IT Solutions Company Work Experience

Executive Summary

The Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) is the pioneer of technical and advanced education with the highest rating of organisations across New Zealand.  MIT is accredited by NZQA with Grade 1 approval and offers a variety of courses in a few territories including data technology, social insurance, business, etc. The report contains the overview of the research we had done as part of our GDICT Industry Project in Datatek Pacific. The project is a part of the Networking Graduate Diploma (Level 7) course.

The report mentions what type of company we will be working in and how their day to day business works. Our job will mainly be repairing varies electronic devices like Laptops, chromebooks, Apple devices, etc as well as refurbishing. We were also to manage customer invoices and orders while also using their software for stock taking and entering. Datatek had a lot to offer us as it provided us to learn technical skills, communication, time management, group work, knowledge on varies popular devices and most of all provided experience with that being our pain purpose. We had to work hard, Plan accordingly, focus and when needed ask for help. There were not many challenges we face but one was time management. The report also features what we did to effectively complete the assignments as well as the learning outcomes and constraints we faced.

Contents

1. Introduction

1.1 Business Problem

1.2 Problem Solution

2. Project purpose and Objective

3. Project Methodology

3.1 Project Deliverables

4. Results/Outcomes

4.1 Metrics

4.2 Process Diagram

4.3 Components/Devices

5. Constraints

5.1 Time Constraints

5.2 Regularly communicate with team member

5.3 Lack of knowledge

5.4 Manage potential risks

6. Recommendation

7. Conclusion

8. Reference

1.    Introduction 

“Printek Supplies Ltd t/a Datatek Pacific is one of the leading wholesale provider of IT solutions – Desktops, Monitors, Notebooks, Tablets, Printers, Servers, Storage, Networking, Security, Cameras, Home Entertainment and other Computer Accessories” (datatekpacific, datatekpacific, 2017). Datatek Pacific is a small business, looking to gradually grow within years to come. There are four branches of the company, which three are in south Iceland and one in Auckland which is the main branch. They are a business that buys, fixes and sells a bunch of electronic devices like, chrome books, laptops, iPads, iPhones, charging stations, PC’s etc. Some of the tasks done at Datatek include thoroughly assessing devices for faults and fixing them, upgrading Hardware, installing windows, refurbishing etc. Datatek mainly supplies their products to schools however they do sell to other businesses and individuals when required. The business process that Datatek goes through is simple, they have a sales team that look for potential customers, based on what the customer is looking for sales team do a quote and send it to them and if they’re happy with the pricing then the order is placed, then the IT team begins to prepare the order either from stock or from suppliers if short on stock, once ready the order is turned into an invoice and is ready to dispatch, they either deliver the stock or courier it depending on the location of the customer. It’s a business that relies heavily on communication between the sales and the IT team and is growing slowly.

1.1 Business Problem

One major issue that we saw in this businesses was that before we joined they didn’t really have an IT team, they had 1 guy who Dan was managing both the overall business and the IT side of things which created stress and cramped a lot tasks together for him. Another issue was workspace, since Datatek is a small business operating in a small environment with a lot of stock it created somewhat of an issue and made it hard for us to manage around. A problem was our side was lack of knowledge on the software they use and lack of knowledge on fixing chromebooks as it was something new for us.

1.2 Problem Solution

We did a lot of research online when we were in doubt and mainly watched YouTube videos when we didn’t know how to fix a certain part of a chromebook, we also gradually learned through dan and by ourselves how to use Datatek’s software as well. The issue with workspace was a big problem which we solved. we fixed as much stock as quickly as possible and got it ready for sale which cleared up a lot of space in the working environment. The issue with not having enough staff to manage individual side of things was resolved once we started working for the company which provided for smoother business operations and time efficient work environment.

2.    Project purpose and Objective

As part of our industrial project, we are doing an internship in an IT Company “Datatek Pacific” mainly to get experience in our field and to help us better understand how businesses function and how IT people work in a real working environment. From this opportunity we aim to gain as much experience as we can as it will help us in the long run. From working in Datatek Pacific it will help us gain knowledge on how businesses work, especially the IT side of things. Every mistake we make we’ll have to learn from them and gain confidence. We will also come across things that we’ve never seen before or don’t know what to do in certain situations therefore we’ll need to be honest and ask for guidance. Overall working in this business will help us gain a lot of knowledge on different aspects of a business.

 Objectives

• Be at the workplace and get in 400 hours by the end
• Follow instructions given by our manager
• Create a daily log and write down what we do each day
• Must have basic knowledge on computer hardware
• Learn and improve on whatever is needed

3.    Project Methodology

The first and foremost thing to be considered is to avoid the critical risks associated while implementing the tasks. The factors that we considered while choosing the methodology are Constraints, Organizations goals and values. Because our project is set in a real working environment without us having any experience the risk of errors is high. To eliminate/mitigate these factors we planned accordingly under the guidance of our employer and supervisor. To ensure our safety and the performance of the business, our employer had gone through each task thoroughly before we set foot. Our employer had also gone through the process of the business and that everything should be appropriate for the customers standards while also taking into account the business ethics and values.

