P. Kalos Consulting Services

There is a big misunderstanding of what an IT Consultant should be. Most people view an IT Consultant as a highly skilled technician, but rarely as an advisor. The unavoidable focus on technical issues forces customers to ask questions such as: “Do you know the abc operating system?” or “Are you a certified engineer on xyz? However, questions such as: “How do you ensure that the systems designed remain secure and operational?” or “How do you manage change on a new data system?” are almost never asked.

Our daily tasks as IT Consultants include: keeping up with technology, choosing the right products for clients, managing complex projects and designing successful systems. However, we consider that there are other important skills that our IT Consultants should have. Our approach to the profession of IT consulting is based on these important fundamentals:

Focus on the relationship:

• Identifying who the client is and understanding the motivations, culture, history, fears and goals of both the human being and the organization represented, is the most difficult task in consulting. However, we believe our success in this task has much more bearing on the success of a project than any actual technical discipline involved.

Visualize success & be results oriented:

• Visualising a successful goal creates a common objective that all participants can agree upon and strive for together. Failure to do so results in an ever changing of expectations where the engagement never concludes. We strive to keep the project on track and prepare the client for the real-world issues of implementation and system operation.

Define the IT Consultant’s role:

• We set clear expectations with the client outlining exactly what we are there to accomplish, and what are the tasks to be performed by the consultant and by the client.

Decision-making:

• We advise - you decide. Our client-focus consulting requires vendor and solution neutrality. Even though it is a difficult task for an advisor to accept a client decision against the advice given, it is our principle that clients understand the complexities of their environment and have the final say in the decisions taken.