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Latest news about The Advisory Council

TAC announces EaaS™ Business Intelligence Strategy and Planning offering

January 19, 2012

TAC announces the addition of a new consulting service, Business Intelligence (BI) Strategy and Planning, to its Expertise-as-a-Service® (EaaS) offerings. This service helps IT executives ensure that their BI strategy and plans will fully meet the enterprise”s needs. The strategies developed through this offering are comprehensive, illustrate prudent allocation of BI resources to business needs, and assure executable plans. “Our BI Strategy and Planning service provides IT managers with the information and tools to ensure that their BI strategies and plans not only meet the current needs of the business, but can evolve gracefully to a future state of truly predictive analytics,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay.

IT executives are faced with demands from many parts of the enterprise. Each department has its own requirements, and expects support from the IT organization. The prioritization of the overall BI strategy and plan is one of many which must be actionable and well thought-out. TAC’s BI Strategy and Planning service helps clients assess the impact of the latest BI technology, and then convey their BI strategy to senior management.

Based on many years of direct engagement with BI strategy and planning projects, and understanding of the critical success factors for a successful BI strategy, TAC’s BI Strategy and Planning service is independent, vendor-neutral, and specifically tailored to an organization’s situation and needs.

Manufacturing Expert Dan Miklovic Joins TAC Expert Decision Support Network

November 30, 2011

TAC is proud to announce that renowned manufacturing-applications expert Dan Miklovic has joined its Expert Decision Support Network.

Mr. Miklovic has more than 35 years of industry, consulting and management experience in manufacturing and natural resources industries. He is a certified manufacturing engineer, a certified Lean Sensei, and the principal analyst at Lean Manufacturing Research, which he founded after retiring from Gartner. A recognized global expert in lean and sustainable manufacturing, he has provided keynote addresses to manufacturing conferences in Europe, Asia and North America. He has published more than 30 technical papers and articles for leading technical organizations such as TAPPI, the ISA and the SME, as well as authoring numerous magazine articles related to MES/MOM, EAM, Quality and Lean, is the author of Real-Time Control Networks, a text on industrial data networking, and has contributed to numerous handbooks on control engineering and quality management.

As a TAC Expert, Mr. Miklovic’s knowledge is available to all TAC clients through TAC’s unique Expertise-as-a-Service® (EaaS™) offerings. EaaS is a new concept in solutions and services delivery designed to provide today’s IT organizations of any size with a flexible, scalable, networked set of services, skills, products and tools. TAC has aligned EaaS to provide the broadest coverage in the industry. Each product, service and workshop provides the same level of personalized service its clients have come to expect. TAC EaaS now gives its clients the ability to provide unprecedented service to their organizations.

TAC announces more cost-effective year-end benchmark alternatives than Gartner or Forrester

November 16, 2011

TAC announces special year-end Expertise-as-a-Service® (EaaS™) benchmark packages. “Many IT organizations seek to better understand and justify their spending levels every year as part of the annual budgeting process. TAC has created a suite of benchmarks which provide clients with a real-world comparison of key spending parameters,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay. “This data gives IT leaders critical tools to optimize their return on investment and obtain needed funding.”

TAC offers a broad range of cost-effective benchmark packages — from Comprehensive Benchmarks to Benchmark Ultra-Lite — tailored to fit each client’s needs and budget.

Those interested should contact TAC immediately to see how TAC can help them with this critical need.

TAC announces EaaS™ IT Strategy and Planning offering

November 10, 2011

TAC announces the addition of a new consulting service, IT Strategy and Planning, to its Expertise-as-a-Service® (EaaS™) offerings. This service helps IT executives develop or refine their IT strategy to support both current business requirements and potential changes such as growth or contraction. The strategies developed through this offering are comprehensive, illustrate prudent allocation of resources to critical business needs, and assure executable plans. “Our IT Strategy and Planning service provides IT managers with the information and tools to ensure that their strategies are sound, meet the organization’s needs, and have buy-in support from executive management,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay.

