BIOS Technologies

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the IT Manager of Southern Eagle Sales & Service

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Southern Eagle Sales & Service is a beer and N/A distributor for the greater New Orleans region and is the sole distributor for Anheuser Busch.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire BIOS Technologies to accomplish?

• BIOS Technologies is our all-around Managed Services Provider who works hand-in-hand with our in-house IT Manager.
• BIOS Technologies addresses high-level issues with regard to our servers and overall network health and stability. They also provide after-hours and emergency support in the event we experience any service interruptions.
• Our current major project for 2024 involves enhancing our entire network's security posture and migrating our company's infrastructure over to a server-less environment.

SOLUTION

How did you find BIOS Technologies?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select BIOS Technologies over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from BIOS Technologies were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We've had a series of discussions and consultations in preparation for this security/server migration project. All key topics regarding current risks versus future benefits were discussed, and the decision to move forward was made by our owner and upper management team.

The security piece involves employing a 6-system suite of security maintenance tools, and the server piece involves migrating our physical domain controllers to Azure AD as well as our physical network shares server being migrated to SharePoint sites. The entire project and related services' price tag is less than it would have cost to simply replace all physical hardware...with the crucial benefit of being in a significantly better place from a functionality and security standpoint.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We have already seen positive results related to the security side of things. Our users (not fully realized by them) definitely have more safeguards in place to protect them from potentially malicious activity from outside sources. These safeguards not only protect their personal data, but equally protect our company data and devices from bad actors wishing to exploit potential gaps within our environment/practices.

This recently-employed suite of security services closed a number of pre-existing gaps making it significantly more difficult to access our network and its data. Migrating to cloud-based domain controllers, file servers, and print servers not only closes many doors to hackers/cyber-extortionists, but it is also crucial from a business continuity and disaster recovery perspective.

A company operating in New Orleans always needs to be on guard against business interruption due to natural disasters and service interruptions as a result of power loss or service outages. Storm evacuations are unfortunately not an uncommon occurrence down here, but we are much better prepared as a company for contingencies related to hurricanes after our cloud systems migrations.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

We have always had a great working relationship with BIOS Technologies, and they have catered to our ever-changing needs over the years. They have a dedicated team of engineers and technicians who prepared us for what we could expect with these recent changes and continue to work with us whenever we have come across an issue or question on how to handle any situation related to the project.

They mapped out the project in great detail with accurate timelines, and we couldn't be happier. Our owner has always understood the importance of increasing our security posture, and this entire process has addressed a number of concerns related to the business. While no system is impermeable to 100% of threats and constant vigilance is imperative, we are very satisfied with our current standing.

What was your primary form of communication with BIOS Technologies?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Having a great working relationship with your MSP is a big key to the success of your business, and we definitely have that with BIOS. The unique aspect with them is that we truly feel like we're on the same team with the same goals...almost like we're two pieces of the same company.

All of my interractions with their team have been positive, and I've worked with other MSP's where there it not the case. It's very easy to tell when an MSP is trying to sell you an unnecessary bill of goods or when they're just blowing you off...as if you're not as imporant to them compared to their other customers.

I have NEVER gotten that feeling with regards to BIOS. It's like that all the way to the top as well. The owners are seemingly involved in all aspects of their company to ensure their customers are being taken care of. This attitude seems to trickle down to BIOS' employees which makes it very easy to trust and rely on them for our needs.

Over the past 25 years, I've worked with 4 other MSP's (who were all good at different things at different times,) but BIOS Technologies is the best all-around MSP I've had the experience of working with.

Are there any areas for improvement or something BIOS Technologies could have done differently?

BIOS took the reins of this project like they have with previous projects and tasks. We were kept in the loop leading up to and throughout the work and were informed of items that we need to be aware of in order to maintain these recent changes to maximize efficiency. We are very pleased with the outcome and can't think of anything that could have been done smoother.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I manage the business and IT areas at a financial services business consulting company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BIOS Technologies?

We were looking for a new IT managed services provider. We had a previous service provider and had significantly outgrown them. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BIOS Technologies offers ongoing managed IT services for our company. The team is responsible for the central management of our servers, which are now hosted online. In addition, BIOS Technologies manages our email system, security on local devices, and all user management and behind-the-scenes tasks. BIOS Technologies also provides help desk and ticketing support. If any teammate has a problem with their individual equipment, they reach out to BIOS Technologies, and their help desk team assists. 

I also interact with the team on special projects from time to time. For instance, we recently did a significant laptop upgrade and periodically do service upgrades for Microsoft services. We're looking at a phone upgrade package, and the team offers off-site and on-site services.

What is the team composition?

They have a variety of teammates supporting help desk shifts. We also have an account manager who is the central point of contact. In the last year or two, the team has added a centralized customer service representative who ensures the appropriate teammates are working on the needed tasks. Overall, I've interacted with 8–10 teammates from BIOS Technologies, depending on the required tasks. 

How did you come to work with BIOS Technologies?

I don't exactly recall how we found the team, but we interviewed 2–3 companies and chose BIOS Technologies out of the group. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with BIOS Technologies since 2010, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of my major measures of success is user complaints, and BIOS Technologies manages things pretty well from a help desk and overall management perspective. We don't have many user complaints, and when we do, they aren't issues that need immediate fixes. When we have technical issues, I can always ask BIOS Technologies for feedback on what's going on. BIOS Technologies provides a positive experience, and the special projects are always good. 

How did BIOS Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

BIOS Technologies meets deadlines and stays on budget. However, the proactive communication could be a little better. The team has never failed to deliver the required work, and we've been happy with the projects completed. We primarily communicate via email and their internal ticketing portal system. I have periodic reviews with Kevin to discuss upgrading or changing our services, and those meetings take place in person or through video calls.
Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

David (Managing Partner) and Kevin (Strategic Technology Advisor) have always been very responsive when I've needed to reach out. Corey (Network Engineer) and Blake (Virtual CIO) are very helpful at help desk services. Beth (IT Success Coordinator) does a good job, too. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm mostly impressed by our users' equipment functionality and how well it works. The team deals with issues on a timely basis. BIOS Technologies help desk and daily tasks work very well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I've already talked to Kevin and David about this. I know it's tough in the industry and the job market to maintain enough personnel and continuity. This is not a reflection of the team; it's just the nature of their particular labor market. BIOS Technologies has struggled with continuity in their personnel, although it hasn't translated into their customer service or attention.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

When engaging with the team, define your needs and what services you need. BIOS Technologies knows how to handle relationships. We worked with a smaller company before engaging with BIOS Technologies, and we only looked for them when something needed to be fixed without paying ongoing monthly charges and subscriptions. 

I recommend customers go for an overall managed services model like the one BIOS Technologies offers, paying a subscription and monthly fee for the services they need. Just define your needs and what you're trying to get from your engagement with BIOS Technologies.