Ascend Technologies

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Simple Machines Marketing which is a full-service B2B outsource marketing agency. We focus on the technology and manufacturing sectors. In addition to overseeing day-to-day operations, my role is primarily in sales and business development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Switchfast Technologies?

We’re a small company, but our IT needs are incredibly complex. We needed a resource that employees could leverage whenever they have technology issues. We also wanted to cover all of our bases in terms of cybersecurity and data management. Our goal was to provide additional support to our team, setting them up to offer a high level of service to our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Though they’ve provided us a variety of services, their primary responsibility is offering remote helpdesk support to our team. They resolve issues related to printer connectivity, mismanaged files, communication devices, and other IT components. Through their helpdesk interface, we can input service tickets that are organized by priority. Their team also provides data management and cybersecurity support, which includes backups, antivirus programs, spam blockers, and firewalls.

Aside from daily IT support, they’ve also delivered several projects throughout our partnership. For example, when we decided to update our infrastructure, they migrated all of our content and accounts to Office 365. Also, when we moved offices, they ensured that all of our IT-related systems were transported properly. As a part of this move, they switched our phone system to a new provider, liaising directly with the company to install and manage each device.

What is the team composition?

We have a dedicated account manager who is our day-to-day point of contact. 

How did you come to work with Switchfast Technologies?

They were candid during the sales process and set clear expectations for how our partnership would function. Also, their prices matched our budget.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $125,000 since the partnership began.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first hired them in October 2013, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Working with Switchfast Technologies relieves us of the burden of managing IT internally, and frees up our team to focus on their core roles. We’ve never had to worry about system downtime, and we haven’t experienced any major outages or mission-critical issues. They take proper care to ensure that our IT environment is protected and efficient.

How did Switchfast Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a single point of contact, and this streamlines our communication. For day-to-day services, they offer a transparent service ticket platform to receive and track our requests for assistance. The system is centralized and displays useful information for each ticket, including the person assigned to the task, when we can expect to hear back, and immediate recommendations when applicable. Also, after each issue is addressed, they follow up to see if there is anything else that they can do. Their team is proficient at gathering feedback, and their service summaries are always thorough.

In terms of individual projects, they’ve been effective and straightforward. They provide detailed timelines and explain the effects that each new system will have on users.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been impressed by the level of detail they deliver with their expectations and recommendations. They’re skilled at providing accurate roadmaps and positioning their services to avoid problems. I appreciate how they’ve used fluid, time-tested processes throughout the partnership, specifically when on-boarding our team and standardizing new systems.

They’re smart, dedicated, and responsive. They also have a comprehensive understanding of how system changes affect users. Their experienced IT professionals can explain these effects in a way that our team easily understands.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take advantage of their IT road mapping service. They’ll be able to adjust for any project, regardless of size.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of Second Sense, a not-for-profit that provides tools to help people who are blind or visually impaired live an independent life. Our courses cover orientation mobility, independent living, and computer skills.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Switchfast Technologies?

As an organization that serves and employs people who are blind and visually impaired, we needed an IT company that could accommodate our special needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Switchfast Technologies manages all our technology, including our servers and computer equipment. Most recently, they helped us install 20 new computers in our office. They helped us find affordable equipment and ensured that the devices were accessible for the blind and visually impaired.

What is the team composition?

We have an account manager and a support technician assigned to our account.

How did you come to work with Switchfast Technologies?

While I wasn’t involved in the initial hiring process, I made the decision to continue our partnership with Switchfast Technologies because of their exceptional customer service. Their dedication to our cause is admirable.

How much have you invested with them?

We typically spend between $30,000 – $35,000 for their services, but our recent server installations will bring 2018 expenses closer to $55,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They became our IT provider in 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Their dependable IT services make it easy for our staff and our clients to use technology without interruption.

How did Switchfast Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We have quarterly meetings with the account manager along with our regular email correspondence. The technician comes on site once a month and responds to maintenance requests accordingly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re always able to meet our demands because they fully understand our challenges. When budget cuts jeopardized our server installation project, Switchfast Technologies extended our warranty so that we could upgrade our technology without paying an exorbitant price. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Switchfast Technologies has been incredible, so it’s difficult to critique anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I do not have any tips to share.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the business manager for Royal Imperial Group. We're a property management and real estate development company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Switchfast?

