Best Computer Consulting Firm

Alliance Technologies

Alliance Technologies is securing its place as the premier full-service technology provider in the Des Moines market. With each year that goes by, Alliance Technologies CEO Jim Brandl says, the company has grown in size and name recognition. Alliance started in 1994 as a joint venture of Life Care Services and Weitz Cos. Since then, its workforce has mushroomed from nine employees to 70.

“Our strategy has always been one of a breadth of services,” Brandl said. “I think the idea is that we can provide a whole range of IT-related services for a customer, without having to go to individual firms.”

Once a customer uses Alliance, there is a good chance they will look to the company for other services, Brandl said.

“Customers are always looking for reliability,” he said. “If you’ve established a relationship with an individual in a particular area, it’s easier for them to come to us because they know they can trust us and we know how to work with the company.”

Located downtown in Capital Square for the past three years, the company has attracted the attention of core accounts in the area, and is equipped to handle the needs of these large clients through partnership with Oracle Corp.

“The location is obviously a very prestigious one,” Brandl said. “It’s in the center of downtown, so it’s helped us, especially with new customers, in terms of credibility. We’ve obviously not a company that’s going to be here today and gone tomorrow.”

RUNNERS-UP: QCI; Networks Inc.

Best Telecommunications Equipment Dealer

Information Tools Inc.

How many companies can tell you what you’ll be paying for their services 10 years from now? Information Tools Inc. can, and company president Lance Cooper says this sets it apart from its competitors. Cooper says his company’s contracts are set up to cover all labor, all parts, all costs, and can be projected out for up to 120 months, helping the client with long-term planning.

Unlike other companies that set a client up with service that will carry them a few years into the future before a “major overhaul” is needed, Information Tools installs solid yet flexible systems that will work years into the future, with some minor adjustments along the way, but nothing noticeable enough to interrupt activity. One of the most attractive things about Information Tools, according to Cooper, is that once the system is in place, the client is guaranteed “transparent” communications from then on.

“If you design the system well and use good components, the system should grow to meet your needs and incorporate new technologies as they come about,” he said. “It is designed to make telecommunications function invisibly, always present, and in a cost-efficient manner.”

As technology advances, so will your voice and data systems, which will become increasingly more important to businesses in the years to come. “In your business life, you’re going to have some expenses that are always there,” Cooper said. “Just as you need lights, you need communications.”

RUNNERS-UP: Qwest Communications International Inc.; Sprint Corp.

Best Local Internet Provider

LightEdge Solutions Inc.

It has been a big year for LightEdge Solutions Inc., the company formerly known as Lighthouse Communications. In April, Lighthouse completed its acquisition of Phoenix-based Focal Solutions Inc., and shortly after that changed its name. New leadership has also joined the LightEdge Solutions team, including company president and CEO Jim Masterson.

“We decided that we wanted to expand what Lighthouse had done,” Masterson said. “We saw a big opportunity here because the company was already doing so much more for customers other than providing Internet access that it seemed practical to take that to the next level as well as leverage the robust network that this group of people had developed.”

Lighthouse Communications started as an Internet service provider in 1996, and evolved to offer comprehensive business technology solutions. But Internet service remains one of the LightEdge’s key products, Masterson said, specially designed to meet business users’ need for speed, reliability and consistency. The company serves 950 small and medium-sized businesses in the Midwest and parts of the Southwest.

“There truly isn’t another Internet service provider in the Midwest region that compares to us,” Masterson said. “We’ve added Sockeye technology this year, a feature that allows us to select the best path for Internet service for our customers, based on the conditions at that moment.”

RUNNERS-UP: Prairie iNet; Alliance Technologies

Best long-distance carrier

AT&T Corp.

Last month, AT&T Corp., the granddaddy of all telephone companies, announced a shift in focus, one which will enhance the services it provides to business customers. As part of the company’s new goals, AT&T will no longer compete in the traditional residential telephone market. Current AT&T residential customers will continue to have the same, quality service they have come to expect, but that the company will not be competing for residential local and stand-alone long-distance customers.

