Articles 2007
Christmas Daddies Telethon a Huge Success Again This Year
$108,435 was raised via the online website
December 02, 2007 Halifax, Nova Scotia
This year's Christmas Daddies Telethon raised $874,370 for needy children across the Maritime Provinces. The funds raised go towards toys, gifts and necessities such as clothing, and are distributed by the Salvation Army.
$108,435 was raised via the online website designed by Nicom IT Solutions, $14,809 before the show even aired! This is the seventh year that Nicom IT Solutions has participated. The website, completely redesigned in 2006, can be reached at www.christmasdaddies.org, and will be accepting donations throughtout the holiday season.
“The Christmas season has begun in fine Maritime spirit,” says Steve Murphy, host of the mainland Nova Scotia telethon. “It's inspiring and humbling to be part of a community that does so much to help its members, especially at this time of the year.”
Nicom IT Solutions is indeed proud to be part of this great cause.
TopNicom IT Solutions Joins Prestigious Microsoft Club
November 26, 2007 Halifax, Nova Scotia
Just months after achieving Gold Partner status with Microsoft, Nicom IT Solutions has been inducted in Microsoft's Partner Excellence program, a unique organization of only 60 companies in Canada.
To become a member, Nicom had to achieve four or more solutions competencies within the Microsoft Partner Program. Microsoft Competencies are designed to help differentiate a technology partner's capabilities with specific Microsoft-based technologies to customers looking for a particular type of solution.
“Customers expect professional services firms to maintain a high level of certification and competency”, says David Nicholson, Partner at Nicom. “Maintaining our membership in the Partner Excellence program requires us to ensure we do those things that provide that degree of professionalism. It puts us in the big leagues”.
Each competency has a unique set of requirements and benefits, formulated to accurately represent the specific skills and services that technology partners bring to the industry. Nicom qualified under Business Process and Integration, Data Management, Networking, and Mobility Solutions.
In addition, Nicom was certified with the “Microsoft Small Business Specialist” designation, in recognition of its training and proven expertise in building solutions for small businesses.
“Microsoft competencies define areas of specialization and better position a technology partner's unique skills to customers”, says Lora Gernon, Director of Partner Group at Microsoft Canada. “Members in this program have taken great advantage of the valuable training and business development resources Microsoft offers and are recognized by Microsoft for their exceptional accomplishments”.
TopNicom IT Solutions is Gold Certified
July 12 , 2007 Halifax, Nova Scotia
Nicom IT Solutions has hit Gold. The Halifax IT professional services firm has recently been awarded Microsoft's highest certification level, which means they have exceeded standards for training, proof of competency, and customer satisfaction.
"All Microsoft Gold Certified Partners are held to the same customer satisfaction standards that Microsoft sets for its own services. Customers can safely leave their worries at the door when turning to these companies," said Rosa Garcia, General Manager of the Partner Programs Group at Microsoft.
"Today, Microsoft proudly recognizes Nicom IT Solutions for exceeding these rigorous customer satisfaction and staffing certification requirements and welcomes it as a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.".
"This will enable us to take it to the next level in terms of meeting customer requirements," states David Nicholson, Nicom IT Partner in charge of service delivery. "It gives us greater access to training, technical support, early access to Microsoft products and peer-networking opportunities.".
"Gold Certification allows us greater capabilities for providing end-to-end solutions for our customers. Nicom IT is certainly proud to belong to this exclusive club."
TopNicom IT Participates in CIPS Informatics 2007 Executive Roundtable
May 31, 2008 Halifax, Nova Scotia
Deal or no deal: Bringing business users on board the IT team
CIOs have recognized the need to align their projects with the bottom-line objectives of their employers, but it requires fostering a new kind of relationship with leaders across the enterprise. In a roundtable discussion, industry veterans, including Pat d'Entremont and David Nicholson of Nicom IT, discussed how they bring out the cooperation, the creativity, and the passion that lead to operational success.
Pat and Dave talked about client engagements from a consulting services perspective. Their presentation focused on methodologies and techniques that Nicom IT uses to ensure proper communication takes place between supplier and customer.
