Undertaking a Career in the Field of the Information Technology - Assignment Example

Introduction This paper will discuss potential career path for those who intend to pursue a career in IT field. For the purpose of this assignment I have selected Bremmar Consulting Information Technology Solution Provider. Bremmar Consulting is one of the leading IT service provider companies based in Perth, Western Australia. It is a privately owned IT company founded in 2004. Besides the capital city Perth, the company also has an office in Brisbane Queensland. It offers its services to other Western Australian regions such as Broome, Bunbury, Derby, Port Headland, Kununurra and Karratha. The network of IT services provided by Bremmar Consulting is not restricted to Western Australia alone but extends across Australia as well as other countries of the world. Description of the Company Bremmar Consulting offers advanced technological services which equip the customers with the right firepower to compete in the cutthroat world of business. Bremmar Consulting is committed to help its customers accomplish their business goals by providing the best IT support and IT management. The firm takes care of every minute detail leaving the customer totally focus on his business. Bremmar Consulting is a small organization with fifteen staff members in its Perth office. The firm hires only the best engineers for its project management who are qualified Microsoft Certified Professional with a working experience of at least five years in the IT industry. The qualified team of engineers is capable of completing the project on time, within the budget allocated and to the satisfaction of the customers. It specializes in consulting, network administration, installation and repair and technical assistance. Although a small firm, Bremmar has a list of satisfied clients. It provides custom-made IT management and IT support to its customers. Bremmar appoints a three member team which efficiently monitors the client’s entire IT environment round the clock. The three members’ team provides phone, remote and on-site IT support. Incase of an emergency, the team appointed is quick to respond as per the response time agreed in the service contract. This close surveillance enables the dedicated Bremmar staff to identify any problem even before it becomes noticeable; the spot-on problem identification ensures flawless and uninterruptible operation of the working environment of the customer. The team also provides detailed report including the causes of trouble, steps taken to resolve the issue and who requested the work. Bremmar Consulting also provides the customers with qualified and skilled personnel whether it is a temporary replacement or a permanent requirement. Bremmar can provide desktop support engineers, communications engineer, server and infrastructure engineers, project managers; onsite based general IT support and administration resource and overflow support. These experts provide help to customers if they are short staffed due to sick leave, training leave or holiday leave. The customers can also request for personnel if they need short term resource. The IT Audit and Review is another useful service from Bremmar Consulting. Network security is a prime concern of this firm and it reviews the security level of the business environment. The firm not only provides an IT environment which fully supports the business plans of the customers but also helps the business to recover in case of an IT failure; it also determines the time frame of the recovery. The firm updates itself with the frequently changing technologies and consequently provides innovative and latest IT solutions to its customers. This is evident from the cloud based computing which has revolutionized the way IT works. With cloud based computing Bremmar Consulting can now provide its customers cost efficient IT services as it reduces data center facility costs. Also cloud based computing is swift, improves availability and also reduces the disaster recovery time. Using cloud computing, Bremmar Consulting performs web filtering and monitoring which improves the network security gives customers added security against threats such as malware, spyware, phishing scam and of course viruses. Culture of the Organization The employees in the office are Australian and there is an air of congeniality and efficiency in the office. The environment of the office exudes commitment and productivity. The inter office communications both formal and informal is swift and is a major factor behind the success of the company. Formal communication is important as it keeps the workers informed about the issues related to work while informal communications are necessary for developing social relations and for promoting community spirit in the organization1. The firm has advertised itself effectively on the internet. The website provides complete information about the company, its working and the services it offers. Through the website the company also encourages individuals who fulfill the qualifications and other criteria to join the company. The lowest level at which you can join the technical department of the company is that of a “support engineer”. Information about the Job and Growth Opportunities A support engineer must have at least five years of working experience in the IT industry besides being a qualified Microsoft Certified Professional. Apart from qualification, the support engineers must have a clear concept of the influence of information technology on businesses and how it is integrated into the business operations. Support engineers also deal with the staff members of the clients and for that it is necessary that they explain the IT solutions to the staff in simple but intelligent language. A support engineer is assigned to a customer and therefore it is necessary for him to understand the requirements and working of the customer’s business and how IT affects his business. If a problem occurs, the support engineer has to determine if the problem is due to an error in programming or whether it is critical and beyond his scope. While the support engineer can efficiently handle programming errors and to extent some architectural problems, the critical problems are forwarded to the IT support team. The main priority of the support engineer is to resolve any problem before it comes in the customer’s notice. The support engineer is there to provide assistance to the customer any time of the day or night. The firm also provides training to the support engineers. The support engineers are given a handsome salary package. After gaining enough experience approximately three to five years, the support engineer is promoted to the level of a Technical Manager. Or he can apply for the post of a project manager. The duties of a Project Manager are slightly different but they are related to the field of IT only. In some organizations, Technical Managers are referred to as Project Managers. At Bremmar Consulting, the Technical Manager serves as a buffer between the customer and the firm. A Technical Manager monitors the