NetEffect

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CFO of Three Square Food Bank. We’re the only food bank in Southern Nevada, and we partner with local organizations to provide nutritious food and hunger relief to individuals and families in need throughout the region.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NetEffect?

We needed to fully outsource our IT function with competent staff.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

NetEffect provides full IT support for the organization. They handle all areas, including server maintenance, day-to-day issues with staff, equipment replacement, and long-term planning.

What is the team composition?

We have one full-time dedicated teammate from NetEffect and 3–4 others as needed for specific expertise.

How did you come to work with NetEffect?

We found NetEffect through a referral. We chose them because they’re completely local to Las Vegas and have a vested interest in the community. Additionally, their rates are reasonable.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2023, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The frequency of network outages has declined significantly, as well as staff complaints about technology needs. Overall, we've seen increased staff morale. They have the tools needed to do their jobs and trust the NetEffect staff.

How did NetEffect perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management varies. Sometimes it’s excellent, and other times, they don’t deliver on time. However, they always respond to our needs. We primarily communicated through a support ticket system.

What was your primary form of communication with NetEffect?

Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive about them?

The CEO is involved and has meetings as frequently as needed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CFO of BEC Environmental, Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Environmental Consulting - biological resources permitting & surveys; environmental compliance consulting; stormwater pollution prevention plan inspections; hazardous building material surveys & inspections.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire NetEffect to accomplish?

• Replace inhouse IT
• Update and enhance security
• Support personnel with IT needs

SOLUTION

How did you find NetEffect?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select NetEffect over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned
• Interview process - they were the best of all we interviewed

What was the size of NetEffect’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

Our IT person gave us two week's notice and the young man he had been working with also left at the same time. We were in a tremendous bind and NetEffect managed to step in and keep us operational while adjusting to all of our IT needs. We had 24/7 access to our IT person who was with us for over 10 years. He had done an amazing job of spoiling us all and we were sure no one could ever replace him. 

NetEffect did and does that and more. Having a full team of people available 24/7 - all of them professionals, pleasant, and responsive individuals has made the transition as smooth as it could possibly be. They kept us operational throughout the transition and have been the best partners possible!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

1. Keeping us operational during a difficult transition. 
2. Building confidence in our overall system with in-depth analysis of our needs going forward. 
3. Budgeting over time and helping to identify critical as well as other updates 
4. Identified cybersecurity issues and resolved same 
5. Established a valued partnership in a short period of time

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

They have been amazing! They respond based on need: Critical-immediate; most other same day; would be nice items- within a few days. Normally, even if we say it is something that can wait they respond within 24 hours.

What was your primary form of communication with NetEffect?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Responsiveness and vested in being a partner in helping us save time and money on every aspect of our IT process and needs.

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

No. They continue to be the best and we look forward to many years of continued relationships!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am one of the owners of a statewide PR, social media and public affairs firm in Nevada. We represent many business clients throughout the state in the communications and lobbying realms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire NetEffect?

NetEffect has providing ongoing support in IT for years for our firm. From managing our office technology to troubleshooting and resolving any tech problems, they are always available to help us.

SOLUTION

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

We met through a business networking function many years ago and decided to help one another out.

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

They helped us set up at our different office spaces, handle upgrades to our laptops and computers, help us with any tech issues that arise, and also hold informational sessions with our team members to teach us about cybersecurity, importance of passwords, being connected via our different offices, etc.

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

We have worked with the CEO many times but have also worked with several knowledgeable tech professionals over there.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have been able to help us establish and set up Sharepoint in our different offices to make sure our client work can be shared easily and in a simple manner with each other. They have helped us facilitate and establish technology that makes our work seemless in communicating with one another.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They are prompt with setting up calls and troubleshooting any issues that may arise.

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

They have acted as our IT "partner" for years. They try hard to meet our needs on time and understand the importance of not having any down time as a business. They definitely care about their clients.

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

Sometimes when they speak in "tech terms," I don't always understand! But then they come back and explain things in a manner we can grasp and then follow up with solutions for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior IT system administrator for Diversified Restaurant Group.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NetEffect?

We needed help in migrating all of our IT equipment to our new offices.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired NetEffect to help us move 47 employees from their previous offices to their new ones and handle all of our IT needs throughout the transition process.

