Many multi-million-dollar deals are struck on the golf course;

Yet, few people think of the golf course as the focus of a business opportunity. Little Rock’s Chenal Country Club boasts two championship golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., one of the world's leading golf course designers. The courses blend beautifully into a forest of pines, oaks, dogwoods, and colorful native flowering plants. Behind all of this natural beauty and social and business ambience lies a powerful high-tech infrastructure. Chenal runs its business on fully integrated IT systems with ongoing maintenance and support provided by a team of highly-trained NetGain Technologies’ IT professionals. The team monitors, maintains, and supports Chenal using NetGain Technologies’ Technology OneSource program. This arrangement allows Chenal to focus on its world-class golf course and provide top-notch service to its members.

No budget for IT staff

“We don’t have an on-staff IT person,” said Korey Johnson, Controller for Chenal Country Club. "The Technology OneSource program allows us to have an IT function without the cost associated with maintaining a full-time IT. For the cost of one full-time salaried employee, we gain access to all of NetGain Technologies’ resources.” Those resources are substantial, too. The cost to maintain a staff with the depth and breadth of experience that NetGain Technologies has would be cost-prohibitive to a small organization such as Chenal. Most importantly, NetGain Technologies has the bandwidth to respond quickly to any problems that might arise at Chenal. “They’re available to us whenever we call on them,” Johnson said. “And if one technician runs into some difficulty he can draw on other resources within the NetGain Technologies’ organization to help resolve the problem.” Behind the Scenes Chenal’s relationship with NetGain Technologies began in July 2003 when Chenal was looking for an IT provider to assist it with its technology refresh project. The project involved replacing the organization’s outdated hardware and software and revamping its network. The resulting IT infrastructure supports about forty end users in the country club’s administration office.

Systems kept secure and running smoothly

Chenal also has computer hardware and software that supports its point-of-sale systems for the food and beverage and golf operations. All of these systems are linked via a network that uses wireless connectivity for the various facilities that are disseminated throughout the club grounds. As part of the Technology OneSource program, NetGain Technologies’ technicians make onsite visits to perform routine maintenance tasks. “They keep our security up to date and make sure that our computer systems are meeting our operational needs,” explained Johnson. “They check everything and let us know if something needs attention. If the storage on this server is almost at capacity, they’ll tell us that we’re going to need more storage in the next couple of months.’ They’re very proactive, not reactive.” Most of NetGain Technologies support at Chenal takes place behind the scenes. Technicians remotely monitor the club’s network 24 hours a day and alert Johnson if anything goes wrong. Important Benefits Johnson joined the Chenal team about a year ago. Although she wasn’t involved in the initial selection process that led to contracting NetGain Technologies, she contends that there is real benefit to outsourcing the IT function via the Technology OneSource program. She particularly likes the tools that are available to her to help streamline the IT support process. “NetGain Technologies recently implemented a Web-based portal where you can go in and request service, which is very handy,” she said. “I also can give them a call and they’ll enter the service order for me. They’re very easy to work with and very friendly.” Most importantly, Johnson says she relies on NetGain Technologies to keep Chenal’s IT systems running smoothly.

Peace of mind

The Technology OneSource program gives her the peace of mind that comes from knowing that a team of highly skilled technicians is available whenever she needs them. “From an administrative standpoint, we wouldn’t be able to do our jobs if we couldn’t use our computers,” Johnson added. “Operationally, we’d have a hard time functioning without our point-of-sale system. Our computer systems are important to us, and NetGain Technologies is available anytime we need help.”