1.
(877) 211-8911 x299 | Experts-Exchange.com
Smart IT Operations Management on a Budget
About Fair Trade USA
In today’s global economy, consumers are looking for more
considerate ways to spend their money. Fair Trade USA works as
a promoter of ethical business, linking caring consumers with
international goods producers. The globally-recognized non-profit
organization works with farmers in about 70 countries to certify
their products that are sold within the United States.
Challenges
In order to maximize the benefits the group can provide to the
global community, Fair Trade keeps a lean organization. A single
employee, Stephen Wilde, is tasked with supporting the entire
company’s IT needs.
Stephen’s biggest challenges are quickly finding accurate solutions
to a constant flow of technology issues, and learning new
technologies in real time. Like many other IT pros Stephen lives
with a long list of help tickets and limited hours in a day. In his role,
efficiency is critical, as any extra time spent on one issue must be
taken away from time spent solving other issues.
And, like most IT managers, Stephen’s personal knowledgebase
has its limits – no one can be an expert in all technologies. Since
Fair Trade works on limited budgets, access to paid consulting is
not an option for most problems. And while the web is an easily
accessible resource, it presents its own problems. According to
Stephen, trying to find a quality solution on the web can often turn
into a “wild goose chase,” where significant time is spent looking
for a solution, testing it and dealing with unknown consequences.
This can set him back days.
Fair Trade USA leverages Experts Exchange to manage their global IT operations with just one staff member.
“A complex technology
issue that would take
me a couple weeks to
work through, can be
resolved in a couple
days with the Experts.”
-Stephen Wilde

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(877) 211-8911 x299 | Experts-Exchange.com
The Experts Exchange Solution
Stephen has improved his job performance with Experts
Exchange. On Experts Exchange he is able to search almost 4
million verified technology solutions, pose questions directly
to other IT professionals, and access thousands of how-to
articles and videos. Experts Exchange provides him the broad
technology knowledge he needs to support all of his company’s
technology needs.
Stephen even uses Experts Exchange off the clock, to help
him develop his technology skills. He uses the network to
supplement his training for Cisco certification, quickly finding
material, instead of sifting through an overwhelming amount
of information on Cisco’s website.
“If you go to Cisco’s site, the information is vast, and you need
to have exact search query to find what you’re looking for,
which can take some time,” noted Stephen, “But if you go to
Experts Exchange and search in plain language, you will find very
direct answers.”
Results Where it Counts
Stephen uses Experts Exchange as the primary resource when
dealing with a technology outside of his current skill set. “A
complex technology issue that would take me a couple weeks
to work through, can be resolved in a couple days working back
and forth with the Experts.”
With Experts Exchange, Stephen no longer spends time
testing unproven solutions, and, as a result, is able to
singlehandedly serve his global organization with the backing
of 100,000 Experts.
GOALS
• Efficient problem solving
• Cost-effective IT support
• Cover multiple technologies
FAIR TRADE USA
fairtradeusa.org
RESULTS
• Solve problems in days, not weeks
• Save thousands on consulting costs
SOLUTION
• Experts Exchange business account
• Unlimited questions to experts
• Access to learning resources
• 24 hour access to solutions