BKS - Business Knowledge Systems - Managed IT Services

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I own an electrical contracting company, with about 20 employees in the office and field. I am the primary decision-maker for our IT needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BKS Systems - Managed IT Services?

It was time to contract out our IT needs due to the increasing complexity of the IT work that I was involved in. I am the designated person for our IT needs and I felt our needs not fully being met as I am not an IT person by training. BKS handles all our IT needs except software selection. I am grateful they take on all our IT issues with minimal involvement of our time.

What were your goals for this project?

Have a smooth-running operation incorporating electronic processes with the appropriate hardware/cloud computing, as well as minimizing potential cyber-security risks. Also wanted to use a firm for various IT consulting needs. BKS fits the bill on all our goals.

SOLUTION

How did you select BKS Systems - Managed IT Services?

Referral from our website developer and interview with their sales staff.

Describe the project in detail.

All office computers remotely managed by BKS as well as data backups. Updated select hardware per their recommendation. Installed purchased hardware. Managing our MS Office 365, too.

What was the team composition?

Customer account manager (Owner), Coordinator, Tech expert and business development person.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within one month, BKS was able to set up remote monitoring, backup, and related cyber-security software. They have proposed and installed new computer hardware for our office after reviewing our needs and their recommendations. This was done within 6 weeks of initial on-boarding. I have a comfort level that they are monitoring our computer environment's health and have also determined that our Server is in need of updates/repairs and have taken steps to rectify. I am very satisfied that the BKS team is proactive when it comes to our company's IT needs.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Pretty good - the BKS tech expert very friendly and accomodating and he was always available when needed for our computer issues.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their knowledge and proactiveness are impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Would like them to be more responsive on smaller, back-burner projects. But I know if I reach out to them about these smaller projects, they will respond.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a professional employer company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BKS Systems?

Our IT provider was a one-person-shop and they weren’t staying up with the times. We knew we had to make a switch to a slightly larger company that would be able to handle our growth.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re our managed IT provider. Their number one job be the place we call when we have a problem with our network. The team manages our entire network, the servers, all of and cloud-based systems.

They recently converted 65% of our hardware to Microsoft Surface Pros, so that we could be more remote. The team successfully set everyone up with new software within three days. We were able to send 25 people home and, we only had one IT issue in 90 days.

A separate project we staffed them against was cyber training. Another time, they set up all-new servers for us, and it was all very seamless.

What is the team composition?

We usually see the same two people from their team.

How did you come to work with BKS Systems?

They were actually a client of ours for a while. They did a presentation for us, and we liked everything they had to say. When we were first looking into them, a big attraction was that some of their clients were big banks and police departments that had 24-hour operations. If a big bank or police department can trust them with their IT, I knew we could too.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend in the neighborhood of $25,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2015, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their services integrate very well. It’s great that our staff doesn’t have to go through me. All of our employees have the ability to send them a ticket, and we have an online system that goes straight to them too.

How did BKS Systems perform from a project management standpoint?

The biggest thing is that they’re there when we need them. Most of our tickets are opened and closed on the same day.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The knowledge of their owner and staff is really impressive. It’s clear their personnel really know what they’re doing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t really think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to go into it knowing that BKS will become your partner. You’re going to have a working partner when it comes to IT and it’ll feel like they’re your internal IT staff.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the president of a design/build firm in Naperville Il.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BKS Systems - Managed IT Services?

BKS has been handling all of our IT needs for the last several years.

What were your goals for this project?

To find a local reliable IT firm that understood our needs and offered maintenance and installation and understood our goals of keeping our design and accounting staff operating a 100% throughout the year.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

By interviewing a fair number of their competitors and evaluating their service offerings.

Describe the project in detail.

BKS is our sole provider of managed IT services and do all of our installation and repair work when needed.

What was the team composition?

BKS has a professional staff of skilled service people who can handle most issues and can call on the owner of the company when the need arises.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We often need hand holding and prompt service to keep our staff of designers functioning 24/7 at our offices and at their homes. They have been able to solve most problems in a short period of time and are always reachable and go out of their way quickly take care of issues remotely or in our facility.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We have never had to wait long for service.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They truly care about our needs even though they have larger accounts. The owner goes out of his way to be sure we are happy.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Like most other companies, sometimes the first tech doesn't have all the answers, but they are a close knit team that will always be able to quickly find the solution.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of a U.S based Contact Center outsourcer that only serves banks and credit unions

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BKS Systems - Managed IT Services?

BKS handles 100% of our IT services, including network architecture and maintenance, systems maintenance, and secured client connections

What were your goals for this project?

We operate 24x7, so our systems and client connections always need to be up and running.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I had experience working with BKS on other projects in the banking industry

Describe the project in detail.

BKS stands in as our IT department, allowing me to focus on our level of client service and other critical business aspects

What was the team composition?

We have a client contact, network specialist, and other team members that will jump onto various projects as needed

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Utilizing BKS allows our company access to a team of IT specialists while drastically saving us money as we only utilize those specialists as our needs dictate. With this model, we consistently exceed our systems uptime goals

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

No issues with workflow, their communication is constant and consistent

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The width and breadth of IT projects that we can tackle while maintaining costs within or under budget

Are there any areas for improvement?

Outsourcing has its own challenges as compared to in-house personnel, but we are able to address those as they arise