Talk About it #4 by Quiss

AUTUMN 2017

Quiss trumps US service Washington 2017: Another inspirational trip Quiss heads stateside to hear Microsoft’s plan

Quiss incorporated in US News of our first overseas office

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2 | Talk About IT

Contents 04

Latest News

Microsoft confirm Quiss as top ten UK partner Quiss heads stateside to hear Microsoft’s plan

Closer to ITIL with Cherwell Service improvements to the fore

Training Day How we help people be more productive

Profile: James Smith

What Circyl can provide for your business Without data you’re just another person with an opinion

Arrivals: Jason Betteridge Betteridge by name...

Work: It’s an experience Showing students what work is really like

Growing pains but a good year for Quiss

Overview of our business from the boss 16

Quiss take the Macmillan Mighty Hike challenge Long walk, steep hills & blisters

Sports day Our team know when to win

Infrastructure audit

It’s a jungle out there, but Quiss can help 20

Make more of every day with Microsoft 365 Geek squad offer a little technical insight

Client in the spotlight: Hawkins

The Fabulous Baker Boys A surprise result to the bake off challenge

Quiss incorporated in US News of our first overseas office

Quiss clearly a better choice for Crystal More success in the Black Country

Case Study: Tanner Pharma Group

Quiss Technology has been delivering IT support services since we were founded in 1988; the early years of the information technology revolution. To discuss content or to be part of our next edition, please contact the editor, Tracy Armstrong. t. 0333 222 4334 e. enquiries@quiss.co.uk w. www.quiss.co.uk

QuissTechPLC Quiss Technology plc

Talk About IT | 3

Freeths contract confirms Quiss quality

spread across its 11 offices, the

aligned

highly qualified and experienced legal

with the

teams provide a powerful approach to

modern

commercial legal requirements, focusing

ITIL approach and represents the future

on delivering answers not options.

direction of our business.

Our deep understanding of the unique

Quiss Managing Director Andy

“Throughout our relationship our service

Michael, who played an integral role

has evolved and we have added a range

in the process commented: “We have

of tool-sets to our service

supported Freeths for many years and

provision to ensure we

in that time both our businesses have

continue to deliver the

support contract, following a 6-month

changed significantly.

support Freeths need

competitive pitch process.

“Freeths has almost doubled in size and

Freeths offer businesses a reassuringly

added 7 offices since we started working

challenges faced by law firms has been further demonstrated with news that long-standing client Freeths Solicitors has renewed its Qworks managed IT

complete service, covering the bigger picture of commercial operations and dispute resolution. Headquartered in Nottingham, with almost 900 people

as they continue to grow.”

with them, which has required us to change the way we work and deliver support. The service provision of our Qworks managed IT solution is now fully

Andy Michael Managing Director

ONFIRM C S L A W E N E R D N A S IN W T C A R CONT E IS T R E P X E R O T C E S L A G E L S IS QU Law firm Debenhams Ottaway appoints Quiss The list of law firms choosing Quiss to deliver managed IT services has grown following a successful competitive pitch to 120 strong Hertfordshire-based law firm, Debenhams Ottaway. Celebrating 250 years in business during 2017, it is a multi-service, innovative law firm, recognised for delivering an outstanding service to its clients with award winning legal advice, through dedicated and talented individuals from offices in St Albans and Radlett. The Qworks solution selected incorporates everything a law firm will need from an operational and strategic perspective, on a fixed cost per user, over a fixed term, to allow accurate long-term budgeting. Our first job was a detailed audit of existing IT systems and infrastructure, before delivering any changes to ensure the network runs securely and effectively, so the firm benefits from a robust network infrastructure, supported by our helpdesk team and network engineers.

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Like many of our law firm clients, Debenhams Ottaway is adopting an Azure, cloud-based solution, with little infrastructure in their offices. Paul J Khan, CEO of Debenhams Ottaway said “We were consistently impressed with Quiss right from their response to the selection process, through to the go-live and the knowledge and availability of Quiss’ leadership team throughout has been a real differentiator for us – we look forward to a rewarding partnership with them.” Clive Taylor, Operations Director at Quiss commented: “It is satisfying that Debenhams Ottaway recognise our strong expertise in legal and our ability to deliver.” The go-live day went exceptionally smoothly, thanks to our detailed planning and close collaboration with the management team at Debenhams Ottaway.

Quiss met Nelsons Solicitors standards Contract renewals are an endorsement of the dedication and hard work undertaken by everyone in our business, which makes the new support agreement with Nelsons Solicitors very satisfying indeed. A top 200 full service UK law firm, Nelsons is recognised as a regional heavyweight providing legal services for businesses and individuals, locally and nationally from offices in Derby, Leicester and Nottingham.

Our Qworks solution supports the work of the firm’s growing number of users, incorporating everything needed from an operational and strategic point of view. The fixed term, fixed cost partnership, will continue to deliver the total peace of mind that first attracted Nelsons to us more than 4 years ago. Our Operations Director, Clive Taylor commented: “As part of the total infrastructure re-fresh, we are supplying Microsoft Surface Pro laptops for many of the 240 users.

“The firm focusses on the ability of its legal teams to further embrace innovative and flexible working practices, to allow them to collaborate more closely with their clients. “Our unrivalled knowledge of the challenges faced by law firms and how technology can help them improve productivity and efficiency is attracting new clients. “But it is contract renewals that demonstrates our ITIL aligned service provision is evolving in the right direction.”

ledge “It’s gratifying for our sector know ges and understanding of the challen law firms face, to be recognised.” Clive Taylor Operations Director

Fox Williams switch IT support to Quiss Technology Further demonstrating our understanding of the unique needs of law firms, Quiss has been appointed to provide IT support services for law firm Fox Williams. Fox Williams is a commercial law firm based in the heart of the City’s business district. The firm is ranked in The Lawyer 200 and is top ranked in the leading independent guides to UK law firms. With 120 users, the firm is committed to continuous improvement both in their ways of working and their use of technology. The firm is instructed by clients looking for quality advice delivered with a high level of partner involvement and an astute commercial focus. Fox Williams decided Quiss can provide the robust, longterm IT support the firm’s users needed, but also offered efficiency and productivity improvements.

Tailored to each client’s needs, Quiss offers unlimited server hardware and software support for Fox Williams’ on-premise resources. We believe in supporting our clients the way they want to be supported and for many law firms, the Cloud only forms part of the answer. We have the experience and resources to specify and manage truly hybrid solutions for our clients, whatever sector they operate in. Added peace of mind comes from the 24/7/365 work of our UK-based 58-strong support team of helpdesk engineers, field service engineers and network specialists. Jeremy Gubbay, COO at Fox Williams commented: “Throughout the tender process the team at Quiss impressed with their responsiveness, plus knowledge and understanding of the challenges firms like ours face in the increasingly competitive legal sector.”

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This July the annual Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) took place in Washington, D.C. which seemed appropriate for the biggest partner event in the firm’s history. As usual we were there to witness the future according to Microsoft, but this was our first as a 1-Tier Cloud Solution Provider which made it somehow even more important for us and our clients. We joined more than 17,000 attendees from all around the world to enjoy and marvel at Microsoft Inspire 2017. This three-day event would map the future of Microsoft’s business and the reasoning behind the changes it was making. The message from Microsoft at the outset was clear; make the most of your time here, we have a lot to get through and not much time to waste. Busy was not the right word. Hectic was nearer the mark.

