kinetik IT blog spot

What is innovation?  It can be a nebulous idea, hard to pin down, expressed differently depending on the person.  Simply defined, it is “the act or process of introducing new ideas, devices, or methods,” though in today’s vernacular, in an age when apps and electronics dominate our daily activities, innovation has taken on a loftier meaning.

When determining companies for their annual report on the world’s most innovative, Forbes measures the value of a company’s existing business, based on expectations of future innovative results, such as new products, services and markets. On a list like this one, the companies are big.  What about the smaller companies, the start-ups? 

On the smaller end of the spectrum is where – often out of necessity – true innovation happens. Innovation of this type takes shape organically, to address a need, to fill a gap, to provide a workaround without which progress cannot be made.  There are both pros and cons to this type of innovation, as catering to a specific niche or audience may neglect addressing pressing needs in another sector of the population, ignoring the diversity that exists within society.  In addition, in the current start-up culture which values near-immediate turnaround, companies may be too quick to create, without putting in the necessary amount of research and deliberation about which products are truly viable.  This devil-may-care type of innovation may lead to overall failure.  Finding a balance between the extremes, while still allowing natural advancement is the key to successful innovation. 

Innovation has always been paramount in our work at Kinetik IT.  We write software for clients based on how they do business, learning how a client interacts with software (usability), catering to their specific needs, and developing new systems to further their efficiency, productivity, and reach.  Our end goal is to make the important work our clients do easier, more intuitive. We do this through the development and implementation of:

• custom software and web application development, database design and programming solutions
• creative web site design and SEO online internet marketing solutions
• professional online-web storefront, e-commerce and b2b commerce solutions
• full range of IT and computer network services

We spend the time and acquire the resources to stay on the leading edge of information technology software, database, internet and network solutions, so our clients can focus on business and leadership. We implement software, web applications and database systems that work for the client, the way they do business, while providing the necessary resources to keep clients on top of their game. Our innovative ideas and solutions help simplify operations while increasing productivity and enhancing competitive edge.

To learn more about services and products, and to stay up to date with Kinetik IT, visit www.Kinetik-IT.com or follow Kinetik on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

When developing a website to focus on product and service offerings, custom design often comes into play.  For some businesses, a custom build can be not only appropriate but necessary, though not in all cases.  Along with custom design can come ongoing maintenance, specialized knowledge and training, and regular updates.  Besides raising the question of who will maintain the site, ongoing upkeep often equates to ongoing cost.  

According to President Josette van Stiphout, “At Kinetik IT, our philosophy is not to be in the business of holding clients hostage. We want them to come back to us because they want to, not because they have to.  It's a different approach. We want to make sure that our clients are happy with what products we deliver, the customer service and everything that's tied into that. We want to do that at a reasonable price.” 

Kinetik IT’s rates have remained competitive for the duration of the company’s existence, with cuts coming not from laying off employees or cutting salaries, but by becoming more efficient and better-performing than the norm.  This client-centered philosophy stems from the understanding that clients may not be able to raise their own rates to accommodate the cost of necessary services, upgrades, and maintenance,

“Our rates are beyond competitive.  We haven't raised our rates in several years, because we want to make sure our prices are reasonable. In order to keep them reasonable, we have to become more efficient as a company rather than raising our rates every year for our clients,” van Stiphout said.  

It's not the easiest philosophy, but it's a philosophy that has been present since the beginning, and one which the company will strive to incorporate as much as possible. Says van Stiphout, “We've been pretty successful at following this business philosophy, but again, it's not mainstream corporate philosophy.”

To learn more about services and products, and to stay up to date with Kinetik IT, visit www.Kinetik-IT.com or follow Kinetik on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.