Integris

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the SVP of a pharmaceutical company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Domain Computer Services?

When we first set up our systems, we brought in our own computers and we had a friend set up a network for us. We worked in that fashion for a while, but as our needs expanded, we needed a more robust system and a better channel for supporting users.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Domain Computer Services plays the role of our IT department. They are responsible for several aspects of the design and deployment of our IT system and provide a helpdesk function. When users have an issue, their helpdesk works to resolve the issue. 

They also take responsibility for cybersecurity. Now that we’re a commercial pharmaceutical company, we've launched our product, and we've grown very quickly, Domain Computer Services has been supporting that growth and the systems required to support that growth. 

Additionally, we're moving to a new office space in the middle of 2021, so they're helping us design the technology infrastructure in the new office space and will manage the transition from our existing office to our new office space. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a dozen or more teammates. Our primary contact is the vCIO, and we’ve also worked with their design department, engineers, helpdesk specialists, and accountants.

How did you come to work with Domain Computer Services?

We shopped around for a managed services group, and Domain Computer Services was one of three companies we evaluated. We met with two of them and selected Domain Computer Services because of their geography. They are fairly close to us, which is important. 

When we had face-to-face meetings, we felt comfortable with their confidence and their partnership with their clients.

How much have you invested with them?

Equipment-wise, we’ve spent $100,000. There’s also a monthly service cost that’s between $25,000–$50,000, depending on what we do. There was a time when they cut their monthly fee in half to help us save money when we were still a small, venture-backed business. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since October 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a quarterly cybersecurity and IT review meeting with our CEO and the rest of the senior managers. We haven’t had any security breaches since we brought on Domain Computer Services, which is a critical metric. 

We've had a 99% uptime, and when we do our custom surveys, they're up to 9.5 out of 10 in customer satisfaction. They’ve taken a true interest in the success and growth of our business.

How did Domain Computer Services perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is very good. We’ve had some fairly significant projects that they have executed and done everything for: the purchasing, management, physical installation, and start-up of equipment.

When we expanded to another floor in our office building and they came in and did all the wiring, they completed it on time and within the budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Domain Computer Services does a lot for the community, which is really a special aspect. They’re affiliated with a local community college where they conduct classes for students for credit. They also help students with fewer resources by letting them use the business’ equipment and learn there.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve grown at a fast pace since we've engaged them and they're always trying to hire talent. Sometimes their growth outpaces their ability to bring on talent. My only suggestion would be to take the risk and look further ahead and hire in advance of the need for a person.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Sit down with their higher-level strategic engineers and layout the requirements of the IT system and the user requirements, and then look towards whatever strategy points them to the future, whether it's growth, better security, or different systems. Plan out your needs so that both parties understand the strategy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of operations for a personal injury law firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechMD?

While we were working on other projects, it became apparent that we needed another platform to host our emails.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we first decided to take on this project, they provided three different platforms that would meet our needs. Then they went through the pros and cons and price of each option to help me make my decision.

We decided to migrate all of our emails from Sherweb to Microsoft Office 365. It was a big project and it took them several weeks.

What is the team composition?

There were two people working on the project.

How did you come to work with TechMD?

Another personal injury law firm in our area was working with them and recommended them. We originally met with them and one other group to discuss what we needed. We chose TechMD to support all of our IT needs.

How much have you invested with them?

It cost a little less than $8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project took about five weeks and lasted from August–September 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was a smooth transition. Everything went off without a hitch. Even when we had to take care of some follow-up things, like when we needed to update our email signatures, TechMD was completely hands-on.

How did TechMD perform from a project management standpoint?

They were fantastic. Gus (vCIO) kept us up to date on everything and provided frequent status reports. The tech team frequently touched base with us over phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were so organized. I was really impressed with the detail they included going into the project, and then they continued to update us throughout the engagement. They made sure that everything ran smoothly. Their communication skills were outstanding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they were awesome.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

TechMD did a good job keeping us informed and providing all the information. New clients just need to listen to their input.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We manage and secure long-tail claims for large industry insurance companies. I’m the CIO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Domain Computer Services?

