“The first four years we lived in the area, Scott was in the Navy,” said Erika Colson. “I commuted to Issaquah. We didn’t have a chance to get to know Kitsap County. We liked the idea of working with small businesses.”

Autonomix now has seven employees and office space on Bainbridge Island, and has narrowed its focus more closely on two strategic, and related, business areas: customer relationship management and managed services.

Customer relationship management, or CRM, solutions are, simply put, database systems that allow everyone in an organization to see everything that’s going on with customers.

“Everything is right there,” said Colson. “It gives a 360-degree view of the customer account.”

As a Microsoft Certified Partner, Autonomix works with Microsoft Dynamics CRM, an integrated business management solution that is capable of connecting with other technologies that are already in use at a customer site.

“We use our database and programming skills to integrate existing systems,” said Colson.

By embracing CRM technologies and business practices Autonomix has been able to bring efficiencies not only to its customers’ operations, but to its own.

“We use the technology in-house to manage our own business,” said Colson.

The CRM technology is a major player in Autonomix’s other strategic focus, as a managed services provider.

“Managed services provider means different things to different people,” said Colson. “Essentially it’s a company that has adopted a different approach,” to IT support.

Traditionally IT services have been provided reactively, what Colson refers to as the “break-fix” approach. If a network system fails or has problems, businesses call in their IT support contractors, who then address the issue, and get paid an hourly rate.

Managed services providers, by contrast, offer a contractual, fixed-fee model of IT support, where work is defined and paid for in advance, usually on a monthly basis.

“Managed services are a more long-term approach,” said Colson. “It allows us to service the customer more completely in a trusted advisor role.”

Using CRM technologies for case management, and other tools for remote network management, Autonomix is able to monitor, and in many cases repair, customer systems offsite — a key for successful managed services.

“We are able, through the toolsets we have, to manage systems remotely,” said Colson.

Autonomix offers a range of managed services contracts. Its most basic contract provides customers with network monitoring and problem detection. Autonomix monitors customer systems, from servers to printers. At the slightest hint of a problem, the customer can be notified, and, in many cases, Autonomix can correct the problem remotely, without having to set foot in a customer’s server room or office.

Managed services contracts often include additional services, ranging from ongoing preventative maintenance — such as virus definition updates — and new user set-up to providing all user-related support, IT budgeting and equipment purchasing.

“Even if there are no problems there are things happening every day,” said Colson, such as reviewing system status updates and installing security patches.

Investing in a managed services contract can be ideal for a small business, which may not have the budget or resources to hire its own IT staff. Autonomix’s managed services customers — which include many of Kitsap County’s leading businesses, such as Boxlight, Drury Construction and Rice Fergus Miller Architects, as well as companies as far away as California — range in size from five users with one server to 45 users and 15 servers.

Autonomix even offers a managed services program tailored specifically for small businesses, the Autonomix Small Office Network. For a one-time setup cost and monthly fee Autonomix will purchase, install and maintain all server hardware and software needed to support up to five users in a client-server network for one year. After two years the ownership of the equipment and software transfers to the customer.

“It’s a good way for small businesses to make the transition to a network system,” said Colson.

Costs for managed services contracts vary by provider and level of service. But in almost all cases the contracts are more cost-efficient — and cost predictable — than traditional IT support. For example, Colson said, Autonomix’s basic service contract costs around $400 per month. Compare that to the server administrator rate of $120 an hour the company charges for ad hoc customer support.

“It doesn’t take long for a customer to start realizing the ROI,” said Colson. “Plus the managed services contract helps us work more efficiently, as well.”

Working with a managed services provider offers businesses a number of advantages, including:

Minimized Risk: With a managed services contract in place, even in the event of a catastrophic hardware failure, the cost to the customer remains the same.

Better Cash Flow Management: Because the customer is paying a fixed fee each month, managed services is an effective way to spread IT costs out over time. This is a particular advantage for small businesses.

“[Small businesses] can’t afford a big spike in IT costs,” said Colson.

Colson noted that a managed services contract that provided full support is not only less expensive than hiring one, full-time IT professional, but also provides customers with the ability to tap into a full network of IT professionals.

Directed IT Strategy: The long-term nature of a managed services contract gives customers the opportunity to work with the managed services provider to make strategic plans when it comes to their IT needs. The managed services provider fills the Chief Information Officer (CIO) role and works closely with the customer’s management team.

Maximized Technology Value: Because a managed services provider works on an ongoing basis with customer systems, the managed services provider is able to advise customers where their systems might benefit from changes.

“As we monitor and begin to understand systems we can see where they can be improved,” said Colson. “It helps us be more useful to our customers.”.