to know exactly what information you have within your infrastructure. Data comes from a multitude of different sources and can come in a variety of forms like files, videos, photos and more. It will be important to understand not only how to make effective use of these types of data, but also how to protect them. Accenture noted that data mapping will help leaders look at major end processes to understand how data is used and trace it back to the source. This process will enable your organization to better acquire, manage and protect information.

Mapping your data will help determine how to store and protect it.Mapping your data will help determine how to store and protect it.

Data mapping can also drive critical decisions, such as how data should be stored and what control processes should be in place. Organizations can more easily identify potential risk indicators to ensure compliance and adhere to data management policies. With this information, leaders can provide the appropriate access and transparency while effectively protecting data from unauthorized individuals.

2. Determine data retention periods

Some pieces of information are useable for a short period of time, while others must be kept. Data about a client's transaction behaviors, for example, must be stored to help serve that customer and quickly troubleshoot any potential issues. Industry regulations might also dictate how long certain information must be stored, such as patient files.

However, it's going to be impossible to keep up with all of these retention requirements by legacy or manual processes. Information Age noted that by automating data management, the process works effectively and is free from human error. This way, users can set retention periods and entrust it to system automation.

"Consistent data refresh will help create more inquiries and leads than those with poor data hygiene."

3. Maintain data continuously

Information may change over time, and it's important that these adjustments are reflected in your own data repositories. Dun & Bradstreet noted that inaccurate data wastes resources and degrades marketing campaign performance. By appending high-quality data to incorrect records, you can better target buyers and influence sales. Data management services can deliver ongoing maintenance to ensure that your records don't become stale. Consistent data refresh will help create more inquiries and leads than those with poor data hygiene.

Organizations are beginning to use data for a variety of functions, including better serving customers and improving their own capabilities. By continuously maintaining data, determining retention periods and creating a data map, you will be able to create a successful data management strategy. For more information on how to manage your data effectively, contact ISG today.

Top things to consider in a colocation site

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More data is being generated, collected and analyzed than ever before. Data storage options are also becoming major centerpieces for business continuity and disaster recovery strategies. As time progresses, it will be significantly more difficult for in-house IT to manage it all. Colocation has become an answer for organizations to achieve security, easy access and ample data storage alongside optimal uptime levels. Let's take a look at the top considerations in a colocation site:

1. Location

Where you decide to colocate is a major decision. Kansas City Business Journal contributor Dan Kurtz suggested choosing a facility close to your company's headquarters or near the majority of your employees. Having a colo facility in close proximity allows leaders to go check on their systems and manage them appropriately. It will also help provide the connectivity and latency that users require. The facility should also be in a place that is protected from severe weather events and disperses water away. Details like these will enable organizations to avoid disaster and drive continuous operations.

The facility's location could impact your decision.The facility's location could impact your decision.

2. Security

Your colocation site should give you peace of mind that your data is protected. Data Center Journal noted that there should be multiple levels of security externally as well as internally. This could include monitoring systems, physical barriers and layered security zones. Keycard access, staffed checkpoints and alarm systems should all be standard features. Guards can constantly monitor visitor access and ensure that no unauthorized personnel are able to access your hardware or data. Ask what types of safeguards are in place as well as what Tier compliance the site has. These considerations could make a big difference in where you decide to colocate and what vendor you choose.

"Compare vendor prices to quote comparable facilities and support services."

3. Pricing

The cost associated with colocation services can be a major factor in your decision. TechTarget contributor Julius Neudorfer noted that while this shouldn't be the crux of your choice, you should compare vendor prices to quote comparable facilities and support services. The amount of power and cooling required will play a big part in your price, and each provider will have its own formula for supplying these utilities. Carefully consider your options based on the solutions provided, history of success and industry costs. These factors will help narrow down your options to the best colocation facility for your requirements.

