Case Study:
Josolyne & Co. Chartered Accountants & Business Advisers
Josolyne & Co are Chartered Accountants & Business Advisors who offer a formidable range of expertise and experience.
As Josolyne’s commercial imperative is to increase the net financial worth of its clients, a sharp business focus is paramount to their success. In recent years financial management has become increasingly dependant on software and internet applications.
The Business Challenge
Therefore Josolyne’s, as a leading edge accountancy firm, faced the business challenge between the need for robust IT management and support versus the costs of building IT infrastructures and skills.
Originally the firm relied on internal resources to provide IT and co-ordinate fault resolution. However, as applications became more integrated into their business, the need for a greater range of skills in software, networking and hardware became apparent. This need coincided with the growth in internet provision, third party software management and more integrated IT security.
Josolyne recognised they needed more specialism in IT. They faced a business decision of either growing the needed skill set internally or outsource the requirement.(for other business challenge see)
The Solution
Initially Josolyne’s experience of Cara was from buying in hardware and this was extended when Cara tendered and subsequently won a structured cabling contract.
It was the smooth delivery and professional implementation of this contract that impressed Josolyne’s management team. There was very little disruption to the business operation despite this being a large and intrusive project.
When Josolyne’s decided to outsource their IT requirements, Cara was approached and an annual contract, which covers IT management, was negotiated including parts, labour and monitoring.
This has now led to Cara being the first line of response for IT help and for help with third party software suppliers.
The Result
The fast response Cara provided was equal to the previous in-house service, plus many faults were being recognised and resolved before Josolyne staff became involved.
Cara are very flexible and know how Josolyne’s business operates, so they know when and where to perform maintenance and upgrades.
The Benefits
The initial benefit was one that all accountants like, the predictability of the IT cost and annual budget needed.
The company has made savings in the indirect costs of training, developing and recruiting IT people. Plus, they do not have to invest in internal IT staff being kept abreast of legislation, IT health and safety or IT industry best practice, as it’s all included in the expertise they receive from Cara.
The Future
Cara keep Josolyne’s well informed of the developments in IT; the potential risks and benefits of new emerging technologies; and business software.
“Cara meets the customer’s needs not their own,” says Ken McAulay, Senior Partner of Josolyne & Co, “So I know that if work needs doing it will have little impact on the business.”
“Josolyne & Co is a super client,” says Andrew Rosamond, Sales Director of Cara, “because they exploit our knowledge of IT to improve their business and we exploit their knowledge of business to improve our IT offering”.