Network Support Services

According to various industry experts, the days of competitive advantage from the use of computer technology in business are over.   Their reasoning is simple; if every business uses computers, then how can the use of a computer provide competitive advantage?

So if your network is not working, according to this reasoning, you are at a disadvantage.   Whether a single computer on a lone DSL connection, or 10,000 computers connected via multiple T-1s or an OC-3 -- we can make your network work.

New World Design is able to do this because we have a staff of engineers who, on average have more than 15 years of experience, working with networks of all different sizes the use equipment from a wide range of equipment.    Our engineers are equipped with the right tools, the right technology, and the know-how to get your network running, and keep it that way.

The current state of the industry provides a unique opportunity for cost savings through the use wireless networking technology, and ubiquitous low-cost Internet access.   Our engineers can make your wireless network safe and secure, while suggesting ways to use it as a replacement for dedicated leased network links between buildings in a campus or corporate office park.

Security and accountability are important features of any computer network.   Our engineers have set up network monitoring, auditing, and accounting using a wide variety of low-cost open source tools for different customers.   Unlike expensive, hard-to-maintain proprietary offerings from the larger computer vendors, open source tools provide all of the same flexibility, accountability, and manageability of the proprietary tools without the stratospheric price tag.

In short, New World Design offers a range of services, from simple one-shot troubleshooting of your toughest network problems, to complete outsourcing of your network infrastructure.   Contact us today for more information.

Smart People for Smart Projects

Technology is complicated stuff.   The ugly secret that your current IT services provider won't tell you is that over 80% of all IT projects fail.   When one stops and thinks about that for a moment, it is a very sobering thought.   What if 80% of buildings that were built fell down?   Or if 80% of the cars on the road simply stopped running?

There are all sorts of different reasons why projects fail; although we can't help with some of the business-related ones, we have a staff of smart people who can help you get your project finished on-time and on-budget.   Our people are experts in:

IT Support & Small Business Services

It is easy to have a perfect computer department when you are a big firm, but smaller firms are all as different as snowflakes and almost all need to deal with the dual challenges of running their businesses while taking care of their computer needs.

Instead of struggling with the hassles of unresponsive and uncaring tech support lines, half-functional, and buggy systems  --  let us solve your toughest problems for you.   This allows you to focus on what you do best; making money and servicing your customers.

Technology Strategy Services

What if you were able to have the very best experts in the world as part of your management team?   No matter what the challenge, or how complex the problem, knowledgeable advice (tempered by years of experience) would always be available to you - improving your ability to make the best decisions.

It is a shame that these types of individuals are in such high demand, and are so expensive.   Especially since it is always an "all or nothing" proposition; these types of experts are either part of your organization, or they aren't.    Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could purchase the expertise and assistance of these individuals in small increments?   Perhaps for a day, or even for only an hour?

Of course, this is the classic consulting model -- expert for hire.    These people ride in, solve your problem, and then they ride off into a picture perfect sunset -- never to be seen from again.   (And leaving you to suffer the challenges, or consequences, of their advice.)

The problem with this approach is that just when you have your hired expert up to speed on how your business works, the engagement ends.   Later if there is additional work that needs to be done, or if a problem arises, it becomes necessary to go through training another expert on how things work in your organization.

This "training" time becomes wasted effort, as many technology "experts" may not have the same background, or even the same information available to them.    What made perfect sense to the original expert you hired, may seem completely contrary to another.

Consistency of vision can go a long way towards ensuring the success of a project, or even a whole enterprise.   Since technology is constantly changing this makes it difficult to keep up with everything, while also at the same time maintaining the necessary perspective on the goals of your organization.

We have developed a service that lets you get access to your very own MIS Manager, or even Chief Technology Officer, who will while working with you, develop a plan that takes both an immediate, and a longer term view of technology trends, and the changing requirements of your business.   The consultants at New World Design are adept at developing and implementing these strategic plans for the benefit of our corporate clients.   For a very reasonable monthly fee, which varies depending on your organization's requirements, we can work with you to craft a strategic technical vision that will keep your firm ahead of your competition, while also improving its ability to react rapidly to changing business needs without incurring huge expenses.

Contact us today, and let our consultants can help you separate the useful technologies from the useless fads, and show your organization how to make the most of them.