Cloud is now all silver lining Microsoft wants to ‘empower every person and every organisation to achieve more’, which is a laudable aim, but the phrase about leading a

6 | Talk About IT

horse to water, sprang instantly to mind. Despite all the effort put into developing Office 365, just how many organisations are exploiting the full potential on offer with SharePoint, Dynamics365 and Power BI to name a few underused resources. Core to the event was the story that the future is all cloud. Analogue phones will disappear in 2020 to be replaced with cloud phone systems and cheaper, smaller, more secure cloud storage systems will replace physical servers, if Microsoft is to be believed. Their predictions are usually pretty accurate. But as much as this is a learning experience for our team on tour, it is very much a two-way communications event, with Microsoft as keen to learn our plans, as we are to understand theirs. Flying a team across the pond is always a sign we’re committed to the relationship. Recognising that their new business model closely resembles the one we have pursued for almost our entire 30-year history shows they’re committed to the relationship too.

Microsoft 365 is explained and launched The big story at Inspire was the launch of Microsoft 365 Enterprise and Microsoft 365 Business, which combines Office 365, Windows 10 and Enterprise Mobility + Security to deliver the complete, intelligent and secure solution to empower not just businesses, but every employee. Big claim. This new approach demonstrates how Microsoft will design and build solutions that more closely address the needs of the modern workplace. It is designed to meet the challenge of growing employee expectations, remote, diverse and globally distributed teams, along with an increasingly complicated and sophisticated threat environment. There are differences as you would expect between the Enterprise and Business offerings. Business is aimed squarely at the SME market (those with up to 300 users) and is designed to help organisations achieve more together by better

connecting employees, customers and suppliers.

technology; business is still about people.

It empowers employees to get work done from anywhere, on any device, whilst protecting data across devices with always-on security. A single IT console simplifies the set-up and management of employee devices and services, which is another positive step.

The focus might be on productivity and how Power BI provides in-depth data analytics and how SharePoint makes it all accessible, etc., but people still deal with people.

If you’re good enough, you’re big enough There has always been the feeling that enterprise customers were ‘encouraged’ to work with the larger Microsoft partners. However, Microsoft is changing the way it works, with capability now more important than size - which is never a particularly good measure of competence in any facet of life. This shift gives smaller, better, more committed partners like Quiss more opportunity to grow, which is good for our clients and the IT managed services industry as a whole, with reward for those that get it right. The ‘big boys’ will now have to up their game, rather than rely on economies of scale to win contracts.

Network to the max The side of the event that attracts the most comment is the networking, with most of those who do not attend, believing the party atmosphere the main reason we turn up year in, year out. To think like that is to miss the point. Forget the

The opportunity to spend time with the whole UK team from Microsoft offers us valuable insight into the future direction of travel, which shapes the advice we offer our clients about the future technology landscape.

communicate more quickly with ever greater insight into the inner workings of their business. All of which will help businesses increase efficiency, improve productivity and ultimately profitability and that’s good for everyone.

Okay sometimes it involves beer, chicken wings, loud music and late nights, but we’re happy to take one for the team to achieve the right outcomes for our clients.

Exhausted but job done It was a lot to cram into three days and nights, but all the exciting news to come out at this year’s WPC Inspire 2017 made the trip worth it. The message is simple; there is more life changing technology on the way and the cloud will help people collaborate more easily and

Talk About IT | 7

QUISS PEOPLE New Talent New business wins have ensured new faces in our support teams, with the helpdesk boosted by the arrival of six new analysts. So, please say hello to David Dickson, Daniel Smyth, Thomas Wood, Nick Demetrius, Viraj Patel and Charlee-Ann Pugh. Since the last ‘Talk About IT’, we have also welcomed aboard Mark Stephenson, a Site Support Analyst and Sabrina Huish, an IT Trainer based at our Harrow office. Sophia Toney is our newest Training & Business Support Administrator and Neve Harris has joined the Purchasing team as a Support Administrator, with Carol Newman joining as an Accounts Administrator. Committed to bringing through the next generation of IT professionals we also have Derby University student Oliver Charles, on placement with our Technical Services team. Quiss subsidiary Circyl have also been busy recruiting talent. Michael Owen has joined as Head of Business Productivity and Andrew Morgans is the new Technical Director.

Promotions Congratulations to Michelle Loveland who is now a Support Co-ordinator and Jade Holland, who has had her hard work recognised with a new role of Project Management Office Coordinator.

Qualifications Committed to the continuous upskilling of our teams, we are pleased to announce Kirsty Harvey has passed her 70-410, the first part of her windows server 2012 MCSA accreditation. Matthew Jones passed MCSA 70-411, Alan Hoose has passed his WS2012/11 exam and Alex Catana achieved 70-412, completing his full MCSA Windows Server 2012 accreditation.

Closer to ITIL with Cherwell Quiss is not just a technology business. It is a service business with our clients’ users at its core. It is this understanding that shapes the way we work and our determination to continually improve the service we deliver to users, particularly those who have an IT problem interrupting their working day. It has been a while in the implementation, but we have finally rolled out our new IT service management tool, Cherwell, which helps meet our desire for our service to be more closely aligned with ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) - a set of detailed practices focused on aligning IT services with the needs of business; in this case our services to our clients’ businesses. Cherwell is not an ‘out of the box’ solution, but a platform that has required hundreds of thousands of pounds of investment and hundreds of hours of work by our team, headed by customer support manager Ian Wesley. Working closely with Denise Bamford and Jade Holland, Ian and the team have been instrumental in tailoring the final system to the exact needs of our clients, their systems, the way they like to work and how we maintain a constructive dialogue. We have always undertaken regular account management review meetings with clients and this valuable feedback first indicated Cherwell was our future, with the ongoing insight shaping the future of our service management tool.

Two to the fore The improvements over our old

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system are obvious, immediate and manifold, but two benefits are worth highlighting: Our support analysts can communicate directly with users through Cherwell, rather than using email separately. This 2-way communication process records all requests and actions, within a live ticket environment where all journal updates are held against the raised ticket. These journal updates automatically track all email correspondence. This not only improves response times and allows a quicker escalation of tricky problems, but ensures users with a problem recognise the work done on their behalf, with less ‘radio silence’. Secondly, the system is a real-time knowledgebase that is constantly updated with every problem, every action and every process that delivers successful outcomes. As our support team take notes about the user’s problem, Cherwell automatically suggests solutions that have worked in the past. Importantly, this is not limited to a single client, but draws on resolutions from across every client, which helps cut the time to a successful solution significantly.

Devil in the detail It is often the big ideas, the big changes that get the headlines with

new systems like Cherwell, but one of the small changes that makes a big difference is the automatic creation of a ticket reference number for every issue logged, by phone, email or through the system. No more wondering if the problem is being dealt with, for users who have a raised an issue that’s not immediately critical to their work. Their problem is logged and the reference number instils confidence that it is on our system, we are aware of it and will resolve it in line with the agreed SLA. All of the tickets raised are visible to our service management team via an intuitive dashboard, which shows all the priorities. It might be tough to take for some, but some issues raised by users will need to take priority and thanks to the graphical representation of this data, we can deploy the necessary resources to resolve critical issues, long before we are chased for an answer. When incidents are raised, we ask the user two simple questions that help us classify each one and the nature of the response needed. We ask if the incident is affecting just the user raising the ticket or more individuals across the organisation and whether the system is impaired or not working at all. The system has created a small change in responsibility, with responses based on the client and their needs, rather than the simple first-come, first-served basis still favoured by some traditional IT support firms.

it can be critical, so we can change the priority to reflect the need for an immediate resolution.