We were spun out of a parent company that was multi-national with offices all over the country. Initially, we had no infrastructure and needed to outsource our IT needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re our infrastructure arm. They take care of servers, set up, and security. In terms of our transition, we did what they refer to as a “lift and shift”, where we lifted our entire environment of 47 virtual servers and put it in a new data center.

 They helped organize everything from the actual month, coordinating with our former parent company, setting up firewalls, and new security protocols. The team helped accelerate the process and brought in alternative vendors, too.

 Since that transition, they’ve been my maintenance arm for any IT needs. Currently, they’re helping us transition our entire data center into the cloud.

What is the team composition?

We work with a salesperson, virtual CIO, two support desk coordinators, and seven other contacts.

How did you come to work with Domain Computer Services?

I know their owner through my local chamber of commerce. We invited another vendor to pitch as well but Domain Computer Services just won on many levels.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $250,000–$300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2018, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Not all MSPs (managed service providers) are good at project work like Domain Computer Services  Up until COVID-19, they assigned us one person in the office per week and we’d make a list and have them handle it. Several of my internal staff would come to me directly and tell me what a pleasure it is to have them in the office. They’re personable and qualified. I push them really hard and they’re always flexible with everything we ask.

How did Domain Computer Services perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve built a great working relationship and have regular meetings to touch base and discuss our needs. We communicate via phone. During COVID-19 they made their entire team remote while also helping our team transition into a remote environment.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re truly a partner with everything that I want to get accomplished. They provide everything that we need.

Are there any areas they could improve?

During one of our audits, there were some things that weren’t answered correctly. When I brought it to their attention, they changed it immediately. Sometimes they do make mistakes but they always take accountability.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to abdicate complete responsibility to them. Take an interest in what they’re doing and discussing. They’re only going to be as good as they’re instructed to do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the business process analyst for a youth nonprofit organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechMD?

We have enterprise solutions that are fed to us through our corporate office, including Salesforce, Looker, and Mozeo for any texting services that we use. TechMD manages all of our desktop support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Currently, they purchase all of our hardware. At the moment, because we are all working remotely, all of our staff members have laptop access to our network. While we are working in the office, if anyone has any desktops, TechMD manages all of that. 

TechMD was also managing our previous servers, and I collaborated with them by going through everything that we had and archiving any old documentation that we no longer use. From there, we migrated all of our documents to the cloud that we now access through a SharePoint portal that TechMD built for us.

What is the team composition?

On this project, there were three people including two of their technicians and our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with TechMD?

I have been with the organization for almost five years now, and TechMD was already on board when I started. My understanding is that we did have internal desktop support at our council and a couple of years before I started, they found it was more cost-effective to partner with a third-party vendor. They have been our sole vendor in the five years that I have been there.

How much have you invested in them?

On this specific project, we were quoted $20,000 and we came within budget.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began this specific project in August of 2019, and our original plan was to make the switch over from our servers to the cloud at the end of March, but due to COVID-19, we actually had to accelerate the migration which we did at the beginning of March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They are very responsive to all of our council needs. If a ticket is opened and it isn’t addressed right away, TechMD becomes extremely responsive in correcting the issue. We have very few, if any, complaints from our staff members.

How did TechMD perform from a project management standpoint?

We operate on a ticketing system and also by phone. They make themselves available after hours as well. 

From a response standpoint, they were on the ball. They addressed problems immediately and put in an additional level of effort when necessary.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I worked with one of their technicians during the actual migration process and then with another technician for support since the migration. Both technicians were very knowledgeable in the Microsoft solutions and the Microsoft suite of tools, and how they all interact. 

Their level of expertise was very helpful — it inspired a lot of confidence in us. The terminology was something I was not as familiar with, and they were very responsive when I was able to articulate what our needs were and came up with a solution. 

