Technology Solutions

Citation Consulting has been providing Information Technology solutions to our customers for more than 20 years. Consultation and analysis with our customers allows us to design, create, and deploy an ensemble of hardware and software that will enable our customers to better manage and grow their business. Good information is key to having the ability to deliver products and services to customers and Citation Consulting can help create the strategies that will allow our customers to out perform their competition.

We can provide solutions that cover all aspects of the information and data that businesses need to analyze in order to better understand and improve their business performance. The right combination of hardware, software, and implementation services can produce the kind of IT results that businesses can use to excel.

Contact us to see how we can develop an effective IT solution that will allow your business to stay ahead of the competition.

Here are some of the technologies and services we can implement for your business

Servers and Data Storage

The heart of any business is the information and data that defines and measures how the business operates. That data needs to be housed somewhere and on-premise servers are generally the primary repository for a company's critical data.

Servers and Storage:	- Windows Active Directory File and Print servers for data storage and management of network printers
	- Storage Arrays for when your data sets grow beyond the internal capacity of your server's internal storage
	- E-mail servers - Microsoft Exchange or other mail server systems
	- Database servers - for hosting SQL, Oracle, MySQL, Postgress or any number of other databases
	- Application servers - designed for the specific requirements of hosting Accounting, data management, or other applications
	- Web servers - servers for hosting corporate web sites or web based applications
A careful analysis of the type of data that your organization needs to house and process along with how users will interact with that data will allow us to design the server and storage systems to properly house your important data.

Network Infrastructure

Corporate Data is only useful if you can get it quickly and efficiently to your company users. We can provide integrated solutions to quickly and securely get data to your internal company users as well as to and from your suppliers and customers.

Network Infrastructure:	- High capacity network switches that incorporate copper and fiber connectivity at speeds up to 40 Gigabits and PoE network power to power high tech devices on your network.
	- Routers and Internet WAN connectivity devices.
	- Fire walls and VPN access points to keep intruders out while allowing employees to access the network securely from anywhere in the world.
	- Wireless solutions that can provide high-speed network connectivity to employees and customers who need to move around within your office.
Network connectivity can take many forms in the current business environment and we can often provide connectivity solutions that customers may not even be aware of that will improve business efficiency

Desktops and Workstations

For Employees to be most productive it is crucial to provide them with the tools and resources they need to most effectively get their mission accomplished. With this in mind we can evaluate the business requirements of different types of users and design computer solutions that will provide maximum usefullness across a broad spectrum of users types.

Computers and Devices:	- Desktop computers for business users who may have a wide spectrum of application requirements
	- CAD workstations for engineering users and manufacturing systems.
	- Laptops and Docking Stations for users who need to work as effectively in the office as well as outside of the office. The ability to transition from office to home to customer environments is crucial for many employees.
	- Mobile Devices for users who are on the go. Tablets, Smartphones, and even IoT devices are important tools for employees who work primarily in the field rather than the office.
Understanding the needs of a variety of user types allows up to select and implement technology solutions at the user level that are both robust and effective while working to maintain cost control to keep overall cost manageable. Matching the needs of a user to the level of computing power necessary for that user without just throwing a lot of expensive technology at the problem will help keep costs manageable while still providing the necessary computing power.

Printers and Scanners

While we are still moving toward the ideal of a paperless world there is still a strong need for producing and processing paper documents. This can take to form of both printing and scanning and processing paper documents. Determining the type and volume of paper documents that need to be produced and processed is key to selecting the proper devices for the task at hand.

Printing and Scanning:	- Network connected printers and copiers are an important part of producing documents that represent your organization and convey business information to your customers and suppliers. These are usually the workhorse printers that have extended features beyond just printing and server large groups of users. These are often used as the high volume scanners that can take printed documents and turn them into easily handled and managed electronically-stored versions of paper data.
	- Personal printers can have a wide variety of special uses. This gives each user the ability to quickly and easily have document printing and even scanning at their fingertips for quick and efficient document creating and processing. These are often the printers that are used for things like check printing or high-quality photo printing for presentations or proposals.
	- Personal scanners can also be an important part of document processing. Some users may need to process a high volume of paper documents and the ability to scan the correct volume without having to leave their desk and increase efficiency and productivity.
Handling the output and input of paper documents within the business process can be key to being able to produce the desired results without unnecessarily spending more than necessary on supplies and materials. Assessing the volume of both output and input can allow us to properly select and scale the printers, copiers, and scanners that will produce the desired results.

