For smaller companies, implementing new technology can cause more anxiety than excitement. Founded by brothers Shane and Tony Nejad, Beverly Hills-based Mnemonic Computer Solutions is ready to take the pain away. Shane chats about movies, consulting, and the right way to bill a client.
Why did you choose the name Mnemonic?
It came after I saw the film "Johnny Mnemonic." I didn't want an ordinary name like "Data Networking Systems" or "Net Connect." I wanted my company's name to stand out, to be memorable. After all, in a way computers are nnemonic devices and the name complements that. The word "Mnemonic" grabs the attention of the person hearing it--but I wonder what will happen if we ever hire a guy named Johnny.
What got you interested in doing this work?
My first job showed me how useful a little network could be and I realized immediately that this concept was going to grow. Big Unix systems had been in place for a long time but here was a network for the small businesses. At that time in the '90s, sharing your hard drive was a huge deal. To allow real-time access to a file without floppy disk transfer was an astonishing task. Now, this technology is available for even home networks--this is how useful it has become. Sharing resources is one of the primary tasks of a network and it's not going to change any time soon.
What makes you different than other consulting companies?
We're not looking to make huge amounts of money up front and forgetting about the client. We are looking at long term relationships. People want to find someone who knows what they are doing and are professionally ethical, like shopping around for an honest mechanic. I can't tell you the number of times clients have shown me quotes from other consulting firms and I saw the dishonestly high labor charges.
Do you have an example of a labor charge that's ridiculously inappropriate?
Recently I saw a quote that included a new server setup, connecting five existing workstations, with a labor charge of 30 hours. That's almost four days of work by one technician. We provided them with a quote for a superior server, e-mail hosting, and firewall setup for 19 hours. The other firm's rates were $50 an hour above ours and this client would have paid for it if we didn't care and had not wanted to save that client money.
How do you factor in time on a job that you may not have anticipated?
Unlike other firms, we credit time to our billing when we see that the time spent on a job was too much for that specified job. We factor in the problems and the technician's expertise and mistakes he might have made and always try to be fair. Last year I was given a referral from a client who'd appreciated that we did this. That really made me feel good, because sometimes you think the clients don't realize this, but here were two people that not only realized it, but also hired me based on that fact.
What do you like best about what you do?
It's great when we see a business succeeding with a system that we've designed from the ground up. Mnemonic was a company that was just a thought and a dream at one time. Now there are all these clients who are running their business with our system recommendations and managing their operations as well.
do you know an Orange County company we should cover? Let us know about it. Send your local profile candidates to emillard@computeruser.com.