As data becomes more of a priority for businesses, it will be important to store, manage and protect this asset effectively. It's often time-consuming and expensive to build and manage a data center on your own, but with colocation, you can have a data center without all the cost. The facility itself is governed by the provider, while you maintain your hardware. It will be important to look at the facility's location, security capabilities and service pricing compared to other vendors to guide you to the best solution. For more information on choosing a colocation site, contact ISG today.

Video: Security & Mobility in the Modern Workplace

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60% of Mobile Employees Rely on Three or More Devices.

While workplace mobility has become the new norm, it can leave a company vulnerable by exposing proprietary data. Organizations are looking for proven, trusted IT partners that can help clients manage, transport and protect their data. At ISG, that’s exactly what we do. Watch our two-minute video below to learn more.


Could a network assessment have saved Southwest from major downtime?

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Southwest Airlines has been having a pretty turbulent few weeks. First, starting on July 20, the organization had one of the largest IT outages ever to affect a major airline. Now, two unions associated with the company are demanding that CEO Gary Kelly step down or be fired, according to David Koenig of The Tribune of San Luis Obispo.

Although it was originally estimated that the downtime cost as little as $5 million, one Southwest representative stated that it’s most likely going to be “into the tens of millions.” With so much money being lost to a technical failure, the question remains: How did this happen, and was it preventable?

One router started all the trouble

Koenig reported that all of these IT issues stemmed from a single router. Basically, this piece of equipment failed in an unpredictable way, which eventually led to other systems being knocked offline. Southwest is keeping specific details about this undisclosed, but the scale of this particular outage suggests that the network associated with this router was not properly set up.

“Companies need multiple points of failure to accommodate for a singular outage.”

As their name implies, these devices route information to their intended destinations. Data generally is bounced between multiple locations before arriving where it’s being sent. Generally, this means you have multiple points of failure to accommodate for a singular outage. If it’s true that one router’s downing caused this event, then Southwest most likely had a poorly engineered network. FlightStats stated that around 8,000 flights were affected in this incident, and a single router simply should not have the ability to affect that many planes.

The conclusion to be made here is that Southwest should have tested its network more rigorously. Network assessments are incredibly important in order to determine weak points within a particular IT system, such as how one router could be made accountable for thousands of flights. Simple tests such as these could have easily uncovered this point of failure, allowing Southwest to take actions to mitigate the risks of such a catastrophic outage.

Network assessments can prevent more than downtime

Although downtime is certainly something businesses should work to avoid, it isn’t the only problem that network assessments can unveil. These tests also help companies determine their preparedness in terms of cybersecurity. Perhaps the best recent example of this is the massive heist levied against Bangladesh Bank.

At its most basic, hackers gained access to a global banking system and basically tricked financial institutions into sending money to fraudulent accounts. When all was said and done, the criminals involved in this got away with $81 million, according to Serajul Quadir of Reuters. After some investigation, it was discovered that the bank was relying on $10 network switches for the banking system. On top of that, Bangladesh Bank had no firewall protecting private financial data.

This is one of the biggest heists in history. Hackers got away with millions from Bangladesh Bank.

IT companies are generally surprised to hear when small businesses don’t have firewalls, so the thought of a multi-billion dollar corporation lacking these most basic of cybersecurity tools is simply mind-boggling. To top this off, the heist could have been so much worse. The criminals were originally trying to get closer to $1 billion dollars, but their plans were foiled when they accidentally misspelled the name of a financial institution.

Simple mistakes such as those made by Bangladesh Bank are exactly what network assessments are designed to catch. IT employees at these organizations often need to focus on keeping systems running, and cybersecurity can sometimes take a backseat. As this incident shows, this can often have disastrous results, and companies need to be aware of the consequences of letting something like this go under the radar.

Let ISG Technology help preserve your company’s image

Clearly, missing even the smallest detail in your network’s setup could seriously affect both your company’s finances and its client-facing image. No one wants to put their money in a bank that can’t keep it safe, and consumers certainly don’t want to spend money on an airline that has a history of leaving passengers stranded. As such, it might be time to have your company’s IT infrastructure checked out by an experienced professional.

