About Us

Kerkhoff Technologies was founded in 2007 by Wim Kerkhoff to help businesses get the most out of their technology. Over the years we’ve helped many organizations relieve their technology worries so that they can concentrate on growing their businesses and realizing their goals.

KTI provides Information Technology profesional and managed services to clients located both in the Fraser Valley area as well as internationally.

How did Kerkhoff Technologies start out?

Wim Kerkhoff: When I started the company as a one-man-band, I did a lot of Linux and other open source consulting. We did a little bit of everything but all in a very reactive break-fix model. When clients had a problem, they would call or email us and we would take a look at it and fix it.

In what ways has Kerkhoff Technologies evolved over the years? What are the current developments in your business model?

WK: We have transformed to provide EVERYTHING a business needs in an IT department including advice, budgeting, strategy, and business continuity. We now have a very high focus on optimizing the productivity and efficiency of the businesses we serve.

Tell me about what IT services you offer.

WK: They are comprehensive. Companies with 30+ employees often have an information technology (IT) department. The IT department handles setting up the computers and servers, networking, answering questions from users, fixing broken stuff, purchasing new equipment, reporting to management, etc. Our IT services aim to provide an outsourced IT experience for not only 30+ computers but also smaller organizations with 10+ users. Through outsourcing and volumes of scale and more mature processes, we can provide it at a lower cost and risk.

Are you still doing Linux and Open Source consulting?

WK: Yes, it is still a big part of what we do. We have managed to package our Linux support on a monthly basis as well, along the same lines as our monthly support package for more typical or “classic” Windows business networks.

Aside from small to medium size businesses what kinds of businesses can benefit from your services?

WK: We work with a few types of businesses. Anyone with 10-100 computers is a candidate. We also work with some businesses that have their own IT professional inhouse. We could replace them, but often it can make sense to increase the productivity of the inhouse person by implementing better processes and best practices. We also partner with technology companies like ISPs to provide network, server, and/or Linux expertise that they don’t have in-house.

What have you done differently from other IT professionals in the area?

WK: We provide a full package of what businesses need, and don’t just wait for things to break. We really work to minimize risk through a very proactive relationship. Just like a regular maintenance program for your car will lengthen it’s life and reduce the chance of stranding you beside the road, we work to reduce risk and make everything run better. I certainly know that my car runs smoother and uses less gas after a comphensive tuneup.

What are clients’ biggest complaints about other techs they have worked with in the past?

WK: We’ve heard them all! They don’t return phone calls, the server they purchase doesn’t work, no guarantees, they were sold garbage computers, they were nickle and dimed, they don’t backup our data properly.

How do you find that you measure up in comparison to other IT professionals and the complaints that are put out against them?

WK: We answer all our support phone calls live – our promise is no voicemail and no press-1-2-3 baloney. We connect you to a local technician who understands your network and environment, and speaks your language – no geek speak. There are no mystery bills – we only invoice for work that was quoted and approved by you. We don’t hide behind multi-year contracts – we work hard to give our clients the TLC they deserve. We also meet every few months (face to face) to review the status and health of your IT, so that you are never blind to what’s going on.

How many technicians do you currently employ and can you tell me about your team?

WK: We have 4 engineers. Paul is our working Service Manager, handling both our helpdesk and network administration as well as continually implementing new proactive processes. Richard is our senior Network and guru Linux System Engineer. Derek is our primary helpdesk service engineer and looks after proactive systems like backups and anti-virus. Luke is our Windows & Linux software engineer. Myself, I do very little handson work but am often available to fill in for tough problems or when we are understaffed.

How do you ensure they’re all up to date with the latest programs and technology?

WK: It’s tough, even for those in the business like us. We subscribe to trade magazines. I attend different trade conferences, and take back a ton of information from that. By supporting multiple businesses, we can continually leverage and reuse our field experience with other clients. We also spend a lot of internal time experimenting with up and coming technologies. On top of that, we work with a network of advisors and industry peers to compare notes.

Your monthly IT support package, what does that mean to your clients and how does monthly service increase productivity and profitability for those clients?

WK: A monthly fixed-fee agreement is the only way to align your best interests with our best practices. If your server is down or users can’t work – it affects you, and it affects us at the same time. When your computers are running smoothly and users can do their work, it’s good for us. We do a lot of proactive work to reduce downtime and increase your user productivity, which reduces emergencies and calls to our helpdesk. This is a very different mentatality that is designed to impact your bottom line. As an added benefit, you can sleep better at night! What is peace of mind worth?

What is on the horizon for Kerkhoff Technologies?

WK: I’m excited with the continual enhancements to our services and processes. We are growing both our IT services and our software development teams. The end goal is always increased efficiency for our clients.

Is there anything you would like readers to know?

WK: Take a high level look at your business and technology and all the related costs. There are direct costs (e.g. software, hardware, what you pay your IT consultant). But the indirect costs such as your staff’s productivity are much higher. The largest expense affecting your bottom line are your personnel. Use technology as a tool to both cut costs as well as increase revenue from the same set of people. This will improve your bottom line!