Pat and Dave are both long-time supporters of CIPS, and both hold the CIPS Information Systems Professional (ISP) designation.
Informatics 2007 Executive Roundtable Panel Discussion
From left to right:
Ivan Toner, CIO, xwave;
Stephen Lund, President, Nova Scotia Business Inc.;
Andrew Morrisey I.S.P., Vice-President IT, Allstream;
Robert Martineau, Regional Vice-President Professional Services, Allstream;
Pat d'Entremont I.S.P., Partner, Nicom IT Solutions;
David Nicholson I.S.P., Partner, Nicom IT Solutions.
Cream and sugar dispenser adds Windows Vista to the mix
March 1 , 2007 philadelphia, pennsylvania
By Vawn Himmelsbach
Deal or no deal: Bringing business users on board the IT team
When buying a Tim Horton's' coffee, most people don't consider the technology behind their "double-double." But for SureShot Dispensing, which makes dispensers for cream, sugar and flavoured syrups, keeping up-to-date with the latest technology gives it a competitive edge.
The company offers a line of SureShot Dispensing Systems to provide consistency in the amount of cream and sugar that goes into each cup of coffee. The equipment is now used by coffee shops around the world, including Starbucks.
SureShot Dispensing took part in Microsoft's Technology Adoption Program to test the beta version of Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista, before it became publicly available. The company ran the beta version for three to four months before deploying the current version of the OS.
"We wanted a chance to get it on the network and do a little trouble-shooting beforehand," said Dan Foran, director of accounting with SureShot Dispensing, headquartered in Lower Sackville, near Halifax.
"We have a specific ERP/CRM package and I was worried about compatibility," he said. "We got it on the network and it just worked - I was expecting a bit of a fight, downloading drivers and chasing my tail.".
The business, which is a Microsoft shop, has grown dramatically over the past few years. "One of the things they're trying to do is standardize," said David Nicholson, a partner with Nicom IT Solutions in Halifax, the Microsoft partner that helped facilitate the upgrade. "It's something we've been talking quite a bit about, whether it's the version of Office or the operating system being run.".
But if you're going to standardize, he said, it makes sense to standardize on something that's current rather than on older technology. "That standardization hasn't totally happened yet but the experience that we went through with Vista will make that standardization decision a lot easier now.".
But the biggest selling point of Vista was its security features. "You're able to control what's ending up on the computer," said Foran. "We have a lot of people on the road and we don't want our information getting out there.".
Within Vista, for example, Windows Security Centre alerts users when security software is out of date or when security settings should be strengthened. It also displays firewall settings and shows the status of anti-spyware software, Internet Explorer 7 security settings and user account controls, and can monitor security products from multiple companies.
What Foran really likes, though, is that it's not all that different from Windows XP. "You're not stuck doing a lot of retraining," he said. "It's different yet the same - that was an added bonus.".
For Nicom, not a lot of customers are upgrading to Vista just yet, but any new computer it installs has Vista on it. "It's really not anything to be afraid of," he said, addressing the fact that many companies resist upgrades until the next version of an operating system is released - believing at that point the bugs will be worked out.
For Foran, the advantage of being a beta tester is that the company has more expertise with Vista than anyone else in town. "We've worked through the learning curve," he said. "We've gone through the implementation already - it gives us an edge and that's what we need."
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Case Study - SureShot Dispensing System
February 16 , 2007 Halifax, Nova Scotia
SureShot® serves up enhanced innovation with Windows Vista
Customer Profile
Since 1985, A.C. Dispensing Equipment Inc. and the SureShot Dispensing Systems® (SureShot) brand has grown to become regarded as the "industry standard" for portion controlled dispensing solutions for the Quick Serve Restaurant (QSR) and coffee beverage industry. The company, based in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, has long counted on innovation as a means to help fuel growth in a fiercely competitive industry. SureShot has previously enjoyed tremendous success with implementing products from Microsoft, including Exchange, SQL Server, VPN, ISA and IIS. As part of this continuing commitment, SureShot launched a review of its technology platform. The company wanted to be sure it was offering staff a reliable and manageable computing foundation that helped them to access information on a safe and secure technology platform. Working with Microsoft® Certified Partner Nicom IT Solutions Inc., SureShot implemented the Windows Vista operating system. As a result, SureShot is already realizing productivity and security gains and is helping its remote workforce stay in touch with the company's head office.
