Net Friends, Inc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Talent Manager of E&V Strategic Communications

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a strategic communications agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Net Friends, Inc. to accomplish?

• Migration from Sharepoint to Sharefile
• Manage a building moe
• switch to all Microsoft platforms

SOLUTION

How did you find Net Friends, Inc.?

Online Search

Why did you select Net Friends, Inc. over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

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

Part 1 - Stage Microsoft Tenant:

• Apply Net Friends' recommended Microsoft 365 baselines and polices for the following features/products:

• Identity Protection, including:

• Self-Service Password Reset

• Multi-factor Authentication enforcement

• Licensing and assignment

• SharePoint and OneDrive

• Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Part 2 – ShareFile Assessment and Planning:

• Deploy proxy system in E&V's Azure tenant to serve as ShareFile target (via Citrix Files) and SharePoint source (via SharePoint Migration

Tool)

• Examine existing data for compatibility issues (data volume, file count, path length, etc) *

• Hold a meeting with E&V stakeholders to review existing Shared Drives in ShareFile, with the following goals:

• Identify any data that will require reorganization prior to migration

• Identify all Shared Drives that need to be migrated, archived (by customer), or abandoned in place (deleted)

• Identify any external sharing needs ** and establish appropriate limitations

• Identify any compliance or data retention needs

• Identify groups required for Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

• Identify initial group membership

Part 3 - SharePoint Migration from ShareFile:

• Create required data structures and security principals

• Perform staged file data migration to SharePoint and OneDrive

• Provide instructions for installing and configuring the OneDrive client for SharePoint library/folder access and offline data sync

• Schedule and execute cutover to Microsoft 365

• Decommission proxy system

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sucessful migration and all files transferred over.  Training on new platform for all employees

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

They delivered on time and were always available for questions, and quickly responded

What was your primary form of communication with Net Friends, Inc.?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Will lead this project and was great to work with and always available for issues/questions.  

Are there any areas for improvement or something Net Friends, Inc. could have done differently?

Not onthis project ub tin general somethins we are assign technician who do not know MACs as wel as others and we are only on Macs.  This can be frustrating at time.  

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Information Systems Specialist responsible for overseeing our company's various technologies from our A/V vendors, ISP and MSP. Our company is a medium size non-profit based in the Raleigh area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Net Friends, Inc.?

Our company moved from an internal team to a MSP model several years ago. Net Friends handles all of our needs under the IT umbrella from network monitoring, projects, and service ticketing for our end users.

SOLUTION

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

We searched online for a new IT partner in our local area. We had found several good choices and all were put through an extensive risk assessment. Net Friends ultimately came out ahead of the others as they were able to either meet or exceed all of our own internal requirements. Communication with them was easy and transparent. We interviewed some of their established clients as part of our risk assessment and they all had glowing reviews of the services they were receiving.

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

We utilize NetFriends in all of our IT needs. Under NetCore we have our network and it's relevant equipment in good hands. Under NetVisor we have coverage on our servers and workstations. This also includes a wonderful, and knowledgeable, service desk to help out our staff with IT tickets. This grants us the ability to focus on our mission without being bogged down by IT trouble.

Under NetForce Architect we have established a 12 month project plan of IT infrastructure improvements that comes with a dedicated project coordinator and project engineer. All three services have exceeded expectations and have been worth the cost.

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

We worked with their Senior Business Advisor as our initial contact along with their Contract Manager during the risk assessment. Both were communicative and transparent even going the extra mile when we hadn't signed a contract yet. Once we had signed, we were introduced to our Customer Success Manager.

While it wasn't the same person as we were initially introduced to in the interview process our current CSM is very well suited for the job. The typical CSM we have dealt with other companies are very sales driven. Our NetFriends CSM is very success driven.

If we're having a problem then they're actively involved with Net Friends in finding a solution for us that isn't directly "a new project to pay for." The NOC team and the IT support team know what they are doing from tier 1 to the higher support specialists. It is a a huge burden off my shoulders knowing that there is very little that the desk can't handle.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Staff have stated multiple times that they are relieved in the quality of service they receive.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

During our onboarding we had several meetings with our CSM. Onboarding staff came into the office to ensure the process went smoothly. Now, staff place tickets utilizing their ticket email. If we have any issues, they get back to us well within the SLA times.

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

Net Friends is that small local company at heart. They appear to really focus their company culture around their employees and their personal success. This was something that was equally weighed during our decision making process as they reflect one of our own values.

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

At the time of writing this there is nothing that comes to mind.