IT executives are faced with demands from many parts of the enterprise. Each department has its own requirements, and expects support from the IT organization. The task of prioritization of the overall IT effort becomes gargantuan, certainly too large for a “best-guess” allocation of IT resources. IT executives must understand the impact of all efforts in terms of quality of service, effect on the organization’s performance, and alignment with enterprise strategy. TAC’s IT Strategy and Planning service helps clients assess the impact of industry trends and latest technology, and then convey their IT strategy to senior management.

Based on many years of direct engagement with IT strategy and planning projects, and understanding of the critical success factors for a successful IT strategy, TAC’s IT Strategy and Planning service is independent, vendor-neutral, and specifically tailored to an organization’s situation and needs.

TAC Announces a More Cost-Effective Service than Gartner or Forrester

November 1, 2011

TAC announces a special year-end program for Gartner and Forrester clients. This program is designed to provide a more cost-effective and valuable alternative to those traditional firms.

“TAC’s unique, Internet-based Expertise-as-a-Service® (EaaS™) provides clients with enterprise-wide access to top Experts in the industry. Our services are personalized, and provided by Experts with years of practical experience, not research analysts,” said TAC President & CEO Peter Schay. “TAC’s EaaS provides clients with the widest coverage of IT topics in the industry. Our goal is to help clients make the right decisions via actionable advice, not to supply volumes of generic research that clients must decipher.”

TAC Experts are top-level practitioners with an average of 20 years experience in their subject-matter areas, and are currently engaged in the work that they advise about.

TAC Announces EaaS™ Services for K–12 Education

August 15, 2011

TAC announces the addition of “Expertise-as-a-Service™” (EaaS™) advisory and consulting services covering the full range of K–12 management issues, as well as information technology issues, that face K–12 CIOs and their colleagues. “Our new K–12 advisory and consulting services provide K–12 CIOs the kind of information and advice that our private-sector clients have come to depend on,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay.

As IT budgets slowly recover in the private sector, public sector budgets continue to decline. Federal stimulus dollars disappear by FY 2012–13, and a stuck-in-neutral economic recovery translates to declining tax revenues at the state and local level. Public sector demands on IT, however, continue to grow as departments accelerate automation in response to budget shortfalls. Nowhere is this more evident than in K–12 education, where aging hardware infrastructure is running headlong into 21st-century demands created by increased educational options. TAC’s advisory and consulting services for K–12 education help K–12 CIOs and their colleagues successfully address these issues.

TAC announces immediate availability of EaaS™ “Rapid Review Assessment” for Data Privacy Compliance

July 25, 2011

TAC announces the addition of a new Rapid Review Assessment service for Data Privacy Compliance to its Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) offerings. This fixed-price service is designed to quickly and affordably provide clients with an informative assessment of this critical area. “Our Rapid Review Assessment service for Data Privacy Compliance provides executives with the information and tools to avoid the legal sanctions and adverse publicity that can result from failure to comply with privacy regulations,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay.

Regulations define very specifically what one must do to reduce the chance that privacy of personal data will be compromised. Recently passed laws expect organizations with either a business presence in their states, or those that have customers, employees, contractors or business partners who reside in their respective states, to adhere to these regulations. That means that one may not need to have presence in a state to be subject to its laws. TAC’s Data Privacy Compliance Rapid Review Assessment helps clients assess the status of their current policies, processes and IT standards in supporting these regulations, and helps them do what is necessary to meet compliance expectations.

Based on many years of direct engagement with data privacy compliance projects, and understanding of the critical success factors of data privacy compliance programs, the Rapid Review Assessment for Data Privacy Compliance is independent, vendor-neutral, and specifically tailored to an organization’s situation and needs.

TAC announces immediate availability of EaaS™ “Rapid Review Assessment” for Contract Lifecycle Management

July 13, 2011

TAC announces the addition of a new Rapid Review Assessment service for Contract Lifecycle Management to its Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) offerings. This fixed-price service is designed to quickly and affordably provide clients with an informative assessment of this critical area. “Our Rapid Review Assessment service for Contract Lifecycle Management provides executives with the information and tools to reduce costs, minimize risk, and maximize the value received from their IT investments,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay.

