GAM Tech

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Kelena Holdings

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Kelana Holdings, Women in Supply Chain Association (WISC), and WISC Inc operate across commercial property management, not-for-profit leadership, and corporate administrative services, with a strong foundation in professional development and coaching. Collectively, these organizations manage assets, deliver industry programs, and support business growth through structured guidance and operational expertise.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire GAM Tech to accomplish?

• Full IT Management
• Microsoft Enterprise Management
• Hardware support and Purchases

SOLUTION

How did you find GAM Tech?

Referral

Why did you select GAM Tech over others?

• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from GAM Tech were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

GAM Tech provides comprehensive IT management across Kelana Holdings, Women in Supply Chain Association (WISC), and WISC Inc, including hardware procurement and lifecycle management, ongoing cybersecurity monitoring and maintenance, and responsive day-to-day IT support. Their scope has also included correcting and stabilizing a Microsoft 365 enterprise migration, configuring email environments, and supporting the setup of new hardware and printers to ensure reliable and secure operations across all organizations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The broader project remains in progress, with outcomes still being realized as systems continue to stabilize and optimize. On a day-to-day basis, cybersecurity and IT support needs are being addressed effectively as they arise, and overall performance is tracking within expected parameters and project requirements.

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

Project management has been effective and aligned with the ongoing nature of the work, with GAM Tech maintaining clear coordination between their team and our organization’s timelines. We have remained on track while successfully navigating adjustments as needed, and their responsiveness has been strong, with a clear ability to prioritize critical items over non-critical ones while meeting all objectives and requirements to date.

What was your primary form of communication with GAM Tech?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

What I found most impressive was their ability to understand and support a multi-tiered environment across several businesses with distinct operational needs. They demonstrate a strong awareness of the realities of small to developing organizations, combined with the advantage of being locally based in Canada, which adds accessibility and relevance to their support.

Are there any areas for improvement or something GAM Tech could have done differently?

At this time, I do not have any specific suggestions for improvement. GAM Tech has consistently met each situation as it has arisen, effectively managing both the technical requirements and the dynamics of working across multiple organizations and stakeholders, while continuing to meet our needs.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT manager at PetroChina Canada, an oil and gas trading company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GAM Tech?

I’ve been managing everything by myself for two years now and needed an extra set of hands. I wanted someone who’d help with IT product services, licenses, support contracts for hardware, billable hours, and project planning and execution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When they came on board, we didn’t have an IT infrastructure. Their team helped me build everything from the ground up. This included our main server, firewalls, core and distribution switches, and more. In some cases, like with the firewalls, I made the purchases myself, but they advised me on what to buy with most other hardware. Once we’d bought everything, they helped me configure, operate, and maintain it. They also helped me transition lots of our hardware during a network restructuring in 2017. In addition, they step in as-needed whenever there’s a power outage or unforeseen problem, even on weekends and holidays.

At the moment, they’re working on a huge server co-location project. We’re moving all our hardware from our on-site data center to a secure location. They’ve helped me physically move all our equipment from the server room to this facility and are helping to route, switch, and reconfigure the hardware.

What is the team composition?

I primarily work with Alex, their VCIO, and Adrian, one of the managing partners. He’s a friend of mine and we’ve been working together for the last 3-4 years.

How did you come to work with GAM Tech?

We initially received a referral from our account manager at an internet company in Calgary. One of the main reasons I chose them is that they’re good at finding low prices. They’re also good at accomplishing tasks according to our specifications.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay $500–$600/month for monitoring services and we also have a hardware and support contract. We spend between $150,000-160,000 CAD ($120,000 USD) per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2014 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They helped me build and rebuild everything from the ground up, which was a huge relief after doing everything on my own for so long. When they came in, they did a full security and structure assessment of our environment and found that I had made some big mistakes I wasn’t aware of, and they’ve helped me fix them. Their assistance with restructuring is the main reason our network still works smoothly.

