Parachute Technology

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a project manager at RFJ Meiswinkel Company, a commercial construction company. We mainly operate in the Bay Area, focusing on high rises. I run the operations side of the business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Parachute Technology?

As we were growing, our technology wasn’t keeping up with our growth. A lot of the things we used were constantly failing us. We had to go back to pen and paper for a portion of time and our provider a the time wasn’t performing to our standards.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Parachute Technology cleaned up the systems we had in place. The team was responsible for troubleshooting any issues with our servers. Our internal server had been a mess, which directly affected our remote employees. They came in, figured out the issue, and solved it for us.

Parachute Technology also upgraded our network lines. They continue to provide IT services for us. We are planning on having them migrate our current system to a cloud-based server.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is our account manager. I work with him on a daily basis, but I also interact with our dedicated IT person. If there are any major issues, I contact their helpline.

How did you come to work with Parachute Technology?

We found Parachute Technology by searching for IT firms that work with people in our field on Google. We also were ideally looking for a San Francisco-based team. We came up with a shortlist of three firms and interviews all three. 

After meeting with Elmo (CEO & Co-Owner) and Ashley (Co-Owner), we decided to work with them. It meant a lot to us that the owners themselves came down to pitch us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $130,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement began in January 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Working with Parachute Technology has been game-changing. Prior to working with them, we had worked with two other providers. They are above and beyond. We truly feel like part of the team with Parachute Technology.

How did Parachute Technology perform from a project management standpoint?

Our account manager checks in with us quite often. They let us know about any updates or changes. If the cost ever changes, they always provide us with an array of options and explain everything in detail. 

Their team uses IT Glue to manage the project. Our teams communicate via Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

At Parachute Technology, upper management is willing to work with the client directly. We have not had that experience with other providers. They even participate in our quarterly meetings. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

While our experience has been great, their everyday response team doesn’t always resolve the issue on the first go-around. It takes a few exchanges to get something taken care of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager at an engineering construction firm that specializes in civil and marine construction.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Parachute Technology?

They’re our managed service provider.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re a little behind the times on technology, and we’ve only run two projects with them so far. Our first project was upgrading all of our switches and our firewall in the server room. From the server room, they upgraded our VPN connections.

Now, we’re in the process of upgrading from our exchange server for Microsoft Outlook to Microsoft 365. We’re in the beginning stages of that project. We have a laundry list of things for them to take on next.

What is the team composition?

I’ve been dealing with five people consistently, with Tim (Technical Account Manager) as our project lead.

How did you come to work with Parachute Technology?

We had a friend in the construction industry, and they just went through the process of hiring a new company for their business for managed services. They didn’t select them, but Parachute Technology was their second choice. When we started ours, we use that feedback and interviewed a few companies and chose Parachute Technology because they matched our business models the best.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around $6,500 and maybe $30,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked together since August 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The first project ran very smoothly. They were able to handle all of our questions and remedy any project immediately. It was a very smooth transition.

In terms of feedback, I immediately received positive responses from all of my coworkers about how great it was to work with Parachute Technology. They’re incredibly responsive and a joy to work with.

How did Parachute Technology perform from a project management standpoint?

From top to bottom, they’re very communicative. They’re exceptionally clear and always manage our expectations. Their lovely, friendly people who are always a delight to talk to.

They’ve been fantastic at deadlines from the start. They promised a one-month onboarding, and they delivered on the first of the month. They set worst- and best-case timelines so we knew what to take. They’ve been able to handle every project and deliver within their timelines.

We use a tracking system to manage how they respond to our issues. Everything is very efficient. I also email, phone call, and video conference whenever needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their collaborative effort and their team effort that they put into the projects are a highlight. Whether it’s a project or a simple IT ticket, they’re quick to respond to anything with any minimal downtime. I’m really impressed by their cohesiveness and teamwork.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything negative to say about them. What they set up for us is so above and beyond what I could’ve ever expected.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I oversee and coordinate the IT-related projects here in our offices. Powermatic Associates is an industrial automation solutions provider. We are primarily a distributor, offering some light-manufacturing and value-added services as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Parachute Technology?

Powermatic was in need of a full managed IT services provider; a partner with the capacity to handle our workstations, network infrastructure, servers, preventative maintenance, backup solutions, etc.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to let our staff focus more on the business, and less on our IT needs.

SOLUTION

How did you select Parachute Technology?

I was not yet with the company when Powermatic contracted Parachute's services. However, after nearly three years of working with the Parachute team, I have been consistently pleased with their performance.

Describe the project in detail.

In addition to the typical managed IT services they provide, Parachute was instrumental in a major move Powermatic went through in the latter-half of 2018.

We needed to move our entire HQ into a new building across town, and Parachute played a vital role in helping us plan out and coordinate the new building's IT infrastructure to make our move as painless as possible.

What was the team composition?

