IT Solutions Professional Services: Moving from Strategy to Execution

One of the most important aspects of service that differentiates IT Solutions from other IT firms is its assignment of specific activities to expert teams who specialize in one “lane” of service. One of these is the Professional Services team. Members of this team work closely with the IT Solutions Strategy team, which sets up our clients’ Five-Year Road Maps. The Professional Services team implements the improvements that IT Solutions plans for its clients.

Core services it performs include: 

• Infrastructure replacement
• Moving services
• Cloud migrations and server upgrades
• Custom app development and support

Steps in the overall process, from planning to completion, include: 

1. Based on available information, develop a cost estimate. If the client finds it acceptable, start planning.
2. With the estimate approved, perform a deeper dive and provide a formal cost estimate regarding the team’s expectation of scope and difficulty.
3. Upon client approval, move into the implementation phase, with close coordination between the team lead and all the technicians.
4. Communicate with the Strategic Advisor and the Strategy team to confirm the plan was executed as desired.
5. Perform the cutover and initial support. In the case of a migration or move, these activities are performed onsite.
6. Hand off support to the help desk.

Moving Services: Excellence in Action 

Following is an example of how a typical move project might transpire. Whether an ITS client is moving into a different office suite in their building or from Philadelphia to Scranton, Professional Services plays an important role. Their planning process is thoughtful and considered, and they may start working on the evaluation up to six months before the move. Six months is the optimal lead time to ensure the superior service IT Solutions likes to provide its clients.

The first step is to ask a series of questions that help them define the project. These questions are not technical, but rather tactical. They include “When is your lease up?” “Does your new space have Internet provided? Is it on now?” “Will you have a dedicated power source, or will you be sharing with other building occupants?” Professional Services also conducts a physical inspection — a walkthrough of the server room, communications closet or whatever dedicated space will house the infrastructure.

A Deeper Dive into Professional Services 

Let’s take a brief look at two of services they provide:

Critical Planning  

For all of its activities, Professional Services expends at least 25% of the effort planning at a high level. That may sound like a lot for a team tasked with executing moves and improvements, but careful planning can eliminate the need for extensive troubleshooting after implementation.

Technology Evaluation 

Although not tasked with trialing new technologies, the Professional Services team is responsible for evaluating the technology stack planned for deployment. That work gives them insight into the solutions and devices that are preferred as best practice. They also know (and make recommendations regarding) when equipment such as a wireless access point (WAP) should be removed from consideration — perhaps due to the underlying technology not being upgraded often enough by the manufacturer.

Essentially, if a project is important enough to be on the Road Map, there is good chance Professional Services will be involved.