We had in-person training classes with our staff members, which were phenomenal because our staff was able to ask the technicians any questions that they needed answers to. It was extremely helpful having them on site. In all the projects that I have worked with TechMD over the past five years, they have always been readily available and onsite when necessary.

We've had several projects with them and to ease anyone’s concerns, they have always made sure to have someone onsite to work with us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had one issue after the file migration, where our staff wasn’t able to open some of their files. The problem was due to Microsoft limitations on naming characters, which would’ve been helpful to know in advance so we could’ve planned accordingly. TechMD worked with us in correcting the issue, but it took some time and resulted in some frustration. 

They didn’t charge us anything additional for resolving the issue, and they did accept that in hindsight they should have probably made us aware of that limitation in advance. It was an issue that was resolved.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Defining what roles TechMD plays within the organization is important. Really clearly outline what role TechMD has and outline any internal resources that an organization has and what role they will play. Clearly stipulate that to your staff members, especially when working remotely.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an insurance agency, and I’m a manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechMD?

As our server was old, we wanted to remove the server and move everything to the Cloud.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TechMD initially brought our server’s expired warranty to our attention and suggested that we move to the Cloud. Their team migrated our data from the local server and then set up OneDrive to move our data to the Cloud. While a majority of their work was done remotely, one team member came onsite to install new workstations and remove the local server.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a project manager but mostly communicated with Joe (Professional Services Consultant). Another person came onsite to install the new workstations too.

How did you come to work with TechMD?

We initially found them because we worked in the same office building at the time.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $9,000–$10,000 in this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project started in September and ended in November 2020. However, we’ve engaged with TechMD as our IT resource for 4–6 years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything works as it should. During this project, their team was very helpful along the way. They did a great job.

How did TechMD perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via phone and email, and their team communicated well. They were easy to reach throughout the project, which was capably managed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We communicated well, and it was easy to work with them. Their team was available and answered all of my questions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t areas for improvement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the administrative director of For The Child, an agency that has strengthened families, prevented the trauma of child abuse, neglect, and exposure to violence, and helped low-income children and families. My role with TechMD focuses on technology, data systems, infrastructure, and information systems security.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechMD?

We needed remote access to documents and files with Cloud Migration.  This project pushed For The Child out of the digital divide to a highly available cloud environment for all staff to work remotely during the unforeseen pandemic work arrangement.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TechMD does technical work, which involves desk support. They rerouted all of our technology and revamped how we had our computers. We had standalone computers, and they created a network for us 10 years ago.

Recently, they put us on the cloud. They’ve also done clean up of our server, making the tables look good, and they’ve put out informative videos that help our staff learn about IT. 

What is the team composition?

Shaun (vCIO) is our primary contact, and for the most recent cloud migration project, we worked with Joey (Professional Service Consultant). We also work with many talented professionals such as project managers, leads, and analysts on a daily basis.

How did you come to work with TechMD?

They were recommended to us 10 years ago and it has been one of the best decisions we have made.

Our Executive Director selected them after an impressive meeting with them on how they could help us improve our infrastructure. They also work with many nonprofits and are sensitive to the needs of agencies like For The Child.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in November 2010, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of service has been amazing. They are thoughtful and always keep our agency in mind in terms of allowing us to function while still doing the work that they need. They provide a high-quality service. They’re all amazing people, from the people who answer the phones to their leadership team.

TechMD’s partnership with For The Child has enhanced our ability to be productive and continue to provide client services that ensure our systems are functional, secure, and HIPAA compliant.

How did TechMD perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is great. They’re personable and they make sure that we understand the project scope, tasks, and timeline. They follow up a lot and send updates to our team, and we schedule Outlook calendars meetings during projects. They are top-notch.