Now, AT&T plans to concentrate on attracting business customers and offering emerging technologies, such as Voice over Internet Protocol, that can serve businesses as well as consumers. David W. Dorman, AT&T’s chairman and CEO, said the change will allow the company to further “widen the gap” between it and its competitors in the business market. Dorman said currently, about 75 percent of AT&T’s revenues are generated by its business services. The shift plays to AT&T’s strength as an innovator in communications and a leader in serving the complex networking and technology needs of businesses.

“This decision means that AT&T will focus on lines of business where we are a clear leader, where we control our own destiny and where we have distinct competitive advantages,” Dorman said in a press release.

RUNNERS-UP: Qwest Communications International Inc.; Sprint Corp.

Best Web site developer

Spindustry Systems

Spindustry Systems asks its potential clients, “Why create a Web site if nobody’s going to be able to find it?” When you work with Spindustry Systems, you’re not only getting a Web site, but an action plan with measurable ways to track the number of hits your site receives, says Therese Wielage, a partner in the company.

Search engine optimization is a key component to having a successful Web site, and it’s one of Spindustry Systems’ areas of expertise. “Your Web site is not an ad or a brochure, but a virtual doorway to your business,” Wielage said. “A search engine helps to grab the people who are already looking for what you have, bringing qualified buyers to your site.”

Spindustry Systems began in 1996 as a computer consulting company under the direction of Michael Bird, Stephen Fry and Wielage. At the time, Web sites weren’t an area of focus, but the company began creating them in response to clients’ needs, and now, that activity constitutes the majority of Spindustry’s business. Wielage says by the end of 1998, it was an 80 to 20 split between consulting and Web site development. Now, it’s just the opposite, and the company has a team of 30 employees to help clients define their online goals to acquire, convert and retain their business.

RUNNERS-UP: Red 5 Interactive; Captain Jack Communications

Best Wireless Phone System

U.S. Cellular Corp.

U.S. Cellular Corp. is celebrating its 20th year of business, and as one of the first wireless service providers in the Des Moines market, the company has been voted the best in its industry by Business Record readers for two years in a row.

The Chicago-based company operates on a customer satisfaction strategy, meeting customers’ needs by providing a comprehensive range of wireless products and services, superior customer support, a high-quality network and targeted community outreach activities. Don Cochran, director of sales for Iowa, says associates are trained to meet or exceed customer expectations any time they visit a showroom or contact a service center.

“We spend a lot of time training our associates and focusing on what we call ICE – the ideal customer experience,” Cochran said. “We feel it’s critical to thank our customers for choosing U.S. Cellular. We’re in a competitive environment, and we’re very glad they choose us.”

The cell phone industry is evolving, Cochran said, especially in the past year, with wireless number portability, a greater emphasis on cell phone personalization and more communications and entertainment options becoming available on the equipment, such as camera functions.

“Because of the wide array of technology, good, solid information is very important,” he said. “We do extensive training with our associates to make sure they understand the products, and we spend a lot of time with our customers to make sure they are aware of their capabilities.”

RUNNERS-UP: Cellular Advantage; Verizon Wireless



Best computer training company

Help Desk Technical Education Center

Help Desk knows that the demand for information technology professionals is still growing, and the occupation accounts for one out of every four jobs created between 2000 and 2010.

Help Desk’s sole focus is to provide of providing technical education to employees supporting internal networked systems or individuals who want to broaden their career opportunities through further education.

To make its courses more attractive to businesses seeking training for their employers, Help Desk offers a guarantee. Since training is the only thing that Help Desk does, they offer a guarantee along with it to protect an employers’ investment. If a worker who has received training chooses to leave his or her employer within a year after completing the first course, Help Desk will train a replacement engineer for only the cost of the manuals. Help Desk is willing to do this as a service to companies who recognize the importance of having properly educated employees, with the understanding that IT professionals tend to be mobile within their industry.

RUNNERS-UP: Integrated Software Solutions Inc.; New Horizons Computer Learning Center