News

Having just become a Sage Business Partner and been accredited Cisco SMB specialists, we are pleased to announce more great news for the week.

Cornerstone has been shortlisted in the North East Business Awards for Newcomer of the Year. The award is open to companies in the region that have been trading for less than 3 years and can show a proven record of growth and success.

The short listing is a great recognition of the efforts made within Cornerstone in the first year to grow the company, increase our service offering and further distance ourselves from the competition.

We see this progress as only the beginning of growth for the company. The aim in 2009 is to establish Cornerstone as the leading supplier of business solutions in the north east, as well as winning new business throughout the UK.

We look forward to documenting further progress in the North East Business Awards in the near future.

Cornerstone Business Solutions Ltd announced today it has achieved Select Certification from Cisco®.

The Select Certification recognizes Cisco resale channel partners whose primary focus is on the small and medium-sized business (SMB) market with fewer than 250 employees.

Chris Petty Director of Cornerstone says “this is a fantastic achievement for Cornerstone and just shows that we are committed to offering the best solutions in the market place by teaming up with Cisco. This accreditation just shows Cornerstone’s commitment to be at the forefront of technology in the North East.

“The Cisco Select Certification was created in response to customer demand for channel partners to be capable of designing and implementing SMB-specific Cisco solutions,” said Surinder Brar, senior director of worldwide channels at Cisco. “With the Select Certification, Cornerstone Business Solutions Ltd has made an investment in obtaining the training, skills and knowledge necessary to play a pivotal role in meeting this increasing demand.”

To earn Select Certification, Cornerstone Business Solutions Ltd fulfilled the training and exam requirements for the SMB Specialization. Cornerstone Business Solutions Ltd also met the personnel, training, and post-sales support requirements set forth by Cisco.

The Cisco Resale Channel Program provides partners with the training required to build sales, technical and Cisco Lifecycle Services skills. Cisco resale partner certifications—Select,—represent an increasing breadth of skills across key technologies and a partner’s ability to deliver integrated networking solutions. Cisco resale partner specializations—Entry, Express, Advanced and Master—reflect an increasing depth of sales, technical and service expertise in particular technologies.

Cornerstone Business Solutions are proud to support Stockton Town Football Clubs 10th Anniversary Sportsman Dinner.

This year Stockton Town Football Club have managed to acquire the exclusive presence of the legendary Jack Charlton, all money raised on the evening will go towards helping the club with the progress and upkeep of Grassroots Football scheme at Stockton Town.

The 10th Anniversary Sportsman Dinner is to be held at Hardwick Hall and on the night there will be raffles and auctions for a variety of pizes.

Cornerstone Business Solutions has kindly donated a Lenovo Laptop taking top spot as the main prize in the raffle.

A NEW business designed to help companies communicate better and work smarter has been launched in the Tees Valley. Cornerstone Business Solutions (CBS), based in Thornaby, specialises in providing practical assistance to businesses that require fool-proof communications systems to help them work more efficiently – especially in the current economic climate where costs are spiralling.

Cornerstone Business Solutions (CBS), based in Thornaby, specialises in providing practical assistance to businesses that require fool-proof communications systems to help them work more efficiently – especially in the current economic climate where costs are spiraling.

Chris Petty, who is co director of CBS, has a significant track record in the industry with more than ? years of experience. He believes his company can get businesses to work ??pc more efficiently and improve profitability. He said: “The end-to-end IT solutions services we offer are more in demand now following the recent economic changes.

“Businesses are anxious to remain ahead-of-the-game – but in a cost-effective way. We know and understand that they do not want to spend money without a sizable return on investment and our systems can offer them that.”

CBS will focus on the five core areas of a business’ IT and telephone needs; network installation, systems maintenance, engineering, IT purchasing or leasing, repairs and upgrades.

With these key services Mr Petty and his team of systems experts and engineers will help companies strategically develop their business systems, which will either complement existing IT teams, help establish new ones or act as a remote IT team.

Despite having only recently launched it already works with some of the world’s best software and hardware providers, such as ? and ? (e.g. Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Sage and Pegasus) and has secured contracts with leading blue-chip and public sector companies, including ? and ?.

The company also has a proactive research and development department to ensure it remains innovative in the business solutions it offers its clients; whether big or small firms, regional or national.

“As a business man myself I have an innate understanding of the needs of other business in the region. I decided to set-up a transparent one-stop-shop where business could seek support in a way that is honest and suits their needs.

“We are very customer-focused which means we work closely with our customers to identify the changes they need in the short and long-term. That way we help businesses establish a solid foundation upon which to build on.”

A BUSINESS launched just 12 weeks ago has won 38 contracts – almost half of its 12-month new business target. Cornerstone Business Solutions, based on Teesside Industrial Estate in Thornaby, launched in June in a bid to support businesses that need their IT and telephony systems to work smarter for them.

Launched just 12 weeks ago Cornerstone has won 38 contracts – almost half of its 12-month new business target.

Cornerstone Business Solutions, based on Teesside Industrial Estate in Thornaby, launched in June in a bid to support businesses that need their IT and telephony systems to work smarter for them.

Out of the 38 contracts one is for a major brewery, another for a regional-based football club and the rest are major blue-chip firms. With sales growing by 30% month-on-month the company is set to quash its first year targets within its first quarter.

The company’s director, Chris Petty, puts this success down to propositions; a unique try before you buy offer – and unrivalled customer service. “All business, no matter how big or small, need IT and telephony services.

“But the difference is we make sure it provides the best return on investment for them. We have so much confidence in our products that for every new customer we are offering a try before you buy service. So if it does not suit them they can walk away from the contract – without any cost to them.”

Chris continued: “To complement this, we have a no-nonsense approach to customer service. No matter what time of day it is we promise to be able to deliver on our promise to support our clients with expert technicians. And, most importantly, we have engineers who enjoy their job and don’t resent the fact they have been called-out.”

Cornerstone’s services range from providing support contracts where companies pay a fixed amount each year for their IT or telephony to be maintained and serviced, to the installation of bespoke systems for new businesses or a complete overhaul of existing inadequate facilities.

“We are very pleased with the success of the business so early in its financial year, it is a tribute to the expertise of our staff. There is a need in today’s economic climate for an intelligent, value-adding business solutions company such as ours and we need to ensure our success is sustainable.

“To do this we plan to continually invest in our systems, train staff so they are the best in the UK and will always be on the look-out for top-class new staff to help expand certain areas of our business.”