Network Outsourcing for Mid-size Businesses

All companies need their computer network to operate and evolve in a way that aligns as closely as possible with their business strategy. In larger enterprises, this is the responsibility of the Chief Information Officer (CIO), a senior executive with the IT background to have a broad perspective on the current capabilities and future direction of computer technology but who also has the business experience to know how to apply information technology to maximize the business value of the corporate network. Smaller companies are often unable to maintain a full-time CIO. Other organizations are searching for candidates to fill this position. In either case, the absence of an individual who can act as the go-to person for strategic planning and high-level IT management can lead to bad decisions that require expensive network makeovers or lead to long-term competitive disadvantage.

Progent offers the part-time or temporary services of a seasoned CIO with decades of experience in technology management, development, operations management, and business consulting for organizations ranging from Big 4 firms to dot-com startups to state government agencies. These senior consultants can provide key services for small business or enterprise clients, offering strategic direction to help businesses select and maintain IT solutions that are appropriate for their current situation and that can serve as a solid foundation for your future growth. Progent's part-time CIO services provide financial leverage to organizations trying to optimize the impact of their IT investment but who are unable or unwilling to add another executive-level position to their head count. Because Progent is vendor-neutral, with a large staff of engineers certified to support all major operating systems, networking technologies, and application platforms, Progent is in a unique position to provide unbiased recommendations along with expert technical help for creating IT solutions that fit the special requirements of your business.

Areas of expertise available from Progent's part-time or temporary CIO include:

Strategic Planning
Progent's part-time Chief Information Officer can help you develop and document a sensible growth strategy that includes technology life cycle management from design and deployment to retirement. Progent can help you create a cost-effective information network that meets your current needs, scales easily and affordably to support new applications and higher capacity, and can be managed and maintained efficiently. Progent can also help you establish metrics and processes so you can continually gauge the effectiveness of your information system as a competitive business tool.

Managing IT Budgets
Progent's part-time CIO can help you create and rationalize an IT budget that includes business impact analysis as well as Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), Return on Investment (ROI), and Risk Management models. Progent can also help you put in place processes for tracking and managing your information technology budget to make sure you are receiving full value from your IT investment.

Business Process Re-engineering
Progent can help you with business process re-engineering (BPR) by analyzing and improving the existing processes and workflows both within your organization and between your business and your customers and vendors. Progent's part-time CIO can show you how to deploy computer technology to cut costs and obtain better business results by integrating workflows in major areas such as resource planning, supply chain management, project management and collaboration, plus Human Resource Management and Customer Relationship Management.

Contract Negotiations and Vendor Qualification
The business experience of Progent's part-time Chief Information Officer can improve your bottom line when you deal with information technology vendors and service providers. Progent can assist you to qualify suppliers, negotiate contracts, and track performance relative to service level agreements. Progent's part-time CIO can make sure your IT investments stay in line with your cash flow requirements and operational needs and can advise you when special purchasing or upgrade opportunities make good business sense.

Security and Compliance
Progent's part-time CIO can help your business to plan and implement a security and compliance strategy that is affordable, effective, and consistent with industry leading practices. Progent's seasoned CIO can help you review, upgrade, and enforce company-wide and departmental security policies, design a secure network infrastructure, set up a proactive security monitoring system with automated alerts and assigned responders, develop a program to promote security awareness, automate security patch management, and develop a documented emergency response plan to repair and report the damage resulting from a successful security attack.

Data Center and Colocation Center Management
Progent's part-time CIO can help you design, deploy, and manage an in-house data center or a remote colocation site for mission-critical applications. Progent can help you control costs and simplify management tasks with virtualization technology and centralized administration tools. Progent can also help you design a efficient backup and restore solution that maximizes availability and protects sensitive information.

Network Infrastructure Design
Ongoing advances in connectivity technology and improved Internet service offerings provide significant opportunities for cutting IT costs while enhancing network performance and stability. Progent's part-time CIO can help you design and manage a secure, affordable network infrastructure with the throughput, reliability, and scalability to support your current and future business objectives. Progent can help you set up an easy-to-manage environment that efficiently supports local and mobile users, in-house and remote data centers, and public and private web sites. Progent can help you optimize network appliances from Cisco, Juniper/NetScreen, and other infrastructure providers and select an ISP and service plan that provides the best value for your business.

Desktop Management Automation
Progent's part-time or temporary Chief Information Officer can help you design and execute a cost-effective solution for desktop management and support. Progent can assist you to set up an in-house Help Desk or select an outsourced Call Center. Progent can also help you evaluate, install, configure, and manage off-the-shelf or custom software for streamlining common administration tasks such as adding, relocating, removing, upgrading, and patching desktop computers, notebooks, and smartphones. In addition, Progent can help with asset tracking for end-user hardware and software, revision control for desktop and mobile computers, and corporate-wide configuration standards.

Project Management
Progent's senior IT managers can provide project management expertise to help clients follow leading practices to make sure development or deployment projects are completed on time and within budget. Project management services available from Progent's part-time CIO's include requirements definition, design and architecture proposals, develop proof-of-concept pilot systems, design tuning and performance optimization, and system deployment.

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Planning
Progent's part-time CIO help you work with certified experts to analyze the vulnerability of your network infrastructure and critical data to potential disaster scenarios such as hardware failure, natural catastrophes, malicious attacks, software bugs, or human error. Progent can help you devise, test, and document a disaster recovery strategy that mitigates your network's vulnerability to catastrophic failure, expedites recovery, and minimizes or eliminates the loss of information assets. Progent's part-time CIO's can also assist with high-level business continuity planning to deal with business logistics that go beyond information technology such as emergency notification systems, alternate office space and transportation, and regulatory reporting.

Contact Progent for Part-time Chief Information Officer Services
Progent can provide a professional consultant to act as a part-time CIO so that your business can develop and implement a well conceived IT strategy without incurring the cost of a full-time senior IT executive. Progent is experienced in providing high-level consulting services remotely, offering additional cost savings (refer to Progent's nationwide customer testimonials).

If you are looking for a part-time or temporary Chief Information Officer, call Progent at 800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.