For other IT assistance, we use a ticketing system where we submit tickets and TechMD helps us remotely. We also use email and phone to communicate, and before COVID-19, they would come to our office to go over our technology infrastructure to see where we were at, where we were going, and how they could help us improve.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their personalities are great. They’re easy to talk to and they communicate in a way that helps us understand what their technical mind is saying. It’s easy to communicate with them, and the team is responsive to all of our questions regarding our technical issues. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing has gone wrong. There hasn’t been anything that TechMD hasn’t been able to resolve for us. They’ve been amazing at keeping our infrastructure running so that we’re able to provide our services.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

TechMD is always on the cutting edge of technology. They stay on top of what’s new, what’s coming, and what’s changing. Anything to do with IT, the team has created a name for themselves. Anybody who chooses them as a vendor has chosen well. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of IT and administration for a girls’ youth organization. We have around 140 employees, and we work in the greater Los Angeles area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechMD?

Around 12 years ago, there were eight councils in the greater Los Angeles area, each of them being its own governing body. They all decided to merge, and merging a variety of companies extends to a variety of hardware and software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When they first came on, TechMD was instrumental in getting us all on the same page. As time went on, they became our right hand in the technology world. TechMD helps us with everything, from day-to-day tech support to huge projects.
 
 Our latest project was decommissioning one of our old servers. TechMD looked at our infrastructure with the aim of getting us more into the cloud and getting rid of as much hardware as possible. As a nonprofit, one of the easiest ways for us to save money is by bringing things to the cloud.
 
 Before the pandemic, we had six locations with full-time staff. We have an additional 12 sites with tech equipment, but not necessarily with full-time staff. Two of those are mountain camps, which brings its own set of challenges in terms of IT equipment.
 
 At a minimum, we have quarterly on-site interventions. When it comes to things that can’t be resolved remotely, we either have someone come on-site, or we get the item to TechMD. Since we have a location that’s not too far away from their office, I sometimes drive down there. 
 
What is the team composition?

There’s a team of eight people from TechMD that answers tickets from our organization on a daily basis. I work one-on-one with a vCIO, who’s my main point of contact. At any point in time, I could be working with 1–7 other people.
 
 For the server decommissioning, I had a team of 2–3 people, including a project manager and an actual tech person.
 
How did you come to work with TechMD?

I’m not 100% sure, because it was before my time. When I first started six years ago, I looked over why we were working with TechMD, and they were simply a very good fit for us.
 
 As a youth organization, we try to align our vendors with our mission and core values, and TechMD was a very good fit for us. They not only specialize in having their tech staff know what they’re doing, but they also make sure that everyone they hire has exceptional customer service. Something I hear from my staff all the time is that it’s a pleasure to work with the people at TechMD.
 
 Being a nonprofit, we have to be fiscally-responsible about these things. Over the past 12 years, we’ve gone through different RFPs and looked at other companies, and TechMD has won every single time. They’re just a great partner for us.
 
How much have you invested with them?

The most current project was about $2,000. It wasn’t terribly large. We’re in the midst of replacing 40 laptops, which will be an $80,000 project.

We’ve spent approximately $200,000 per year with them over the last 12 years on cybersecurity, support, and everything else. The cost may sound daunting, but looking back at everything we’ve done, it’s a bargain for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with TechMD around 2008, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

TechMD is a professional team. They’ve helped us save money and make our jobs easier. They brought a vision for us, and they quickly became a partner. I always tell my other vendors that, if they’re talking to TechMD, they’re talking to us. They’re one of the few vendors that I rarely refer to as a vendor; I almost always refer to them as a partner, because that’s really what they are.

In general, much of the feedback is anecdotal. A lot of people fear having to make the call and ask for help with whatever it is, but I never hear that from my staff. They’ll sometimes tell us that TechMD is still working on the problem, but that it’s been great working with them.

Our biggest measurement of success was when the pandemic hit. We literally told our staff at two o’clock in the afternoon on a Thursday that they weren’t coming in the next day, so they should grab everything they could and go home. Everything worked just fine the next day, and not many companies were able to say that, especially nonprofits. We couldn’t do what we do without them.

