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Outsourcing some or all of your IT service requirements is a great way to improve focus on core business operations, benefit from reduced costs and access to more powerful, more capable technology on-demand. 

But, how do your shop for an Outsourced IT provider? Do you compile a list from google, send through an email requesting the price,then choose the most economical provider? Because they are all the same, all they do is fix IT issues, right? 

WRONG. 

Looking for that X factor which sets your company apart from the competition? Chances are, it can be found in software and that’s why you should be thinking about your company’s next application.

Think of the by-now usual suspects: Uber, Airbnb, Facebook, Amazon. These companies have revolutionised industries which were once unassailable fortresses, protected by regulation or high cost of entry.

How did they do it?

There’s good reason for analysts putting growth in the business intelligence market in double figures and surging to a value of over US$29 billion by 2020: it delivers real value to an increasingly broad cross section of businesses (in fact, Forbes says small businesses have the highest rate of BI adoption in 2018!) But just precisely what can Microsoft’s contender, Power BI, do for your company? Check out these five common problems that this powerful solution can address.

Computers, Technology and how systems work have always been one of Cameron's passion. Starting his career in 2014, as a graduate systems engineer, Cameron has risen through the ranks to become Lancom's Technical Team Leader, responsible for scoping, and delivering complex projects.

We interviewed Cameron to find out his highlights building a career in Technology, and his recommendations for those getting started.

Joining Lancom as a Graduate Systems Engineer, Jacques quickly realised he was made for Software Development. When we had an opening for a Full Stack Junior Developer, Jacques was quick to apply. Showing an outstanding result, he moved to become one of Lancom's Software Developers.

It’s probably one of the most exciting additions to Microsoft’s stable of offerings since Office 365 came out, but what can Power BI do for your business? Before getting to that pressing question, let’s have a quick look at what it has done for some other companies.

Nikita is Lancom's first female engineer! We discussed what a career in tech looks like for her, why she chose Lancom, and the highlights of working in the Technology industry.

If you’ve heard of Power BI, there are probably two pressing questions you have: One: what exactly is it? and two: Is it suitable for my business?

To the first question. Power BI is a cloud-based business analytics service from Microsoft. It enables anyone to visualise and analyse data with greater speed, efficiency and understanding. It connects users to a broad range of data through easy-to-use dashboards, interactive reports, and visualisations that bring data to life. This is Microsoft’s official definition, by the way.

Let’s move on then, to the reasons why this powerful tool set could be ideal in your business.

It doesn't matter if your business is the smallest of the SME's or the largest of the Enterprises; defining what is core to you is the first step in understanding what should be important to your team, your customers, and your overall business personality.

You probably understand the importance of having something on paper that proves your business identity, and what your team stands for. But, are you living by this?

Let's be honest: with busy days come pressure to focus on operational related matters, and things like "culture" and "values" become second priority.

This is where we were at the beginning of 2018, when we decided that, in order to move ahead, we needed to stop and re-evaluate our vision. 

This article attempts to lay out some of the learnings we acquired during this process.

Kevin first joined Lancom in 2005 as a Systems engineer, but we knew he was made for relationship management! In his first 7 years at Lancom he helped us solidify our Managed Services practice, and grow our customer base through building solid solutions for New Zealand SMEs.

Seven years later, Kevin re-joined Lancom as a Sales Director, after working for organisations such as Spark & Dimension Data. We chatted to Kevin about his career aspirations, and the motivation to return to Lancom.