How did GAM Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

They wrote a solid plan when we started and we have very good communication. From a documentation standpoint, however, it’s not the best. They have the technical experience and they can step in and do the technical part very well, but I often have to take care of documenting what’s been done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They truly understand our environment and they have great people skills, even if they don’t have the best technical expertise in the country. They understand what I want and deliver exactly what I’m looking for. Their technical advice has helped me maximize the uptime of our network.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They need to be more on top of documenting their progress. Maybe they can hire someone new to undertake it, or maybe they need to change their procedures to make sure it isn’t forgotten, but that needs work. Another issue is high employee turnover. It’s like a revolving door every two or three months, which is a bit frustrating. In my field, it’s important to build a good working relationship with the technical person because they understand my environment. Constant changes mean it takes longer to get things done.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give GAM Tech a chance. They’re very good at negotiations and will go above and beyond to please the customer at their own expense. Sometimes prices change after they send me the quote, but they stick to their word. If you find another provider with cheaper prices, you can ask GAM Tech to match it or give a lower price and they will do that. They care more about enduring customer relationships more than how much they’ll profit from a single project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a manager at a coworking office. We offer desks and working space to web developers, high-tech startups, and some nonprofit organizations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GAM Tech?

We needed a vendor to provide IT services to us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They make sure we have seamless Wi-Fi access and functioning Ethernet connections and VoIP phones for our clientele. They also set up all the infrastructure, arrange services with Internet and printer providers, and come on-site to fix any problems we have. They come to our office once a week and address all the outstanding issues we've had throughout the week, or provide the same-day service (especially if it’s an emergency).

What is the team composition?

We mostly work with Adrian (Owner, GAWM Tech), but we've also dealt with other members of his team.

How did you come to work with them?

We found them through networking.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $1,600 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2012 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Adrian stays on top of everything and always solves our problems quickly. Also, he's very knowledgeable. We often get frustrated by the little things we can't fix, but Adrian deals with them in no time, making our lives much easier. Our clients also love having an IT service in the building.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

He's very responsive and often deals with our issues the same day we send a support ticket.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They do an excellent job, but I haven't worked with other providers, so I have nothing to compare them to.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-executive director of a non-profit organization that offers a comprehensive range of childcare options in Red Deer, including day homes, unique daycares, playschool, and school-age programs, providing flexible choices to meet the needs of local families.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GAM Tech?

Our first goal was to ensure safety and security with our data and to ensure that our employees understood cybersecurity risks, challenges, and best practices. We also wanted to cut costs and update the way we operate and ensure that we were being supported by a proactive IT company rather than a reactive one.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GAM Tech had signed each user up with a cybersecurity program they needed to complete very quickly after we got started with them. They ensured the training was completed by each user and followed up with those that were taking a little longer. Then, we looked at the inventory to see what new equipment was needed to get everyone set up with a laptop only with a docking station. Anyone that had old equipment received a new laptop after being provided with options via GAM Tech's recommendations which considered each user and their specific usage needs. They came on-site, helped to get everyone set up, and ensured they were available for any follow-up support. There is ongoing IT support, and we just finished getting our data migrated over to Microsoft Teams from a very old server. GAM Tech has been very helpful with that, providing Teams training to our team members to get us ready for the transition, with support available after the data migration was complete.

What is the team composition?

We typically work with 2–5 teammates from GAM Tech.

How did you come to work with GAM Tech?

GAM Tech was referred to us. They had a good word-of-mouth reputation by people I trust.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2024, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We started working with GAM Tech in January 2024. The project to switch to one device didn't start until June 2025 and concluded in August 2025. The data migration project started in October 2025, but we had some internal hiccups that delayed the actual data migration to March 1, 2026. For the switch from everyone using a desktop and a laptop for occasional remote work to just a laptop with a docking station, we were able to save costs as we don't have two pieces of equipment to maintain for each employee, we don't have two management costs for both devices, and we save on licensing costs, i.e., antivirus, etc. For the data migration project, we get to save money on the monthly server management fees, which is very helpful, and now remote work is much easier for everyone. Our data is still secure but more accessible for offsite users especially. The positive feedback from our staff has been mostly positive. There is some learning that comes with switching to Teams as there are new processes to learn, but overall, it has been positive. The savings are approximately $315 CAD (approximately $235 USD) per month or $3,780 CAD (approximately $2,800 USD) per year.

How did GAM Tech perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very reliable and flexible with our schedule and were always able to pivot based on our needs. We communicate via email and messaging apps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I feel that I can trust them. They are very knowledgeable, respectful, and don't make any of our employees feel less than because not everyone understands the IT world. They are very patient, and their response time is really good as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing they can improve on.