ISG Technology’s experts have spent years investigating and solving some of the most complex network problems out there, and we can help make sure your company’s name isn’t dragged through the mud. If you’d like to find out how you can benefit from a free consultation, contact one of our representatives today.

Schedule Your Free Consultation with ISG

Tech in law

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Technology today is all about doing more with less, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the legal industry. This sector’s market in the United States has been valued by the Legal Executive Institute to be worth around $437 billion, and with so much money invested, administrators in this field are doing everything they can to streamline the legal process. But what kind of technologies are law firms adopting?

“The cloud has quite a lot of benefits for those working within law.”

The cloud and e-discovery

Like in every other industry, the cloud has quite a lot of benefits for those working within law. Although this technology has a wide range of uses, perhaps the most relevant for legal firms is its ability to quickly and efficiently implement e-discovery applications.

When legal proceedings begin, lawyers start what is called the discovery process. As the name entails, this is where employees at the law firm comb through hundreds or thousands of documents in order to uncover any wrongdoing and to get to the heart of the matter. This is often an extremely inefficient way to handle discovery, and can very easily result in a worker missing a crucial piece of evidence.

Computers are better at discovery than people. Computers never skip a sentence or fall asleep on the job.

E-discovery applications work to cut through this process by using specific searching algorithms to find what the lawyers are looking for. Computers are infinitely better than humans at searching large amounts of data, which is why many law firms have opted to include this technology in their arsenals. However, when choosing to work with e-discovery applications, these organizations have to make a choice between on-premises computing or accessing this technology through the cloud.

Even though e-discovery is revolutionizing the legal industry, it has also increased the risk of a data breach. These documents are often extremely private and contain personal data that a hacker could later use for personal gain. This need to keep information secret certainly isn’t specific to law, but it’s something that is keeping many firms out of the cloud.

However, as many experts have noted, the cloud really isn’t as unsafe as many believe it to be. In fact, Big Law Business contributors Daniel Garrie and Yoav M. Griver stressed that on-premises computing systems can be hacked just as easily as the cloud. Considering the initial costs associated with setting up an in-house computing solution, avoiding the cloud because of a false sense of danger is a mistake.

Contract management software

Another technology a lot of law firms are seeing the benefits of is contract management software. This is a platform through which administrators can easily view the progress of each contract they have created. Modifications can be made quickly and easily to unsigned contracts, allowing everyone with access to the system the opportunity to read and comment on the exact same document. Lawyers can even view how well signers are following up on their obligations on existing contracts.

That said, perhaps the most interesting part of this technology is its ability to manage digital signatures. One of the biggest issues holding legal firms back from adopting more advanced solutions is the fact that a physical ink signature is seen to hold more weight in court than a digital one. This viewpoint is rapidly changing, however, thanks in part to contract management software.

BYOD

The bring-your-own-device trend is sweeping just about every industry, whether company administrators know about it or not. In fact, a Gartner study found that around 37 percent of people currently using their own gadget for work purposes don’t currently have permission. Considering how people often don’t protect their mobile devices, this is an absolute nightmare for the IT department.

In fact, quite a lot of organizations have had to deal with hackers due to the increased use of personal gadgets for work purposes. A study conducted by IDG Research Services discovered that just under three-quarters of respondents saw a data breach event as a result of poor cybersecurity measures concerning mobile devices.

That said, BYOD has some amazing benefits for legal firms. Lawyers often meet with clients outside of the office, and carrying around important documents is cumbersome and can result in lost or stolen client information. What’s more, other staffers who aren’t lawyers are seeing similar advantages. While this is good in terms of flexibility and mobility of the workers, it’s also putting a major strain on the IT team. Employees should be able to use their own devices to access company data, but only after having implementing certain safety guidelines.

This is why any organization wishing to ensure the security of company records should contact an ISG Technology BYOD specialist. Our experts have years of experience with this trend, and we know what it takes to keep a law firm’s data safe.