Vincent Vasquez, as our Technical Account Manager, takes the reins of all of our major projects. He goes above and beyond to ensure that all of our needs are met. I would also like to commend two of Parachute's engineers; Brett Corrie and Matt Thomas, for the invaluable work they have done on behalf of Parachute for us over the years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This review isn't for an individual project. It's for parachute's managed IT service as a whole.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Parachute's communication with us is always excellent. They coordinate work with outside vendors for us when necessary, and manage our IT projects from beginning to end.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Amidst the nationwide shut-downs for the Covid Pandemic, Parachute has managed to continue their services uninterrupted, replacing on-site visits with "virtual visits", including dedicating a field engineer to us for a full day once every month to check on our systems remotely, and assist our staff directly in an IT support capacity.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Response time has slowed since the Covid pandemic broke out, but that's to be expected, and we completely understand. I'm confident they will be fully back up to speed next year.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of finance and operations here at Transgender Law Center. We are a national nonprofit organization that works on civil and human rights for trans people in the U.S. and at the borders of the U.S. The operations are part of my job, which are about internal IT and other office systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Parachute Technology?

We were in a growth period in our organization when we went with Parachute Technology. We basically had outgrown our smaller IT company that we were working with. They didn’t have as much as a national reach. They also didn’t have the capacity for security and staffing to support our growth.

That is when we decided to get a big enough IT company with experience and capacity to hold what we needed. We also wanted to also improve our security awareness and consciousness.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed to upgrade to industry standards and best practices all across our IT. Parachute Technology also helped with improving our overall security in our Oakland office, which is our headquarters office. They upgraded all of our network infrastructures, including the servers, the routers, and also Wi-Fi access points - all newly installed and more up to industry standards. That improved our security as well.

They also helped us place new laptops for our staff members with additional layers of security, including encryption, which was not consistent before. They provide training for our staff which include security awareness and consciousness. They are also helping us move to multifactor authentication which is very important.

What is the team composition?

We worked most directly with Kim (Account Executive), who has been recently promoted as the director of our account. We are also working with Gil (IT Support Engineer). He is in charge of meeting with us on the ground while Kim oversees that.

How did you come to work with Parachute Technology?

We selected three local technology IT vendors to compare. They came highly rated, but we took it with a grain of salt. We did one interview with each of our candidates and we were impressed with Parachute’s scale and particularly liked what they spoke about in terms of their security practices and their internal quality assurance practices.

It is also really important to us as a transgender rights organization to feel like who we’re working with is respectful of transgender people and can work well with them. The special kind of awareness and learning that people need to go through is important, and we saw that they did a good job of that from the beginning.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent around $50,000–$60,000 to date.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started last April 2019 and we are still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We do have quarterly business review meetings and one of the parts of the meeting is to review support tickets and the quality of the responses. They have all generally been good, so that’s one tangible metric.

The more intangible metric, which is important, is that we just feel good and we feel confident in our security and IT for our office systems. I’m not nervous or anxious about it — they just work well. I can trust that if something isn’t working, they will address it, but in general, I don’t have to worry about it which is a huge thing.

How did Parachute Technology perform from a project management standpoint?

They've done really well managing the project and the company has a good structure. For example, the quarterly business reviews are the touchpoints around timelines and projects each year. I'm pretty happy with their project management. They have a support ticketing system that has been working pretty well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are understanding, flexible, and really worked to get to know us and how we work, so it’s not a cookie-cutter situation. For example, when we are completely slammed and swamped, they know how to support us or how to step back and not be our project computers. It is really relational rather than transactional.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They have more work to do, in my eyes, on the diversity of their staff. Bringing in different kinds of lived experiences is a value that we have.

Also, in general, relational expression is important in our community for trans people. For example, I wouldn't want anyone to have a bad experience that could be harmful talking to the wrong person. It's possible someone gets their gender wrong or says something insensitive, so the diversity of the kind of service you provide is important.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront and don’t hold back. Just tell them what you need and how you need it done. That’s what’s been helpful for us. Don’t be afraid to just say where you are at and let them learn how to help you in the way that you need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founding partner of Hinman and Carmichael LLP, an alcoholic beverage and cannabis regulatory firm in San Francisco.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Parachute Technology?

They manage, fix and upgrade our computers when needed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Parachute Technology has served as our managed IT services provider. They’ve taken care of both our IT and equipment needs. Our infrastructure was preexisting, but they’ve maintained it to ensure that everything’s working.

What is the team composition?

I work primarily with Elmo (Owner). There are multiple managers and teammates that I communicate with, and they sometimes come onsite to do the work.

How did you come to work with Parachute Technology?

I don’t recall, since it’s been quite a while. I believe they made a presentation pitch to us, and we were confident that they would perform well.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent a couple of thousand dollars a month with them, so we’ve spent somewhere around $300,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in January 2010 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their success has been indicated by how everything has worked smoothly. Our phone calls are being answered and problems are being fixed. They’re always right on time, whenever there’s a problem. They’re able to take over and solve the problem once we report it.

How did Parachute Technology perform from a project management standpoint?

They provide excellent customer service. Since they’re more responsible for maintaining our equipment and don’t engage with us on a project basis, I’m not sure how much of their capability lies in this particular direction.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve always appreciated how responsive they are.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve got some specialty needs that we’re trying to figure out. We don’t know whether they’re the right firm forward yet, but we’ll find out.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have them come out to your premises and look at all your equipment. It’ll be nice being able to put a name with a face. They’re good at providing personable support.