No Geek tragedy this Change can always cause problems at the outset, but the system has not only been well-received by our clients, but by those who have to work with it on a daily basis. The feedback from our experienced support analysts is that because all calls are logged in real time using quick response templates, they don’t have to spend time after the incident filling out forms, which frees up time for more thinking and analysing. We are confident as we get used to our new system, we will deliver better more effective solutions, which might not always be the most obvious, thanks to the time analysts will now have for a good old think.

Just the data that matters Our advanced customer portal’s provide each client with access to a dashboard that allows users to log and view their own tickets for issue resolutions, with key account access that shows senior managers all the tickets and progress towards the solutions.

organisation’s system, indicating a deeper issue. The client and our management team can view this intelligence in real time on a shared dashboard, which can help drive future IT strategy and objectives, because without the right data, it’s all just opinion. We have successfully implemented the new system and although at the time of writing the feedback from clients has been positive, there is much more to come in the immediate future. We are currently working on enhancing our configuration management databases (CMDB) for clients, along with an additional knowledgebase to allow users to solve their own problems, when simple resolutions are possible. So next time you get a ticket reference number and a quick resolution to the issue interrupting your day, please spare a thought for the system and the people making it all possible. And better. Ian Wesley Customer Support Manager

We share similar information for each client, which allows us to suggest potential improvements in response to similar faults across the

A printer problem might not seem a priority, but if it prints the wage slips and the month end run is due,

Talk About IT | 9

Organisations constantly invest in new technology, update their software and implement new applications, with an expectation of greater productivity and efficiency; to say nothing of security.

the basics of individual systems and tailored apps used by some. In general, the training sessions will cover not just the essentials, but also the more advanced features of the

Training Day Because it takes dedication and the right training to be better at what you do Much is made of the increased speed of new operating systems, the ability to extract valuable data from every department or features available with the new hosted telephony handsets – but what about the abilities of those using the technology on a daily basis? At Quiss, we understand that implementing, managing and supporting IT systems and applications is only half the battle, the other half is explaining how everything can be used.

popular Microsoft Office 365 suite of apps. A typical day might include 7 or 8 sessions, of around 30-45 minutes, which look something like this:

Booked in advance Typically, a client will request at least a day’s training, when our team will put together a series of sessions designed to cover many of the most popular applications, with the content made available about a month in advance, so users can pick the topics most relevant to them and their role.

Word Formatting - a course for everyone, regardless of their role that covers tips and tricks to quickly produce professional looking documents. Learn how to use house styles to save time applying formatting and quickly create documents with consistent formatting.

Our training team, including those permanently posted on-site at our larger clients, also undertake cybersecurity training for all users as well as induction training to explain

Word Using Track Changes – learn how to track changes effectively and avoid potential costly and timeconsuming mistakes. Understand how to use the ‘Compare’ feature

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PowerPoint Creating a Presentation - quickly create professional-looking presentations, save time formatting and adding images by using the slide master. Time saving tips on how to work with and manipulate images, graphics and videos in future presentations. Excel Pivot Tables & Charts - Use one of Excel’s most powerful features to quickly extract, analyse and summarise information within large lists of data. Pivot charts can be quickly filtered and adjusted to suit an organisation’s needs. Just bring your brains

Excel Charts & Graphs – a short course to help individuals quickly create and amend professional looking charts and graphs. Create and save custom chart templates to save time formatting and adjusting chart layouts in the future. Outlook Tasks – a session designed to show individuals how to use Outlook tasks to organise and keep track of their work and their to-do lists. They will learn to assign work to others and easily keep up to date with progress of this work.

It falls to the Quiss Training team to help our clients’ people be more productive; to work smarter, not harder and optimise their use of technology by building knowledge of applications and confidence in use of all the features available.

to quickly review, accept and reject changes made in two separate versions of a document.

Our training days require participants to only bring their brains, the training team will supply everything else. This is key to the way we deliver training, as it means minimal disruption for those coming to take a session. The training team will arrive in plenty of time, bringing sufficient laptops and associated equipment for those booked on sessions, with only space and a little electricity having to be supplied by the client. A training Wi-Fi network is set up, with the trainer’s laptop acting as a server, to which all the other laptops are connected wirelessly using one of our own routers, to isolate the network and ensure there are no security implications for the client and their system. Then the first 8-10 participants can start their learning, usually as part of a group from across departments and teams, which can easily cope being one down for 45 minutes. The small number of individuals allows questions to be asked that

some may not be confident to raise in a large group. One-on-one training within the session also allows individuals to address the unique problems they struggle with, without the embarrassment of asking a manager or colleague. We believe there is no substitute for practical, hands-on learning, repeated over time, to really help people understand how to get the most from the equipment and applications they use every day – not something you can do consistently from a book or on-line course. Clients often supply data, databases and templates to work with, so the participants are using data they recognise, in real business situations to ensure they all see the practical benefits of the techniques they are learning. Tailored to every organisation The training team have a huge range of standard sessions available, tailored for individuals at every level of competence in Microsoft applications, but sessions can be created to address specific situations or problems within an organisation. Recently the training team undertook a session for legal secretaries, who would rather not have to take a hand off the keyboard to use the mouse to highlight words, sections or paragraphs, when it can all be done with keyboard shortcuts. Touch typists are a rare luxury for the training team, who are more used to working with individuals using the ‘hunt and peck’ typing technique. The sessions can also help individuals along their career path, with qualifications possible in all applications and Cyber Essentials.

Legal sector clients will often take their trainee secretaries through the full Microsoft Office certification for the benefit of the individual and the organisation which can demonstrate with globally recognised certificates, how it is building a professional qualified team at every level. Train the trainer is a thing too For those organisations that rely on specialist third-party applications, possibly integrated with the usual Microsoft Office suspects, our training team will often sit in on the training provided when the thirdparty app is implemented. This allows our training team to build similar sessions for our client, to be delivered to new starters to introduce the app and its features. These sessions will be delivered periodically in conjunction with the usual training sessions, to ensure every employee has the skills and understanding to optimise the systems they use to increase productivity and improve efficiency – what’s not to like? You don’t even have to be a client to get the most from our training team’s experience, so if you want a tailored training programme for your organisation, please get in touch; you know it makes sense.

Profile: James Smith Training Manager Having joined Quiss in 2011, our Training Manager James, has become a well-known face to most of our clients. He is responsible for the design and delivery of bespoke IT training courses from preimplementation and induction sessions to cybersecurity training and on-going staff development. As a certified Microsoft Office Specialist Master, there is almost nothing James doesn’t know about all the relevant Office applications. His deep knowledge and skills come in handy when helping our clients create customised document workflow automation solutions, document templates and house styles. With over 20 years of experience in the development, delivery and management of IT training on Microsoft and bespoke applications, James is as comfortable training those new to the applications as he is with individuals needing advanced levels of support. James supports Manchester United and is a season ticket holder, much to the dismay of the vast majority of his colleagues.

