Ilona Todd, Marketing Manager
540.725.3830 / 800.328.2615
itodd@cmrinstitute.org

CMR Institute Expands and Diversifies E-Learning Delivery Strategies

Certified Medical Representatives Institute (CMR Institute) is a leading provider of education solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. The Institute offers nationally recognized certifications and over 40 American Council on Education endorsed courses. CMR Institute serves over 13,000 students and provides education solutions to more than 75 percent of the leading pharmaceutical companies. To support their innovative approach to learning techniques, CMR Institute needed to expand and diversify their e-learning delivery strategies. CMR Institute's infrastructure needed to be outwardly and inwardly facing, integrating internal and external systems without comprising security or functionality.

CMR Institute immediately realized the necessity of developing and implementing a Strategic Technology Plan (STP) and turned to the expertise of Virtual IT. Cherie Hicks, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at CMR Institute, noted that, “As our staff numbers less than 30 people and our client base is many times that, we needed help in assessing our IT infrastructure and developing a Strategic Technology Plan to help us maintain our high level of customer service while providing the necessary security for our organization and clients.”

To help CMR Institute achieve this goal, VIT performed a comprehensive technology assessment including review of hardware, software, structure, support and service. As Sharon Lustig, CMR Institute's Vice President of Service and Support, observed, “This step-by-step analysis also involved partnering with our internal IT team to assess our systems' strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.”

VIT then compiled and analyzed the exhaustive data and developed a comprehensive Technology Assessment Report providing multiple recommendations for the future implementation of technology that could support CMR Institute's key business processes and its future business strategy. “I was impressed by Virtual IT's thoughtful and methodical approach, highlighted by their integration of our business processes/plans and consideration of our risk aversion level, corporate environment, mission and even culture,” noted Lustig.

CMR Institute decided to extend VIT's engagement to assist in the decision-making, transition and implementation of the STP. VIT consultants essentially acted as virtual CIOs. “They facilitated our IT leadership team meetings keeping us on task and always guiding, but never directing our decision-making. They did this in a very professional and unobtrusive manner and were more like an extension of our staff,” remarked Lustig.

Upon CMR Institute's STP selection, VIT helped negotiate the contract, performed on-going assessments and helped develop and execute an implementation plan ensuring all systems behaved accordingly. Hicks observed that, “Virtual IT truly understood our operating environment which enabled them to provide multiple solutions making the Strategic Technology Plan offerings fit CMR, not the other way around. This relationship allowed them to easily assist us in the successful implementation of our Strategic Technology Plan.”

CMR Institute is an independent, not-for-profit education organization dedicated to advancing the healthcare industry through education and building a better understanding among professionals in the healthcare industry to ultimately improve patient healthcare. CMR Institute has served over 100,000 individuals since 1966.

Virtual IT is a full-service information technology consultancy, providing high-level strategic and tactical support for businesses, local governments and government agencies. The firm provides services in the areas of business and IT strategy, and enterprise application integration and development. Headquartered in southwestern Virginia with additional offices in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions, the company provides clients with high-quality management and IT consulting services. Please visit us at www.virtualitinc.com

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