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An ingenious use of the internet benefits property managers
Office AnyPlace has pioneered an elegant, flexible, cost-efficient, user-friendly IT package that allows managers to do what they do best - manage. FMUK meets Nick Smith, Managing Director of Office AnyPlace
As technology moves on it does so without much discrimination; its favours seem to be dispensed haphazardly. Today, it is the turn of property managers to feel the mantle of cyber dust settle upon their enterprises.
One of the biggest headaches in the property management sector has been the cost of keeping pace with the increasing sophistication of both hardware and software. Even with all the technology available, budget control gets ever more convoluted. Added to that, the pressures of market change and strong competition mean that less management time is available to sort out the IT.
The headache...
Take a typical example, a property manager has to add another premises to his portfolio: that means adding a remote PC to the network. Significant initial investment is required, the IT team is already stretched. A local supplier could be brought in to look after the site but can you guarantee the quality of service? On another level, e-mails cannot be traced, files are not backed up and what about a disaster recovery plan?
...the prophylactic
All that is history - or it should be. Office AnyPlace has pioneered a new way of providing remote IT, keeping it secure and up-to-date as well as making costs both predictable and controllable. For a single, affordable monthly fee, Office AnyPlace provides a complete IT solution that adapts to your needs.
How it works
"The big difference is that the software you use and the files you create are kept on our central server. But you would never know it," says Office AnyPlace Managing Director, Nick Smith. "We provide a super-speed connection on the internet between your PC and our central server so that you get the impression you are working on your own PC - except that you are not. You are using our software and it is kept right up to date as the upgrades occur!"
Flexible and affordable
You get all this for a monthly fee. There is no encumbrance of a two-year contract. Each property has its own contract so that if a building is added to the portfolio a new 30-day contract is drawn up. If it is sold or being renovated, 30 days notice terminates its contract. Any change is reflected in the following month's invoice.
Managers just don't have to worry anymore. Any problems go through the help-desk and are dealt with seamlessly.
Compliance
Becoming compliant with any statutory regulations about keeping copies of all information flowing through the company is a difficult task. With Office Anyplace, managers are able to use a straightforward web interface to see what e-mails have been sent or received by local staff - even if the messages have been subsequently deleted.
Security
Office AnyPlace employs seven different antivirus engines and world-class firewalls to protect client information. All files used are immediately backed up to three different locations - the primary hub in the City of London, Clapham, and the disaster recovery site in Northampton.
If one of your buildings ever becomes inaccessible all the information can be accessed easily and quickly from another PC because all the information is retained off the premises.
For more information, contact Nick Smith at Office AnyPlace. 020 7819 0091 or
Case Study
MJ Mapp are property managers who were looking for a solution that would make the building's IT infrastructure secure and save money. Specifically, the company was worried that information might go missing when a hard disk failed or that its reputation could be damaged if viruses were sent out in their name. With buildings scattered across the country, the company was also concerned that traditional IT installations and support could absorb management time and money out of all proportion to the benefit.
MJ Mapp turned to Office AnyPlace for their expertise in managing small remote sites within a sensible budget. They found that Office AnyPlace provided the answers to all their problems, and seemed to have thought of a few more besides.
" One of the benefits we hadn't initially considered was having access to our remote employee's e-mails - and that put our clients at their ease", said Nigel Mapp, Managing Director. "But the main thing for us is that we just don't spend time thinking about IT anymore giving us the opportunity to expand and improve our core business."
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