Designing A Blueprint for Proactive IT Support

When an oil and gas-focused engineering and design firm needed to absorb a new business and outsource its IT support services, it upped its relationship with CTECH Consulting Group, and achieved the competitive edge it desired.

Automated Rig Technologies (ART) Ltd.’s business was growing. As it did, the firm recognized the need to outsource its IT support to a trustworthy partner, and integrate a new business it acquired in a cost-efficient manner.

“When we first established our Edmonton office, we were spending a lot of time trying to sort out technology-related problems,” recalled Andrew Richard, Co-Owner and Project Manager, ART. “We engaged Carl Fransen and his team at CTECH Consulting Group to take over that responsibility. Because of the rapid pace our company is growing at, we’ve moved to different offices a number of times in the last few years, and each time CTECH Consulting Group has had to provide the necessary support for those moves. Specifically, they take care of moving and re-establishing our servers and networks at each new location.”

The Calgary-based firm provides engineering, design, and support for industrial clients, as well as assembling hydraulic and electric equipment for oil and gas companies. Beyond its headquarters in Calgary and its newest digs in Edmonton, ART also has an office in Nisku, Alberta, near Edmonton.

“CTECH Consulting Group does all of our IT. They’ve been supporting our company for more than three years, and they do an amazing job,” Richard said. “We came by our new office Edmonton by acquiring a division of another company. That acquisition included the staff working there. We inherited that location’s networking specialist. CTECH Consulting Group’s friendly team worked fluidly with him to get our networks up and running quickly. Throughout all of this, we had no downtime.”

The situation: A growing engineering firm in need of tactical, 24-hour IT support for its three offices and regular consultation services.

“It’s fantastic to have an IT partner like CTECH Consulting Group. Our business is primarily focused on the oil and gas industry, engineering and design, and providing products to our customers,” he said. “Our focus is not on supporting our own internal IT networks. We rely on the external advice and support structure that CTECH Consulting Group provides. It adds tremendous value to our company. For the level of 24-hour support CTECH Consulting Group provides us and at the cost we’re paying them, it’s a fraction of what it would be to maintain our own IT staff.”

The CTECH Consulting Group solution: Solidified its position as ART’s trusted IT advisor and managed service provider by advising free-of-charge on new projects, providing affordable 24-hour help-desk support, and helping integrate a new business division.

From an IT advisory perspective, Richard said ART had done its own research in terms of making certain technology-related decisions. But before they make an actual purchase, they seek Fransen’s counsel.

“He’ll explain the risk-reward factors of our proposal. That part of our relationship helps us make informed decisions. We use a lot of specialty software and applications; niche things for our industry,” he said. “He offers us the sage advice we need to help us make the right decisions. To put it simply, there’s no way I would be able to hire a guy like (Carl) and get the same types of services at the same price.”

The relationship ART enjoys with CTECH Consulting Group today is a far cry from its experiences outsourcing its IT needs with a former partner.

“We did have an IT guy previously who was our go-to for tech support but he was a one-man show. We had a fee-for-service arrangement with him, and because we were one of his smaller customers, we weren’t a top priority for him compared to some of his larger customers,” Richard said. “There was no proactive monitoring of our networks, no remote monitoring, and if we called him for assistance it sometimes took him three or four days to get to us. With CTECH Consulting Group that’s no longer the case. They’re responsive and they do provide remote and on-site support quickly.”

For more than 15 years, CTECH Consulting Group has been the leading proactive IT support and services consultancy in Calgary, proudly serving organizations across a number of industries including oil and gas, environmental studies, education and private enterprise. Let’s talk about how we can help your organization achieve its strategic goals. Call us at 403-457-1478 or email us at info@ctechgroup.com.

Written by Carl Fransen

posted on July 14, 2015

Carl Fransen

My passion is to make my mark on the world in a positive and lasting way. I want to set an example for my son that his father can compete with integrity in today’s world, be very successful, and leave the world a better place for him.

Combining my technical/business-based education with a long career steadily progressing up the corporate ladder, I decided to build a company that held true to my values. So, I founded and designed the next generation of IT support firm: CTECH Consulting Group Inc. We are a completely automated, cloud-based IT company designed to compete against any other IT firm without the overhead. We promote a lifestyle to all our staff where they can work anywhere, at any time, access any information on any device that is relevant to their job, and collaborate with anyone they want to.