Jessica Jorgensen, Partner at 3t Systems
HQ in Denver, Colo. www.3tsystems.com Jessica.Jorgensen@3tsystems.com Date founded: 1994 Branch offices: Ft. Collins and Englewood, Colo. Annual revenue: 2007 run rate of approx. $50 million Business model: Hybrid VARsystems integrator (SI)	Technology specialties: IT infrastructure management, security, application integration and custom development, content management and workflow, business process reengineering, unified communications Vertical markets: Finance, healthcare, legal, engineering and construction.

What customer needs offer sales opportunities for 3t Systems?
Nearly every business is looking to automate paperbased workflow to make information workers more efficient. We also find clients struggling with issues of data integrity and "one version of the truth." As an example, how can they be sure that the accounting and sales departments are using the same data to report results to upper management? With so many silos of data, good decisions arise from having access to the data, verifying its integrity and operating from one version of the truth.

What does a workflow automation solution look like?
Take the invoicing process. After an invoice is scanned, character recognition technology allows us to parse pieces of information within that document and route them to different departments and individuals in the workflow. As an example, a piece of information could be routed to purchasing so the staff would know what to purchase, another piece to shipping so the employees would know what to pull from inventory, another to sales so the sales reps would understand the impact on their quotas.

How about "one version of the truth"?
Data integrity solutions entail integrating multiple databases and scrubbing the data to ensure that everyone's working from one version. Then we provide secure access based on rules and rights, either through employee applications or an online portal.

Where does custom application development fit in?
Packaged solutions often deliver 80 percent of what the clients need, but the remaining 20 percent could be the source of their competitive advantage. So our job isn't to fit the client's business into a box, a packaged solution; it’s to use what's in the box to enable its business. Custom application development can help clients capitalize on their own unique strengths.

Are managed services part of these solution offerings?
Yes, but it depends on the client. Sometimes small businesses can't afford their own IT departments -- they don't have experts in all the technologies that support their operations and varying applications. We often host, manage and support the solutions we've developed for them for an affordable monthly fee. We see larger enterprises outsourcing commodity-based IT services. Our goal is to offer support where and how clients need it.

What role does security play?
We don't provide security services to every client, but we are starting to address it as a core infrastructure offering. Not only securing systems and applications from external threats, but securing data internally in terms of access rights, and then extending security permissions beyond the enterprise to a network of valued trading partners.

What keeps your principals up at night?
One challenge is choosing leading-edge, best-in-class technologies that also deliver proven performance and reliability -- there's a tenuous balance there. Another relates to knowing how the technology will enable the business and provide the anticipated return. The key is translating clients' business needs into a technological action plan that empowers the business to succeed. In the end, ensuring that clients are happy is what ultimately keeps us all up.