You can’t sit in Guy Cortesi’s office. You can’t have coffee in it and you can’t hang a picture in it, either.
The reason is that his office is online.
I work in this virtual operation, he said. `We’re kind of out there. It’s not about meeting. This is about working.`
Cortesi runs an information technology company based in the real world in Latham, however almost no work is done outside the virtual world.
He runs eSolve Solutions which `provides online project collaboration solutions and strategic technical services,` according to the company.
IT Physical is a diagnostic tool and is a precursor to eSolve Solutions, which he recommends for businesses just getting their feet wet in the IT world.
Cortesi said the program began when the company he worked for, Bechtel, moved its operation to Pittsburgh. He worked for 20 years in the Navy nuclear program, with the highest security clearance, before starting his own company.
`I did lots of trips back and forth` while Bechtel was moving its operation, he said.
Cortesi said he worked at the business incubator at RPI and U-Start Incubator at Union College before moving his server equipment to Albany.
Originally from Downstate, he has lived in Latham for 27 years and all four of his children grew up in Latham.
Cortesi said the operation has contributions from his family, as well as a number of contracted employees.
`My two sons are pretty involved in what I’m doing,` he said.
The Web site was designed and animated by one son, Andrew, 22, who is studying video design and the servers were set up by his other son, Tim, 24, who works at Lockheed Martin Corporation.
`He’s my key technical advisor,` he said.
Cortesi has two daughters as well, Rebecca, 26 and Rachel, 19. Rebecca is an engineer and Rachel is studying at Hudson Valley Community College.
His wife, Susan, helps with bookkeeping and accounting, as well as marketing, and has a background in computer science.
Cortesi has worked with a number of companies for more than two years and said he is looking to broaden his clientele and the industries that he services. He targets small companies and workgroups in larger companies that are collaborating on a project, and he said programs and software to help shrink the globe are going to crop up more and more.
The system sends alerts out each time a document is altered. Cortesi said a page that serves a similar purpose to a Facebook news feed is available for everyone on the project.
`It’s Facebook for business. All I needed was a Web browser,` Cortesi said. `Anybody on the project can see the project.`
The vulnerability to fire and theft is another major reason Cortesi developed eSolve, and he said that backing up data is often overlooked by small businesses. Customers, contacts and payroll are all stored electronically in most small businesses, and he likened losing that data to having a fire in a traditional office building with hard copies of everything being lost.
Richard Gibney, former president of the New York State Council of Landscape Architects used the software to help keep its members informed about changes in legislation and continuing education programs.
`It’s worked out well,` he said. `They’re very professional.`
Gibney said the society is moving toward a more self-sufficient system, but eSolve has been useful in helping maintain and update its Web site.
He said as companies look to expand and service people over larger geographic areas, programs and systems that do not base themselves in central physical locations will become more normal.
`You’re going to see a lot of people doing that,` he said.
Cortesi said other countries are using this technology because more businesses are starting their operations in the `technology generation.`
`This is more common in other locations,` he said. `This has got a ways to go in the U.S.`
He said India and Eastern European companies design less centrally located operations based on necessity and lack the infrastructure for centrally located businesses. In the U.S., the buildings and infrastructure exist from a previous generation of business, so companies still use them, he said, even though it might be more cost effective to lose the office space.
Cortesi said that eSolve is a good tool, but it does not replace good project management.
`You have to get used to it. You have to be more organized.`
Some face-to-face or over the phone communication, or even real-time online communication are often helpful in making sure the project stays on task.
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