GenCare

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a nonprofit organization helping out low-income families with child care services. I’m the network administrator overseeing the day-to-day network operations of the agency. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with General Networks?

Our organization has been working with General Networks for 22 years. We hired them for their IT solutions services. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

General Networks helps us out with many projects. They’ve provided many IT solutions for our agency, such as Microsoft Exchange deployment. We’ve used them twice for Microsoft Exchange 2010 and 2013 servers, and we're planning to use them again for the Microsoft Exchange 2019 server deployment.

They also help us out with our annual security assessment, helping us do a penthouse penetration testing, and providing recommendations on what to remediate in terms of security concerns. Our most recent project with them was related to remote desktop environment requirements. 

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked directly with five people from General Networks. The first person was an executive account representative, but he’s already retired. The second one was a network engineer, but he was switched to a different account. I’m no longer working with them. 

Jeff (VP & Sales Director) is my current account manager, and he replaced the one that was retired. I also worked with a Citrix solutions expert, but he’s no longer with the company. I’ve also worked with three other engineers, including a network engineer and security engineer, and two sales representatives. 

How did you come to work with General Networks?

Our agency has already been using General Networks for five years before I joined the company. They’re one of a few companies that were locally available in the Los Angeles area — they're headquartered in Glendale, and we’re in Los Angeles.  They’ve also had many outstanding projects. Those are the reasons why we’ve maintained a working relationship with them for more than 20 years. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested more than $1 million. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2000, when they helped us out with our first local area network deployment, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My quality metrics are based on how much rework is needed after they finish a task. For instance, if they install any deployment provision and it works without crashing, then I’d describe that as 100% satisfactory work. With General Networks, we don’t usually have to do any rework. Their deployments are always a one-time deal, and they do everything correctly. 

Their services have been solid. We can use the network well until the next upgrade and refresh. Something might get broken, but it’s usually because of our users and not the team’s work. Just last week, we finished a project with them and all of the results have been very positive. They deployed a solid solution, and they've been very supportive. 

How did General Networks perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is very good — it's also 100% satisfactory. We have constant communication. We have project discovery meetings and follow-up meetings, followed by the actual project kickoff date.

The team sticks with their schedule. If they say they’re available to do the work on a certain date, they’ll kick off the project on that date and never later. Usually, they get the project done earlier than the estimated completion date.

Working with them for many years, I receive a white glove treatment. I call and email them directly, and they respond almost right away. When there are issues or emergency situations, they're reachable within a few hours. They're very reliable. 

 What did you find most impressive about them?

We have the privilege to work directly with the director of IT consulting — their best engineer is working for us. He has a very solid knowledge of the technology we need. That's what sets them apart. I've experienced working with other consulting firms, and I’ve had to go through the process. We’d have a kickoff meeting, and then we get assigned the next available engineer.

With General Networks, we've got to work with people that already know our environment, so we don't have to start from scratch and explain how everything works. 

Another thing that sets General Networks apart is trust. They know our network and environment, so we don't have to worry about security. If they need to work, we open the door and give them the office. We don't need to look over their shoulder to ask what they’re doing because they’ve done so many projects for us in the past without any incident. We trust them to do whatever they need to do. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only area we’d like them to improve on is technology. They specialize in and deal with Microsoft Exchange servers. If we’d like them to work on another technology, they’d have no engineer with sufficient knowledge of that tech.

For example, as much as we love to work with General Networks on all projects, they’re not able to provide us engineers with knowledge and expertise on VMWare or server virtualization. As a result, I’d like to see them expand to other technology besides Microsoft. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the operations manager of J’s Maintenace, a janitorial company based in Glendale, California. We are family-owned and operated and have been in business for 51 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with General Networks?

They helped us salvage our information and data after a server error

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After our servers were compromised, General Networks helped save and migrate our data and emails. They also introduced us to cloud-based servers, helping us get onto SharePoint. Their team also helped roll out our new Outlook email system. General Networks also helped trained our team and provided guidance on cybersecurity matters

What is the team composition?

I work directly with Jeff (VP of Technical Services Sales) for any tech support matters. 

How did you come to work with General Networks?

I was looking for someone who could quickly fix the issue but also had the necessary knowledge. I reached out to another client of General Networks who spoke very highly of them. It just felt like a natural fit, so it worked out very well. Less than 24 hours after contacting them, they came into our offices to hear about what happened.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested between $10,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement began in October 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They helped us through a very difficult situation. General Networks ensured our unfortunate circumstances did not derail our business and helped us set up a firewall. 

