Toronto – You can’t miss Computer Systems Centre’s (CSC) storefront location when visiting downtown Toronto. After 27 years it has become a landmark of sorts for the Mac faithful.
But, the company is evolving its business and has created an independent organization called Jump I.T. that will focus on professional services for the mid-market in Canada.
Dan and Joe Schneeweiss, the founders of CSC, received a lot of customer feedback over this time to start this venture. Since February the Schneeweiss brothers have been ramping up the new operation that will still focus on Apple, but will also encompass IBM and Cisco solutions.
“It’s a separate business from CSC, a well-established 27 year-old business. The market knows and trusts us, but the perception is that we just sell Apple. We looked to do this and go after professional services and I feel services is the way to go because there are fewer players and higher margins and we can build longer relationships with customers. Product fulfillment works today but can’t sustain us long term,” Dan Schneeweiss said.
Initially the 40 person staff at CSC will support Jump I.T. as the new company recruits new employees who can sell Cisco, IBM and Apple solutions. Jump I.T. will be predominantly focused on the mid-market space, but will also try to satisfy the high-end of the SMB market place. The sweet spot for Jump I.T. will be in the 250 to 500 seat customer or division within a larger organization.
Dan Schneeweiss also said that Jump I.T. will try to get deeper with IBM and prove to Big Blue Canada that they can deliver end-to-end solutions. For Cisco, Jump I.T. will focus on the networking giant’s portfolio of collaboration solutions and in unified communications.
Jump I.T. will still support Apple, he added. The company’s background, Schneeweiss believes, will help Apple customers integrate with other platforms. “We are already doing that. We are the go to partner with Apple in professional services and in the education market,” Dan Schneeweiss said.
The Schneeweiss’ don’t want to make Jump I.T. your typical systems integrator. Dan Schneeweiss said this company, through its CSC roots, will also understand product fulfillment and have that capability.
He believes that Apple, IBM and Cisco are all natural fits for Jump I.T.
To that end, Jump I.T. has hired James Christopher, former SGI Canada channel chief and Alias Wavefront executive as Jump I.T.’s COO.
Christopher told CDN that his approach for Jump I.T. will be to own the strategy on how to use technology. He believes the mid-market arena in Canada is an emerging opportunity and is currently underserved.
“You need the right brand and there is a need for a solution provider that is tied to a retail environment. It’s a different position with a different financial model, but it’s driven by mid-market customers and we see the opportunity,” Christopher said.
Jump I.T. will be offering a managed service targeted at groups of 25 to 150. These groups will have a 360 degree view of their IT assets.
The VTN member will also introduce Jump the Line Priority Service, where customers will be able to get support on hardware and integrated solutions within a 24 to 48 hour period depending on product.
Christopher added that Jump I.T. will also develop solution practices in virtualization, security and networking.
“I believe you can be at both ends of any market. Look at Toyota and Lexus brands for example. It’s how you deal with customers in the SMB and mid-market, making them feel comfortable, how you work with them, and become experts in the field that will make you a success,” Christopher said.
