Tag Archive for: Culture

Shaking IT Up

/in , , ,

the A team

amshot is redefining the expectations for outsourced IT services & software development

When most people think of outsourced IT, they think of long email chains asking for a simple fix, scouring Google just to understand what’s going on, and cheesy on-hold music that you practically memorize.

That can be a reality when working with traditional IT service providers, but not with amshot.

We hold ourselves to a higher standard and strive to be pioneers in a new era of innovative software development and frustration-free IT. Our team loves to have fun, empower our community, think outside the box, communicate effectively, and work honestly every day.

To show that these are not just empty words, we’ve broken down the key elements we use to define amshot’s IT and software development services.

Not IT

Outsourcing your technology needs is supposed to make it easier. More time to focus on what you do best. Less time spent stressing about infrastructure issues. But, often times we hear that it has the opposite effect.

Traditionally, outsourced IT and software development was meant to create efficiencies and promote in-house productivity. More and more, services meant to optimize business are confusing and time-consuming.

Today, break-fix IT is the standard, and that’s only reactive. Plus, many tech companies are using systems and solutions that are more cookie-cutter than customized.

However, everything we’ve described created the foundation for what NOT to do at amshot.

Your Business is Worth IT

At amshot, we are invested in the growth and success of our clients, our community, and our team. Furthermore, we are dedicated to customizing and enhancing each client’s business experience.

Technology is our tool to accomplish these initiatives and achieve the amshot standard of services. We believe IT and software development should do the following:

Simplify your business, don’t complicate it.

Imagine your job if all of the technology worked as it should. We specialize in taking care of all things tech so you can focus on the next goal.

Help your business grow, not slow you down.

Our team uses cutting-edge technology, the client’s industry best-practices, creative problem solving, and effective communication to visibly improve measurable business results with custom solutions.

Proactive tech solutions > reactive tech services

Outdated networks and tech are time-consuming, malfunctioning software and security threats are disruptive, and dealing with these issues keeps you fighting fires instead of getting down to business.

Properly functioning IT and software can prevent fires before they start, and being proactive instead of reactive is our specialty. Simply put, proactive IT anticipates and actively avoids issues—fighting the vicious cycle of break-fix IT.

Make it easier to do the right thing and harder to do the wrong thing.

We firmly believe that outsourcing your technology needs should improve productivity in-house. No more confusing tech talk. No overly complicated systems. Our team strives for user-friendly and reliable services.

Provide business insights with reporting, various metrics, and thorough analytics.

As we mentioned earlier, our team is invested in each client’s success, so providing comprehensive reporting is a key element of our services. The metrics and analytics delivered offer an overview of the current systems as well as any opportunity our team identifies for your business tech to be optimized.

 

That, in a nutshell, is what we think outsourced IT and software development should be. If you would like to hear more about amshot’s office culture and our fresh take on tech services, contact us or Find Your FIT.

 

amshot Eats OKC

/in ,

amshot eats okc

amshot’s favorite local eateries, from breakfast to breweries

Typically, we do a lot of tech-talk around the office, but there is more to amshot than IT and software. As a local business, we are big supporters of the Keep It Local vibe in OKC and we like to get involved around the city as much as possible.

In fact, one of our favorite ways to empower our community comes around mealtimes.

We like to consider ourselves foodies, and we have tried more restaurants around the city than we are proud of, so our office took a poll on our favorite local spots. It was not easy to narrow the list down, but the winners are listed below.

Rise & Shine.

We might not all be morning people, but we are all big fans of breakfast at Sunnyside Diner.

Lunch Break.

Within walking distance from the office, the Thai Kitchen OKC never disappoints and we highly recommend it.

What’s for Dinner?

The Tokyo Japanese Restaurant is the tastiest way to get out of doing the dishes. It is perfect for date night or for a family dinner.

Sweet Tooth.

If you have not tried Pie Junkie yet, stop reading and go now! The pies are out-of-this-world and always welcome at amshot.

amshot After 5.

Our team is more than just work associates, so when quitting time comes around we often relocate to The Flea for drinks, games, and maybe even karaoke.

Good for What ALES You.

The brewery scene in OKC has exploded and made us craft-beer-drinkers very happy. However, this category was an easy pick for us. We are loyal to the Stonecloud Brewing Co.

Party of 10?

At amshot, we do a lot of team lunches, and it can be hard to find a place to accommodate our crew. For this category, we had a tie between a Bricktown favorite Fuzzy’s Taco Shop and the famous Cattlemen’s Steakhouse in Stockyard City.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

While these are the winners of our office poll, we still had team members campaigning for their favorite joints and decided to make a separate section for the ones that narrowly missed the list. Here are a few more local spots that we recommend trying:

Empire Slice House, N D Foods, Old School Bagel Cafe

Our team is always looking to try new restaurants, so feel free to comment with your favorite local eateries!

A Different Way of Introducing Ourselves

/in

If you follow amshot (and you do, or you wouldn’t be reading this), you may have noticed something new amid our technology- and IT-related posts. To commemorate amshot’s tremendous growth over the last four years, Oklahoma City-based artist Sam Washburn is developing 40-60 sketches for an amshot-themed art project whose overall connectivity will be revealed upon completion of the last piece. Each week we’ll reveal another way amshot helps its clients. Each drawing will stand on its own while contributing to the larger image, just as each of amshot’s services contributes to the company as a whole. We want to show what makes us unique.

Sam Washburn art

If this sounds a bit unusual, it is. amshot isn’t your typical managed services company, and the way we celebrate our anniversary shouldn’t be typical, either. Although we have been around since 2004, when our founder, Michael Thomas, began installing wifi hotspots around Norman, we have turned a corner over the last year. We are young as a development company, but we’re growing up quickly. We continue to add developers to our team and are equipped to handle anything we encounter, from a ground-up software project to embedding our developers in clients’ companies to save them the expense and headache of staffing an IT department.

Sam Washburn art

As anyone who has tried to do so knows, recruiting developers and IT professionals is hugely challenging and the market for them is always hypercompetitive. A company first has to find qualified developers and then assess their skills — skills that often difficult for non-developers to assess — or hire a recruiter to find candidates instead. Companies must provide attractive compensation and benefit plans. They must know what they need from these highly technical staffers. And they must do all of this when the unemployment rate for them is less than 1 percent. Let us worry about IT and software development so you can focus on your business’ core activities.

Through this project, Sam sought to add some levity to the serious business of improving and protecting clients precious IT resources. Each piece of his collage will illustrate a small part of amshot — culturally, professionally and personally. The result will be equal parts Wes Anderson and Where’s Waldo. We’re anxious and excited to see what our highly talented collaborator comes up with.

Sam’s first three installments focus on understanding clients’ businesses and helping to improve them; protecting clients from threats and helping clients make correct decisions in today’s difficult and confusing environment.

At amshot, our employees aren’t cogs, and our clients aren’t, either. We hope Sam’s work demonstrates this.

Sam Washburn art