Charleston Technology Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the operations administrator at East Shore Aviation, a flight management company. We have a group of private jets, which we manage for the people that use them.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Charleston Technology Group?

Our internet service was the biggest issue we had through our VPN and a hard drive in-house.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After consulting with Ian (Owner), he led us to an online web-based cloud storage system. He upgraded all of our routers. We’re in a hangar, and we have three different offices spread across the flight line. Along with the cloud storage system, he also upgraded our email system.

What is the team composition?

We only worked with Ian.

How did you come to work with Charleston Technology Group?

One day, I did a quick little Google search when we were frustrated with our system. Ian popped up, and he had great reviews. After meeting with him, we were sold.

How much have you invested with them?

I believe we spent about $1,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

We engaged with Charleston Technology Group from July–August 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything is so much better. I’m very happy. At first, we were hesitant about the system, but we realized that we should’ve done this a long time again after a few days. Ian brought us into the future with technology. Our internet is faster, and we have the best software. If we call him, Ian takes care of everything.

How did Charleston Technology Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Ian is friendly, courteous, and professional. He’s extremely smart and easy to get along with. The service is extremely responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Ian seems like he cares about his clients. He wanted to help build the business in his area.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not at all.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just trust him. Don’t fight him.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an alcoholic beverage importer, and I am the office manager at our office in South Carolina.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Charleston Technology Group?

We work with Ian (Owner, Charleston Technology Group) to provide ongoing IT support for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

He helps us order computers when we need them and provides remote-access support for all of our infrastructure. Whether that’s setting up the computer for the first time, accessing information on computers when workers are out of the office, or diagnosing and dealing with technical issues, he is always very quick to get back to us with a solution.

Our internal servers were also built by him, so he helps us with all of our intermedia services, which includes providing access to our email accounts, using services like Dropbox and ShareSync, and operating server support and backups for all of our office data.

What is the team composition?

Ian is the main person that we interact with.

How did you come to work with Charleston Technology Group?

Ian worked for another IT consulting company before starting Charleston Technology Group, and he was the one who saw our potential for growth and really vouched for us to come as a client with that company. We’ve stuck with him ever since.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first began the engagement in January 2009 and the work is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have all been very satisfied with their work. If we had to take all of our tech problems to a traditional geek squad or something like that, it would end up being significantly more expensive and take much longer to do. That service has helped us be more efficient and continue to grow.

Ian is always really quick to attend to our needs or at the very least let us know when he’ll be able to work on our problem. I’ve never experienced a time where I felt like he was unreachable or not able to help us, which has been really important for the kind of remote operation that we need to be able to run.

How did Charleston Technology Group perform from a project management standpoint?

He does a great job. We have a service set up so that we can send a form email, and it will automatically create a ticket that notifies him of whatever problem we’re having and schedules time on his calendar. If it’s something that needs more immediate attention, he is always just a phone call away and available to help us.

The majority of his work is remote, so once we contact him, he can advise us over the phone or remotely access our computers to make the changes directly. However, since his office is only about 30 minutes away from us, he will occasionally come in and deal with things in person when that’s easier, which we really appreciate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The speed with which he is able to get all of our issues resolved is absolutely critical to us. Beyond that, his pricing is also fair and reasonable, so we have never felt confused or upset about what we were being charged for the work. Ian really is just a great person to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so; we really love the service that he provides to us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It can help to do a trial run to feel out the relationship and see if it will work for your company. Of course, do the research on other companies and see how they compare, but if you give Charleston Technology Group a chance, I bet that you will be as impressed as we are.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the sales manager at Synder Events. We’re a party rental company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Charleston Technology Group?

We use Charleston Technology Group to maintain our server that our internal software runs on. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Essentially, Charleston Technology Group is who we call when anything goes wrong with our server since they’re the ones who manage it. They do monthly maintenance and updates on it, handling everything from start to finish. 

Their team has helped us do server backups, server redundancy, and add new computers and hard drives. In the near future, they’ll be quoting us on a new server that they’ll put in place to replace our current one. 

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Ian (Owner, Charleston Technology Group).

How did you come to work with Charleston Technology Group?

Ian had worked with a different company I’d worked with in the past, but we ended up losing touch. After searching online, I found him, knew he was familiar with our company, and hired his team for the project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $40,000 per year on their services. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve used their services since March 2010 and it’s an ongoing engagement. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They provide a quick turnaround to all of our needs. Without fail, they fix anything that breaks on our end. Whenever I need them, they’re there, which is why we work with them. 

How did Charleston Technology Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent. Everything about working with them, especially compared to our previous vendor, has been perfect.

Every month, I get an email about all the backups and their status. If a backup doesn’t go well, their alarm goes off, they fix it and report back to us. If I need to contact them, I send an email and receive an automated ticket. Typically I hear back from them within 20 minutes after submitting that email. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

By far, their responsiveness sets them apart from others in the industry. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s no area for improvement I can think of. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to use them. I’ve worked with all the local companies, and Charleston Technology Group is by far the quickest. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a multi million full tree service company. I am the office manager

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Charleston Technology Group?

• Maintain our website & update
• Handle all IT issues
• Handles any and all technology issues we have

What were your goals for this project?

solve a printing problem

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

we have had a relationship with Ian Sidles for many years

Describe the project in detail.

Need help printing to a wireless printer in another room. From office manager computer & Assistants computer Assistant's had a networking issue that prevented him from printing on the LAN.

Performed cleanup, changed network settings and rebooted. Got disconnected from PC. Had to come onsite to finish fixing local network issue on assistant's PC

What was the team composition?

Office manager & Ian Sidles from Charleston Technology Group

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Printers work

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Perfect!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Ian is very knowledgeable & efficient. Even tho we are a smaller account of Charleston Technology Group, they never make us wait and always make time for what may be a small issue to them but is a big one to us and he understands.

Are there any areas for improvement?

NO