Tech with South Island soul
When it comes to the increasingly complex world of business tech, it is always good to know someone has got your back.
Any chief executive who’s experienced the blue screen of death before an important meeting, or café owner whose system has crashed during a busy lunch service, will know having expert IT help just a phone call away is a life saver.
And, similarly, any business owner not focused on using the wonders of 21st Century technology to improve productivity, efficiency and, ultimately, revenue, is likely now losing some ground to competitors. Running outdated software on your own server, sitting in rented office space, is likely not going to cut it nowadays.
But even navigating through the choices of different companies offering IT solutions and support can prove difficult. Where do you put your trust?
CommArc is the South Island’s second oldest IT company, with a team of around 50 staff across New Zealand, including two based in Queenstown Lakes. With its headquarters in Christchurch, it helps fill the yawning gap between local one-man-band IT support and dealing direct with the impersonal international tech giants.
“We think it is very important to have a close working relationship with our clients, to know them by name but also have the size and depth to help them at the drop of a hat and to meet their wider needs,” CommArc CEO Jonn-Paul Lambie says.
“Our clients lean on our expertise and advice, because it is a very dynamic and sometimes confusing space. There’s so much innovation, something new every five minutes, which can really help businesses succeed.
“But there are also lots of technical challenges and without the right systems and support, you can click on the wrong email, or put your credentials in somewhere, and suddenly your data is out there on the internet and you’re having an embarrassing conversation with your bank or your own clients.”
CommArc is an independent, arms-length cloud service provider - essentially an out-sourced IT department providing everything from break-fix services, to cyber security, to modern workplace migrations. That sets up businesses to take advantage of the whole ecosystem of cutting edge services you get from Microsoft, for example, at a relatively low cost.
“We’ll come and replace a laptop battery, and at the other end of the scale, we’ll also prepare your business to work in a much-more modern framework, while ensuring your data is safe,” he says.
Lambie says one of the advantages of using CommArc as a managed service provider (MSP) is that after 31 years in business in the South Island, it knows that one-size does not fit all in New Zealand. Clients range from law and accountancy firms, to manufacturing and horticulture.
“Traditional MSPs will quite often try to fit their clients inside a box - they say ‘you must take this service with this outcome, and if you don’t we’re not really interested’.
“While we have services like that, we also realise when it comes to New Zealand, the South Island and places like Queenstown Lakes, the needs of businesses are very varied. You’ve got sole traders and businesses with 2000-head counts of staff. Both important, both very different.”
On the whole, the goal is to take the stress away and give clients a positive experience, whether dealing with the “affable geeks” on the support desk, the security specialists, or the big thinkers aimed at optimising the tech for simplicity, growth and success.
And with rise of A.I. on the horizon, and all the opportunities it will offer, the need for this level of expertise and understanding is only going to increase.
“There are early adopters and products on the market that are functional and have great business applications, and it is only going to become much more usable and mainstream over the next couple of years.”
Lambie says CommArc continues to grow, merging with Queenstown Tech last year, and last month welcoming Nelson-based BlueBerryIT to the family, with its wealth of expertise in Microsoft 365 Power Apps and AI.
“Queenstown Lakes is a growth region and we’re a growth business, so we’re looking forward to working with existing and new clients as they prosper.”
Advantages of CommArc
- Expert guidance through experience
- Listening and understanding
- Solid support as well as know-how
- Uplifting not upselling
- What-if creative thinking and effective solutions
- Transparency in all areas
- Complimentary initial consultation
- Reassuringly deep talent pool
- Competitive pricing, tailored packages, standalone services
- Best-of-breed technology and product innovation
- 24/7 on-call support and well-resourced support desks
- 60mins talk-time instead of the standard 15mins
support@commarc.co.nz
0800 338 0414
www.commarc.co.nz
