Integration, Connectivity and Communications

Experience and Expertise

It is imperative that any potential I.T. Business Partner MUST:

• Possess an in-depth knowledge of the industry-standard hardware and software products available across today's Open Technology environment and an ability to integrate them.

We are very proud of our unique approach to client relationships, and for many clients we represent almost their Information Technology Division itself.

It is essential in today's Open Systems Environment, where it is not merely our Company and our clients who are directly involved in a long-term Project, that in addition to our diverse technical skills, our Project Managers and Technical Team Leaders MUST:

• Be extremely competent in co-ordinating the efforts of third-party suppliers, specialist engineers and the like. It is these skills in co-ordinating all aspects of design, implementation, documentation, trialing, training and monitoring which is the hallmark of our successful integration, connectivity and all-round project management methodology.
• Be able to advise our clients on how latest technology can be effectively integrated into their own host operational environment, and with the world with which it communicates.

If we are to be a Business Partner within a clients Information Technology Division, or indeed act as the client’s ‘de facto’ I.T. Division, we need to have knowledge of the main industry products as well as our own, their suppliers, AND the LONG-TERM-PROVEN skill set and methodology to integrate them.

These are the appropriate credentials to meet these criteria:

Stability

• established in 1984
• we survived the 1987 crash
• we survived the dotcom bubble
• we'll survive the current recession

Experienced Staff

• operations
• business management
• programming
• business & I. T. consultancy
• analysis
• research and development
• project management
• facilities management

Institutional Experience

• We provide full Information Technology direction strategy for many leading corporates, both with our products and our facilities management/consultancy services;
• We employ some of the best qualified and experienced Information Technology personnel in New Zealand;
• We are the pioneers of Computational Intelligence in this part of the world, and this is a computational science which is becoming the most talked-about and acknowledged direction for Information Technology in the future.

Capability

• proven technical expertise across all platforms
• proven project and facilities management methodology
• appointment of dedicated project manager appointment of dedicated technical team leader and facilities manager
• team co-ordination - us, client, third parties
• steering committee management
• detailed system specification as appropriate
• strict trialing procedures as appropriate
• standard and tailored operations and application training as appropriate
• full procedural documentation and escalation procedure

Integration and Flexibility

• in the open systems architecture environment it is essential that:
  • we have the cross platform skills
  • the working interface with the suppliers
• all of those suppliers state that their products are prepared for the systems environment; the reality is that:
  • special expertise is required to integrate the system
  • co-ordinate the technical resources of those suppliers
  • and provide facilities management services to the environment in which they operate
• we have that special expertise - not just the technical skills, but mature experienced project management of the most complex systems
• we need to be aware and able to implement latest technology:
  • standard networking
  • complex communications and connectivity tools
  • high performance 4GL database engines
  • all major open systems operating systems
  • Neural Networks, Computational Intelligence and Hybrid Systems

Summary

There are many components needing to be integrated, interfaced and connected in a computer system these days. They include:

• Application Software
• Operating System Software
• Network Software
• Network Hardware
• Telecommunications Software
• PC Hardware
• Web-Sites and Interfaces
• Internet Access

The expertise in co-ordinating the diverse technical skills and technologies involved in the total system is as complex as the diverse technologies themselves.

Infomace International has that expertise…proven…and in depth.

Infomace has always recognised the high importance and value of thorough Project Management and Control.

The very first step we recommend be taken from the outset of any relationship with a prospective client is:

TO WORK WITH THE CLIENT’S STEERING MANAGEMENT TEAM TO PREPARE A FULL MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT OF HOW THE PROJECT AND/OR OVERALL RELATIONSHIP IS TO BE CONTROLLED, MONITORED AND EVALUATED

At the first full meeting after a decision to proceed has been made, (or even before), responsibilities would be assigned and a "Memorandum of Agreement" prepared as follows:

• Client to confirm which of their operational personnel are available to the Infomace Project Team for consultation and analysis, together with their ‘formal’ responsibilities to the Project.
• Infomace International to confirm which of their management and technical personnel are to be assigned to the Project, their expertise and experience for the tasks ahead, and their suitability to meet the objectives and timetable.
• Joint identification of all third party systems and companies with whom we need to connect or integrate, their significant management and technical representatives, and any recognised needed representation on the Steering Committee.

• be signed off at this Project “Steering Group Level”
• include all financial costs and cash flow details
• identify scope of Project environment
• identify objectives of Project
• identify ALL personnel from the client, Infomace and Third Party Organisations who would be involved in the Project, their responsibilities, line-management; and escalation structures
• identify required time-table for the necessary project stages:
  • features specification
  • prototyping (if appropriate)
  • development phases
  • training
  • trialing
  • implementation and integration mode and stages
  • monitoring
  • communications details and staged connectivity plans
• confirm the Steering Group as the ultimate responsible body for any changes to Project Costs, Objectives and Project Management, as well as resolving any conflict which may arise.