Business Situation
With equipment in every corner of North America, SureShot dispensers help serve over two billion consumers per year via some of the largest chains in the world. Manufacturing a wide range of dispensing equipment, specific applications include cream, sugar, concentrated flavours, oils and proprietary beverages and mixes.
The company handles every aspect of the engineering, manufacturing and marketing process in-house. To help fuel that process and ensure that SureShot provides quality service to its business clients, the company invests considerably in research and development initiatives. This keeps SureShot on the cutting edge of new developments in the industry and ensures its people are constantly looking for new and better ways of doing things.
"Innovation is very important to us, and it's a key part of our business strategy. It includes everything from how we run the company to the equipment that we use, including our technology," says Ian Tramble, Vice President of Finance, A.C. Dispensing Equipment Inc. "This has helped us gain a strong competitive edge. But as a small company, we must always ensure that costs related to innovation are kept as low as possible.".
As part of this mandate, SureShot decided to reassess the viability of its technology platform. The company operates in a competitive industry, where timing and reactiveness are critical. SureShot employees need to quickly respond to customers and partners, and must make solid business decisions based on the most recent information. To address this, SureShot wanted to provide its mobile workforce a solution that would help them work seamlessly and securely from any location. Employees also needed a platform that offered them the highest levels of reliability, ensuring they could be as productive as possible.
But with limited technology budgets, SureShot needed to do this without having to invest in a range of new applications. "We're a small company and we need to use our scarce resources efficiently. Whether it's boosting our mobile capabilities, or ensuring that our staff can collaborate online, or just making sure we're not at risk for security vulnerabilities, our platform needs to do as much as possible," says Tramble.
Solution
To help evaluate its options, SureShot turned to Nicom IT Solutions, a Microsoft® Certified Partner that provides a range of technology consulting and development services. Nicom looked for ways to make SureShot's computing environment even more efficient and cost-effective. It recommended that the company implement the Windows Vista™ operating system.
"Windows Vista offers SureShot a cutting-edge platform that's at the forefront of security and reliability. We knew Windows Vista would immediately address its current business needs, but also grow with the company as its requirements became more demanding," says David Miller, Senior Consultant, Nicom.
Windows Vista addresses several critical business scenarios for SureShot. It helps employees get more done by making it easier for them to find and use information. Windows Vista also addresses growing security threats, and helps protect data in and out of office. Finally, Windows Vista provides the potential to make it easier for SureShot to easily deploy, manage, and support its corporate PCs by helping to optimize desktop infrastructure. Subsequently, Windows Vista is helping SureShot achieve a lower total cost of ownership.
SureShot was pleased with the smooth implementation process. "As soon as we loaded Vista onto our workstations we were able to print and run our usual applications without needing to tweak any of the configurations or drivers on individual desktops. This speaks volumes to how reliable and stable Vista is, and it immediately impressed us," says Dan Foran, Accounting Director.
In addition, by using Windows Vista, SureShot employees can take advantage of integration with Internet Explorer® 7 Internet browser. "With tabbed browsing, it's easier for workers to manage multiple browser windows. Internet Explorer 7 also offers employees greater control over what they want to print from a given Web page. The shrink-to-fit printing feature means users can see exactly how web pages will appear once printed and, if they choose, easily select which text on those pages they would like to print," says Jim Liptrot, Maintenance Supervisor.
"Microsoft is really on the mark when it comes to doing the right things with this new operating system. They have addressed our security concerns and included some very impressive functionality. We were impressed with the fact that it is so easy to use and works so well - it really has exceeded our expectations" says Foran.
Benefits
With Windows Vista, SureShot is realizing enhanced levels of data security, as well as major productivity and efficiency gains.
"Windows Vista offers us a lot of possibilities. We're finding new features and functions every day, and it's something we'll continue to explore. But in the areas of manageability and security we can see the possibilities for a big impact on our organization," says Tramble.