Talk About IT | 11

WHAT CIRCYL CAN PROVIDE FOR YOUR BUSINESS Through the implementation of appropriate technology, business productivity and performance can vastly improve – Circyl’s job is to help people realise this true potential. As a subsidiary of Quiss Technology plc, who next year celebrate their 30th anniversary, Circyl dedicates itself to helping clients use technology to achieve more. Offering Business Productivity solutions, tailored to meet the unique requirements of a specific organisation, Circyl ensures employees have access to all the important information, enhancing business coordination in general. Through Microsoft Dynamics 365, SharePoint and Business Intelligence, businesses can streamline existing processes, increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of everyday tasks. Organisations will have access to indepth analysis and data, helping them make informed business decisions that can move the company forward. Through the utilisation of Business Intelligence analytics features, companies can build interactive reports that highlight key areas of growth or improvement within their business. SharePoint systems then allow this information to be shared and accessed immediately, transforming the way businesses disseminate important files, data, news and resources. Using its own expertise, Circyl can help businesses configure this technology, and train employees on how to get the most out of its features. It’s through the combination of these systems that organisations encourage company cohesion, whilst improving important business functions such as CRM – facilitating growth and increasing generated revenue.

Dynamics 365

SharePoint

Integrating with your existing Microsoft software and subscriptions, Microsoft Dynamics 365 combines the capabilities of CRM business software and ERP systems, to deliver an intuitive application designed to improve business coordination.

There are currently 190 million people from over 200,000 organisations, utilising the SharePoint system to enhance intranets, team sites and content management.

The sophisticated business tools allow individuals to easily access and manipulate data – offering an in-depth analysis of company performance and the interaction with your customers, while simplifying everyday tasks. With access to other cloud-based solutions such as SharePoint and Power BI, organisations can benefit from the document collaboration and advanced reporting capabilities, highlighting key metrics including sale performance, service KPIs, etc. One of the main appeals of Microsoft Dynamics 365 is the easy-to-use nature of the application, integrating with the familiar office tools such as Outlook to maximise efficiency when it comes to accessing, recording and sharing important information. Using easy to understand drop down mechanics, key information and data can be entered, selected and formatted to your liking – streamlining the entire process and keeping information accurate and stored correctly. The application allows users to properly manage customer information related to sales activity, service performance, etc. facilitating growth and customer satisfaction through an effective tracking system. When running efficiently, CRM technology can make conducting business and generating revenue a lot easier – it’s for this reason companies are turning to Microsoft Dynamics 365 to flourish and grow as a business.

By allowing team members to collaborate effortlessly and securely across PCs, Macs and mobile devices, SharePoint accelerates business productivity by transforming processes; from simple tasks to complex operational workflows. Integrating with Microsoft Office, SharePoint drives organisational efficiency by allowing its users to share common resources, documents and applications on portals that can be accessed by the click of a button. Businesses can build cohesion and communicate important information throughout the intranet, reaching fellow employees quickly and efficiently. SharePoint’s rich content management, along with valuable connections and conversations surfaced with instant messaging, allows individuals to maximise their velocity of knowledge to inform decisions and guide actions. News can be personalised and tailored in SharePoint home and mobile apps, so that only the most relevant and important insights appear after loading up the system. The customisation of these beautiful information sharing websites can help streamline team processes, encouraging users to share files, data, news and resources. The immediacy and efficiency of sharing and receiving information, combined with the communal availability of important documents and data makes SharePoint a very attractive proposition for companies of all sizes.

Interested? Get in touch through your Quiss account manager or contact Circyl direct at jason.betteridge@circyl.co.uk 12 | Talk About IT

Business Intelligence Revolutionising the way data is collected and presented, Power BI is a suite of business analytics tools that deliver insights throughout an organisation. From straight-forward performance round-ups to in-depth analytical breakdowns, Power BI allows you to combine and transform data into powerful data models that businesses can use and understand. Employees can access reports and KPIs through a single modern web portal, providing immediate access to insights that can prove invaluable when making strategic business decisions. Varying levels of data access can be offered across an organisation, creating tailored dashboards with a unique view of the business, with governance and security built-in. The integrated platform offers users an efficient way to build rich interactive reports, which can be seamlessly shared across the organisation using Office 365 or extracted to other familiar office tools such as PowerPoint. Power BI facilitates the creation of engaging mobile dashboards that adjust to different form factors such as tablets. Using an interactive design experience, such dashboards help empower business users by providing important insights from virtually anywhere, even by asking questions using natural language. The beauty of Power BI is that it connects to a variety of data sources to provide the important insights you need to know; not just data for data’s sake. When understanding business trends and patterns is crucial to success, timely Business Intelligence offers an easy-to-use way of collecting and presenting important company insights.

Arrivals:

JASON BETTERIDGE I’m Jason Betteridge and after working with Quiss Technology for many years as a Partner, we decided to create Circyl as a subsidiary. The reason for developing Circyl so closely with Quiss, is the synergy that exists between the two. The Quiss service and product offering is enhanced by the Business Productivity solutions Circyl provides, based on the Microsoft platform, including CRM, Office 365, SharePoint and Business Intelligence.

The initial focus of the Circyl business will be to work with Quiss’ clients to help them drive business productivity and efficiency improvements through tailored software solutions; which is a longwinded way of saying we ensure people have access to the right information, at the right time, on the device of their choice.

It was my early career in technical roles, as an Analyst Programmer with responsibility for systems analysis, design and development work that showed me the power of appropriate, accurate and immediate data. As W. Edwards Deming famously said: “Without data you’re just another person with an opinion.”

We help organisations find and capture, move and manipulate, analyse and share the valuable information held within their business, to deliver a real-time view of performance and productivity.

Being a business owner, my role evolved over time, with more emphasis on strategy and sales, but data and the value that it can bring to a business is my real passion. The success of my former business Ridgian, which I sold to technology giant Ricoh in 2015, was built on identifying and using the right data, at the right time and this experience allows me to empathise with business users, business owners and technical audiences.

The team I’m building here at Circyl will also help clients identify the pinch points in their operations that cause pain and recommend actions to drive better outcomes. Away from the office, I like to switch off by spending time with my family and friends, or with the occasional round of golf, if it’s sunny! Music also plays a big part in my life; whenever I’m not playing piano or attending concerts, I’m listening to something. And unsurprisingly perhaps, I’m mad about new technology gadgets.

Talk About IT | 13

Work

ience r e p x e n a it's

As the academic year draws to a close, many students reach a pivotal point in their learning - the voyage of discovery that is ‘work experience’.

sector might involve. To give him the best experience, we split his time across a number of the departments within our business throughout his two weeks.

With so much attention focussed on academic excellence, work experience offers young adults the opportunity to understand what all their learning leads towards; gainful employment that will challenge their abilities and make the most of their talents, if they’re lucky.

Working with our Sales Team and visiting Microsoft’s HQ in Reading was a major highlight as might be expected, for a self-confessed geek.

Here at Quiss, we recognise work experience as something that not only enhances our role in the local community, but a way of ensuring our people are aware of the next generation of system engineers, helpdesk analysts and client service managers that we will need to continue our growth. Giving students real hands-on experience of what we actually do as a managed IT services provider is valuable and hopefully helps shape their future learning and life choices – there is a growing demand in our industry and we have to show more young people that ‘working in IT’ can be a varied and rewarding career.

He gained first-hand experience of the virtual reality world that lies just ahead of us all, thanks to Microsoft’s Hololens, but it was equally important for him to understand what a normal day in the sales office is like; emails, phone calls, CRM updates, sales enquiries, liaising with the engineering teams etc. A couple of quotes from his feedback form demonstrate the importance of work experience: “From my first day at Quiss, I found the customer service and work ethic enjoyable and the all-round working environment a great place to be.” “Today was my last day of work experience. It is sad to go as I have met many new people and made new friends which gives me a good experience of what my future in the work place might be like.”