daily operation of the IT system of the customer; he keeps an update of the technical procedures and any amendments required by the customer. A Technical Manager also prepares a monthly report of the support incidents reported and the maintenance work carried out to resolve the complaints. Technical Manager is also involved in the yearly IT review and the strategic planning. The job description of a project manager varies by organization. As Bremmar Consulting is a non-profit consulting firm, the duties of a Project Manager are largely business analysis, project planning, requirement gathering, estimation of budget and ultimately development, testing and execution. They are also responsible for coordinating with other resource providers to make sure that the project gets completed within the specified time frame while remaining within the budget and without compromising on quality. The long working hours do become a problem at times because a support engineer is supposed to provide help to the customer 24/7. Conclusions Bremmar Consulting is a reliable firm which provides swift and efficient IT solutions to businesses. The firm keeps itself abreast of the modern advancement in technologies and has an intelligent, qualified and dedicated staff who make sure that the clients remain satisfied. The company has worked its way up and has joined the ranks of the leading IT companies of Perth. Though small in size, this company offers a lot of scope and potential to grow which is one of the major reasons why I have selected this firm. Large companies offer better job benefits and more training opportunities but most of the jobs in large firms are highly specialized. In small companies like Bremmar Consulting, the worker enjoys more authority and responsibility. Here the workers can have close working relationship with the top management and the workers have a better chance to prove their credibility and the contributions they make towards the success of the firm are noticeable2. In a small firm one can communicate his ideas and findings directly to the senior management which increases the chances of promotion. It also deals with firms which have branches or which are linked to other companies outside Perth. Another reason why I have selected this firm is because it offers multiple services. In a comparatively smaller firm with broad range of services offered the person can get a chance to explore all options before finally deciding where they perform the best. The job rotation offered by small firms like Bremmar Consulting not only helps a worker in determining the area of expertise but also makes the worker an all-rounder. Another thing about support engineer which appeals to me is the first hand experience I stand to gain not only in the technical field but also in public dealing as the support engineer is required to coordinate with the staff members of the customer’s firm. The support engineer has to explain the working of an IT system in a simple language and also has to redress the complaints of the staff immediately. On the technical side, as a support engineer my task will be to identify the nature of the complaint and act accordingly. This will help me in taking decisions on my own. As the employee said Bremmar Consulting provides a unique opportunity to the support engineer to put into practice his theoretical knowledge. The continuous process of learning means that you gain something useful every day. The different requirements of customers and the different nature of complaints mean that a person will have a deeper and a comprehensive understanding of how information technology can be implemented in businesses. Here I will not only gain information about the latest developments in the field of information technology but will also gain knowledge about how to practically incorporate this knowledge into various businesses. The workplace environment is an important aspect; a worker spends a better part of the day in his/her office. At Bremmar Consulting the atmosphere is friendly and tension free and the employees really enjoy working here. The company is fast paced and excellence in work and accomplishments of a worker are recognized and appreciated by the bosses and they do not treat you as a threat. The firm provides multiple services to its clients and if you are sure of your area of expertise, then you can follow that path but if you are not sure; then you can always explore different fields before settling down. I intend to join a multi-national firm and this firm will prove to be a helpful stepping stone. The practical experience I will gain will be quite instrumental in getting me a better job in a multinational firm. Appendix One Interview will be conducted with the employer to know if it is a good option to join Bremmar Consulting. For initial contact email was sent to the employer with following body text: “I am an IT student intending to collect some information about your prestigious organization and the type of jobs your organization offers. I am mainly interested in collecting information about the job of a support engineer. I want to meet someone from IT department who can give satisfactory replies to my queries about the firm and/or job. This will be a great help in accomplishing my academic project and for which I will be truly grateful to you. I have selected Bremmar Consulting because after comparing various IT firms established in the same time period, I found that this firm had shown considerable progress. I would really appreciate if someone from your organization can spare 30 to 35 minutes to answer my queries. Waiting for a positive response.” In the reply I received, I was told that I could meet the employer for twenty minutes. Method of contact: Paid Visit to the office in person. Appendix Two The following questions regarding the firm in general and the nature of job of a support engineer in particular were asked. 1. How the company has progressed over the years and does the employer find this growth satisfactory? 2. How does the company take care of its employee? What is the pay scale and what the benefits this company offers its employees? 3. Apart from the basic qualifications, what else do you seek in a person when you hire him for the job of a support engineer? 4. Does the firm offer any trainings or certificate courses to its employees? 5. What are the chances of promotion of a support engineer? 6. Do you let employees switch positions? 7. Do employees remain with the company or do they prefer to join a bigger firm after gaining experience here? Bibliography Official website of Bremmar Consulting Information Technology Solution Provider, http://www.bremmar.com.au/it-management-and-support/completecare-support.aspx Pattis, S. Williams. Careers in advertising. USA: McGraw-Hill Professional, 1996. Singh, Ramanjit, and Wood-Harper, Trevor. Human Benefit Through the Diffusion of Information Systems Design Science Research: IFIP WG 8. 2/8. 6 International Working Conference, Perth, Australia, March 30 - April 1, 2010, Proceedings. Edited by Jan Pries-Heje et al. New York: Springer, 2010. Read More