1. Reduced technology costs
Previously, SureShot had no easy way to manage its desktops, or to control what was being downloaded onto them. By working closely with Nicom and taking advantage of features in Windows Vista, such as User Account Control, the company now has the means to rein in the cost and effort associated with desktop management.
"Windows Vista makes the process of managing our technology much easier. We can better control the software that enters our computing environment. We can also quickly and easily make changes to our applications and add peripherals without requiring users to log off and delay their work. This will help save us time and effort," says Liptrot.
In addition, with Windows Vista's new imaging technology, SureShot will be able to decrease deployment costs by using a single OS image for different types of computer hardware and machines with different language requirements, helping to reduce IT costs.
2. Better access to data
Innovative features in Windows Vista are helping staff at SureShot become more productive, enabling them to quickly find critical data. Workers are also impressed with the revamped user interface of Windows Vista. Its intuitive, user-friendly design helps them quickly locate the functions and tools they need. They can also use new shortcuts designed to help users get more done in less time. Simply pressing the Start button and then typing a word such as Calculator or Word will start that program for you or find a specific file for you, etc. This simple feature, by itself, is proving to provide a real gain in efficiency.
"The search features in Windows Vista are impressive. Now, when staff need to find information, they don't need to go looking through a large number of files on their hard drives or e-mails in their inboxes. They simply type what they need to find into the Search box, and it pops up almost immediately. This is a feature we have come to rely on, and it means that very little end user training is required and users can get much more immediate value from the capabilities of the OS," says Liptrot.
For workers who depend on the Internet to conduct research, or who need to get a specific piece of online information quickly, the tabbed browsing features of Internet Explorer 7 helps make searching easier.
"Internet Explorer 7 is already helping people who rely heavily on Web searches in their day-to-day jobs. Everyone who uses IE7 appreciates the new tabbed searching features, and is impressed with how it's helping them do their jobs," says Miller. "In addition, as users surf the Web, the new version of Internet Explorer highlights any potential phishing threats before the user can continue to view the page; it makes security easy and virtually seamless for our staff.".
3. Enhanced security and mobility
Whether it's to meet with clients, engage new leads or visit partners and stakeholders, a sizeable portion of SureShot's workforce often work away from the office. The company wanted to ensure that its computing platform offered optimal levels of security, so that sensitive data couldn't be easily leaked, lost or stolen. Data protection features within Windows Vista, such as the BitLocker Drive Encryption ensures data residing in a laptop cannot be accessed in the event of theft.
"The security features of Window Vista are very appealing to our company. We have found it to be the most secure and reliable Microsoft operating system to date, helping us ensure that we can work the way we want to," says Liptrot.
TopEnhanced microsoft certified partner status
February 7 , 2007 Halifax, Nova Scotia
Nicom IT Solutions has enhanced its Microsoft Certified Partner status for 2007 with two competencies instead of just one! With the Networking Infrastructure Solutions Competency (a certification in implementing servers for businesses) and the Business Process and Integration Solutions Competency (a certification in system integration and software development), Nicom IT distinguishes itself by earning recognition from Microsoft as being a highly qualified expert in computing technologies.
By attaining Microsoft Certified Partner status, Nicom IT has clearly demonstrated excellence in implementing various Microsoft technologies, such as:
- Small Business Servers,
- Web Servers,
- Exchange e-mail servers, and
- SharePoint portal servers
The status level of certified partners is determined by acquiring a specified number of points in the Microsoft Partner Program. Points can be attained through customer references, employing Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCP), and learning new competencies goals.
Renewed annually, the certified partner status reaffirms Nicom IT as a highly professional organization, well-versed in these technologies. Taking the time to analyze its customer's current IT strategy, Nicom IT will make a recommendation based on current developments while thinking about scalability, flexibility, and portability early and often.
Customers can expect a successful implementation of a Microsoft product from certified partners as a part of their business solution. Certification means an organization is dedicated to its industry and stays current with new technologies.
Nicom IT Solutions can provide its customers with the best IT solution for their business. Its commitment to certification is a clear indication that Nicom IT Solutions is dedicated to customer satisfaction.
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