IT company puts people back in the business through virtual CIO services

They don't sell or rent hardware. They don't sell or rent software. But what they do provide are technology and business services that can become the IT department for small- to mid-size companies.
 
Headquartered in Lansing, enPower Technology Solutions provides services that run counter to the assumption that IT is simply a commodity that can be bought and sold. Company founder Douglas Horne took issue with the trend, and set out to put the people back in IT.
 
"We need good IT services more than we ever had before," says Horne, a 20-year veteran of the IT industry. "Security threats and attacks are super high, and legal aspects are different with health care and banking. Even though IT has increasingly become a commodity, we have to make a shift in how we consult and manage IT."
 
Founded in 2015, enPower focuses on services typical of a chief information officer. The company consults on business management, process development, vendor and project management, as well as budget analysis related to the technology investments of each client. Company team members then overlay IT management services, and in many cases, provide day-to-day systems management and help desk services.
 
"We're essentially coining a new term: virtual CIO," says Horne. "We're not just technicians who come in and rent or sell you equipment. We work with your business on behalf of your business to help you build structures with an IT emphasis."
 
In a little more than a year and a half, enPower has grown to serve 25 small- to mid-sized companies along the I-96 corridor as well toward southwest Michigan. Horne and his team of four work virtually with clients via cloud-based systems, and go onsite once a week. The company expects to add up to six more employees by the end of 2017.
 
"What really sets us apart is our focus on people first," says Horne. "Many technology companies come in with their technology goggles on—and that's all they see. We understand businesses, we get to know you, and we work on the technology to make it fit with the people and the business."
 
Source: Douglas Horne, Founder and Managing Director, enPower
Writer: Ann Kammerer, News Editor
 
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