Setting up a building's computer system in a week is a complex enough task, but imagine trying to do it in just one day. This is what technical consulting manager Jeffrey Tse and a team from Jardine OneSolution were asked to do by a construction company recently.
By employing detailed planning and working through the day to relocate computers and set up software, telephone lines and other supplementary technology, the team ensured that the whole system was operational by the start of the next day.
Businesses everywhere are racing to keep up with the latest technology, which increases demand for information technology (IT) services. As a result, IT companies are recruiting extra staff to cope with the workload. Jardine OneSolution is hiring people for roles including service managers, project managers, technical consultants and desktop support engineers.
'We are seeing more projects coming in,' says Chan Wai-foon, director of technologies management and sustainment. 'The recruitment is primarily to cope with business growth.' He says more construction sites need engineers to support IT services. Meanwhile, many mid-market companies across different sectors are receptive to outsourcing IT systems. Jardine OneSolution is building a team to provide services for these accounts.
As the company is an IT business in itself, working for it is very different from working for the IT function within a company. 'We offer a lot more exposure and career development, from technical [roles] to supervisory people looking after teams, to managerial, even looking after part of the business,' Chan says.
Tony Chow, who recently joined Jardine OneSolution as a service manager, says the wide exposure attracted him. His role, which involves talking to customers about their needs and working with teams to provide solutions, requires strong communication and problem-solving skills.
'Meeting customer expectations is a challenge,' he says. 'They allow us only a short time to provide the best and most cost-effective solutions.'