NorthernTel building IT solutions.

Adapting to the changing marketplace is NorthernTel's IT Solutions division's most recent focus.

Known for its century-long telecommunications services in northeastern Ontario, NorthernTel and its partners Bell Nordiq, Bell Canada Enterprises, Telebec in Quebec and NorthernTel Mobility, have grown with the advancing technology that has become integral to modern-day communications.

With 25 years of Information Technology (IT) products and services invested, Northern Tel has adopted a division with a dedicated focus in response to evolving technology and its uses.

"We have built that division around our specialists in the IT field," says Greg Fandrick, general manager of the IT Solutions division. "We have people that walk the walk and talk the talk of IT language," which he says will allow them to understand the needs of their customers more efficiently.

"It is a one-stop shop for Information Systems Information Technology (ISIT) and a team of specialists that will deal directly with the customers," says Norma Hughes Howard, communications and public affairs manager.

Building upon its IT Solutions gives the company a competitive advantage of representing expertise in both the ISIT and telephony world from the same delivery organization.

Another competitive advantage arises by creating "strategic partnerships" that capitalize on the knowledge and resources of other companies such as Bell Business Solutions and Xwave. Being part of the Bell family allows NorthernTel access to Bell suppliers that perform the research and development for software application; thus, taking advantage of what is already out there instead of reinventing the wheel.

An example is the program Scoopsoft, an application designed specific to the forestry and mining sectors.

"We don't bring something to market because we have a customer, we bring it to market to make it available to the customers," says Hughes Howard.

In the past, the IT Solutions division dealt largely with corporate customers. Now, they are veering in a different direction toward small to medium-sized businesses (SMB). Fandrick says they are recognizing that smaller businesses have the same drivers as the larger corporate environments, such as security, network components, and office solutions.

"We are beginning to adapt our solutions to the SMB marketplace," he says. "Today we offer a small business turnkey solution for SMB's."

Part of the IT Solutions products and services upon which the "dedicated team" is building is the division's remote online support. Performed out of its Network Operation and Control Centre, every customer is monitored 24/7 and provided with monthly reports of the number of viruses and intrusive attempts made on their computers.

Since 85 per cent of computer breakdowns can be resolved by online support, according to Francois Chevalier, director of business development and managed services, the centre attempts to resolve the issue remotely. Using a decision matrix in co-operation with the customer helps prioritize the urgency of the call.

Their helpdesk people are trained to categorize and score and trouble not only on what the customer is saying but theenvironment where they work, Fandrick describes.

Ultimately, these strategies help minimize downtime, increase efficiency, and save money in the workplace.

As the marketplace changes its demands, NorthernTel's IT Solutions and its team of specialists will continue to build upon current resources, augmenting its services in the quickly changing world of IT.

www.northerntel.ca

By ADELLE LARMOUR

Northern Ontario Business