Today, more than ever before, enterprise is turning to IT as an instrument to drive growth. However, IT infrastructure isn’t an end in itself; it must be optimized for its true value to emerge. Two critical disciplines in optimizing are IT Operations Management (ITOM) and IT Services Management (ITSM).
Applied intelligently, ITOM and ITSM improve enterprise visibility, modulate costs, streamline workflow, and unlock the maximum potential of IT. This phenomenon is demonstrated every day by one of the world’s leading value-added resellers of Micro Focus software – Whitlock Infrastructure Solutions.
Unrivaled Depth of Experience Whitlock Infrastructure Solutions is reinventing what it means to create and support lasting, meaningful change through IT. The company was founded in 2003 by five individuals committed to the concept of fomenting that change from the inside.
They are Jeff Jamieson, the President; Don Brafford, the CFO; Paul Almany, the VP of Technology; Bryan Thomas, VP of Managed Services; and Jim Copio, the Strategic Account Manager. Their collaboration brought together a combination of vision, sound management principles, financial management, technical knowledge, creativity, and a passion for serving others. The sheer depth of expertise that its founders brought to the table gave Whitlock the impetus to establish itself in a crowded market in a relatively short period.
This accelerated progress was aided by their common beliefs in team, integrity, and a desire to serve.
Whitlock was originally a broader value-added reseller (VAR) that dealt in networking equipment, servers, storage, and software while also providing consulting services to support those sales.
This hands-on experience with the complex everyday deployment, use, and support of IT equipment gives them an invaluable understanding of its intricacies, common problems, and the most practical solutions. It also revealed the intrinsic value of IT Operations Management.
Whitlock’s shift in focus was unprecedented at the time and the company is seen as a prescient early adopter today.
A Clear Strategy for Excellence
The Whitlock difference is born in its commitment to excellence in three key areas.
The first is Team. To become a part of the Whitlock family, candidates must display a combination of real-world knowledge that is tempered with a desire to deliver beyond the basics. Next is Service. The company has consistently differentiated itself with an unrivaled commitment to stellar customer service. Through constant review and renewal of how they track, recognize, and reward service delivery, Whitlock continues to redefine its own high standards.
The final piece of the puzzle is their ValueFirst program. ValueFirst is the company’s proprietary enhanced goal-setting exercise that precedes every project. Not content with simply asking, “What are your goals?” and, “How do you define success?”, it takes clients on a journey of true discovery. The ultimate objective is to determine the extent to which the client is committed to their goals, and the sacrifices and investments they are willing to make to get there.
Once these criteria have been ascertained, the partnership with Whitlock embodies a clear purpose that everyone involved can visualize and work towards.
To ensure that Value is not just a point in time focus for IT, Whitlock has now extended ValueFirst with ValueOps. It is a conscious appreciation of the fact that every interaction with, and every sale to a client must deliver sustained value. Whitlock has crafted custom processes to define, drive, and deliver that value.
These three strategies feed into a larger fivefold concept of ensuring that every client receives tangible value every time they partner with Whitlock.
- Workplace – An environment that fosters creativity and innovation, populated by individuals whose desire to solve problems aligns with the company’s ethos.
- Whitlock supports them by investing in their professional and personal growth.
- Thinking – A refreshing approach to client interaction inspired by the highest ethical and professional standards. It emphasizes effective listening, accountability, and results delivery.
- Performance – The Whitlock philosophy is to determine and clearly define performance standards in collaboration with the client before a project begins. It is reinforced by a clear understanding of the client’s criteria for success.
- Operations – This refers to managing the business not simply as a discrete entity but as a holistic extension of its clients and partners.
- Attitude – The combination of unbridled enthusiasm and affirmative thinking at Whitlock lay the groundwork for success. Its embrace of positivity and a passion for real, workable solutions underpin its successes and that of its clients.
Rising to the Challenge
Whitlock has carved a niche for itself through a combination of services that few other companies can replicate. However, the industry continues to throw challenges at them.
Much of this stems from the incredible pace of change in the IT industry. Not only is the technology itself evolving at hitherto unprecedented speeds, but the sheer volume of companies adopting complex IT infrastructure is staggering.
This combination of factors is fertile ground for an infinite number of permutations of IT issues. Businesses are discovering that their systems cannot keep up with DevOps, Security and Compliance, and budget pressures.
Using its revolutionary concepts of service delivery excellence and enriching them with an equally innovative goal-setting process, Whitlock has managed to redefine what ITSM and ITOM can achieve.
URL: www.whitlockis.com