Many organizations focus heavily on contract negotiation and execution up-front, but fail to pay adequate attention to the lifecycle management of those contracts. Business-aligned IT organizations are taking more responsibility for contract lifecycle activities, and establishing or reviving contract management and vendor management programs. TAC’s Contract Lifecycle Management Rapid Review Assessment will enable enterprises to develop a CLM roadmap which leverages strengths, addresses weaknesses, and delivers business value.

Based on many years of direct engagement with CLM projects, and understanding of the critical success factors of CLM programs, the Rapid Review Assessment for Contract Lifecycle Management is independent, vendor-neutral, and specifically tailored to an organization’s situation and needs.

TAC announces immediate availability of EaaS™ “Rapid Review Assessment” for Scorecards and Dashboards

June 30, 2011

TAC announces the addition of a new Rapid Review Assessment service for Scorecards and Dashboards to its Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) offerings. This fixed-price service is designed to quickly and affordably provide clients with an informative assessment of this critical area. “Our Rapid Review Assessment service for Scorecards and Dashboards provides executives with the information and tools to obtain the value they had hoped for from their investments in these products,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay.

There can be many reasons why value received from scorecards and dashboards falls short of expectations. TAC’s Scorecard and Dashboard Rapid Review Assessment will quickly reveal the underlying reasons why clients’ scorecards/dashboards are underutilized, or not being integrated into IT or other parts of the organization.

Based on many years of direct engagement with scorecard and dashboard projects, and understanding of the critical success factors of scorecard and dashboard implementations, the Rapid Review Assessment for Scorecards and Dashboards is independent, vendor-neutral, and specifically tailored to an organization’s situation and needs.

TAC announces immediate availability of EaaS™ “Rapid Review Assessment” for Networks

June 2, 2011

TAC announces the addition of a new Rapid Review Assessment service for Networks to its Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) offerings. This fixed-price service is designed to quickly and affordably provide clients with an informative assessment of this critical area. “Our Rapid Review Assessment service for networks provides executives with the information and tools to reduce the cost and improve the responsiveness of their networks,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay.

While many organizations have a sizable investment in this area, few have reached the full potential of their investments. Many enterprises are still underutilizing their network, not taking advantage of available cost-saving technology, or not managing their service contracts to take advantage of their network service provider’s capabilities.

Based on many years of direct engagement with networking projects, and understanding of the critical success factors of network implementations, the Rapid Review Assessment for Networks is independent, vendor-neutral, and specifically tailored to an organization’s situation and needs.

TAC Expert Shyam Desigan leads Volunteers of America Chesapeake to CIO 100 award

June 1, 2011

TAC is proud to congratulate Shyam Desigan, TAC Expert and Volunteers of America Chesapeake CFO, on being presented the CIO 100 award. The CIO 100 is awarded by International Data Group’s CIO magazine.

Volunteers of America Chesapeake and CFO Shyam Desigan, who has more than 13 years of strong leadership experience in finance and accounting, information technology, and business development, were recognized for maximizing revenue for the non-profit, while streamlining operations. Desigan transitioned the non-profit’s 650-employee organization to a cloud-computing solution — an on-demand system which hosts a set of messaging and collaboration solutions. This transition mirrors the model of the non-profit, which is providing faster time-to-value with rapid deployment and minimal training requirements. It also proved to be an affordable and moldable answer to the organization’s needs, enabling the staff to share digital information more freely, while eliminating the need for expensive outside help.

As a TAC Expert, Mr. Desigan’s expertise is available to all TAC clients through TAC’s unique Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) offerings. EaaS is a new concept in solutions and services delivery designed to provide today’s IT organizations of any size with a flexible, scalable, networked set of services, skills, products and tools. TAC has aligned EaaS to provide the broadest coverage in the industry. Each product, service and workshop provides the same level of personalized service its clients have come to expect. TAC EaaS now gives its clients the ability to provide unprecedented service to their organizations.

TAC announces immediate availability of EaaS™ “Rapid Review Assessment” for ERP

March 30, 2011

TAC announces the addition of a new Rapid Review Assessment service for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to its Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) offerings. This fixed-price service is designed to quickly and affordably provide clients with an informative assessment of this critical area. “Our Rapid Review Assessment service for ERP provides executives with the information and tools to better utilize their ERP applications for competitive advantage,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay.

