Advertorial originally published in the Big Idea Book in Maryland for Convergent Works, a small, Baltimore based IT firm. 

Making Better Technology Choices

Take a moment and think back to when you built your business, wrote your business plan or wooed potential investors. Did you state the following as a company objective?

“We hope to see ourselves on the edge of a losing battle against enormously expensive and complicated technology that we must have, that we know only a little about and that will be obsolete every thirty-six to forty-eight months.”

Not a likely objective, but an outcome seen all too often.

directDesk has a breakthrough idea for small businesses wrestling with technology. This idea is less about products or services (although they do play a role), and more about a fundamental shift in the way you think about and use technology.

It’s an idea so simple and radical, you’ll wish you had thought of it yourself.

The idea?

You subscribe to IT services through directDesk. We provide you access to the exact technology your firm
requires and you never have to buy, repair, or upgrade a computer or server ever again.

This revolutionary idea brings into your business what big business has always had: efficient business applications driven by economies of scale.

Focus on Customers, Not Technology

directDesk allows you to use technology exactly as you always have, but our IT professionals provide and service that technology for you. You purchase technology as a service, rather than as a product.

From this day forward your company keeps its focus on customers and core business issues. You take all the computer technology problems you have ever had to work through and you show them the door.

The Cost of Success

As we speak, your company is spending much more than you may realize on a product set about which (due to valiant, heroic efforts) you know something, but still far too little. Simply by virtue of being successful, you are caught in an ever more complicated and expensive cycle of buying, leasing and upgrading.

The hard costs of technology – computers, servers and peripherals – represent only one-third of your total outlay to install, run, manage, maintain and update that very same technology.

For all intents and purposes, the money you spend on technology is lost. There is little or no return. You are forced to buy new hardware every few years that will a) cost you thousands of dollars b) require valuable time and money to maintain properly c) bury you in thousands of dollars in hidden costs and d) need to be replaced in the next three or four years.

Pay Only For What You Use

How many times have you had this conversation with yourself, your tech person or a vendor?

“I need three more computers for the new salespeople. We have to order a new server because the one we have is five years old. We have to remember to download the latest Windows patch from Microsoft. Again. Can’t forget to renew our virus protection software. Then there’s the licensing for Microsoft Office for three new desktops.”

What if you never again had to think about computer problems? What if all that time, energy and money that you have typically spent on technology issues was instead spent on creating and strengthening your customer relationships?

What if you paid only for the technology you used?

We Take Care of IT For You

Subscribing to technology as a service instead of a product set is an effective business model that makes a lot of economic sense for many small businesses. How will this new business model look and feel? How will it impact your business?

directDesk looks and feels exactly like your current configuration but with several important distinctions. Each
monitor in your firm (provided for in your contract) will be exactly the same, an attractive ViewSonic flat panel. Your central processing unit (the part of the computer that does all the work) will be replaced by a small Windows based terminal, or “thin client.” You conduct your work in much the same fashion as always, except that you will now be prompted to “log on” to your system. You can access your system from any workstation,
from home, even from abroad—anywhere there is an Internet connection.

With directDesk, the days of purchasing computers, servers, monitors and keyboards are over. No updating
your virus protection software, no firewall worries, no installing the latest Windows security fix, no spyware, adware or hacker concerns. directDesk IT professionals will take care of these issues for you.

As the number of your employees rises and falls, you simply adjust the number of user IDs assigned to your
account. When you hire three new salespeople for example, directDesk provides each a monitor, keyboard, mouse and thin client. As people leave, those devices are returned and the number of user IDs is adjusted accordingly.

Continuity and Scarcity

Your company’s data – now on protected, secure, off-site servers – is backed up each night, automatically. When data is stored off-site on remote servers, fire, theft and other unforeseen disasters have far less impact on your ability to continue operations. Even if your equipment is stolen, your data is not compromised because information is centralized, not local.

Technology and Business Goals Perfectly Aligned

directDesk was developed to free your business from chaos and runaway technology costs and to instead bring
you affordable, efficient and controlled technology. You receive a transparent, flexible and cost effective way to use the technology you need for a predictable monthly fee.

Who Should Consider directDesk?

Any small business that wants a predictable, safe and secure technology environment should consider directDesk. directDesk is specially designed for companies using ten or more computers. Our technology works for law firms, bookkeeping/accounting firms, caterers, travel agencies, loan brokers, insurance agencies, and many other types of businesses.

Deciding whether to subscribe to directDesk should be based on whether doing so aligns with the goals you have for your business. Do you want more privacy and security for you and your business? Do you want more privacy and security for you and your clients? Do you seek greater predictability in the cost of technology? Would you prefer more flexibility in where, when and how you access your firm’s applications and data center? Is a
more secure IT environment ultimately more profitable for your business? Will an IT service provider be more cost-effective and time saving than your current approach?

The issue of technology obsolescence is now just that, obsolete. directDesk delivers secure, highly controlled and redundant technology at a known, fixed cost along with 24/7 help desk and customer support.