They helped us physically move all of our hardware components, server, and rack as well as our software and firewall into our new offices. They also helped us purchase and install all of the new equipment that we needed after moving. They also provided us with remote IT support as needed.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Hans (Technical Sales Engineer), who oversaw the transition, Kris (Senior Technical Account Manager), who helped us physically move our server, firewall, and all of our software, and another person who kept us on track throughout the whole process.

How did you come to work with NetEffect?

NetEffect has been a staple in the restaurant support industry — they have a local office here and have been around for more than 20 years. I’ve worked with other IT vendors, but NetEffect has always been the most reliable, consistent, and on top of everything, so I always find myself going back to them whenever we need IT support.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $30,000 on this project, which includes the move, additional wireless access points, labor, and parts.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on this project from June 2021-February 2022, but we’ve actually been in partnership with them since 2015. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

NetEffect’s support was instrumental in helping us move 47 restaurant support staff into their new offices and setting up their internet access and the other resources they need to support our restaurants. They led a seamless transition and helped our staff be able to work without any disruptions in our processes.

How did NetEffect perform from a project management standpoint?

NetEffect performed incredibly well in terms of project management. The transition did take a bit longer than expected to finish because we had a lot of problems with the new offices’ contractor. NetEffect was very patient and flexible with us throughout, even when we needed to push back our move date.

They constantly reminded us of our timelines and delivery times and ensured that we were all set up before our move. Without NetEffect’s help, we wouldn't be where we are today. 

We primarily communicated through email and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

NetEffect took the time to learn about our business. I didn’t have to bring them up to speed — they already knew what we were trying to do and even provided us with recommendations to make the transition as efficient and easy as possible for us. They were already very close and intimate with our structure even before the project started, so it just felt like they were a part of our team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to be straightforward with them and to establish your expectations before the project starts.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Senior VP of Finance for Thomas & Mack Development Group, the development and asset management affiliate of Thomas & Mack Company. Besides my financial responsibilities at Thomas & Mack, I have oversight responsibility for IT matters. I’ve worked with the NetEffect principals for almost 20 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NetEffect?

We’ve had a very long relationship with David (CEO), both at NetEffect and at the company he previously operated. For the better part of the past 20 years, David and his team have been our primary IT support team. We actually have no internal IT staff.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve worked on many different IT projects with David and NetEffect, and we’ve always had a managed services contract with them. If they don’t have the expertise we need internally, they go and find it.

We have a managed IT services agreement with them, so maintenance is the biggest part of their scope. Our staff members submit tickets directly to NetEffect if they have an issue, and NetEffect responds to the user who submitted the ticket.

Net Effect also handles most of our IT projects. They've done multiple network refreshes for us, and carefully monitor and manage our IT security needs.

A few years ago, NetEffect also helped us with a cloud migration project, where they moved our file shares off of a local server and into SharePoint. We also had one instance of ransomware, which they quickly contained and resolved by restoring data from an offsite backup. They eventually persuaded us to implement email filtering and antimalware solutions that have become a very important and successful part of our cyber security measures.

Overall, they’re very in tune with our needs and specific circumstances. We have two offices and three different groups within the company, and each group has its own preferences for IT support. NetEffect has adapted their services to the specific needs of each group.

For example, the SharePoint migration was implemented for only two of our groups, while the other preferred to keep its own network infrastructure. One group still uses desktop computers and a VPN connection while the other two now use notebooks.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with at least a dozen of their team members, including, including staff that works from other parts of the US, depending on the specific need we have.

How did you come to work with NetEffect?

David was active in the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and approached someone from our company. At the time, we worked with another, smaller company, but we were quickly outgrowing them. 

After some time, David’s company merged with and then acquired NetEffect, and our relationship just continued.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent up to $100,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with NetEffect around January 2001, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve always been pleased with NetEffect’s services; they’ve always taken good care of us. The biggest result is a decrease in employee downtime. Whenever we have an issue, NetEffect addresses it very quickly and with little or no oversight so that it doesn’t prevent our staff from getting their work done.

Their ticketing system and client portal have always worked well. We’ve never had a problem that they haven’t been able to address.