Web Hosting & Web Site Design

It has become an accepted notion that every business needs a web site.   And the current common wisdom is that web sites are interchangeable, and that the goal is to get a nice looking site built as inexpensively as possible.   Yet if getting a web site built is a simple, generic process, how is having a web site supposed to make your business more competitive and cost-efficient?

There are all sorts of different web designers, and web hosting services out there  -  from "bargain-basement" outfits that will build a site for $100 and host it for $5/per month, to boutique firms that will build the snazziest, most visually compelling site for hundreds of thousands of dollars.   With such a difference in prices and services, how well is your current web site working for your organization?

Does your current site help to bring in new business?   Can prospective customers see what services your organization offers, and purchase them on-line?   Does your current site help to control costs, by allowing your customers to be able to do some level of "self-service"?    Can your employees and business partners access important information through the site when they are working remotely?

No matter what business you're in, a web site that is integrated with the key systems in your organization will have a positive impact on your bottom line.

All web design firms espouse similar philosophies; what helps to set New World Design apart is the breath of the expertise of the individuals within our firm, and our extensive system integration expertise.   Our support also does not end at the launching of your new (or revised) web site; experience has demonstrated to us the importance of support and on-going integration after the fact.

Custom Application Development

The promise of the computer vendors has always been “buy our product because it will save your business money”.   So why is it that despite adding all kinds of technology to your business, your costs keep going up instead of down?

Perhaps it's not your computers, but your software.

Microsoft and other firms have revolutionized how business deal with their computers through the use of mass-market software applications that provide a standard way to type a letter, handle your finances, and generally organize your business.

But what if your business has something unique about it - something that no other firm has?   Perhaps it is a process, or a methodology, or a way of doing business that the existing mass-market software does not support.

Sometimes you simply need a custom-fit.

Using clothes as an example, it is possible to buy nice looking clothes for a reasonable price at any shopping mall.   But for that million-dollar look, it is impossible to beat the fit and finish of finely tailored clothes.

Computer software for some businesses works the same way, especially if your organization is doing something different, or something new that no one has ever done before.   Maybe a new product, that needs some software to make it compatible with the millions of computers out there.

Unfortunately, developing custom software can be an enterprise fraught with peril.   In organizations large and small, experience has shown that as much as 80% of the custom software development that is undertaken fails.   Either the software does not work, or it is delivered late, or over budget, or all of the above.

The engineers and project managers that work for New World Design have over a century of combined experience developing custom computer software that works.   We have created software for a wide variety of uses, and we have always done it on-time, and under budget.   We stand behind our work with a 100% satisfaction, money-back guarantee.

Let us help you make your computers work for you - contact us today about building customized software for your organization that captures the unique spirit of what you do.

Computer & Data Security Services

Your company finally has an impressive presence on the web that allows your customers to be completely self-sufficient, while helping to make your business even more profitable.   Then one day, after spending a seeming eternity building the site, and a princely sum to maintain it, your lovely site comes crashing down because it was defaced by hackers.

With the recent changes in the law, having your web site comprised by hackers can leave your firm in a very precarious legal position.   As a result of several high-profile attacks, there are now statutes that force companies to have to “go public” when their systems have been compromised as a result of hacker attacks.

Over the last year, consultants from New World Design have been working with several of our clients to “harden” their web sites against hacker attacks, and they have developed a series of tools that we have nicknamed “The Investigator”.   Using the tools in the Investigator kit, and combined with our own application security experience, we can over the course of a week, quickly analyze your web or Internet-facing application and accurately identify the vulnerabilities and types of attacks that could comprise your software.

Just about any consulting firm will offer to do a “computer security audit”, and will charge a lot money and use up a lot of your staff's valuable time discovering all sorts of security “issues” with your networks and computers.   What they won't do, is help you solve your problem.

They won't help you make your systems more secure.   We will.

The technology in the Investigator does not only locate vulnerabilities, it also provides the information necessary to fix them so that your systems, once remediated, stay secure.

Contact us today, and let us use our technology to keep your web applications safe and secure, before your company winds up in the news because of a hacking attack.

IT Audits & Forensics

Opportunity is the constant companion of change.   As markets change and businesses evolve, often it becomes necessary to acquire other businesses or to merge organizations together.   After the initial euphoria wears off, the challenge of smoothly integrating the disparate business systems begins.