However, more revealing was the impact on our workforce who had nothing but positive comments about the young people who had become part of our extended family for the summer, which is not always the case when it comes to interaction between unrelated generations. Although the majority of the students welcomed in recent years have been boys, one of our summer students was a girl with a real interest in pursuing a career in IT, which is encouraging, given the underrepresentation of females in the sector. This situation persists, perhaps saying more about the education system and the need for businesses like ours to project a positive image about the industry, what we do and the careers that can flourish regardless of gender. We can but hope and do our bit to encourage students of any gender to spend time with businesses like ours to see what work is really like; most will find it a supportive environment populated with people only too willing to pass on their experience and help young people unleash the potential within them.

The first to experience our work was a Year 10 student with a passion for IT, who wasn’t sure what a career in this

14 | Talk About IT

Shelley Vaisey Head of Talent Management

Some of our Quiss team

GROWING PAINS BUT A GOOD YEAR FOR QUISS It has been a year of growth and recruitment for Quiss, with a determination to improve our service leading to a 13% increase in our turnover as we hit £9.1 million for 12 months to May 2017. We strengthened our position as one of the leading providers of managed IT services to the legal sector, agreeing support contracts with Darlingtons Solicitors, Edwards Duthie, Legastat, Flint Bishop, Turbervilles and Devonshires, all attracted by our experience and unrivalled sector knowledge. Our continued growth has been matched by our success in other sectors, with pharmaceuticals now forming an important focus for our marketing efforts. Bionical and Tanner Pharma were welcomed into the fold this year, along with the usual eclectic mix of clients we now provide support for, large and small, including Cross Country Trains, Paycare, Arcadia Group and forensic specialists Hawkins. Andy Michael, Quiss Managing, Director said: “Given the uncertainty of the UK economy, it is good to

reach the end of another financial year and report growth that reflects our strategic plans. “We always knew this would be a tough year for us, as our continued focus on the evolution of our service delivery would require a significant investment to create new management roles that better define our service and manage its delivery. “In addition to the new management roles, we have recruited into every team throughout our business, to add the skills and experience we need to deliver the support our clients have come to expect – our headcount has risen from around 70 to close on 100 during the period (reaching over 100 at the time of going to print). “Quiss is growing and as might be expected, we have experienced a few growing pains, but the implementation of our new IT service management tool Cherwell, will improve our service and ensure it is closely aligned with the increasingly important ITIL framework. “We have invested a huge amount

of time, money and effort to tailor the final system to the exact needs of our clients, their systems, the way they like to work and how we maintain a constructive dialogue with them – which can only be good for our next phase of growth. “Incentives for our support teams are linked to customer satisfaction, rather than how quickly they respond to problems or the number of calls they deal with on the helpdesk – it focuses everyone on outcomes not actions. I am confident Quiss will soon become synonymous with service quality. “We are developing a committed team of talented individuals who are helping us change the way we work for the benefit of all our clients. We will continue to invest in people to ensure next year delivers further growth and more job opportunities.”

Andy Michael Managing Director

Talk About IT | 15

Quiss Take THE Macmillan Mighty Hike Challenge

The lack of a mobile signal for much of the route also proved an unnerving situation for our team of technology heroes and a challenge for those hoping to follow the team’s progress via the mobile app.

How hard could it be? A gentle stroll, in some of England’s most beautiful rolling countryside with 1500 other people to keep us company and help raise funds for one of the country’s most important charities. Bloomin’ hard as it happens. The clue was in the title.

The event organisers were keen to remind all of the hikers that success was in finishing and raising as much money for the cause as possible, not how fast the distance could be completed. But once the public started shouting encouragement and hikers from later start times passed some of the Quiss team, a few upped their pace, determined to not be passed again.

The intrepid Quiss team of 11 left their hotel at 6.00 am on the morning of the ‘hike’ to be on the start line, ready for the off at 7.00am from Ashbourne. Ahead of the team lay 27 miles of undulating, off-road Peak District terrain, with a finish in Buxton expected some 10 hours later, all being well. Having been warned about wearing well-worn hiking boots, the need to carry lots of water and informed that medics were stationed along the route, the team should have known they were in for a tough day.

Steady pace didn’t last long Setting off in warm, sunny conditions in groups of 200, the first few miles were designed to gently introduce people to what was to be endured over the next 70,000 steps and almost 800m of climb.

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The Quiss team set off in good spirits, with a determination to stick together and keep a steady pace; unfortunately, this approach only lasted a few miles when the competitive spirit overcame a few – we don’t need to name them, they know who they are! The route was well marked, with plenty of pink arrows to point the way and remind us that all the money raised would help fight cancer, in its may forms. Marshalls along the way handed out sweets to keep our energy up and lots of encouragement to keep our spirits up. The team found the lush green countryside inspiring, but for those more used to city life, the pungent country smells seemed to be following the team at every step.

Remember, it’s not a race

The first rest and blister assessment stop came after 6.2 miles and the Quiss team were able to re-group for a quick chat, with a chocolate, cake and sugary drink consumption session – purely medicinal you understand. Lunch was consumed at the 13.9 mile stop and more carbohydrates were taken on board at the final rest halt after 21.8 miles, by which time the Quiss team had splintered into a number of groups that would only again be whole, once the gruelling 27miles was complete.

Worth all the effort The stone walls with their step-stiles

proved hard work for everyone, as did the steep hills and precipitous drops, all of which ensured the first of the Quiss team didn’t finish until 5.30pm. The final group crossed the line about 90 minutes later, to be re-united with their colleagues for a glass of bubbles and a celebratory photo or two. In total the Quiss team, thanks to generous donations from friends, family, colleagues and customers raised just over £4,000, contributing significantly to the astonishing £750,000 raised on the day. The event itself was a huge success and talk soon turned to what our happy hikers could take part in next, once the blisters and stiffness had finally disappeared. Our intrepid team have decided to go even further in 2018 and tackle the Cotswold Way Challenge. This remarkable 62-mile adventure starts in the magnificent Royal Crescent in Bath and winds through the Cotswolds before finishing in Cheltenham. They will be raising funds for the Alzheimer’s Society, so please remember the effort when sponsorship forms appear!

SPORTS DAY CHALLENGE We have always prided ourselves on the strong relationships we build with our clients, typically demonstrated with a renewed support contract. But when invited to enter a team into a client’s School Sports Fun Day event, we know we must be doing something right, particularly when the client is a law firm and not a school! Long-standing client, Roythornes Solicitors, believes strongly in a team ethos and regularly gets all its people together for fun outside the office. Recognising the support we provide for the firm across its four locations across the East of England, remotely through our helpdesk and on-site thanks to our mobile engineers, Quiss are seen as an essential part of Roythornes team and a natural choice to enjoy a great day with the users we help. Our team; Ian, Jade, Michelle, Alex, Claire and Paul, were chosen more for their daily contact with Roythornes than their sporting prowess, but still managed third……….from last!

witnessed the triumph and tragedy of competitive sports, including: welly wanging, foam javelin, sack race, egg & spoon and lobbing bean bags into a bucket – just the sort of events you remember from your time at school. There the similarity ended, with a barbecue, beer and live music providing a much-needed adult-orientated end to the day. Networking in this way, putting faces to voices on a helpline, is a great way to get to know a client and their users, but hopefully next time it will be something less strenuous. It was a great day and we are confident we have strengthened even further our relationship with a client who takes the law very seriously, but knows when and how to have fun. A big thank-you to Roythornes for their hospitality and a big thank you to the Quiss team, who knew better than to win.

