I was analysing an invoice from an IT company and I was told that the monthly cost of Support is £134.00 (per month plus VAT). I was also told they charge a call-out fee and hourly rate for going out to a site when they cannot resolve the problem remotely ...
Just call me for straightforward, open, honest and transparent pricing, and top-quality engineering expertise!
The end user company were also charged an annual audit fee, to which my reply was, "They should not be marking their own homework!". As this end user happens to be a Law firm, being compliant is of paramount importance and therefore an annual audit and systems check, including a penetration test should be conducted by an external specialist Cyber Security company.
"The IT invoice was a mess!"
The overall IT Support was actually more money than first appears. You may be thinking, Why? One word – software licences. And in particular, Microsoft 365 has a defined selling price. In this case, each licence priced by Microsoft on their website at £11/£13 (rounded) per user per month was loaded with an additional support fee of around £5.00 per user per month.
So, at 20 Microsoft 365 user licences, that added £100.00 per month to the £134.00 per month support! Therefore, the real cost of the support contract is £234.00 per month, excluding VAT. There was also a mismatch in Antivirus licences for the number of PCs/Laptops in use and a separate charge for email security.
"I will say that IT companies can show costs as they so wish!"
This is because IT, unlike Telecoms (overseen by Ofcom), is not a regulated industry. Personally, I feel that misleading tactics give us all a bad name and we can all be tarnished with the same brush! Conversely, there are some great IT professionals. Being open, honest and transparent is the way I have always worked, even when, as in this case, I didn't gain that client as they decided to stick to who they knew;, but at least they understood the real cost of their contract.
Incidentally, I did a quick network check while I was there and discovered that the WiFi positioning was awful. One laptop was only picking up a transfer rate of 15 to 18Mbps, which needed to be investigated as there is a Leased Line on site and chances are this should be at least a 50 to 100Mbps circuit.
"As an engineer myself, I can spot these anomalies with ease!"
I highlighted the problem to the client and advised them to get this (and other) issues fixed as good quality connectivity from the network to the device is a fundamental part of IT in this day. The phone system also seemed to be a bespoke VoIP service, supplied by a different IT services company. Although the client has access to the portal, I was informed that this IT company had wanted £100+ to change the messages for the Christmas period.
I could go on and on, but I'm going to end there. Just call me for straightforward, open, honest and transparent pricing, and top-quality engineering expertise.
Until next time ...
PRITESH GANATRA
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The word 'Technology' has too many connotations in today's world!
Where do we start? Simple terms like 'IT' and 'Telecoms'? or terms that appear NOT to have an actual meaning at all!, e.g. 'Internet of Things (IoT).
Technology also encompasses specialist products and services like 'Rugged' and 'Tough' android devices, Lone Worker Software, panic alarm devices, smart energy devices, low energy lighting, credit card terminal (PCI DSS) security, indoor/ outdoor Wi-Fi systems, Ultrafast Gigabit internet connectivity, access control systems, industrial IoT circuit controllers.
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