These times can be very difficult, since the existing staff is busy doing what they were hired to do.   There is no time, nor enough resources, to undertake the task of sorting through what each of the various systems has to offer and deciding which to use.

Since everyone has a vested interest in the existing systems being used, it can be difficult to get an unbiased assessment of what should be kept, and what should be scrapped or consolidated.   Outside expertise provides both the resources and the perspective to be able to dispassionately examine all of the systems and to gather the information needed to make the best computer systems decisions.

Sometimes in business, the advice “that's always been the way we've done things” doesn't make sense anymore.   With increasing globalization, and new opportunities for business both next door and half way around the world, it becomes time to reassess the computer systems your organization is using.   Perhaps it is necessary to cut costs, or to improve service, or event to add additional services to support far-flung business operations.

Consultants at New World Design have been involved in four major Fortune 500 mergers, and numerous smaller ones.   We have industry specific knowledge involving banking & finance, health & medical, manufacturing, and professional services.   We are often called on to review computer and network operations at organizations who are either looking to solve specific problems, or simply to do things better.

Our company slogan sums this all up nicely - technology intelligently designed and implemented.

Once engaged we will come in and perform a through review, and will provide a complete written report with what we found, the results of our research (both technical & market), along with our recommendations for further action.   We will also sit down with your team and review our results, answer questions, and provide whatever supporting materials are required in order to make you successful.   And we will do it quickly and efficiently.

Contact us today, and let us use our expertise to help your organization make the most of its IT investments.

Architectural Technology Integration Services (ATIS)

If you have ever watched the children's cartoon, The Jetsons you might be wondering what ever happened to the promise of the automated home of future? Houses of the 21st century were supposed to anticipate our needs, and make our lives easier.  Yet as anyone who has recently walked through a home can tell you, technology seems to be conspiring to make our lives more complicated.

Developers who are building new construction, or owners who are rehabbing existing units, are now required by market conditions and savvy consumers to have things like built-in Internet access, sophisticated alarm systems, intelligent heating and cooling, automatic lawn watering, integrated multi-room entertainment systems . . . the list is practically endless.

Often their efforts fail; sometimes this is due to poor products, sometimes it is from improper installation, other times from simply having too much for the home owner to understand.

The problem with all of this is that the developer doesn't have the skills in either their organization, nor in their contractors, to be able integrate all of this stuff so that it is simple, seamless, and transparent to the home owner. That's where New World Design can help. We get involved from the beginning (during the drawing of the plans) and remain involved right up through the end when the owner takes possession of their new home.

New World Design has been making technology work better for industry for a long time, and we have learned that properly integrating computers with any business or manufacturing process takes time and planning.  We provide the "glue" that allows developers and builders to produce technologically sophisticated houses that are simple to use, and a delight to own.  Everyone has heard about Bill Gates' house, where every room has all sorts of gadgets in it that cater to every whim; now this type of technology can be available on a smaller scale in every building.

For a developer or builder, they can choose to engage our services at the beginning and have us remain involved to the end, or they can have us work on parts of the project.  This service is delivered in three phases, which can either be purchased together, or separately:

PHASE I: Technology Design Review - consultants from New World Design sit down with the architect, and review the plans based on the stated goals from the developer (or builder).

PHASE II: Installation & Wiring Service - a crew from New World Design goes to the building site (after the framing is done, but before walls go up) to get the technology wired up and installed, in preparation for the walls and final finishing.

PHASE III: Integration Service - a crew from New World Design goes to the building site during the final finishing stages to attach outlets to the wires, and to do the final programming and systems integration on the building.

Regulatory Compliance Services

Over the last several years, it seems that more and more emphasis is being placed on corporate oversight and more tightly regulating business.   As more and more business executives are brought up on charges and are paraded around for the public on trial, one can't help but wonder if their business is completely compliant with all of the different regulations that affect them?

Terms like "HIPAA" (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a.k.a. "HIPPA"), "SOA" (Sarbanes-Oxley Act), "GLBA" (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act), and SEC Rule 17a all reference various laws passed in the United States to ensure that businesses operate fairly and transparently to their stockholders and customers.   For businesses that do business with the U.S. Federal Government, regulations like "FISMA" (Federal Information Security Management Act) also require that businesses protect their computers and networks by implementing yearly security audits.   Overall these statutes require that businesses take certain steps to properly secure their data, and to make sure that this data is retained for a specific period.   If you do business internationally, the situation becomes even more complex, as individual countries and trading blocks may have their own regulations that your business will need to comply with as well, such as the Data Protection Act of the European Union.

