HCS Technology Group leads businesses to achieve their strategic goals with our Deployment Services. Whether you're responsible for a network of 10 or 10,000, deploying Apple Macintosh Computers and Servers is a tremendous undertaking that drains your IT resources. IT leaders have seen their budgets slashed. If you have a deployment project on the horizon, then you know how labor intensive this task can be.
The landscape to deploy Apple Macintosh Computers and Servers along with the proliferation of hardware and software choices, have made the corporate computing environment significantly more complex and expensive to manage.
HCS Technology Group can significantly reduce your costs by cutting the time involved. However, the Deployment Process has several challenges beyond user configuration, installing the software, and data migration. You can't even measure the Total Cost of Ownership without including disaster recovery, and maintenance into the fold. And, the time to initiate this strategic planning is in the Deployment Phase.
Taking the Pain out of Deployment…
HCS Technology Group aims to streamline and simplify the process through a methodology of best practices built around two key principles - Image Creation and Image Propagation.
We highly recommend that both Servers and PCs be standardized whenever you begin the Deployment Process. Just to be crystal clear -- HCS Technology Group is not a reseller. And, as such, we extend value-adds to your company such as purchasing Servers from selected vendors. PCs are completely different entities in and of themselves. It is our breath-of-experience that enables us to further enhance your deployment strategy - as we will spec and negotiate with the vendor of your choosing. When you engage us for your Deployment Process.
Planning for the Unknown…
Protecting your data starts with sound maintenance and a deployment plan. In fact it is critical to the success of recovering and restoring your data. Therefore, we ultimately implore that all data should be stored on the Server and not on the PCs.
Think about this… MTBF is an acronym, and it stands for Mean Time Between Failure. Every Server/Computer has an MTBF Rating. Case in point, if you have a drive with 10,000 hours -- this translates into the fact that you can expect to experience 1 failure or interruption, every 10,000 hours.
So it really isn't a question if your Server/Computer will experience an interruption, but when…?
When something goes awry with your system, we utilize the necessary tools implemented during the Deployment Phase to fix the issue. It is during the initial phase where we create a "snap shot of your system."
HCS Technology Group is so unbelievably committed to dramatically decreasing the costs associated with Deploying Servers. We free up your IT staff, empowering them so that they can devote more time to other important tasks on behalf of your organization.
New computers have a hidden cost. It’s not just the purchase price. The way you deploy them can add a significant hidden burden. It takes time to move a new computer to the library, lab, computer room or office where it will be used. Then you have to unpack it, plug it in, configure it and take away the packaging. Add in the cost of disposing of the old computer safely and it all adds up to a lot of hassle, time and money. No university or corporate IT department has time or money to burn.
In a typical IT department, according to analysts Gartner, labor costs are three times capital budgets. In other words, humans cost more than computers. If you cut the amount of unnecessary busy work like unboxing PCs, you can save money or - more likely - put your people to work on something more productive.
Streamline the process
- Standardize systems. Choosing systems that are consistent over time - with long product life cycles - will ensure that your IT staff can learn how to deploy and support systems better. It also means less training and quicker problem solving. Similarly, look for interchangeable or industry standard spare parts and accessories, such as docking stations or monitors. Finally, choose systems that share a single software image that include settings, e.g. network configurations that will work for your institution. This will speed up deployments and simplify management.
- Review work flows. Look for ways to streamline and simplify deployments. Is it easier to configure systems in the computer room or at the user’s desk? Could end-users self-install, if the system were already configured? Can you outsource some or all of the process? Is it easier to do a large-scale deployment in one heave or spread it out over the academic year? Can you take advantage of holidays to minimize the impact on staff and students?
Take the long view
- Take advantage of vendors’ recycling schemes.
- Plan for the end at the beginning. Buy computers that meet high standards for recyclability
This means increased efficiency through a streamlined procurement process, a lower cost of ownership by using standardized solutions and a better return on your technology investment with strategic advice from a dedicated account team.
HCS Technology Group customizes your hardware in our factories, adding asset tags, third-party products, installing standard software images, etc. This eliminates unnecessary second touches in your IT department. It also allows direct shipping to end-users; reducing the cost of transportation and shortening deployment lead times.
HCS Technology Group can also help deliver, unpack and set up new hardware, and remove packaging and old computers. You can outsource some or all of the process to HCS Technology Group.
HCS Technology Group’s services offers a single point of accountability for the whole process - could end up saving time, money and stress.