How did TechMD perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always exemplary when it comes to communication. They usually anticipate all of our questions, and we have a kickoff meeting to talk about the project and process. TechMD answers questions then, but we’re also in communication throughout the project. We have a ticketing system, and we communicate through phone and email. I’ve been granted the ability to use Microsoft Teams, which has been extremely helpful. We share a lot of documents that way, and I can ask quick questions. However, we mainly use the ticketing system and any other project management tools that TechMD uses, including Asana.

Some projects are simply beyond my understanding, and they really do take the time to explain what they’re doing and why. As the person creating and managing the budget, I think that that’s very important. I have to report to our board and executive team, and I have to know what I’m talking about. TechMD always makes sure I understand what we’re doing, and that’s huge for me.

We get reports from them every month that analyze the different tickets we see. If we spot any trends, we can look and see what the larger problem is, and that’s been pretty successful. With us going remote, we’ve actually needed less support, which is a testament to the infrastructure TechMD has helped us build.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of the most amazing things about working with them is that our relationship hasn’t become stagnant. With some of the vendors we’ve used for a long time, it simply feels like they don’t care whether or not they keep the business. TechMD does care because they care about us, and that’s genuine. That’s been huge, because they know what we’re doing and why we’re doing what we’re doing, and they want to make it better.

I’m constantly impressed by how often they’re willing to spur-of-the-moment send a tech out to one of our locations. If our internet goes down, our POS also goes down, and that means that we’ll have a store full of girls trying to get their equipment, and we can’t do anything about it. Even though that might be a very small issue for TechMD, it’s a huge one for us, and they know it. They’re always willing to help us out as much as they can. Their willingness to go above and beyond for us is just amazing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve worked through some growing pains with them. We lost some of the people that had been working on our tickets for a couple of years, and that came with a learning curve for the new person. Now, I’ve had the same group of eight people for a while, and we’re not seeing those issues anymore.

TechMD is always a pleasure to work with, and I’m always able to step in and have them review the documentation on something. They’re always more than willing to go back.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

One of the biggest things I would say to a company is to be honest. I’ve always told TechMD — when it comes to certain projects, and especially if they’re going to be working with our staff — that they’re not particularly tech-savvy but also don’t want to be spoken to like idiots.

If the client knows their employees and is honest with TechMD, they’ll have a great relationship. They may have a tech-savvy staff that doesn’t want explanations and just wants TechMD to do the work. We have a couple of executives who are like that, and that’s fine for TechMD, but other staff always tell us how glad they are that TechMD explains things to them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the studio manager for Orange Label Art + Advertising. We’re an advertising agency located in the Orange County area. We work with clients nationwide in the health care, education, and retail industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechMD?

We had challenges working with our IT agency at the time and needed a new provider.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TechMD provides IT services including server support and maintenance. Their team also helped with VPN access and implemented safe solutions to prevent phishing attacks.

What is the team composition?

We mostly worked with three people from TechMD. One person led the onboarding process. A network technician transferred and uploaded our platforms onto their system. We also work with an account manager who’s our point of contact.

How did you come to work with TechMD?

We reached out to a few companies. However, we liked TechMD’s size, accessibility, and ability to work remotely. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $150,000–$200,000 on their services so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around January 2017 and have an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

TechMD’s safe IT phishing solution dramatically reduced the number of times people click on unsafe links. Their team was also a crucial partner in increasing our ability to work remotely, which was extremely helpful given the COVID situation.

How did TechMD perform from a project management standpoint?

We meet every six months to discuss our company’s short and long-term goals. TechMD’s account manager comes to our office for those meetings. However, we mainly communicate via phone calls. They stay on top of things.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provide the connection and personalized service that we needed in a partner.  When we have an issue that requires their attention, they respond quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. Their lack of technicians for Mac computers concerned us. However, that situation continues to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be proactive and clearly express what you want from the partnership. If you communicate your wants and needs, they could provide options that you may not have considered.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the HR manager at a boutique business that builds commercial swimming pools and water features.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechMD?

We were looking for a company that could provide technical support for our in-office staff as they interface with our field employees.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

TechMD manages our IT needs to help our in-office team coordinate with our field team. 