Backup Solutions

Good backup systems are essential for maintaining and protecting business data from any number of possible catastrophic events. Events like hardware failure, accidental data loss, intentional data destruction, virus damage, and cyber attacks can all be a significant risk to a company's data. To help mitigate these risks requires a good backup system that can be used to restore data in the event of loss

Backup Solutions:	- Backup software is a key component to any backup system and selecting the proper type of backup software and protection plan is the foundation of the entire solution.
	- Backup servers - A dedicated backup server is often required in more complex environments and determining the capacity and throughput of the server will allow for completion of backup tasks within the allowable backup window.
	- Backup storage needs to be properly sized and managed in order to provide the possible recovery scenarios that may be required for different events. The storage can take the form of local server media along with rotated media or it may involve cloud or other protected storage. Often times some combination of storage can provide for the best retrieval and archival needs.
Understanding the customer's requirements for data security and retention allows us to determine the type of system and the volume of backup storage that will be necessary to meet their needs. Producing a disaster recovery plan can further enhance the ability to recover from catastrophic events in the most timely and effective manner.

Security

There are a wide variety of threats these days ranging from viruses, to hackers trying to access the network, to destructive cyber attacks that can paralyze a company. Implementing security measures is critical to helping keep these threats at bay.

Security Measures:	Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware software is important to help protect the endpoints of the network and help stop or mitigate these types of threats.
	- Fire walls that limit access to the network and provide secure VPN access can help block hacking threats.
	- Strong password and Multi Factor Authentication systems are another tool that can be utilized to help ensure that only allowed users are able to access the network and connected devices.
	- Training and user awareness of potential threats and hacking techniques is another value able tool to help limit and prevent the ability of malicious actors from harming the company IT systems.
	- E-mail protection systems that limit and control spam and potentially malicious messages are another means to help increase security and prevent unwanted risks from entering the network.
Having an understanding of the type of threats that exist and the methods that can be used to prevent threats allows us to design security solutions that can help prevent or mitigate these threats.

Cloud and Hybrid

As the landscape continues to change the locations where a company's electronic data assets exist also continues to evolve. With better internet bandwidth comes the ability to deploy solutions that can reshape the IT landscape. Certain processes and technologies are best met and managed with on-premise systems that provide the best user experience and functionality whereas other processes may be most suited to a cloud hosted environment and others may best work using a hybrid solution where part is on-premise and part is cloud hosted.

Cloud and Hybrid:	- Cloud based solutions may be a good option for those functions that may need wide geographical access or may require high-end resources that are best shared so they can be available as a service that will limit the cost impact.
	- Hybrid solutions can be an effective way to add additional functionality to an on-premise system using a low entry cost to achieve the desired goal. A new type of feature that can feed data to an existing on-premise data repository or something that might make available a limited set to self-serve data from a corporate server to end customers might be some examples of how a hybrid solution may be of value.
An analysis of the data and systems that a company currently has and some investigation into how that data might better be leveraged to provide better service to employees or customers may yield possible cloud or hybrid solutions that could enhance overall operations.

Support and Maintenance

Like every other aspects of a business, information systems require maintenance and repairs to keep the systems running optimally. The companies that we deal with have complex needs and require IT expertise that they do not have and cannot afford to maintain in-house. They are not of sufficient size and don't have enough daily needs to justify the high cost to have internal IT staff. We are able to provide the kind of high-level IT knowledge that is required to solve their occasional IT requirements at a cost that is much lower. For our customers, outsourcing their IT needs is a much more cost efficient way to obtain the hardware, software, and maintenance that will provide for a robust and effective IT solution.

Services and Maintenance:	- Consulting services - We can conduct an analysis to evaluate current information system needs with an eye toward the future and how requirements may develope and evolve over the next 5 or more years. This can identify what direction the systems need to move in and how best to get there.
	- Hardware and Software Support - We provide ongoing support for both hardware and software to ensure that IT systems are operating optimally and that maintenance and updates are performed on servers, desktops, laptops, and workstations. Ongoing support is crucial to help prevent failures that can occur when systems are neglected and not monitored. Monitoring for potential server problems and issues with daily data backups is a necessary process to ensure reliability. We are also often the frontline personnel who work with application software vendors to troubleshoot application issues.
	- Network Infrastructure - We provide support for the network infrastructure the help keep it operating normally and effectively. This includes tasks like firewall management and management of all other network components to keep them in proper condition. We can also interface with internet connectivity providers to help resolve connectivity issues.
	- Other IT infrastructure - we can also troubleshoot and maintain other devices such as printers and scanners and most other devices that are connected to the network.
If your organization is in need of IT support services please contact us to see how we can improve the performance of your IT systems, provide a better level of service to you and your employees, and make your life easier.