Many organizations, especially those in the mid-to-end-of-life stages with their current ERP implementations, are evaluating their growth paths, particularly with regard to emerging cloud technologies. Even early-stage adopters are wresting with the continuing challenges of reducing costs while maintaining or improving customer service levels. TAC’s Rapid Review Assessment for ERP provides invaluable insight to inform critical decisions, and can dramatically reduce the time, cost and risk of disappointment often associated with ERP decisions.

Based on many years of direct engagement with ERP projects, and understanding of the critical success factors of ERP implementations, the Rapid Review Assessment for ERP is independent, vendor-neutral, and specifically tailored to an organization’s situation and needs. TAC’s ERP expertise has been proven over nine years and numerous implementations.

TAC, QLC Partnership Gives CIOs a Competitive Edge

March 9, 2011

The Quest Leadership Community, Quest International Users Group’s official peer network for CIOs and their direct reports, and The Advisory Council, which provides IT organizations with access to objective, actionable advice for resolving IT issues, announce their official partnership which opens TAC’s network of IT experts and its benchmarking services to QLC members, giving them a competitive industry edge.

“Everyone gets the same technology packages from Oracle,” said Alan Guibord, founder of TAC. “Gaining competitive advantage comes down to who utilizes the product in a unique way; who stands out.”

“QLC’s latest partnership will bring value far beyond typical community networking,” said Robert Lieberman, Centro Properties Group senior vice president and CIO, Quest Board of Directors Treasurer and QLC member. “This partnership provides QLC members with access to experts who can vastly extend our investment in software.”

The partnership will debut at Quest’s CIO Forum, an invitation-only event open to top-level IT executives on Monday, April 11 during COLLABORATE 11. Speakers include Walt Disney Parks and Resorts’ former CIO Roger Berry, Oracle Senior Vice President of Applications Management Steve Miranda and a panel of IBM, Microsoft and Forrester representatives. The CIO Forum will serve as the kick-off event for the QLC Regional Roundtable Series, which later this year will host events in Boston (June), San Diego (August), Dallas/Fort Worth (October) and Atlanta (November).

Founded in 2002, TAC (The Advisory Council) provides IT organizations with enterprise-wide access to objective, actionable advice for resolving IT challenges and issues. Through its Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) suite of services, tools and workshops, TAC helps IT organizations make decisions more quickly and cost effectively. TAC’s Expert Network consists of hundreds of Experts, covering the full range of IT subjects. Clients include Fortune 1000 and midsize companies, government and educational institutions.

The Quest Leadership Community, which takes its members to a new level of networking and business engagement, is the ultimate peer group for CIOs and their direct reports. The QLC goes beyond the use of applications and delves into timely leadership and IT management issues. These built-in commonalities, guided by the QLC Framework©, provides a unique opportunity for QLC members to gain and share insights that will improve not only how they use their applications, but more importantly, how they leverage IT in running their businesses.

TAC announces EaaS™ Vendor and Technology Assessment offering

March 2, 2011

TAC announces the addition of a new consulting service, Vendor and Technology Assessment, to its Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) offerings. This service helps IT executives determine the fit and effectiveness of a vendor product or solution for their enterprise. “Our Vendor and Technology Assessment offering provides IT managers with the information and tools to make the most cost-effective vendor/product selections in the short-term, and to provide more responsiveness to their customers in the future,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay.

EaaS is a new concept in solutions and services delivery designed to provide today’s IT organizations of any size with a flexible, scalable, networked set of services, skills, products and tools. TAC has aligned EaaS to provide the broadest coverage in the industry. Each product, service and workshop provides the same level of personalized service its clients have come to expect. TAC EaaS now gives its clients the ability to provide unprecedented service to their organizations.

TAC announces EaaS™ “Rapid Review Assessment” for Electronic Health Records

February 9, 2011

TAC announces the addition of a new IT Rapid Review Assessment service, Electronic Health Records (EHR), to its Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) offerings. This fixed-price assessment service is designed to quickly and affordably provide health-care clients with an informative assessment of this critical area. “Our EHR Rapid Review Assessment offering provides health-care executives with the information and tools to begin receiving HITECH incentive payments in the short-term, and to avoid Medicare and Medicaid penalties in the future,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay.