We were unhappy with the level of service we were receiving from the previous company we were using at the time, so we started looking around for other options. Switchfast had reached out to us and left their contact information, so we gave them a call. Based on our discussion when they visited, we were interested in what they could offer so we signed a contract. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Switchfast took over monitoring and troubleshooting for all of our company's IT needs. We've worked together for several years now. They come out to our offices quarterly to review all our systems. On an annual basis, they provide us with a plan for the upcoming year that details everything we have installed and all the equipment that needs to be replaced.

During onsite visits, we review all the calls we made during the last quarter to assess how their service was and identify any problems we had. During these meetings, we discuss any projected needs for the next quarter.

How did you come to work with Switchfast?

When Switchfast was originally marketing their company, they called us a couple of times and sent us an overview of their business. When we started looking for a new provider, we returned their call. Since we're not a huge company, many vendors weren't very interested in working with us. We chose them over other providers because they were the most cost-effective. Compared to the other quotes we received, they offered the most competitive pricing. 

How much have you invested with them?

Annually, we probably spend between $12,000–$15,000 depending on any equipment we need to replace.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started worked together about five years ago in 2013, and our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I don’t have any specific metrics to share, but we’re very pleased with our engagement so far. Switchfast provides us with a lot of personalized attention. We’ve continued working with them for more than five years because they provide a satisfying level of service.

How did Switchfast perform from a project management standpoint?

Switchfast excels at project management. They offer quick turnaround times and high-speed service. Most of our concerns are sporadic troubleshooting issues. Most often when we call them, the person that answers us tries to dial in remotely and take care of the problem immediately without assigning it to a ticket. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Switchfast is very proactive about preventing any problems up front. Since they take the necessary preemptive measures, we rarely experience issues later on. The last company we had was not nearly as responsive and often neglected our systems. Now, we never experience the long downtimes we did with the former vendor. Switchfast has a team of excellent employees. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don't think so. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would highly recommend Switchfast to anybody. I would be happy to give them a recommendation and talk to anyone who is interested in hearing about our experience together. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CIO of the New Apostolic Church of the USA. Our branch manages about 200 churches nationwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Switchfast?

We engaged Switchfast to provide IT infrastructure services to our two offices and remote users across the country.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Switchfast provides virtual CIO services. Their team supports our desktops, servers, the network that connects our two offices, and the VPN connectivity that links our offices to our AWS content. They provide email support to 10 home-based users, renew ISP connections, and give us strategic guidance at quarterly meetings. While they don’t offer web development services, Switchfast recommended various partners to us when we were looking for resources.

What is the team composition?

We have a dedicated virtual CIO and an account manager. They coordinate a team of about three engineers who specialize in working with nonprofit businesses.

How did you come to work with Switchfast?

Our organization had already been working with Switchfast when I came onboard. They were close to our larger office based in Chicago.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $3,500 per month on their regular services. Additional projects can run $5,000–$20,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Switchfast in 2014, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Switchfast delivers high-quality services at a cost-effective rate. Their breadth and depth of experience allow us to maintain a one-person in-house IT staff. Their team outperforms any part-time person we could hire, saving us time, effort, and money.

How did Switchfast perform from a project management standpoint?

When I first came onboard, miscommunication hampered our organization’s relationship with Switchfast. Our side didn’t fully understand the work that Switchfast was doing. We implemented weekly calls to review tickets, address issues, and translate IT terms into business phrases. This strategy smoothed our relationship. Switchfast also accommodated my more demanding style of leadership; when we start a larger project, I serve as project manager and frequently request more meetings and documentation.

Switchfast manages tickets and projects with an internal web tool that mimics the software development lifecycle in subtle ways. They provide service continuity; whenever an engineer goes on vacation, another can pick up their work. When one staff member fell below our standards of customer service, our account manager gathered feedback and made immediate adjustments. We’ve transitioned to biweekly calls to maintain an open conversation between the IT and business ends of our organization. I also visit their team on site occasionally. They feel like a part of our team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Switchfast is highly receptive to feedback; when a problem arises, they acknowledge it and fix it promptly. Their team also works weekends, which distinguishes them from their competitors.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Ever since we addressed the communication issues, we’ve been fully satisfied with our engagement.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If you have any doubts, reach out to a reference. Ask them about best practices in communication and day-to-day management.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Oak Street Real Estate Capital is a private equity, real estate firm. I’m an associate on the team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Switchfast Technologies?