The Springfields Events & Conference Centre in Spalding, on a beautiful sunny Friday

Talk About IT | 17

INFRASTRUCTURE

AUDIT

We may be building a reputation for delivering high-quality outsourced IT support for organisations of all sizes, across all sectors, but once the ink is dry on the contract, how do we bring new clients into our management?

Editor Tracy Armstrong interviewed our Head of Technical Services, Rohen Farmer to understand the process undertaken by him and his team of Technical Consultants. Armstrong: When a prospect is considering a switch in support provider, what’s the first thing you and your team do? Farmer: Our involvement with the customer typically precedes the contract signing, when they are just a prospect and involves us undertaking a comprehensive ‘infrastructure audit’. We also undertake infrastructure audits after new customers come on board, often when serious issues with their legacy support has required a considered, but swift change of service provider. The audit will highlight potential issues and risks, together with any legacy problems relating to hardware, apps, security, third-party software etc., to help us develop a plan to resolve all the issues identified. A: Is it just problems you’re looking for? F: Understanding the problems is only half the job. The reasons an organisation might be looking for a managed IT solution can vary significantly; often the support currently being provided does not match the needs or ambitions of the organisation closely enough and problems have mounted. Or, organisations recognise the likely cost-effectiveness of outsourcing the

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day-to-day IT support that allows inhouse resources to be switched to more profitable or productive activities. The audit will also help us identify areas for long-term improvement and the on-going strategic development of the client’s IT estate - new products, new services, upcoming projects, etc. It is essential we look beyond the immediate fixes needed on day one, to ensure the customer’s IT system and infrastructure is an enabler for growth, not a stumbling block. A: What areas of the prospect/client’s infrastructure are you concerned with? F: It’s too easy to say everything, but we really do consider every aspect of the system. We look at Networks, Servers, Storage, Desktops, Telephony, Mobile and Applications. The audit, carried out with the help of the organisation’s IT team, if they have one, takes into account and assesses the system, whether it is Cloud-based, OnPremise or a Hybrid mix of the two. We will usually take photographs to

support our recommendations, with some revealing real problems that engineers have likened to crime-scene evidence – some of the infrastructure howlers we see, really are that bad! A: How do you present the findings? F: We provide a detailed, but not overly long report. The client is usually aware of some of the problems and often just needs to know the headlines, what risk is posed and what we would do to resolve the situation – we’re not in the habit of writing long technical reports just to prove we are geeks. We start with the critical activities that will require immediate attention. In a typical audit we might find a problem with the backups and report it: Subject: Inadequate Backups (Data Loss and Business Interruption Risk) Finding: The current backup infrastructure doesn’t include all servers and system states, meaning there is a significant risk of permanent data. Recommendation: To put in place a hardware/software solution to include all servers and the associated system

state. The options (high level) are reflected in the separate ‘Backup and DR Recommendations’ report, as requested. Once the contract is signed, Quiss uses the audit report to track and implement agreed change. In this instance a New Storage and Backup solution was implemented within weeks, to remove the significant risk. A: Once the client has reviewed the audit and agreed a support contract, what next? F: Once we have celebrated a job well done, usually one of two things happens next: • We perform a full replacement of all hardware (server and desktops) over a full weekend, or • We perform a staged update or migration of existing IT systems over a number of months Again, with an understanding of the issues and what the client hopes to achieve, we support both options with a full architectural design, utilising Cloud, On-premise or Hybrid solutions. A: Once you have on-boarded the client, is that an end to your team’s involvement? F: In short, no. During the life of a contract, we continue to work closely with customers, typically communicating on a weekly or monthly basis, dependant on the appetite for change, to implement new projects.

team win new customers with our research and development activities (new products/services) helping identify improved solutions to the problems organisations face. A: Is there anything particularly topical your team are responsible for? F: : The single biggest issue at present is IT Security Management and how we help clients mitigate the risk of cyber-attack is a daily responsibility. Whether that’s helping them achieve Cyber Essentials Plus or by Vulnerability Testing their IT system ourselves. We have products such as ‘Phishing Tackled’, which tests user awareness of email vulnerabilities so businesses can address where employees are not being diligent with common threats; it requires continuous attention. A: What makes the team happy? F: No, not just shiny new pieces of technology, that’s a geek-myth. We make significant improvements to the systems we work with; everything from resilience of the systems, appending capacity, removing security flaws and mitigating significant business risks – all of which makes us happy, it’s what we do it for. Knowledge is also a key driver to the success of the team and the wider business. The team has to be highly skilled across multiple platforms and applications in order to achieve the outcomes expected of us.

Therefore, we constantly educate and certify against the latest products and solutions from leading vendors like Microsoft, Citrix, VMware etc. and there is always one of the team taking an exam or sitting with their head buried in a technical manual It’s also important we discuss problems the team are tackling, to share best practice when a resolution is achieved, so any similar problem that occurs on another system can be solved quickly and easily. A: Finally, what’s the one thing that really winds you up? F: Although I don’t think I suffer from OCD, badly wired server cabinets really annoy me. I often come across them on audits and it’s hard to not unplug everything and start again, right there and then – I really get twitchy fingers when the wires spill out in all directions, like Medusa’s head on a bad day! Seriously though, untidy cabling with power, LAN and fibre cables all wrapped around one another, can cause damage to delicate fibre cables if disrupted, which in turn could cause a service outage - sorry, my inner geek surfaced for a minute. We hope you found that an informative insight into the activities of our Technical Consultants and their head, Rohen Farmer – if you have any technical questions, he’s your man.

This work on new or innovative projects is often undertaken in conjunction with the important remedial work identified in the audit. At Quiss we have an excellent helpdesk team, with experienced support analysts who solve problems and don’t just answer calls and take messages. When issues become deeply technical, then it’s my team that handles escalations for all customers – whether handled remotely or with a site visit.

Before

After

I like to think we also help the sales

Talk About IT | 19

Make more of every day with Microsoft 365 No, we haven’t missed the word Office from the title, although it does play a significant role in the latest product launch from Microsoft – product might be a stretch, but you know what we mean. Available from Autumn this year, Microsoft 365 bundles together in a single package the cloud productivity suite Office 365 and Microsoft’s latest operating system Windows 10, along with Enterprise mobility and security solutions for good measure. It is billed as a complete, intelligent solution that empowers everyone to be creative and collaborate, securely. Now whilst claiming it empowers everyone might be a bold claim, presumably limited to those that actually use Microsoft’s product, the intention is clear; it aligns separate products into a single integration designed to retain existing customers, whilst attracting new ones with its simplicity. The single fixed monthly cost per user, for the applications needed to run an organisation efficiently and effectively, undoubtedly makes for an attractive proposition and one that seems very familiar to us here at Quiss. We pioneered a similar approach to managed IT services more than 20 years ago. It comes in two flavours, Microsoft 365 Enterprise and Microsoft 365

20 | Talk About IT

Business; they share a lot, but differ significantly in the detail of what’s included.