EaaS is a new concept in solutions and services delivery designed to provide today’s IT organizations of any size with a flexible, scalable, networked set of services, skills, products and tools. TAC has aligned EaaS to provide the broadest coverage in the industry. Each product, service and workshop provides the same level of personalized service its clients have come to expect. TAC EaaS now gives its clients the ability to provide unprecedented service to their organizations.

TAC announces EaaS™ “Rapid Review Assessments” for Agile BI and Information Security

January 27, 2011

TAC announces the addition of two new IT Rapid Review Assessment services, Agile Business Intelligence and Information Security, to its Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) offerings. These fixed-price assessment services are designed to quickly and affordably provide clients with informative assessments of critical areas within their IT function. “Our Rapid Review Assessment offerings provide IT managers with the information and tools to improve the efficiency of their organizations in the short-term, and to provide more responsiveness to their customers in the future,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay.

EaaS is a new concept in solutions and services delivery designed to provide today’s IT organizations of any size with a flexible, scalable, networked set of services, skills, products and tools. TAC has aligned EaaS to provide the broadest coverage in the industry. Each product, service and workshop provides the same level of personalized service its clients have come to expect. TAC EaaS now gives its clients the ability to provide unprecedented service to their organizations.

Texas DIR Publishes “Office Productivity Application Migration” Using TAC EaaS™

December 21, 2010

The Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) has published to its web site “Office Productivity Application Migration” guidelines for state agencies, developed using TAC Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS). Throughout the nine-month development of this document, TAC provided more than 15 hours of “MicroConsulting” using phone consultations and two custom-written Personal Advisory Reports, the contents of which were used in the creation of the document. The guidelines are accessible to the public at http://www2.dir.state.tx.us/SiteCollectionDocuments/Document_Library/Policy-Stds-Guides-Procs/migrationGuidelines.pdf.

EaaS is a new concept in solutions and services delivery designed to provide today’s IT organizations of any size with a flexible, scalable, networked set of services, skills, products and tools. TAC has aligned EaaS to provide the broadest coverage in the industry. Each product, service and workshop provides the same level of personalized service its clients have come to expect. TAC EaaS now gives its clients the ability to provide unprecedented service to their organizations.

TAC announces EaaS™ “Rapid Review Assessments” for IT Applications and QA & Testing Process

December 8, 2010

TAC announces the addition of two new IT Rapid Review Assessment services, IT Applications and Quality Assurance & Testing Process, to its Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) offerings. These fixed-price assessment services are designed to quickly and affordably provide clients with informative assessments of critical areas within their IT function. “Our Rapid Review Assessment offerings provide IT managers with the information and tools to improve the efficiency of their organizations in the short-term, and to provide more responsiveness to their customers in the future,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay.

EaaS is a new concept in solutions and services delivery designed to provide today’s IT organizations of any size with a flexible, scalable, networked set of services, skills, products and tools. TAC has aligned EaaS to provide the broadest coverage in the industry. Each product, service and workshop provides the same level of personalized service its clients have come to expect. TAC EaaS now gives its clients the ability to provide unprecedented service to their organizations.

TAC Adds “Managing Vendor Partnerships” Workshop to EaaS™ (Expertise-as-a-Service™)

November 23, 2010

TAC announces the addition of a new Managing Vendor Partnerships workshop to its Expertise-as-a-Service (EaaS) offerings. “Our Managing Vendor Partnerships workshop empowers IT managers to obtain more value from their current vendor relationships short-term, and to develop more effective vendor relationships long-term,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay. This two-day client-site workshop, delivered by TAC strategic partner Ouellette & Associates, provides a holistic approach that enables organizations to more effectively work with both their service providers and their own staff to optimize their vendor relationships.

EaaS is a new concept in solutions and services delivery designed to provide today’s IT organizations of any size with a flexible, scalable, networked set of services, skills, products and tools. TAC has aligned EaaS to provide the broadest coverage in the industry. Each product, service and workshop provides the same level of personalized service its clients have come to expect. TAC EaaS now gives its clients the ability to provide unprecedented service to their organizations.