We initially reached out to Switchfast to help us overhaul our firewall. We weren't happy with our previous IT provider.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Switchfast initially updated and installed a new firewall and are available to us for ongoing IT issues as needed on a 24/7 basis. They've also helped us install a new wireless router, have worked on company-wide projects to establish controls on our computers, and manage our phone and cloud-based systems.

What is the team composition?

We work with an account manager, a virtual chief information officer, and some engineers.

How did you come to work with Switchfast Technologies?

I believe they reached out to someone on our team and we decided to work with them after comparing their offerings to our previous provider.

How much have you invested with them?

We invest around $2,900 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since May 2017 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Switchfast's services far exceed those of previous vendors we've worked with. They've helped secure our systems, ensuring less downtime, faster response rates, and improved productivity overall.

How did Switchfast Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very responsive, receptive to feedback, and organized. We have quarterly meetings with their CTO and they regularly check in with us to ensure we're satisfied with their services.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're a lot quicker to respond to our needs and provide solutions compared to others.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be nice if they had more senior-level engineers available on their team, so we don't have to wait for their availability. However, we generally only have to wait about a day when that's the case.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Founder & CEO of Healy Consulting & Communications Inc. We’re an independent marketing consultancy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Switchfast Technologies?

I needed an outsourced IT consultant to help with web hosting, as well as email and backup management.

What were your goals for this project?

Being marketing & PR professionals, IT issues are typically lost on us, and because we're a client-driven business, we can’t afford to lose access to the web and email tools. Therefore, I wanted a reliable, responsive, cost-effective, and honest firm that would work hard whether I had a PC problem or a network-wide situation.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were referred to us.

Describe the project in detail.

They provide ongoing IT services for us.

What was the team composition?

I contact the Help Desk.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

It's hard to quantify their impact, other than to say that Switchfast ensures that our clients never suffer from IT problems on our end.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They’re always very nice and service oriented, as well as honest. If they can’t get to a problem right away, they always give you a time frame so that you can adjust your own expectations accordingly. Their staff is friendly, knowledgeable, professional, and always committed to their clients' success.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Over the 10 years I’ve worked with Switchfast, my companies have been both large and small. Regardless of our size, we’ve always received the very best service in a timely fashion. Whether large or small, the same great service is available to all, which is highly impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I'm struggling to find something constructive to say. They’re a company a five-star IT services provider!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at Polk Bros. Foundation, an organization that partners with nonprofits to help build strong communities and families, family support, increase access to quality education and the arts, and improve health.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Switchfast Technologies?

We had a vendor that helped us with various IT issues related to customer service, but we needed more comprehensive IT support, so we started looking for a new company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provide day-to-day and long-term IT support, such as Wi-Fi, server replacements, and network security. They also keep us informed of various upcoming technologies that we could use in our office. We've worked with them for four years and they've responded to about 170 support requests and 270 IT tickets during that time. Currently, they're supporting 18 workstations and three servers in one location. 

As we were transferring from our old IT provider to Switchfast, we were also looking to update our fleet. They implemented that update quickly and with very little interruption to our workflow.

What is the team composition?

We work with an account manager and their CIO. In addition, one of their engineers comes on site once a month.

How did you come to work with them?

We were referred to Switchfast. We also talked to some other foundations and nonprofit groups. It was a two-way interview: Switchfast was interviewing us as much as we were interviewing them. Also, we were impressed with their website, where they have videos of their company's culture, and we liked their budget-mapping skills.

How much have you invested with them?

The exact budget is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2015 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They've established a very smooth process. The approval rate for their work has been 99.1% over the course of our partnership. We're very pleased with them.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a ticketing service, but we can also call them if we need them. Someone usually gets back to us within an hour or two to let us know they got the ticket and are working on it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We appreciate their customer service. Everyone has been very friendly, responsive, and responsible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They're very proactive and took an active part in the interview process to make sure we were a good fit for them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Gibson Consulting Group is a boutique management consulting firm that focuses on supply chain and operations for private equity middle market and Fortune 500 global companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Swtichfast?