3.1 Project Deliverables

• We learn technical skills.
• Communication skills. Learn how to sell a product(sales)
• Learn time management.
• Group work.
• Gain knowledge on variety of devices.
• Gain experience

4.    Results/Outcomes

As part of our internship and our objectives we completed more than 400 work hours in the company. we worked on testing all incoming stock like laptops, PC’s, iPhones etc, and entered them into the business database. We replaced and fixed broken stock and prepared them for sale. Each day we must go through their software and manage orders and invoices and finish as much as we can to avoid mashing up everything for later. We followed every instruction the manager gave us and improved on our faults. Lastly, we recorded everything we did each day and completed our internship without any issues.

4.1 Metrics

Below is the metrics table showing the tasks we did at Datatek Pacific and shows our individual work hours on each task as well as total hours.

4.2 Process Diagram

The diagram below shows the main business process and how day to day functions occur. For example, a school will place a order for 10 chromebooks, which goes through the sales team, the sales will check with the IT team if we have any in stock and if yes then Sales team will send a quote and once the quote is approved the IT team starts preparing/repairing the order, and then we dispatch and attach the invoice to the parcel or email it depending on the location of the school.

4.3 Components/Devices

Chromebooks

Chromebooks is one of the biggest sellers in this company, as Datatek’s target market is government schools, schools tend to require a lot of chromebooks, and it is easier and cheap for students to navigate on. We also fixed about 1000 total chromebooks, we fixed/replaced parts like LCD’s, battery, motherboards, wire connectors and replacing the casing. The chromebooks came in many different brand and models like HP, Lenovo, Asus, etc.

Apple products

Datatek’s another main product is apple products like iPhones, iPads, MacBook’s, ear pods etc. The company had different generations of apple products. As apple products cost quite a lot handing these products with care and selling it in good conditions can bring in a lot of profit to the business. We worked on refurbishing on them also replacing screens, putting on screen protectors and replacing varies components like batteries.

Charging cabinets

Charging stations are used to charge devices like iPads, laptops, chromebooks which is why schools require quite a few of them. All we do with these items is just to test them and clean them.

Desktops and Monitors

We also worked with PC’s and ungraded them as per the customer requirements. Some upgrades we did were, SSD upgrades, ram upgrades, installing windows and setting them up to business standards.

LTO tapes

“Linear Tape Open (LTO) Ultrium is a high-capacity, single-reel tape storage solution developed and continually enhanced by Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM and Quantum and promoted by the LTO Program. It’s a powerful, scalable and adaptable tape format that helps address the growing demands of data protection” (Hewlett Packard Enterprise, 2019). LTO tapes are massive for Datatek as businesses like Fisher & Paykel buy the tapes from Datatek.

Printers

We also work with printers, testing them and selling them to customers and has quite a bit of demand for them.

Computer peripherals and accessories

Datatek has many peripherals and accessories some include keyboards, mouse’s, USB, hard drives, cables, etc. These are important for the business as we know that many customers would like to add on these items for extra cost.

5.    Constraints

Some constraints we faced during our time at Datatek were time constraints, lack of knowledge, communication, managing potential risks.

5.1 Time Constraints

Time the executives ended up being the greatest test for us, as we only had a short time to reach the 400 hours for this undertaking. We strive to meet the minimum time frame that should be spend by each student on their project. Furthermore, the project is 400 hours, so we spent daily 4-5 hours in in the company however it was also difficult to manage this because we had classes at university and other commitments like work.

5.2 Regularly communicate with team member

Usual contact with the other colleague helps to track false impressions and ambiguous preconditions. keeping the other colleague informed in each progress of the project and business job is important. We both had difficulties communicating with each other as our working schedules were different but as we went into a few more days into our Internship our schedule became similar therefore we found a good balance in communication between us.

5.3 Lack of knowledge

The lack of enough information regarding the chromebooks, iPads and other devices we haven’t worked with before was one of the major issues we both had. We required specialised skills at an underlying level to complete the project. With resources available on the web and, moreover, from the of our employer, Mr Dan, who helped us and guided us when we didn’t know.

5.4 Manage potential risks

One common factor which would happen in every project. We are doing refurbish of IT component as per the customers’ requirements so we are trying our best for satisfaction to the customers so this is one risk for us because if we fail to impress the customers then it will effect our company and business. We always ask to sales team and confirm with order and double check with the products if it’s fine to send out.

6.    Recommendation

We highly recommend students to join Datatek Pacific as they will gain a huge amount of knowledge on varies popular and old devices and other things like excel, the software they use and how businesses function. They can also gain a lot of experience from working in this company and know how to deal with customers, marketing, fixing, sorting etc, this business also provides social skills. The staff are very friendly and help whenever they can. We personally have gained so much experience in just 3 months of working in this company and for sure it will help us to find jobs in the future.

7.    Conclusion

In conclusion we completed our internship in this company successfully and gained knowledge and experience on our IT field as we planned to. The process and tasks we did each day was workable however one thing we believe this company could improve on would be to add a scanning system instead of inputting data via typing, having a scanning system would make it time efficient. We met our objectives as planned, we completed 400 hours and recorded what we did each day, we also had a notebook in the work environment for important lessons. The project deliverables were also met, and we managed to achieve everything the business had to offer us.

8.    References

• datatekpacific. (2017). datatekpacific. Retrieved from datatekpacific: https://www.datatekpacific.co.nz/
• datatekpacific. (2017). datatekpacific. Retrieved from datatekpacific: http://www.datatekpacific.co.nz/refurbished-items/
• Hewlett Packard Enterprise, I. a. (2019). lto. Retrieved from WHAT IS LTO TECHNOLOGY?: https://www.lto.org/technology/what-is-lto-technology/