TAC Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) now includes Storage Performance Assessment offering

November 3, 2010

As a component of its breakthrough EaaS (Expertise-as-a-Service) offerings, TAC now offers a Storage Performance Assessment. This assessment gives IT managers the information necessary to fully understand how their storage investments impact the organization, and where key changes should be made to improve overall efficiencies and be more responsive to their customers. The EaaS Storage Performance Assessment provides a complete and comprehensive assessment and analysis of storage arrays, and provides metrics that enable clients to streamline I/O throughput, balance allocation of storage resources, project trends for future capacity, and troubleshoot host-level application issues. “Our Storage Performance Assessment empowers IT managers to improve application performance with their existing storage assets, and to reduce their future storage investments,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay.

EaaS is a new concept in solutions and services delivery designed to provide today’s IT organizations of any size with a flexible, scalable, networked set of services, skills, products and tools. TAC has aligned EaaS to provide the broadest coverage in the industry. Each product, service and workshop provides the same level of personalized service its clients have come to expect. TAC EaaS now gives its clients the ability to provide unprecedented service to their organizations.

The Advisory Council (TAC) and Ouellette & Associates (O&A) Announce Strategic Partnership

October 20, 2010

TAC and Ouellette & Associates announce a strategic partnership, enabling both firms to expand their market reach as well as provide a broader set of skills, products and services to their clients.

Since 1984, O&A has helped more than 3,000 client IT organizations, representing all industry verticals, build consultative, client-focused and marketing-oriented IT cultures. O&A accomplishes this by transforming the client workforce through a series of IT-specific consulting and professional development services designed to embed a new mind set, develop the necessary skill sets, and provide the needed tool sets.

TAC’s Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) is a new concept in solutions and services delivery designed to provide today’s IT organizations of any size with a flexible, scalable, networked set of services, skills, products and tools. TAC has aligned EaaS to provide the broadest coverage in the industry. Each product, service and workshop provides the same level of personalized service its clients have come to expect. TAC EaaS now gives its clients the ability to provide unprecedented service to their organizations.

The combined resources of TAC and O&A provide the widest coverage of skills, products and services in the industry. “This new partnership expands TAC’s EaaS services with the ability to provide a comprehensive set of professional development programs tailored to our clients’ needs,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay.

“Partnering with TAC gives Ouellette to the ability to expand our market reach and offerings by introducing TAC’s breakthrough EaaS portfolio to our client base,” says O&A CEO Dan Roberts.

About The Advisory Council

Founded in 2002, The Advisory Council Inc. (TAC) provides IT organizations with enterprise-wide access to objective, actionable advice for resolving IT challenges and issues. Through its suite of services, products and workshops, TAC helps IT organizations make decisions more quickly and cost effectively. TAC’s Expert Decision Support Network consists of more than 200 Experts, covering 97% of all IT practice areas. Clients include Fortune 1000 and midsize companies, government, and educational institutions.

About Ouellette & Associates

Celebrating their 26th year, Ouellette & Associates Consulting, Inc. (O&A) has helped more than 3,000 IT organizations worldwide achieve their transformation, culture change, and professional development goals. Progressive IT leaders leverage O&A’s series of IT-specific services and proven approaches to build stronger relationships with business clients, to enhance IT’s credibility, to earn a seat at the table of strategic decision making, and to position their organization as the IT provider of first choice.

TAC announces EaaS™ “Rapid Review Assessment” for E-Business, IT Infrastructure, and more

October 6, 2010

TAC announces the addition of new IT Rapid Review Assessment services for E-Business, Information Quality Management, IT Infrastructure, IT Measurements, and Software Asset Management Process to its Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) offerings. This new suite of fixed-price assessment services is designed to quickly and affordably provide clients with informative assessments of numerous areas within their IT function. “Our Rapid Review Assessment offerings empower IT managers to improve the efficiency of their organizations short-term, and to provide more responsiveness to their customers long-term,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay.