Historically, the business had an IT manager, but in 2015, we decided to hire an outside IT provider that could provide stability and a broad array of services. We didn’t have a traditional IT infrastructure in-house because our consultants spend most of their time traveling, at client sites with their laptops. We needed an IT company to provide simple services for: troubleshooting laptops, helping with virus protection, setting up shared drives, installs, and file access across projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provide standard virtual and phone-based laptop assistance. Issues have included: blacked out screens, locked computers, crashing software programs, software updates, and password resets. Additionally, they work on one-off projects.

As an example project, Switchfast is creating an online system to change expiring passwords to replace calling their helpdesk for Office365 and our virtual private network (VPN) connections. They are automating the system connection, which would eliminate manual network selections every time a consultant enables WiFi and further endpoint security.

Switchfast also assists with our shared drive network, which contains various folders with different access rights that correlate to employee seniority. The drive stores and transmits project files, internal HR materials, such as 401k and healthcare benefits, and recruiting information. In addition, they also install antivirus software and CrashPlan, a disaster recovery solution that goes on every laptop.

Relatedly, the team created a self-help 'how-to' guide to allow our tech savvy team members to setup laptops themselves in about an hour. This includes installing CrashPlan, Office365, accessing shared drives, installing Switchfast Agent software and a few additional features.

What is the team composition?

As our team’s primary point of contact, I meet them in person once a quarter and reach out via phone whenever I have questions. Otherwise, our team calls their 800 number or uses tickets through Switchfast’s Agent app.

How did you come to work with Switchfast?

We knew from my business partner’s experience that having a full-time IT employee wouldn’t make financial sense. We did basic market research to identify a service provider and interviewed a few possible matches. Switchfast’s services not only aligned with our needs, but also displayed a personal touch that distinguished them from competitors.

How much have you invested with them?

We’re in the ‘six figures’. The monthly fees for monitoring and helpdesk support are based on the number of employees, and this allows us to scale accordingly. The total cost has increased with our company size. Switchfast puts together a scoping document for each individual project outside of our standard service contract and as needed by the firm.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in February 2015 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Switchfast sends out surveys after completing each ticket item; we’re able to use those to assess performance. Feedback from my team has been glowing. Overall, they’ve been exceptional.

How did Switchfast perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re fantastic at providing documentation and setting expectations; everything’s well laid out and thought through. The follow-up is particularly impressive. Not only do they update us regularly, but they reach out with mini surveys and occasional phone calls to make sure the completed tickets or items are running smoothly and as expected.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The experience has been extremely positive. They understand our company and take the time to formulate tailored solutions. The team is proactive with testing and other services, and the help desk crew has remained fairly consistent over the course of our relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing comes to mind at this point.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They provide a wealth of IT experience that can’t be replicated by hiring one full-time employee. Switchfast is a great option for small and growing businesses because the customer can scale to their growth. That’s more cost-effective than hiring staff right away, and probably with limited or tailored IT experience. Furthermore, they bring a level of world-class IT sophistication and experience to young businesses that would be hard to replicate for the cost.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the chief financial officer of Development Management Associates, which is a real estate project management consulting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Switchfast?

We needed to engage someone to help with our support and overall strategic planning in terms of IT and related issues.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have them set up to take calls directly from our employees whenever they require help with anything related to IT needs. Switchfast also manages all our hardware and software purchasing and monthly backups for both our employees’ personal computers and our onsite server. Their work currently supports at least 22 end users. The technologies on which they work for us are predominantly Microsoft-based, as we operate largely on Dell for both the computers and the server. We also use a Sonicwall router, Synology (our offsite backup service), and DATTO (our backup hardware and software). Currently, we are in the process of looking into a cloud solution for Switchfast to implement on our system. Although we have partially used Dropbox in the past, we are trying to unify the cloud platform throughout the company. As part of our ongoing relationship with Switchfast, we have a service level agreement in terms of uptime and responsiveness to desktop support requests.