How did NetEffect perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a quarterly meeting with David and a lead IT person, where we go through all of the issues that we faced during the quarter. They prepare a very detailed report that we review together, and we address their performance on helpdesk-type issues and any ongoing projects.

NetEffect helps us with planning, budgeting, and scheduling our projects. They keep us informed of upcoming pricing and availability concerns.

Early on, they weren’t very involved in the project management side of our operations, but they’ve become much more adept at managing IT projects and help use stay on budget and schedule. They also help us manage relationships with third-party experts when needed.

We communicate via phone calls and email, all of which are tracked in their ticketing system. They follow-up until the issue gets resolved.

What did you find most impressive about them?

NetEffect’s ongoing support and strategic consulting have enabled us to focus on our core business of real estate. Their capabilities in both areas have been a perfect fit for us, given our size and limited staff.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We’ve had a long relationship, so at this point, NetEffect has tailored their services to our needs. They have all the bases covered, and they have a good sense of what we need and when we need it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Leverage their consulting resources to establish a relationship with them. NetEffect needs to understand their clients' needs. This understanding will allow them to provide tailored services and will lead to a very successful relationship.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

IBEW Local Union 357 is a Electrical Labor Union in Las Vegas. I am an organizer and a political director for our local union.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire NetEffect?

IBEW was looking for a reliable IT company that provides dependable and efficient solutions to our day to day operations.

SOLUTION

How did you select NetEffect and what were the deciding factors?

NetEffect provides IT support to other companies with similar needs in regards to workload and security. In our research they came highly recommended.

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

NetEffect handles all aspects of our IT from helpdesk to vCIO services.

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

Several NetEffect employees have assisted us with our IT demands. Different levels of technicians are available, including the CEO, David Rounds, who does periodic checks-ins to ensure we are receiving a quality service.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their commitment to go above and beyond was apparent during our IT conversion from our previous IT provider. The few issues we experienced through the conversion were quickly identified, communicated and resolved. This ensured that are company did not suffer any interruptions in our daily operations.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

NetEffect was very thorough in their procedures to communicate and identify all aspects of our IT protocols and to review all measures before implementing any changes to our internal processes.

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

Their communication and follow-through have been exemplary throughout the workflow. Attention to detail has been quintessential to their success.

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

Our experience with NefEffect this far has been outstanding.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I oversee all communications, events and am the contact person for onsite IT issues at a 55+ active adult community association.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with the vendor?

Our site transitioned from one management company to another and needed to set-up new email addresses for the site, as well as wipe all software of the first management company from site-owned hardware. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

NetEffect setup new email addresses for our team, as well as Microsoft Office licenses. They removed all the necessary software from our site computers, without having to factory reset our machines. This allowed for minimal downtime and loss of productivity with our associates.

How did you come to work with the vendor?

NetEffect previously managed our local server files and log-ins to our computers. They have also worked on projects here such as upgrading our WiFi.

How much have you invested with them?

We have an ongoing monthly contract with NetEffect in the range of $3k.

What is the status of this engagement?

Ongoing
 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They made the transition to our own domain for email seamless. We had almost no downtime.  They worked with our schedules to remove the software from our computers and employed automated processes to do most of the work while our offices were closed.

How did the vendor perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team implemented phases, to avoid disrupting my team’s workday and minimize after-hours requirements for management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Everyone I dealt with during the project was friendly and helpful. They found the quickest and most efficient solutions to make the transition as easy as possible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not requesting a survey after every ticket is closed.
 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Manager of Smith & Francis, LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a certified public accounting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire NetEffect to accomplish?

• Be our information technology go to
• Assist employees with information technology issues

SOLUTION

How did you find NetEffect?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select NetEffect over others?

Referred to me

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

They have made it so that we need no in house information technology employee. I cannot describe the scope of their work because they manage all of our computer needs without any real time commitment from us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We no longer pay for both an information technology firm and information technology employee. They handle everything remotely.

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

They are incredibly responsive to all of our needs. They deal with immediate problems, but work around our schedule on projects that are not time sensitive.

What was your primary form of communication with NetEffect?

Virtual Meeting

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

Even when we call with what might be "silly questions," they are professional and attentive to each of our employees' specific needs.

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

No improvement needed. They have been fantastic.