EaaS is a new concept in solutions and services delivery designed to provide today’s IT organizations of any size with a flexible, scalable, networked set of services, skills, products and tools. TAC has aligned EaaS to provide the broadest coverage in the industry. Each product, service and workshop provides the same level of personalized service its clients have come to expect. TAC EaaS now gives its clients the ability to provide unprecedented service to their organizations.

TAC Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) Includes Core Competency in IT Strategic Planning

September 22, 2010

It’s strategic planning season, and TAC’s Expert Decision Support Network, the engine which powers TAC’s breakthrough EaaS (Expertise-as-a-Service), includes more than 50 Experts with extensive experience in the development of IT strategic plans, making this a TAC EaaS core competency. “Our core competency in IT Strategic Planning enables IT managers to leverage our expertise to this critical task, which lays outside the strength of most IT organizations,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay. TAC’s IT Strategic Planning Experts are former CIOs or senior strategic consultants, bringing their decades of experience to bear on clients’ unique strategic situations.

EaaS is a new concept in solutions and services delivery designed to provide today’s IT organizations of any size with a flexible, scalable, networked set of services, skills, products and tools. TAC has aligned EaaS to provide the broadest coverage in the industry. Each product, service and workshop provides the same level of personalized service its clients have come to expect. TAC EaaS now gives its clients the ability to provide unprecedented service to their organizations.

TAC Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) Solves the “How Do I Show IT Value to the CxO?” Problem

September 8, 2010

As a component of its breakthrough EaaS (Expertise-as-a-Service) offerings, TAC’s “TACometer” workshop enables IT managers to successfully demonstrate the value of IT investments in defensible, quantitative terms to satisfy skeptical CEOs and CFOs. “TACometer empowers IT managers to make decisions which are not just economically optimal, but clearly justified in financial terms,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay. TACometer is based on methods from Applied Information Economics (AIE), a scientific and economical method for quantifying the risks and value of any highly uncertain investment or process (such as IT). AIE gets away from soft “high/medium/low” or 1-to-5 point scales, and speaks the language of CFOs based on proven quantitative methods practical for business.

EaaS is a new concept in solutions and services delivery designed to provide today’s IT organizations of any size with a flexible, scalable, networked set of services, skills, products and tools. TAC has aligned EaaS to provide the broadest coverage in the industry. Each product, service and workshop provides the same level of personalized service its clients have come to expect. TAC EaaS now gives its clients the ability to provide unprecedented service to their organizations.

TAC Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) Includes Unique Hardware Reliability Benchmark Offering

August 25, 2010

As a component of its breakthrough EaaS (Expertise-as-a-Service) offerings, TAC’s Hardware Reliability Benchmark enables IT managers to truly understand the total-cost-of-ownership of their hardware portfolios. “Our Hardware Reliability Benchmark empowers IT managers to reduce their hardware maintenance costs short-term, and to deliver superior service levels long-term,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay. The EaaS Hardware Reliability Benchmark enables IT organizations to compare their experience with other users in a benchmark format covering comparisons between equipment categories, equipment types, manufacturers, specific models, model series, and parts.

EaaS is a new concept in solutions and services delivery designed to provide today’s IT organizations of any size with a flexible, scalable, networked set of services, skills, products and tools. TAC has aligned EaaS to provide the broadest coverage in the industry. Each product, service and workshop provides the same level of personalized service its clients have come to expect. TAC EaaS now gives its clients the ability to provide unprecedented service to their organizations.

TAC Adds “IT Organizational Transformation” Workshop to EaaS™ (Expertise-as-a-Service™)

August 12, 2010

As a new addition to its breakthrough EaaS™ offering, TAC has added a unique workshop designed to help prepare IT organizations for the next decade of business expectations. Created due to strong client demand, this workshop is designed to facilitate the building of an IT organization structured to support the rapidly changing demands that businesses place on today’s IT groups. “Traditional IT organizational structures do not have the flexibility to meet the changing needs of today’s businesses,” says Alan Guibord, TAC Founder and Chairman. “Effective organizational transformation has become a critical factor in providing IT groups with the ability to adequately support today’s business demands.”