There is a tendency among small and medium sized business owners to automatically assume that these rules do not affect them, since they do not have stock that is publicly traded.   To make this assumption would be a grave mistake, since even a small business like a local car dealership is subject to the same restrictions on maintaining the privacy and security of their customer's data as are large Fortune 500 firms.   The penalties for non-compliance are high, and although they inconvenient for a Fortune 500 firm, they can completely wipe out the resources of a small business.

Complying with all of the regulations is a complex business that involves the services of many different professionals including accountants, lawyers, and technology specialists like New World Design.   Smaller businesses are most likely to be affected by Sarbanes-Oxley and Gram-Leach-Bliley since these two pieces of regulation deal with how long important business data must be maintained, and what steps need to be taken in order to ensure the privacy of customer and transactional data.

Consultants from New World Design are familiar with the legal and technical ramifications of these statutes, and can assist in performing regulatory audits and remediation to help bring your organization into full compliance with the law.

Our consultants can help with everything from developing a data retention policy and supporting technology, to the creation of internal-facing reports outlining the gaps and areas where your firm may be exposed along with the remediation steps necessary to fix the problem.   Because of our experience working with a range of different clients, we have access to information about the current best practices in your industry, and our consultants can help you take advantage of that information and their experience.

Contact us for more information about how we can help you make your business compliant by having us provide an objective assessment.

Hardware Design & Implementation

What makes some products a success, while others fail?  If the success of consumer products, such as Apple's iPod and Tivo, are any guide -- it is the quality of both the custom hardware combined with well designed software carefully integrated to create a seamless and easy-to-use product.  No matter what industry your organization operates in, every process typically has both a physical component (e.g. a machine tool, an embedded computer, a scientific instrument, or a manufacturing robot) and a software component that contains either your process or business information, or both.

Many companies in an effort to save money, purchase off-the-shelf hardware, and attempt to differentiate their product solely through software.  Although this is an effective short-term solution, over time your competitors will discover the secrets of the intellectual property embedded in your software.  Once that happens, there is nothing to stop them from cloning your product and selling it at lower price. This has the dual effect of both eroding your profit margins, and causing your product to loose much of it's appeal in the eyes of your customers.

Life would be much easier if every solution could be effectively implemented with "off the shelf" hardware.  This is not always possible either because of the reasons discussed above, or because you have a unique application, a need for specific features, or for creating truly novel products and solutions.

Since many organizations do not have the in-house expertise to effectively create a custom hardware solution, New World Design can provide the resources, experience, and project management skills necessary to create the perfect platform for your next big product or project.  Using both our internal engineering team led by industry expert, Mario Macera, and external resources including foreign-sourced manufacturing, we have the capabilities to get your next big product to market.

Whether you simply need to lower the cost of an existing hardware platform, or to build something new from scratch -- we can help.  Contact us today for more information.

Biometric Authentication, Single Sign-On, & Smartcard Solutions

How do you really know who someone is?  This is a question that computer systems, financial institutions, health care organizations, and government organizations struggle with on a daily basis.  It is a problem that consultants from New World Design have had to tackle often, since the answer to this question not only involves identity management, but also issues around managing authorizations that allow people to access resources.

Because of the prevalence of technology, an average person needs to remember upwards of ten separate username and password combinations in order to access computers related to their job.  Combine this with the number of usernames and passwords that many people need to remember for their personal use, and it then becomes clear why there are so many Post-It notes with usernames and passwords on keyboards everywhere.

For highly trained white collar workers, the strategy in the past has been to tell them to simply live with it.  As computers become more and more prevalent in other industries, such as retail, this approach doesn't work well.  Numerous regulations now exist that require organizations to safeguard the information contained within their computers and networks.  But this becomes a nearly impossible task if the human element isn't dealt with.

Biometric and smartcard based solutions when combined with single sign-on (a.k.a. SSO) technologies, are the solution to the "human problem" of having to secure important systems.  These solutions relieve a person of having to remember multiple usernames and passwords, while providing a foolproof mechanism for identification.