Outsourcing

Who needs a Computer Consultant? 

A computer consultant provides services that are in many ways similar to the services one obtains from a attorney. The law is public knowledge, available to anyone. Still, it requires a considerable time investment to locate, interpret and reference the right law at the right time for the right case. In the same manner a computer consultant has the expertise and resources to locate the right software package, follow industry trends, and sort out from the vast amount of information the right configuration for the client’s needs.

The main difference between the two professions is that attorneys existed long before computers were invented. Therefore, everyone knows what type of service to expect from an attorney. This is not the case yet with computer consultants. Many people don’t see right away the return on the advice given by a computer consultant as opposed to advice given by a sales person in the store. Or why one needs a computer consultant if Apple, for instance, advertises the Macintosh interface to be “for the rest of us.”

In order to help you sort out and understand where the advertisement and sales pitches end and the need for consulting begins, we put together a list of areas in which a computer consultant can help you configure and use your computer system now and in the future.

Custom applications, design, development and programming

Custom applications vary from database applications based on database management systems, to programming applications such as accounting applications. Keeping a full time programmer might be expensive while hiring a consultant for a limited time or on a project basis can be more economical.

Installation and customization of off the shelf hardware and software

Many applications on the Macintosh come with an easy to follow installer and installation instructions. The difficulties in installation might arise when dealing with networking software, system extensions and control panels or hardware additions. An experienced consultant will save time and frustration in the installation and make sure the software/ hardware is functioning properly.

Combined experience of previous customers and past similar cases

Each client has the experience acquired over time with their computer system and its follies. A computer consultant has the experience of a collection of similar cases with other clients, other type of businesses and diverse computer systems. This vast experience transforms into better problem solving and shorter down time for the client. 

Impartial to hardware and software sales

We believe that a computer consultant should profit only from the recommendation and installation of the client’s computer system. By not benefiting from the direct sale of software or hardware the consultant remains qualified to recommend a component based on its merit and not on the profit from selling it.

Availability and access to resources

There is a vast amount of information available to the computer professional that is not accessible by the client. The reasons are simple: it is expensive to keep an account on one of the commercial electronic networks, it is time consuming to read and follow the discussions and it is expensive to transfer and check out every new utility or application that appears on the networks. The same reasoning applies to computer literature. The computer specialist keeps up with the latest developments and uses the electronic networks and the literature to be informed of the latest updates, bug fixes and new hardware.

Technical expertise

A good computer consultant needs to have the proper education. Technical knowledge does not come with birth. It requires long learning hours and even formal education in the theory of computers, the art of programming, database theory, data structures, algorithms and so forth. This knowledge is valuable to the client who might not be proficient in this field.