The moment we realize we have a problem we reach out to their team and everything is resolved within a matter of hours. I also appreciate the transparency and guidance they provide for tech support. 

How did General Networks perform from a project management standpoint?

Our teams communicate via email. They immediately open a ticket when I contact them and usually get back to me within the hour. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

General Networks works with a sense of urgency but never loses sight of the details. They follow through and then follow up with us. They always put things in terms that we can understand, which we really appreciate.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I sometimes wish we had a physical server, but I don’t believe they offer that service.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust them. Let them know what the issue is and trust that they’re going to find the best way to fix whatever the problem is.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a commercial lighting company. We design, sell, and manufacture decorative architectural lighting products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with General Networks?

When I joined the company, I noticed our IT architecture was a little outdated. We brought General Networks in to update it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

General Network’s main responsibility was building a network that was robust and stable from an IT standpoint. That included email, cloud storage, cybersecurity, employee training, and other related areas. Specifically with the email migration project, the team took us from GoDaddy to Office 365.

We’re based in California, but we have remote employees across the country, so our IT needs have been a little varied. 

What is the team composition?

It depends on the individual task, but overall, we probably talk to five or six people within their group, including Jeff (VP of Technical Service Sales).

How did you come to work with General Networks?

We found them through our web development vendor, who recommended them to us. When I talked to them, it was clear they could handle our project, so we went through with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $35,000–$40,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When I joined, I felt extremely uncomfortable with the state of our computer network system. Since we’ve partnered with General Networks, I don’t even think of it. To be able to give them the reins and not have to worry has been incredible. Not only are they technically competent, they’re reliable. 

How did General Networks perform from a project management standpoint?

For each task, General Networks identifies a project manager or point person who will come onsite and execute. I personally worked with a project manager, who acts as the eyes and ears of the office. 

Overall, their project management skills have been fantastic. I don’t recall any dates that slipped, and there have been times when the team has stayed past work hours to finish a project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to tailor their services based on our needs is really impressive. I’ve never felt like they were trying to sell me things I didn’t need. However, not only are they technically competent, they’re reliable. General Networks is hands-on, knowledgeable, and adaptable. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing that comes to mind; they’ve been exemplary. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re an IT novice, don’t be afraid to reach out to General Networks and explain what you need in your terms. They’ll be able to interpret you and help you on your level.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a systems administrator for an educational institution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with General Networks?

We needed assistance with upgrading our data center — specifically, updating the hardware and maintaining the overall infrastructure and security. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We purchased a new server, and General Networks helped us spin it up and load the appropriate OS and RAID configuration according to their recommendations. They then installed digital services like Active Directory (AD), DHCP, and DNS roles. These act as a function of the organization to maintain our core infrastructure so that people can log in and change passwords and our computers can communicate with different appliances throughout the network. 

Lastly, General Networks helped us spin up a high availability failover server that would take precedence if anything happened to the first server. They provided both onsite and remote support.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people: two engineers and a sales individual.

How did you come to work with General Networks?

I was new to my position, so I did my own research by searching Google and reading Yelp reviews. General Networks had very positive feedback, so I asked them to provide a bid. As a public organization, we’re required to consider multiple companies for a project like this. 

General Networks’ salesperson brought their team onsite to give us both a better understanding of what our needs were. They offered impressive suggestions and offered us a much lower bid because they were able to reuse our equipment instead of recommending new equipment.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in September 2019 and wrapped up in April 2020. It could have moved much faster but due to constraints on our side, we experienced a lot of delays.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to General Networks’ help, we were able to update our machines to the latest OS, improving the security posture of our organization and letting us get the support packages we needed. 

We also went a discovery process to review our high levels policies like DNS and DHCP and to mitigate stale files in the database. This improved our performance and minimized errors. Lastly, General Networks helped us review our retention policies. That way, we’re not as susceptible to ransomware, and we can reproduce our server in a timely manner if anything happens. That was one of our biggest achievements.

How did General Networks perform from a project management standpoint?

I couldn’t have asked for a better organization. I’m relatively new to this and have limited experience working with other vendors. Any communication with General Networks was superb. They were easily accessible and prompt to respond. Their sales consultant followed up multiple times to make sure we were on task. The team was flexible throughout the project even when we found out we couldn’t achieve specific objectives due to a lack of time or resources. It helped us understand better our environment so we know what we need in the future. 