Microsoft 365 Enterprise Available in two plans, imaginatively titled E3 and E5, Microsoft 365 Enterprise is intended for larger organisations, typically with more than 300 users. The only real differences between the two revolve around Cloud PBX, threat protection, information protection and advanced compliance. The solution combines Office 365 Enterprise, Windows 10 Enterprise and Enterprise Mobility & Security to allow users to ‘work naturally with ink, voice and touch’, backed by tools that exploit the benefits of artificial intelligence and machine learning – the more you do, the cleverer the system becomes. Microsoft 365 Enterprise includes all the familiar apps, but now offers even more to drive collaboration and productivity, like Yammer, Teams, Planner and Sway, which demonstrates Microsoft is serious about wanting to help people do more and organise their working day better. Not only will Microsoft 365improve

teamwork across different locations with added flexibility for the way people choose to work, but it will make the management of those users across devices, apps and services much easier too. Intelligent security comes as standard to protect identities and cope with new generation threats thanks to Windows Defender Antivirus, whilst the simpler management of data archiving, governance and discovery will help organisations on their journey to GDPR compliance.

Microsoft 365 Business Microsoft 365 Business has been purpose-built for small and medium-sized customers, generally with up to 300 users and those with little or no IT resources within the organisation. In similar fashion to the Enterprise version, it integrates Office 365 Business Premium with selected security and management features from Windows 10 and Enterprise Mobility & Security features. It is designed to bring people closer together to achieve more and empowers employees to work on anything, from anywhere, with any device. Taking security seriously, Microsoft 365 protects company data across devices with always-on security

Cloud with a silver lining for Quiss and simplifies the management of devices and services thanks to a single IT console.

More to follow soon… Although only time and subscription numbers will ultimately indicate success or failure for this new approach from Microsoft, it is obvious it feels it has struck gold and will continue to add to what is already a feature-heavy package. The focus on integrating apps to help individuals and the organisations for which they work achieve more, continues with the announcement of new apps to be included in Office 365 Business Premium: • Microsoft Connections - to undertake email marketing. • Microsoft Listings - to publish your business information on top sites. • Microsoft Invoicing - to create professional invoices and get paid fast. We’ll look at these in more depth next time around, but they are available now for a free trial and review, for you to offer feedback so Microsoft can iron any bugs out.

Paul Tozer Head of Cloud Services

Quiss has achieved the Microsoft Cloud Platform silver competency, which is based on our abilities to help customers modernize their infrastructure, migrate applications and data to the cloud, and build analytics solutions on data platforms in the cloud. Microsoft changed the way it assesses partners last year and has ensured the competencies are harder to achieve, but now reward businesses like ours that fully engage with the Microsoft model and in particular the benefits of Azure. Paul Tozer, Head of Cloud Services here at Quiss, explains: “This is a great achievement for us and stands testament to a lot of hard work, by a lot of individuals across the business, from engineers studying for additional qualifications to the sales team explaining the benefits of Azure to their prospects and clients. “The benefits of our achievement may not be immediately apparent to our clients, but we now have access to specialist technical support at the heart of Microsoft to help with client problems. This ensures we can address issues more quickly and more efficiently, to deliver more effective resolutions, typically without our clients being aware. “Growth of our business is reflected by the growing demand for infrastructure, software as a service (SaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS) solutions built on Microsoft Azure. And this achievement further demonstrates our commitment to help organisations of every size leverage the cloud to achieve competitive advantage. “This is just the latest in a number of competencies from Microsoft that reflect our ongoing commitment to keeping the skills and capabilities of our people ahead of the digital transformation wave.” Microsoft UK‘s Chris Howell said: “Quiss has achieved this competency by demonstrating the levels of spend, skill, knowledge and customer endorsement we are seeking, to confirm they understand the aims of our business, whilst delivering what they say they will for each client. “These competencies are based on a combination of service and sales, rather than the size of the business and number of qualified employees. Optimising its capabilities and demonstrating its deep knowledge of Microsoft and its products, Quiss is strengthening its partnership with us and these accreditations show prospects and clients alike that they are a trusted partner.”

Talk About IT | 21

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clients in the spotlight In this feature, we take a look at one of our clients and the work they do, thanks in part to the support of our IT services.

Quiss Technology has developed an unrivalled reputation for delivering high-quality managed IT support, with particular expertise in the legal and pharmaceutical sector, but not all our clients are so easy to pigeon-hole. Hawkins, a business we have supported for many years, is a wellestablished and internationally respected firm of consulting engineers and forensic scientists - when things go wrong in the world, they are often the firm called in to investigate Their work covers the full range of losses, including fires, explosions, road traffic accidents, personal injuries, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, power generation, marine and contamination issues. The firm has been headquartered in Cambridge for more than 30 years, but has satellite UK offices in Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester and Reigate. International offices can be found in Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore to ensure Hawkins can deliver a truly global service to its clients. Hawkins has an ever-increasing number of experts, with over 85 engineers and scientists at the time of writing. All are highly-regarded and cover many disciplines, to ensure Hawkins provides a wide range of forensic investigation services, with a proven track-record of taking investigations from the initial scene right through to court representation if required.

Experience of fires and explosions, metallurgical and process knowledge, failures of civil engineering structures, road traffic collisions and paint spillage patterns, offers insight into the hugely diverse nature of matters Hawkins are required to investigate, for claims in the thousands to major losses of tens of millions of pounds. When called, a forensic investigator is appointed to determine what happened, why it happened and in what sequence. Typically, Hawkins will ultimately work for insurance companies, often acting through intermediaries like Loss Adjusters and Solicitors, but in recent years, large corporate clients and public bodies, have sought their help. As you might expect, most of the work is to determine who is responsible for the loss or damage, which ensures the Hawkins team has good knowledge of typical policy cover. The information contained within their investigations, assists clients with decisions related to: Policy liability, Breach of warranties, Breach of Policy conditions and Recovery. The word unique is overused, but when it comes to the investigations undertaken by Hawkins, no two are ever the same and everyone is tailored exactly

to the circumstances and the client’s needs, even if it’s just a preliminary investigation to get a flavour of where it might progress. It is only by establishing the facts clearly and precisely that businesses can make informed decisions about how best to recover from an accident or failure and how to stop it happening again, which is where Hawkins can help. Hopefully, from this brief overview of the work undertaken by one of our longest-standing clients, you know who to get in touch with when something goes seriously wrong. And remember to tell them who sent you.

Summary of Services Hawkins is a firm of consulting engineers and forensic scientists who investigate a huge range of matters relating to loss or damage, for insurance firms, loss adjusters, law firms and commercial clients. Service include: • • • • • •

Full investigation and report Litigation support Giving evidence in court Forensic Preview Claims validation service General advice

Hawkins offer a rapid response, an early verbal report from site, rapid written appraisals (usually within 72 hours of a site visit) and free telephone advice, if you are not sure if they can help.

If you would like to be our client in the spotlight, contact Tracy Armstrong at tracy.armstrong@quiss.co.uk Talk About IT | 23

The Fabulous Baker Boys Like many businesses across the UK, the Quiss offices exuded the intoxicating aroma of coffee, tea, cake and savouries as we hosted our own big coffee morning in support of Macmillan.

L to R Matt Rhodes

and Andy Michae

Thanks to the popularity of the Great British Bake Off, there was no shortage of bakers, ready to lay their creativity and cake-baking skills on the line. We had 32 entries, most of which were delicious, sugary, chocolatey, fruity concoctions designed to delight and fatten in equal measure!

Rhodes and the scrumptious sausage rolls made by none other than our own Managing Director, Andy Michael. Our own fabulous baker boys.