EaaS is a new concept in solutions and services delivery designed to provide today’s IT organizations of any size with a flexible, scalable, networked set of services, skills, products and tools. TAC has aligned EaaS to provide the broadest coverage in the industry. Each product, service and workshop provides the same level of personalized service its clients have come to expect. TAC EaaS now gives its clients the ability to provide unprecedented service to their organizations.

TAC Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™) Now Provides the Most Comprehensive Group of Benchmarking Offerings

July 29, 2010

As a component of its breakthrough EaaS™ (Expertise-as-a-Service™) offering, TAC now provides the most comprehensive group of benchmarking offerings in the industry. “We have tailored our benchmarking services to meet the specific needs of our clients from both a cost and coverage perspective,” says TAC President & CEO Peter Schay. EaaS Benchmarking gives TAC clients access to the same comprehensive data that only large organizations have previously been able to afford. The addition of “Benchmark Lite” and “Benchmark Ultra-Lite” to TAC’s unique EaaS packaging and delivery model enables it to bring that same quality of service to a much larger audience at affordable prices.

EaaS is a new concept in solutions and services delivery designed to provide today’s IT organizations of any size with a flexible, scalable, networked set of services, skills, products and tools. TAC has aligned EaaS to provide the broadest coverage in the industry. Each product, service and workshop provides the same level of personalized service its clients have come to expect. TAC EaaS now gives its clients the ability to provide unprecedented service to their organizations.

TAC Announces Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™)

July 14, 2010

TAC (The Advisory Council), now in its eighth year, has announced its launch of Expertise-as-a-Service™ (EaaS™), a major expansion of its offerings. The company has been in a continuous mode of expansion in its offerings based on client demand.

Expertise-as-a-Service encompasses a set of services, products and workshops designed to support the growing demands of today’s IT organizations. The new world order of effective service delivery now requires a networked organization of skills and tools. Leveraging costs and improving results are the essence of EaaS.

Transformed organizations are comprised of a model based on replacing fixed costs with variable spending. EaaS enables progressive IT organizations to balance spending with customer demands, while improving quality and delivery.

TAC has aligned its offerings to provide the broadest coverage in the industry. Each product, service and workshop provides the same level of personalized services that their clients have come to expect. EaaS gives TAC clients the ability to provide unprecedented service to their organizations.

The Advisory Council Expands to Europe

March 30, 2010

The Advisory Council (TAC) has entered into a new joint venture extending its services to the United Kingdom. This is the first expansion for TAC beyond North America.

“We have been planning an expansion into Europe for several years. We recognized that our services are capable of serving a global audience. This seems like the perfect time and opportunity for us to expand,” said Peter Schay, TAC President and CEO.

TAC has been serving several global clients for many years, and this expansion enhances our ability to support them.

Miro Consulting Lends Oracle Licensing Expertise to The Advisory Council

December 14, 2009

Bringing a wealth of Oracle and Microsoft licensing experience, Miro Consulting acts as client advocates pre, post and during software vendor negotiations and audits. Miro’s focus on vendor licensing issues and TAC’s broader programs create synergistic offerings that can lower the total cost of ownership (TCO).

“Miro’s Oracle licensing expertise is second to none, and our clients are often looking for ways to optimize their IT spend and manage their enterprise vendor software licensing agreements,” said Peter Schay, President and CEO, The Advisory Council. “We are extremely pleased to be able to offer Miro’s expertise to our clients.”

Through this newly formed alliance, TAC clients will be able to spend a consultative phone hour with an Oracle or Microsoft licensing analyst from Miro Consulting before making a determination on whether to engage Miro’s services fully.

Outsourcing Expert Stuart Harris Joins TAC Expert Decision Support Network

August 31, 2009

Stuart Harris has more than 30 years of international experience in the IT outsourcing industry, initially as a client, later as a service provider, and for seven years as a Partner at TPI, a leading sourcing advisory firm. His experience includes extensive service delivery and management while at a provider, and comprehensive sourcing life cycle advice while as a consultant. Stuart has advised clients on sourcing and renegotiation strategies while at TPI, and taken them through complex international outsourcing deals. Stuart’s specialty is in understanding outsourcing market prices and benchmarking; while at TPI Stuart developed their Mark to Market price assessment capability.


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