At referenSys, we like the word 'holistic' because it embodies our approach to IT, which is that true business benefit can only be gained from technology when you look at the whole picture, not just the detail. An interesting analogy is that of the differing approaches to health. People tend to treat or alleviate the symptoms of illness using pain relief or anti-imflammatory drugs for example.

The holistic way is to look at the whole body, try to understand what is causing the problem, and address these causes as a way of resolving pain or disease. Cause, not symptom.

We take the same approach with IT. We like to understand what the business is, how it works, what its plans are, what issues it faces and who its people are. This way we can understand fully what the business needs in order to thrive and grow, and help to put systems and processes in place that will facilitate this. If instead we just focus on individual issues, we miss the opportunities for efficiency, integration and innovation.

We believe this approach to be the right one, for all businesses including yours.