Growth

I started tearing apart my toys when I was young. First the radio, then the tape recorder – it got to the point my family quit buying me electronics for fear they’d be in pieces within days. Follow me for a minute:

I figured if I was to acheive anything, it would have to be with a computer; I didn’t see a future in jewel tips and bumwad. I knew, however, that meant I better learn this new “AutoCAD” thing, and I admit I wasn’t the first to embrace “drawing” on the computer. Learning something new was difficult for me as I was fairly set in ways. Until…

Well – computers have cases, cases have screws, and inside the box of 386 I found a playground. I learned about hardware, software and networking while I played with AutoCAD and DCA on one computer, and 3D Studio on another.

I moved to St. Louis in the early 90’s to work in a civil/survey shop. Then to Sioux City, IA to pursue a dreamy architecture job, and then back to St. Louis when the firm I worked for “restructured.” In my “spare” time I joined the fire department and became a licensed EMT. I finally got into CAD/IT management as a way of continuing my childhood passion to understand how things worked, make them better, and share my discoveries with friends and co-workers.

When I started I.II.I (those are roman numerals, it’s pronounced 1.2.1, or one-to-one. I think there is a certain honesty that comes from helping people “one-on-one” when time and money are on the line) I had no idea what was waiting for me. I’m extremely fortunate to have made so many journeys over the course of the past two decades, but I’ve learned something along the way. The tools we use are amazing, and I couldn’t have stayed employed without them. But open your eyes, and you’ll see those tools could come from many places, and that’s the key.

Here’s where I’m going: As I’ve helped firms leverage technology and embrace change over the years, I’ve learned that there’s a little kid in all of us wanting to discover what makes things work, and how to make them work better for us. But at I.II.I when we see Civil 3D on a shelf, we don’t see CAD, I see Urban Design & Visualization. When we see OnLive, we see Cloud Computing and Virtualization. When I need a new tool to tackle a problem, I want to use the tool now – that’s Software as a Service. I’m just not convinced it’s about the software we use, (though I clearly have a favorite), I think it’s about transportation and land development. It’s not about HP or Gateway vs. Dell or Toshiba, it’s about the hardware we use to help us envision the landscape in which we’ll live. It’s not about Microsoft, Apple, or Linux – in fact, it’s not about the tools at all, it’s about design; it’s about deliverables.

Take a good look at OnLive and you’ll see what I mean. You’ll find software delivered essentially via a modem that doesn’t care if you have an Apple box, a Microsoft box, or a television – the experience is the same. You won’t see an operating system and you’ll be oblivious to the software. The draw is – you will find the toys you expect, delivering what you need, when you need it, and one company serves as the gateway to this technology.

My point is this – there’s a better way. If you’re still running through the office on a Saturday installing software to several stations one box at a time, if you’re still caught in the hardware and software race arguing over a winner, if you call one firm for network support, one firm for CAD support related to land development but another if it’s related to transportation, and yet another firm for hardware support. If you’ve opted to stay on Land Desktop because it’s the fiscally responsible choice in todays economy – but now you can’t find support or training, then I would strongly encourage a light tap on the shoulders of your vendors, your IT Departments, your CAD Managers, followed by a sit me down with consultants like I.II.I who understand leveraging all the tools you need to bring ideas to life in financially responsible ways. Don’t let your tools own you – own your tools.

How do small firms compete on a global scale in todays economy? Their technology makes money. Yours should too.

Welcome to I.II.I, we have lots of toys.

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