Summer 2011

Jon Levi

Message from Jon Levi
Chief Technology Officer

Improving Productivity Through Technology

The IT department is hard at work developing a scalable and sophisticated technology platform to support Cassidy Turley's short-term performance and long-term success. We are working closely with the Marketing Department on several enhancements to the existing company website and a new Intranet for employees and partner firms. Also, you can look forward to several upgrades to our servers, hardware and software in the future.

Enhanced Website
2011 will bring a new, improved home page for Cassidy Turley that will provide easier access to information and more intuitive navigation to service lines and other frequently visited content areas. The website will receive additional enhancements, including guidelines and templates for creating microsites for broker teams and specific properties. We will also offer enhanced broker profiles. Expect delivery of these features in mid-summer.

The Intranet
The new company-wide Intranet, eCommunity, which is rolling out in July, is a comprehensive integrated communications portal that will inform employees about breaking company and industry news and provide information about every business line and department. In addition, each business unit will have self-administered folders to securely share documents for best practices, RFPs, client account teams, and other projects that require more security.

The intranet will feature decentralized administration, be accessible to all owned and partner firms, and connect our growing company as a 24/7 virtual community. For more technical information on the Intranet, click here.

Desktop Software Refresh
IT is also testing a new standard PC software platform built on a Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010 suite. The software refresh planned for late 2011 will involve upgrading every desktop and laptop computer with the new software platform as well as end-user training for Windows 7 and Office 2010.

Email, Mobile and Tablet Enhancements
By making these investments in hardware, software and training, Cassidy Turley will add capabilities and improvements for email, mobile and tablet users:

  • Document collaboration and integration of intranet websites with the Office 2010 programs will improve user and project team productivity;
  • Improved Microsoft Outlook Web Access functionality will make remote access to Email, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and Notes easier than ever before;
  • Apple, Android and Windows Mobile smartphones, slates, tablets and other non-BlackBerry devices will be able to connect and synchronize with the Exchange 2010 servers through Microsoft ActiveSync;
  • GoodLink will be phased out and a new enterprise mobile device management solution will allow IT to manage mobile device security policy, add/change/delete/monitor devices for users and send a "poison pill" remote wipe command if a device is lost or stolen;
  • Mobile users and devices will be able to access microsites, multimedia presentations and other documents stored on the Cassidy Turley Internet, SharePoint Intranet and Extranet websites from computers, smartphones, tablets and other mobile web browsers; and,
  • Outlook Anywhere support will enable Cassidy Turley laptop users to connect and synchronize Outlook with just an Internet connection — eliminating the need for a VPN (virtual private network).

Local IT Upgrade
IT upgrades to Corporate and brokerage offices and the firm's phone/voicemail infrastructure will provide improved performance, scalability and reliability for at least the next five years. New features include integration of different electronic messaging technologies, expanded use of Voice-over-IP (VoIP) and integrated audio/video/web conferencing through Webex Connect. Click here for further details on local IT upgrades.



Mark Burkhart

Message from Mark Burkhart
CEO (and Chief Culture Officer)

Building Our Infrastructure

Cassidy Turley is a rapidly growing company, one built on many different technology platforms from our legacy firms. Our vision is to be a fully integrated platform with the infrastructure to match. That is why Cassidy Turley is pursuing numerous technology initiatives that will integrate internal processes and systems, as well as enhance our marketing and sales tools. These initiatives will bring our company closer together, as well as allow us to upgrade our systems and processes to current best practices — improving our overall operational efficiency. These changes include:

July

  • A company-wide Intranet featuring public and private sections
  • An enhanced Cassidy Turley website

Next few months

  • New broker team and property microsites
  • Enhanced broker profiles

Balance of 2011 to early 2012

  • Improved desktop software
  • Enhanced email, mobile and tablet capabilities
  • Upgraded local IT hardware

I have invited Jon Levi, our Chief Technology Officer, to share more about our important new infrastructure initiatives.

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