General Networks also did a good job of documenting our server, which was a major aspect of the project. In the end, we did a knowledge transfer to cover all tasks and goals that they met, inform us where we need to be, and go over best practices based on their recommendations for our environment. Now, we’re more informed of our network and what’s on it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The ability to communicate effectively and in a timely manner is the number one priority for me. I could’ve hired someone to do what General Networks did, but not necessarily with the same level of communication.

Even when COVID-19 forced us and other clients of theirs to migrate to remote work, we never felt like General Networks neglected us. They kept us informed and reached out to check our status multiple times.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I was thrilled all around. They delivered everything we asked for, and I’d definitely work with them in the future.

Any advice for potential customers?

Trust them. Their prices are competitive and reasonable. Their communication is top-notch; their sales team will follow up with you to make sure engineers are on target and meeting your objectives in a timely manner.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the vice president of IT at Atkinson Baker Inc., a court reporting agency that provides services to law firms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with General Networks?

We were looking for IT services and support for our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

General Networks has provided us IT support on a longterm basis, going back as far as when we had network servers. Most recently they have been helping us with infrastructure upgrades. Our last major project was a migration of our email server from Exchange Server 2003 to the 2013 version in 2014.

Additionally, General Networks is our Microsoft licensing partner. We have purchased other software through them such as Carbonite Solutions or Visual Studio. They provide us with Hewlett-Packard hardware. We don’t have any sort of retainer with them. I will occasionally contact General Networks for emergency support and they always muster up some people on my behalf within a few hours.

What is the team composition?

Generally, we work with one technician at a time. Our main point of contact has been Herb (Director of Technical Services, General Networks) and two other members of the General Networks team. 

How did you come to work with General Networks?

We were looking for support on NetWare Servers back when we used to have those. They were the local support contact for NetWare so we began working with them.

How much have you invested with them?

It varies year to year. For major infrastructure projects, we can spend $20,000–$40,000 in a year, but we will go eight years without a major project. We spend another several thousand a year on licenses. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve had an ongoing engagement with them going back to the 1990s, but our last major project was in 2014. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

General Networks always delivers on what they promise. On one occasion, we had ordered a server than they provisions, and it turned out to not be the right fit for us. Their team got the whole server swapped out by Hewlett-Packard for us.

The systems they have installed or provided for us have been running faithfully for many years. They’re rock solid. Everything they have built for us has worked very well.

How did General Networks perform from a project management standpoint?

They have fine project management. They show up on time and get things down. We communicate largely through email and will meet in person every now and then. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They go above and beyond to provide and provision Hewlett-Packard servers for us. They actually get them set up and ready to roll.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We tend to be a self-service shop, but if they could expand their services to include strategic advice or mentoring, we would love that. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear on what you want and frank in your discussions. Make sure to be transparent on the parameters of what you need and what your company is willing to spend.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm an IT director at Union Rescue Mission. We're the largest homeless shelter in Los Angeles.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with General Networks?

We were looking for a vendor to help us build a custom Office 365 and provide other IT services. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

General Networks helped us with network identity, security, and licensing. They built out a Power BI tool for us, which is an interactive form that allows our users to submit security incidents at our facility at anytime. They also integrated it with our Office 365, built radio buttons, and created a single sign-on. In addition, they set up some unique sign-in logos, helped us get software licensing for desktop imaging, and provided SharePoint assistance.  

What is the team composition? 

I mostly work with my project manager and a developer.

How did you come to work with General Networks?

They were recommended to us by another company we were working with. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $6,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working with General Networks in January 2018 and the relationship is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're a small shop and there are a lot of moving parts. General Networks has a lot of expertise, so they've helped us save a lot of time and work more effectively. 

How did General Networks perform from a project management standpoint? 

They're very responsive and attentive to our needs. They get requirements from us and do their part of the job. After that, it's my turn to get back to them, which occasionally causes delays because I’m very busy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a deep bench of talent. They're experienced with everything from SharePoint and Office 365 to security issues and software deployment. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything. I plan to continue working with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared to give them the information that they need to execute the project. Our biggest holdup was me not being as responsive as they needed me to be.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general partner of an investment fund.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with General Networks?

We needed a partner to manage the daily operations of our network.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

General Networks replaced our one-man IT department. Their team manages our entire network, from resolving small issues to helping our team select the best computers for running our systems. Their team has also directed us to Microsoft 365 for storing files in the cloud instead of on our PCs.

