2019 PBN Innovative Companies: IT Services
Vertikal6
WHEN CEO RICK NORBERG renamed and rebranded his information technology consulting firm to become Vertikal6 back in 2016, it set the tone for a new way of looking at IT services.
“It used to be companies [such as] ours were help desks,” Norberg said. “But now we bring that to the next level. We find the business value in the technology companies buy and enable [businesses] and nonprofits to use their technology better. And, it’s about data. We want to bring the industry toward asking, ‘What can I do with my data that makes it, and me, more valuable?’ It’s a digital transformation.”
A prime example is the Warwick-based company’s Elevated Strategy Platform – or ESP – program, developed and launched this year to provide companies with a “health check” of their information technology practices and strategies for the future.
“It’s really evolved over the years and was the brainchild of our [chief operating officer], Harry Curran, and the account team,” said Norberg.
The ESP proprietary software examines more than 160 questions within six IT areas and generates a strategy report for a company’s IT strengths and risks. Vertikal6 uses these reports to develop a plan to align strategic and technology goals, showing companies where they are following best practices, where they fall short, and recommendations to mitigate each identified risk, said Norberg.
ESP can help develop a three-year IT budget and move the company forward over time. For instance, if a company has a customer-service challenge, ESP can determine a customer relationship management software to augment the plan.
“There was a void in the market when it came to tools that help drive IT success,” said Norberg. “Our software aligns all IT information and insights in one place to proactively track, manage and forecast IT budgets, all from one system. We are taking years of best practices and infusing them into ESP.”
