Gone are the days where only enterprise organisations had footprints across the world. As the world becomes increasingly globalised, many SMEs are realising that they too need to establish themselves in multiple geographies, particularly as many find themselves working with customers who operate in different countries.
The challenge arises, however, when companies don’t have the means to deploy and support IT infrastructure in far-flung places, as to do so, can be cost-prohibitive and time-consuming.
To counter this problem, Aura has developed Global Smart Hands, a service that allows customers 24/7 access to its network of highly trained engineers, who are located around the world. The offering aims to fill any gap experienced by customers, whether it be geographical coverage, resources or skillset.
Smart Hands offers a range of services, including on-site and off-site technical assistance, equipment replacement and installation, datacentre facility management, power cycling of equipment, as well as many others.
Dieter Hashimoto, VP of Customer Innovation at Aura, described the solution as the “crucial final step” in delivering a complete solution to clients.
“Smart Hands delivers a trusted engineer to the site who can assure successful implementation of the investment the customer has made. It’s about having somebody reliable that has the technical aptitude and the right mindset to finish the job and tick that final box,” he told UC Today.
Hashimoto added that the “real value” of Smart Hands is recognised when something goes wrong, for example, the kit not arriving on time, not being labelled properly or the process not going as planned. Having a Smart Hands engineer on hand to own and resolve the problem gives customers assurance that their infrastructure is in capable hands.
It’s this trust that sets our Smart Hands apart from similar offerings on the market, Hashimoto said.
“It’s about having peace of mind. When a problem arises on the field, I, as a customer, need to feel confident that the right person, with the right skill set, is on-site to resolve it swiftly and competently,” he elaborated.
Hashimoto believes that there will always be a need for these types of services. Whilst he acknowledged that there has been a “significant shift” towards remote working in recent times, corporations still need to utilise on-premises core technologies that require an engineer’s physical presence.
“Typically, we don’t send a Smart Hands engineer to a consumer site, those kinds of interactions come from a service provider,” he explained.
“However, internet demand has spiked, and as service providers look to upgrade their network from 4G to 5G, Aura’s Smart Hands services will be instrumental in ensuring a pain-free transition. The shipping, delivery and implementation of the kit to enable these upgrades are complicated to manage. Aura makes this all possible by having ‘feet-on-the-street’ on standby in 145 countries around the world.”
