GiaSpace

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at Salson Logistics, a logistics and transportation company. During our engagement, I acted as the IT liaison between GiaSpace and us.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GiaSpace?

The IT company we worked with didn’t have any direction, and we weren’t getting answers. Thus, we hired GiaSpace to help us out.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GiaSpace provided us with overall managed IT services off-site. Robert (CEO) acted as our external director of IT.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with Robert.

How did you come to work with GiaSpace?

GiaSpace had already worked with us, so we had a previous relationship with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $100,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in late 2018, and our engagement ended in November 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

GiaSpace’s work was excellent, and they paid attention to all of our requirements. Moreover, they went above and beyond what we needed.

How did GiaSpace perform from a project management standpoint?

GiaSpace delivered on time and stayed on budget. We used Slack and Quip to collaborate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

GiaSpace’s understanding of what a managed IT service provider should do daily was impressive. Robert was very strong at getting into the trenches to determine the root cause of IT issues. Additionally, he works very hard and is very responsive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Working with GiaSpace is a win.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of an Italian ICT Company that supports clients in their business with technical activities

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GiaSpace?

One of our Fashion clients, with an office in Switzerland, had to open a store in New York.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Since during a previous experience to open a Store in Miami, we had found ourselves very well working with GiaSpace, we asked for their support again.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

The project consisted in the preparation of some Point of Sales PCs, with Custom Software, which needed coordination with a Software House from Arizona for installation, plus all the necessary accessories: Monitor, Dual HD, Printers, Switches, Label Print, BarCode Reader, etc.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with their "Senior Helpdesk Analyst"

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The preparation and shipping project to New York had to be completed by November 29th and GiaSpace managed to deliver, all functional, on time. We have received compliments from the customer, both for having completed the project well and for having respected the times..:-)

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

During this work we had some communication exchanges with their IT Manager, via their HelpDesk system, to coordinate the different configuration activities of these systems. 

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

We had the opportunity, again, to appreciate their availability and competence

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

They were a very well-organized and highly computerized company, with PSA tools well used to better manage their activities, both in the HelpDesk and Sales fields

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of ECI Pharmaceuticals and BioRamo, two prescription drug manufacturing companies located in South Florida. We manufacture solid-dose, semi-solid, and liquid oral solutions. ECI Pharmaceuticals focuses mostly on solid-dose drugs, such as tablets, capsules, and powder-filled pills, while BioRamo focuses on oral solutions and semi-solid drugs in creams, ointments, and topical gels.

As president, I’m basically responsible for every department. Still, although I oversee the people running the quality department, I can never override anything regarding quality, as that’s the responsibility of the VP of quality.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GiaSpace?

We’ve been working with GiaSpace since 2002 for several different companies to handle our IT needs. Thus, I’ve continued to use their services for ECI Pharmaceuticals and BioRamo.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I’ve hired GiaSpace across four different companies to help us with our IT management, cybersecurity, and hardware and software installation and monitoring. For my current companies, GiaSpace not only manages basic IT services; they also handle our ERP SAP systems. Additionally, they oversee our closed-system data systems for our QA and R&D laboratories, and they’re in charge of all of our security needs.

Whenever we need to purchase additional hardware, we go to GiaSpace. They also handle all of our software licensing through Microsoft and other software providers of programs we utilize.

As for security, they continuously solve issues and phishing problems with our emails. We also have a quarantine digest, and they constantly monitor our firewalls and activities. Moreover, GiaSpace is in charge of our cybersecurity training.

In 2021, I had all my employees trained on how to take security measures and detect phishing and corrupt emails. It was a very intensive training session, where they had to read materials and take a proficiency test. Ultimately, they learned what to look for in suspicious emails, what not to open, and what to report.

GiaSpace provides their services both on-site and off-site. For example, they provide technical support to our servers. We have backup servers at an alternate location, which they also monitor and service. Moreover, we’re always adding additional space to our facility, so if we need additional wiring or networking, they handle those installations.

Basically, GiaSpace acts as our internal IT department. Back in 2007–2009, one of our companies was so large that we actually had a GiaSpace employee on site for 30 hours per week.

What is the team composition?

Over the last few years, I’ve worked with 3–4 people from GiaSpace, including Patrick (Help Desk Analyst III), an IT lead, and another person. I also work with Robert (CEO), although he doesn’t get involved in the project unless something gets escalated.

How did you come to work with GiaSpace?

In 2002, someone in charge of our computer systems at my then-company started looking for an IT service provider and found GiaSpace. Robert seemed to be very knowledgeable and honest, so we gave him a trial period, and he exceeded our expectations. I’ve been working with GiaSpace ever since, and they’ve always met the expectations they initially set up.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend between $10,000–$20,000 per month, depending on our work.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with GiaSpace around 2002 when Robert started the company. However, our current project started in July 2010, when ECI Pharmaceuticals was formed. To this day, our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The most successful result is that GiaSpace has been able to keep up with our expansion. We’ve expanded at least five-fold in the last 10 years, and they’ve always been on top of our needs for expansion and growth.

Additionally, GiaSpace runs extremely efficiently and works around the clock to fix any IT issues we come across. Since 2010, I can recall our servers being down only once. It was for less than an hour, and it had nothing to do with GiaSpace; it had to do with the server farm.

GiaSpace has always provided us with the services we need. Some of the companies we used to work with were bought out by public entities. On those occasions, the new ownership always looked to cut down expenses, so they vetted for other IT service providers. However, they never found anyone else who could give us the service GiaSpace was providing for the price we were paying. They were always the most efficient and cost-effective company during those reassessment periods.

How did GiaSpace perform from a project management standpoint?

We work with GiaSpace on a daily basis. Whenever we have issues, we contact their help desk via email, and they respond within two minutes. Then, we usually get a solution within 10 minutes. They fix things before we even know it, and they even offer support on weekends and off hours if needed.

Our communication is mostly virtual, whether it is via phone calls or video chats, and they also access our computers remotely. They’re only a few miles away from us, so if we have any hardware issues, they can also come to us quickly. Still, almost everything is automated, so they can control everything off-site.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I can’t say enough good things about GiaSpace; they’ve only improved over the years. We were one of their first customers, so they’ve grown as we’ve grown. Their customer service is great, and they’re always extremely personable and knowledgeable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything GiaSpace could improve on. I can’t even say that it would be good if they lowered their prices because they’re extremely cost-effective.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very honest regarding expectations and detail the problems you’re experiencing so that they can use their knowledge and tools to get those problems solved.