About 10% of our field employees use tablets, laptops, and hotspots to connect wirelessly to our server. They’re looking to access information about their job sites and check their daily schedules in addition to reading up on safety information. Often, the field team will need to reach our in-office staff by phone or email, too.

TechMD’s technicians maintain our telecom infrastructure so that we can operate seamlessly without having to hire a full-time IT person. The team basically acts as our on-site technician. Twice a month, they make their rounds and check up on our employees to see if there are any specific problems that they can’t solve remotely. They also deploy new equipment as necessary.

What is the team composition? 

We interface with about 15 people, but our three main points of contact are Larry (vCIO), Anna (Purchasing Specialist), and Brandon (IT Support Specialist). 

How did you come to work with TechMD?

Our principals found and contacted them originally, so I wasn’t involved in the decision-making process. But, I’ve had a great experience since we’ve started working together.

What is the status of this engagement?

They’ve worked with us since 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our employees have responded positively to their services, especially regarding their on-site technicians. TechMD’s team has been really helpful in addressing individual employee problems on a daily basis. If they’re not doing something in our offices, we know that we can reach them by turning in a ticket.

They also interface with our principals to maintain our equipment and guide us through IT decisions. It’s been useful to see how we should approach storing and utilizing our information.

How did TechMD perform from a project management standpoint?

TechMD uses a message board that allows us to track what they’re doing. We typically have it up in the background as we’re working. If they have a question, we’ll see the notification and answer them directly rather than having to get on the phone or even write an email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing about working with them is the integrity of the company as a whole. If there are any kind of business issues, the team has been forthright in owning their part of the hurdle and making any adjustments as needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not from my perspective. We have a great relationship and are happy to continue working with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Address any issues as a team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of operations and IT at Windes, a public accounting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechMD?

We hired them to be our IT managed service provider.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TechMD handles all of our help desk and backroom IT, and they’ve also begun to provide managed security services. The team handles hardware and software issues, deals with backups, does software updates and patching, and purchases and implements new hardware and software. 

What is the team composition?

We have a team of about seven people, which includes our virtual CIO, a team lead, and a number of help desk specialists. I interact with upwards of 25–30 professionals depending on the work. For example, I deal with their after-hours team when we do updates and their depot when we roll out new hardware.

How did you come to work with TechMD?

They were introduced to us by our previous in-house IT department. We interviewed TechMD along with five other managed service providers and selected them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $600,000 at this point. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We onboarded them in November 2018 while we were losing our in-house IT department, but they officially took over our services when we signed the contract in May 2019. Our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They send surveys to our employees on the quality of the service they received, as well as emails to users to rate each individual technician. We get those reports on the survey results every month with a summary of their performance. The survey results have been very good. 

How did TechMD perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, they’ve performed very well. I deal with them directly for a lot of our activities, and I’ve been pleased with pretty much everything. TechMD comes in under or on budget, and their timing is good. 

They are also responsive, and we’ve accomplished a lot in the short 18 months that we’ve been working with them because they have the know-how and good project management to get things done. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attentiveness, knowing that they have other clients, is impressive. We are a very demanding client because we have a lot of software and deadlines. Because we are in public accounting, we bill time, so any time our people were down, we lost revenue. 

TechMD’s responsiveness and attention are far above what most managed service providers even try to provide. We don’t go more than 24 hours without a response on a ticket, which is impressive given the volume of work we do. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could have continuity of technicians, but this is a problem that isn’t unique to them; it’s across their industry. The more turnover there is, the more we lose the advantage of having people who are familiar with our company.

That said, TechMD’s documentation is excellent, so they have good resources to fall back on if they have someone who’s not familiar with a certain issue. The team could also have a triage system to determine which tickets are urgent and make sure that they have technicians available for urgent issues.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The success of our relationship is built on regular communication. Our virtual CIO allows us to participate in planning for the future and budgeting. It’s helpful to have constant communication with TechMD because it helps them get to know you as a client and helps you know their limitations and challenges.