Sun shines on the work of tiny Datagate

It's a big deal when Sun

Microsystems takes out a full page ad in

the Wall Street Journal to honor a little

company based in Carson City, along

with a handful of other suppliers, for the

exceptional quality of its work.

It's maybe an even bigger deal when

the Carson City company, in business a

mere four years, was similarly honored

by Sun last year.

To be sure, Jeffrey Hall appreciates

the recognition accorded Sun

Microsystems to Datagate and its

employees.

But, the chief executive officer of

Datagate adds, the kind of high-quality

work recognized by Sun is just part of a

day's work for Datagate. And the proof

is this: Both sides of Datagate's business,

two different kinds of operations, each

have achieved awards for exceptional

quality.

The Sun award, for starters, recognized

the work of Datagate's team of 45

field engineers who get big, mission-critical

computer systems think of the

central computer for a major retail chain

or the computer for a bank with branches

across the country back onto line

as quickly as possible.

Dispatched from an office at St.

Petersburg, Fla., the field engineers are

stationed around the country, ready to

arrive at the site of a customer's downed

computer within two hours. The job,

Hall said a few days ago, is something

like that of a firefighter long periods

of boredom followed by moments of

sheer terror.

Once they get the call, Datagate's

field engineers know their job:

"The culture is making sure we do it

right the first time," Hall said. "You

never get in trouble for doing the right

thing for the customer."

To do that, Datagate hires very carefully

"They're professional and we

expect them to stay current with their

skills," Hall said and the company

supports them with the best training and

best supply system it can muster.

Datagate pays attention to its budget,

but it pays greater attention to the needs

of its customers. If the customers are

well served, Hall said, the budget will

take care of itself.

The company's engineers respond

with loyalty. The turnover rate is almost

zero.

"Turnover is expensive, both in terms

of money and morale," Hall said. And in

a business where customers want the

kind of expertise that can solve problems

quickly, experience counts for plenty.

After hiring them carefully, Hall gets

out of the way of his company's field

engineers, managing them through

phone calls and e-mails but respecting

their ability to get the job done without

micromanagement.

"That kind of field engineering doesn't

come cheap," Hall acknowledged. But

the customers who otherwise might see

key operations shut down for many long

hours are willing to pay the price.

The field engineers' work isn't a fluke.

The other side of Datagate's operation

a facility on Deer Run Road in

Carson City that repairs high-tech systems

used in missiles and aircraft is

so good that the federal government no

longer feels obligated to inspect

Datagate's work.

"We've been 100 percent on time, 100

percent quality for as long as I can

remember," Hall said of the repair operation

and its 12 employees. "We can sign

off on our own work. That's very hard to

attain."

In fact, he said, Datagate employees

sometimes find themselves in the odd

position of requesting a government

inspection if they want a second set of

eyes to look over their work.

Privately held Datagate got its start in

Silicon Valley in 1978 as Hall and other

founders of the company decided to

service Hewlett-Packard hardware. The

computer giant battled them hoping

to keep all the maintenance business

itself and the battle went to the U.S.

Supreme Court before Datagate won the

right to stay in the business.

The company moved to Nevada in

1993.

Today, Hall said, the field engineering

business is growing slowly, largely as the

result of the dramatic slowdown in the

technology industry.

The defense repair business at Carson

City, he said, has been slowing winding

down but the company believes it has

strong potential for growth and aggressively

seeks new customers.