Transparent Technologies solves IT headaches
Transparent Technologies Inc. (TTI) CEO Steve Blackmon admits he loves the IT side of his job more than dealing with the nuts and bolts of running a business. Fortunately for him, he found a solution that is as simple as the technology he provides his clients.
"Our recipe for success is that no matter what you do, treat customers well and hire the right people," says Blackmon, whose heads a Lawrenceville firm of approximately 40 employees. "You don't have to do much management if you do those two things."
Blackmon landed his first client more than eight years ago when he signed The Weather Channel. While viewers across the country are watching what's on the tube, they also see local weather information at the bottom of the screen - and that information for thousands of different cities is managed by TTI's computers and technology. Ditto for the local television listings run by TV Guide in markets throughout the U.S.
TTI also provides complete IT and back office support for clients, monitoring all of their vital information in a war-room-like section of its headquarters - complete with giant graphs and statistics projected onto the walls. Need to obtain and use a network of 600 computers? TTI can help. For clients such as The Weather Channel, it also provides the staff that answers calls from subscribers experiencing difficulty seeing their local weather information. (TTI remains invisible to the outside world.)
"Once somebody finds out that you can alleviate pain for them," Blackmon says, "they find other areas you can help them with."
"If I ranked all of our vendors, TTI would be at the top," says The Weather Channel's CIO, Brian Shield. "To us, they represent an extension of some critical parts of our business - building, configuring, deploying and monitoring 8,000 servers on our behalf. This is a fundamental difference: We're really the only network that delivers national and local content."
TTI has solved enough headaches to warrant moving last year from a 4,000-foot building in Fulton County to a 16,000-foot home on Lakes Parkway in Lawrenceville. That site may not be its home much longer, though. TTI is already outgrowing the space.
"I would like to see us double in size," Blackmon says. "I'm not looking to become a $100 million company, but doubling would take care of the needs of our people and would be enough for me."
TTI is already selective about its clientele, persuing companies that fit in what it terms the "ideal customer profile"- meaning clients that understand what they need and that represent opportunities for long-term partnerships. Typical contracts for TTI often start in the $100,000 range, though Blackmon notes the firm is always looking for companies with big growth potential.
What challenges would such growth create?
"As we add more customers, I would personally have to learn to juggle things better," he says.
On the other hand, he could just turn to his go-to practice of treating clients well, hiring more of the right people, and letting management largely take care of itself.
At a Glance:Transparent Technologies, Inc.
Headquarters: Lakes Parkway, Lawrenceville
Employees: 40
Founded: 1999
Services: Provides technology consulting and network management services. Offerings have grown each year since inception and TTi now concentrates on video and digital media system integration, operational support services (including a 7X24 NOC) and custom IT solutions and support. Provides all of our customers with flexible solutions for their needs.
Major Clients: The Weather Channel, TV Guide, Scientific Atlanta, State of Georgia
Case Study: During the summer of 2005, the Georgia General Assembly became a TTi customer. TTi was tasked with performing a complete overhaul of the IT infrastructure at the Georgia General Assembly.
