Industries

Education

Whether K1-12, Post-Secondary or Special Education providers, educational institutions have some unique challenges. They require high levels of security and privacy to comply with the expectations of their student body, and to comply with regulatory frameworks such as FERPA and similar laws. In addition, schools use a number of specialized record-keeping systems beyond simple secure file sharing. These systems need to be accessible, available and well integrated with the more standard software that is used in the school. The construction of many school buildings and relevant building codes also often present specific challenges to networking, especially deploying Wi-Fi, which we have a good deal of experience in meeting.

In addition, schools need to provide technology access to two very different populations, and do so in a manner that is highly manageable and cost effective. Filters in place need to be able to differentiate between the different populations. Teachers and other staff need flexible and robust access to their tools. Students, on the other hand, do not need a high level of access. On the contrary, schools generally need to sharply limit what students can access. All of this needs to be done on hardware and systems that are highly manageable while respecting the students’ privacy. Products such as DeepFreeze and Chromebooks can make are tremendous difference in a school’s ability to manage their student accessible technology.

Healthcare

HOCS has worked with healthcare providers for over 30 years. We’ve worked with the technology to support EMR / HeR as they went from “nice ideas” to mature solutions that are widely deployed. We’ve worked with medical practices, labs and all sorts of care facilities, including skilled nursing, Post-acute care and Urgent care facilities.

These facilities need systems that are secure, highly reliable and easily accessible to the people who need it. It starts with the right hardware, including high reliability servers at the core; CMS approved kiosks and mobile devices and that enable staff to capture care wherever it happens; and network infrastructure like robust Wi-Fi combined with high level access control to tie it all together securely.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing facilities use a number of specialized systems to manage the various parts of their processes. Process control requires supply chain management, ERP, EDI, and CRM systems, working together. In addition there is a lot of specialized hardware in use that is crucial to effective management of a manufacturer’s operation. These systems need to be widely deployed and easily accessible but secure from intrusion. And these systems need to integrate with standard office productivity and communications systems.

Robust, high capacity and secure Wi-Fi is especially crucial as manufacturing environments frequently make use of a high volume of mobile and hand-held devices that feed data to the control systems in real time. In addition, there are often devices in areas that do not lend themselves to traditional wiring such as loading docks and packing stations. Making sure that the infrastructure supports all of these devices seamlessly, reliably and securely is crucial.

Non-Profit

There are as many types of social service, community service and advocacy institutions as there are actual organizations. No two nonprofits are the same, and each one has its specific and unique needs. At the same time these nonprofits have operational circumstances and needs that are somewhat different than those of other businesses.

Two of the most common areas that nonprofits need to address are regulatory compliance and document and records management. Management. This requires platforms that are secure and flexible, and software that can work well with specialized nonprofit software. And all of this generally needs to be done on a budget.

Professional Services

Providers of professional services, such as lawyers and accountants, often operate in high pressure environments that are also frequently heavily regulated. Systems that enable regulatory compliance must integrate smoothly with standard office management software

Real Estate

HOCS has worked with real estate developers and management companies for over three decades. In that time we have helped them navigate technology change. More importantly, we have helped firms to use technology to help improve their processes, mitigate their risks and become more effective over all.

Developers need robust project management tools to keep complex projects with multiple facts running smoothly, on schedule, and within budget. Secure file and information sharing are crucial as well, whether for construction planning and management, or working on all of the parts of a deal, which could include financial documents, portfolios, rent rolls, or information related to contract negotiations. Secure communications with banks is especially crucial when dealing with the common task of transferring large sums of money between parties. In addition, developers need to have robust and secure communications between construction sites and field based staff and the main office. Existing properties generally need sophisticated rent management software.