Growing by acquisition? Know the technology before you close.
Each community you add brings its own internet, network, phones, computers and contracts. We help you see all of it, price it and fix it.
The part of the deal that rarely gets a line in the budget
Owners and operators grow by acquisition. The focus is on the building, the residents, the staff and the license. The technology comes along without much thought. Then each community turns out to be a little different. Every difference has a cost.
Rarely does anyone look at the technology from beginning to end, from the internet provider to the computer at the nurses' station or the telehealth cart at the bedside. Rarely does anyone price what it takes to bring all of it up to a standard that can be supported, kept secure and shown to a surveyor or an insurer.
What poor infrastructure costs
Your staff
Slow sign-ins, shared computers, bedside Wi-Fi that drops and printers that fail add small delays to every shift. Those delays add up.
Your managers
Administrators and business office managers end up chasing internet, phone and copier vendors. They also become the help desk.
Your residents and families
Guest and resident Wi-Fi is part of the experience. Families notice when it does not work.
Surveys, insurers and audits
Questions about who can sign in, whether everything is backed up and whether you can show it are hard to answer when every site is different.
Your budget
What is not planned for shows up later as emergency projects, such as a failed firewall, an unsupported computer or a contract that renewed at a higher rate.
Your growth
The next acquisition goes better when the last one is already on one standard, with one help desk and one monthly report.
Twelve layers, one standard
This is what we look at in every building, from the internet provider to the bedside. In most acquisitions we find gaps in more than one layer.
| Layer | What we often find | What supportable looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Internet provider | One line and no backup. A speed someone picked years ago. A contract nobody has read since it renewed. | A backup connection, enough speed for staff and residents, plus the terms and renewal date on record. |
| Network equipment | A mix of old and new firewalls and switches with no map of what is plugged in where. | Supported equipment that is monitored, with a current map. |
| Wi-Fi | Weak spots in the halls, resident rooms, staff areas and common spaces. Staff, guests and residents all sharing one network. | Staff, guest and resident networks kept separate and surveyed room by room. |
| Phones | A different phone system and vendor in every building. | One approach, with every contract and renewal date tracked. |
| Printers and copiers | Leases and maintenance contracts on separate calendars, with no one watching them. | Managed in one place, with renewals tracked. |
| Computers and devices | Old computers, shared logins and missing updates. Computers and software past end of life, which no longer get security fixes and count against you with insurers and auditors. | Current, supported, updated, protected and encrypted, with a sign-in for each person. Anything past end of life replaced or planned for. |
| Telehealth and care systems | Telehealth carts, medication systems and other care devices that depend on a network nobody has checked. | Care devices tested on the network, supported and included in the monitoring. |
| Accounts and email | Former employees who still have access. Passwords on sticky notes. | Two-step sign-in, a password manager and access removed promptly when someone leaves. |
| Backup and recovery | Backups that nobody has ever tested, or no backups at all. | Backups kept in more than one place, with restores tested. |
| Security | Different protection, or none, at each site. | The same protections everywhere, monitored. |
| Records and compliance | Paperwork that is scattered, out of date or missing. | Written, current records for surveys, insurers and auditors. |
| Vendors and contracts | A long list of vendors and no one who owns it. | One list, one owner and every renewal tracked. |
How we work with you
- Before you close: an acquisition technology review. We look at the building, in person or remotely. We list everything from the internet provider to the bedside. We read the vendor contracts and note the renewal dates. We find the risks and estimate what it will take to reach a supportable standard. You get a plain report you can use in your numbers.
- The first stretch after closing: stabilize. We take care of sign-ins and access, protection, backups, the internet connection and the urgent fixes.
- Then standardize. You get one standard, one help desk and one monthly report across your communities, so a new building looks like the rest.
- Keep it current. We hold regular planning and budget conversations with a virtual CIO and track every renewal so nothing lapses.
See the plans that carry the work after closing.
What you receive from the review
- A plain summary of each community, with the problems ranked
- A list of vendors and contracts, with terms and renewal dates
- An estimate of the cost to reach a supportable standard, with the assumptions written out
- A recommended standard that works across all your communities
- A plan for the first stretch after closing, in order
Questions owners ask
When should we call?
As soon as you are serious about a building and think the deal is moving forward. That way the findings can go into your numbers and your timeline before you commit. After closing is fine too.
Will you sign a confidentiality agreement?
Yes. We are glad to sign one before we see anything.
Do you replace our current IT team or vendor?
Only if you want us to. We can work beside them or take over, whichever suits you.
Can you give a price before you look?
We quote after we see what is in the buildings. We give ranges when we can and explain what drives them.
Looking at a building to buy, or already running communities you acquired?
Tell us about it. A short conversation is free, with no obligation.