What is the team composition?

We work with about six General Networks teammates. There’s always someone to help us.

How did you come to work with General Networks?

A colleague recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $7,000 a year with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in June 2014, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of the work is great. Their team provides solutions quickly. General Networks is good at putting out fires.

How did General Networks perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate mostly by email, but also by telephone when needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team's greatest asset is their ability to respond immediately to problems.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not at all.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Hire them to resolve computer or IT issues.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Synectic Solutions, Inc., which primarily does analysis and planning for the U.S. Department of Defense. We have around 150 employees in eight states.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with General Networks?

General Networks has been maintaining our networks for around ten years. Most recently, we engaged them to do infrastructure upgrades associated with NIST compliance.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

General Networks provided a full-range protection system to avoid any cybersecurity issues. They conducted site surveys and helped us identify and implement a SIEM to monitor our system. They did vulnerability assessments of our systems, set up an automated training program, and installed an additional patching system for our networks and desktops. The team also configured our wireless networks and portable devices to satisfy cyber requirements.

What is the team composition?

We primarily worked with three people. Our main point of contact was Jeff (Account Manager, General Networks).

How did you come to work with General Networks?

It’s hard for me to say, since they’ve been our primary IT provider for over ten years. Since they’d done a good job for us in the past, we reached out to them to do the infrastructure upgrades.

How much have you invested with them?

I believe my company has spent around $100,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

The most recent project spanned March–June 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

General Networks helped us identify problems that we didn’t realize we had, and they resolved them very efficiently. They were extremely cooperative and stayed on schedule and budget. I can’t say enough good things about their work.

How did General Networks perform from a project management standpoint?

They were outstanding. In terms of scheduling and communication, they were better than any service provider I’ve worked with. They were well-prepared for our weekly status meetings over the phone, and they always sent summaries after the meeting. If we needed to interface between these meetings, we did so via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

General Networks was very good at staying on schedule. They were communicative and responsive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a general manager at a marketing company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with General Networks?

We have several servers and many computers that need support, so we were looking for a vendor to help us with our IT needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

General Networks maintains our servers remotely and helps us address any issues that come up with our network. They offer a help desk, so we can call them if we're having a problem that they can't see on their end. They also come to our office to update our computers or fix a problem with our server. They work quickly, so they can address most of the issues right away, usually within an hour. In addition, General Networks upgrades our servers and helps us with our annual equipment replacement.

What is the team composition?

We have a point of contact at the help desk, who handles our calls. They also have an external team that they send out for on-site support.

How did you come to work with General Networks?

We were referred to them by another company we were working with.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them just under $50,000 a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2016, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've been able to avoid any interruptions in the workflow because of their continuous support. If one of our computers or servers goes down, we'll go out of business. General Networks has been on top of everything and immediately fixed any problem we’ve had. They've also been very helpful getting us the quotes for the new equipment. Also, they're easy to work with, even though most of the time they're working behind the scenes.

How did General Networks perform from a project management standpoint?

They have several departments that work in unison with each other, which makes things easy for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They respond right away when we contact them, and it’s not an auto-reply, but a real, social contact.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They've given us everything we've asked of them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a private insurance company called Topa Insurance. I'm the network engineer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with General Networks?

Microsoft was sunsetting its Exchange 2010 system, and we needed a team to migrate our email servers to Office 365.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They worked with one of our sister companies to facilitate the migration. They logged into our existing server and set up all the necessary scripts. Then, they monitored the process through to its completion.

What is the team composition?

We have a team of three, which includes a project manager, an engineer, and one other team member.

How did you come to work with General Networks?

I searched the internet for companies that do migrations like this. They were local, and I got quotes from one other company. They provided the lower bid, so we decided to hire them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $2,000-$4,000 for the migration.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together in November of 2018 and wrapped up the whole project within about a month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They sent us status reports every other day during the migration. They set up a program called SkyKick to transfer our existing mailboxes over to Office 365, and the entire process took a couple of weeks. We always knew where we were in the process and what percentage of the transfer was complete at any given point.

How did General Networks perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent project managers, and the whole team was always very responsive. They were thorough, and they followed up and answered questions right away. We have a good relationship with them and hope to use them again for other projects.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They listen to small details. The team always went the extra mile to make sure we understood what was happening, and they made sure everything was completed properly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They can always expand to take on bigger projects.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I highly recommend them; they’re a very good vendor. They have a niche for certain areas in IT, and they’ll offer you an excellent quote.