However, the winning entries as voted for in a blind taste test (to remove any bias), were the homemade scotch eggs of Commercial Services Manager, Matt

Our event raised over £100 which now forms a small part of the more than £15 million so far raised by Macmillan. A great effort by everyone.

Quiss incorporated in US When one of our key UK clients was struggling with IT service provision at its US headquarters, in Pennsylvania, we were happy to step in and show a little of what UK customer service has to offer. With our large support and helpdesk resources in the UK providing a high level of support to the firm’s UK pharmaceutical operation, we discussed the possibilities of Quiss providing support in the US. Of course, this meant incorporating in the US and employing our own team of US residents to provide the on-site support the business needs to ensure all its IT users can work effectively and productively. The time difference offers some overlap with our support teams in the UK, but allows each to offer out-of-hours support for each other. And as feedback in the early months has been nothing but positive, we are looking to grow our team and interests in North America.

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Our vast experience in the UK legal sector, stands us in good stead to expand our client base into the pharmaceutical industry. There is a great deal of rigour around networks and systems, thanks to governance and compliance issues, with data security and confidentiality of equal importance to this burgeoning business. Pennsylvania is a centre for the US pharmaceutical industry, much like the Midlands, where our UK-based clients are located. But after several trips to the state, with its cold winters and hot, humid summers to organise incorporation paperwork, bank accounts and to interview staff, we have to admit that is where the similarity ends.

Quiss clearly a better choice for Crystal A small but ambitious business, Crystal Payroll Ltd (CPL) offers a number of services including payroll and workplace pensions administration, taking away the headache of real-time reporting and auto-enrolment for organisations of every size that understand the benefits of outsourcing. A fellow member of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, CPL is moving to Microsoft Office 365 and adopting Cloud services, with support for the firm’s users

from our 58-strong team of helpdesk analysts, field service engineers and network specialists.

Quiss sales executive Rob Wheeler commented: “From the first meeting, I was confident we would deliver a more robust, proactive and reliable IT support service, which given Crystal’s focus on delivering a high-quality service to its clients, was critical.

“It took a little while to straighten out their existing system, but it’s good now and with unlimited support from our helpdesk, Crystal can grow as expected, confident their IT will expand with them and offer the greater flexibility they need.”

Rob Wheeler Sales Executive

Move lots of data fast with Azure ExpressRoute We recently worked with a client who had committed fully to the cloud, but was suffering a poor service as data transfer to and from the data centre was slow – hence the call to Quiss. Amongst a host of changes made, we suggested installing a new Gigabit leased line, with an Azure ExpressRoute connection, direct from the client’s office to the Azure data centre in London, importantly a relatively short distance.

1000Mbps gets you...

ExpressRoute connections offer more reliability, faster speeds and lower latencies than typical Internet connections, with the improvement in performance typically outweighing the costs. Gigabit connections move data at a speed much faster than you would typically have been used to. It’s up to 1000 Megabits per second (Mbps), download and upload – a critical difference when comparing the

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speeds to more usual broadband connections. The cost for these super-fast, highcapacity connections is coming down, putting them within reach of most businesses now and some service providers are now providing Gigabit connections available for those with seriously large amounts of data to move. Interested? Get in touch with terry.faria@quiss.co.uk

IN 3 SECONDS Talk About IT | 25

Case Study: Tanner Pharma Group makes its move

Founded in 2001, Tanner Pharma Group provides highly specialised pharmaceutical services to its partners around the world, from its headquarters in the U.S. and offices in London, Switzerland, São Paulo and Mexico City.

Tanner are chosen by the world’s leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies to help them license and commercialise their products in challenging international markets, develop and manage Global Access Programmes and source comparator drugs for clinical trials and bioanalysis. By partnering with Tanner, manufacturers can focus on their primary markets and strategies, while ensuring the services they need follow a strictly controlled protocol of quality.

Growth brings a headache Setting up its first UK office, Tanner Pharma UK approached Quiss for support in 2015, recognising our experience in providing managed IT services for clients in the highly regulated Pharmaceutical sector.

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Although the initial requirement was for just 2 users, typically below our threshold for the suggested hosted desktop solution, we understood the firm’s growth potential in the UK and managed the solution from our hosting centre in Tamworth. Growth for Tanner UK has been rapid and the decision was made in 2016 to re-locate to a bigger office space in a more rural location, in keeping with the firm’s desire to create a better working environment for its growing team. The rural location offered the room Tanner needed, with space for more than 60 users in the listed barn development chosen as its UK

base, but came with a connectivity headache for its IT services.

Leased line takes time The move to the new office could only be made once a robust and reliable broadband connection was installed. Our recommendation was a new leased line, which would deliver the necessary capacity, but meant a lot of underground ductwork to carry the new cables; one fibre and one copper back-up. Fortunately, we have years of experience dealing with such issues and could advise on the likely timetable and plan the steps, which usually runs to months, not weeks.

I look forward to working with Quiss as we grow our operation in the UK and beyond, confident in the knowledge that whatever we throw at them, they will find the right solution.

Plan well in advance if thinking rural. The new lines, offered the connectivity and capacity for us to recommend a hosted telephony solution as part of the new IT system and infrastructure. The feature-rich system would help collaboration across Tanner’s offices and improve communication with clients. Although situated in St. Albans, only a stone’s throw from central London by U.S. standards, the hosted solution meant Tanner could have more recognisable London phone numbers to save any confusion for international callers.

Prepare for moving day Once we had access to the new offices with its newly installed fibre connection, we could prepare for Tanner’s rapidly growing team to move in. We began with the installation of a full data infrastructure, utilising a wired network, with HP switches to ensure fast connections for all users,

allowing them to optimise their use of Skype for Business and other data hungry applications. To allow users to roam the office and even work outside, weather permitting, we installed new WiFi across the site, which is also accessible by guests. Given the need for security and confidentiality in much of what Tanner do, the WiFi and entire IT system is firewalled and fully protected, as you would expect from a business with our cyber-security experience.

With power comes responsibility Unfortunately, one of the less desirable aspects of a rural location, especially those near the end of the powerline, is the problem of voltage spikes and surges in the incoming electricity supply – not recommended for sensitive IT equipment. By fitting an uninterruptable power

Quiss not only have the expertise and experience to make the office move run smoothly, with new infrastructure, network, WiFi and phone system all implemented on time, but understand the pharmaceutical sector and all its vagaries.

supply (UPS), we not only smooth out the power delivery, but also allow enough time for everyone to undertake a controlled save and shut down, should the power actually go off.

Engineers on hand on site On the day of the move, the Tanner team packed up and moved into its new offices, with our engineers on hand on the move-in day to ensure everyone was able to access the new network as soon as they settled in. The move was made easier thanks to the team using its existing laptops, all set up and ready to go, rather than having to also get used to new equipment as well as the new offices. The system and infrastructure has been designed for growth, with everything in place to meet the predicted expansion of Tanner as it increases its activities globally. The same is true of the VoIP phone system implemented by Quiss, which again is easy to scale up, with new handsets easily added as new users join. A traditional hard-wired PBX phone system has neither the flexibility nor scalability of the hosted solution, which will more than prove its worth as Tanner UK grows.

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Quiss Technology plc. Claymore Tame Valley Industrial Estate Tamworth B77 5DQ Tel: 0333 222 4334 Fax: 01827 265 001 Email: enquiries@quiss.co.uk

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