What is the team composition?

They have a virtual chief information officer (vCIO) that heads up the team of around four or five people that work on our contract.

How did you come to work with Switchfast?

A previous client of ours had used Switchfast for their IT installation and recommended their services to us, conveying that they thought very highly of their services. We got to know Switchfast during the completion of that particular project, which coincided with us beginning to look for a new company to fill our IT needs. Our project manager spoke to them as well as a few other companies, and Switchfast won our business thanks to the prior service and relationship we were able to observe.

How much have you invested with them?

I would estimate that we invest around $45,000 in their services a year, once we have subtracted the amount that they spend on procuring our hardware and software.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in January of 2017, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Switchfast perform from a project management standpoint?

We meet with their virtual CIO once a quarter to go over whether or not there were any recent issues, what we need to do going forward, and what our budget will look like for the upcoming quarter. From that meeting, we draw up reports that cover their output, including information such as how many calls they received, what the problems and resolutions were, what license and hardware expiration dates are forthcoming, and other related issues and data points.

I mainly interact with the virtual CIO, unless I have an IT problem myself, in which case I contact their helpdesk. Although I know that they use project management software internally, I do not know the names or details of their processes.

The service agreement covers the time between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. from Monday through Friday, and there is a backup plan to cover out-of-hours service emergencies and allow them into the offices to perform their work. Everything has been completed on schedule and on budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What I appreciate the most is the fact that they provide us with a budget outlook report once a quarter to project what we are likely to spend on both their services and any ancillary costs related to our overall IT needs. That is incredibly helpful for our internal planning. We were impressed with their office’s structure and how they had teams set up to service every client, rather than assigning whole contracts to a single person. This allows us to work predominantly with the same group of people on an ongoing basis. Siphoning everything through the virtual CIO position allows them to work using a proactive strategic approach, rather than being simply reactive. We appreciate their quality of service objectives and the way that they measure what their clients think of them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have been working with them to try to get this comprehensive cloud service up for longer than we would have liked. I had hoped to have something in place already, but it has been in progress for about six months now, even though everything else has been done in a timely fashion.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Cortland is a capital market services firm that does accounting, taxes for hedge funds and investors, and provides other financial services. I'm the managing director and I'm responsible for our technology infrastructure and information security. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Switchfast?

Initially, we needed a company to manage all of our IT infrastructure.  We've been around since 2008 and Switchfast has been our technology partner from the beginning.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They architected all of our infrastructure and developed all the upgrades and enhancements over the years. Currently, they manage everything: desktop support, helpdesk, our server infrastructure, and all of our network communication –internal and external. In addition, they answer our clients' questions and handle our structured security controls, business continuity, and disaster recovery.

Just recently they managed a project on migration for us: we were hosting all of our servers in-house (our data center was located in our headquarters, in downtown Chicago). We needed to move everything to external data center and they helped us with colocation. They also managed the moves of some office space in Chicago and build-outs of new offices in Indianapolis, California, and Nanjing, China (this was done remotely). 

What is the team composition? 

For the past seven years, we've primarily worked with Chris Barker (vCIO, Switchfast Technologies) who's been our virtual CIO and our primary point of contact. 

How did you come to work with them?

They were a referral from a client we were working with at that time. 

How much have you invested with them?

We would prefer to keep that confidential.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working with them in 2008 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Over the years, they've responded to about 110,000 IT service tickets, managed about 700 workstations and 130 end servers as well as two storage area networks.

They've installed an agent on all of our equipment so that they can manage and monitor everything, which also helps with inventory and asset tracking.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a ticketing system in the form of email or phone requests. They also provide a full helpdesk. We meet with them weekly to review the tickets and they provide us with the metrics in terms of how many tickets were opened and how many can be closed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We've had a consistent and stable team for years, even though we're not their only client. They have a good understanding of what we do and our technology requirements, so we view them as a partner more than a vendor.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We've been very happy with them, but we've grown a little faster that they have – we started out with about a dozen employees in one location and now we have closer to 500 employees in 8–9 locations in multiple countries. In some cases, they need to catch up from a resources standpoint (usually, they do a good job with that).

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I don't think so.