Sikich

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Software Developer of Woopla Inc

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We run an online social sweepstakes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Assess our PCI DSS compliance.

SOLUTION

How did you find Sikich?

Referral

Why did you select Sikich over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Sikich were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Sikich interviewed staff and collected evidence of PCI DSS scope and compliance and delivered a report on compliance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sikich delivered a report of compliance and countersigned our attestation of compliance.

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

Sikich scheduled the project to start well ahead of the due date to ensure any issues would not impact delivery. Meetings to verify scope and collect evidence of compliance were conducted on a flexible schedule and very efficiently. The report on compliance was delivered on time. They have been very responsive to our needs.

What was your primary form of communication with Sikich?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Sikich not only documented our compliance, they helped us better understand which parts of the PCI DSS requirements we needed to comply with and how.

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

A few details of our technology setup were not correct (or consistent) in the draft report of compliance. These inconsistencies were quickly corrected with our feedback. Some of the incorrect details were likely due to weakness in our descriptions though I would have thought QA would have found one or two of the inconsistencies. Regardless, the system worked well as we had quick turnaround on correcting the setup descriptions while it was in draft.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a systems engineer for Precision Planting, an agtech company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sikich?

We hired Sikich to help us with the implementation of our ERP system and to field support tickets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sikich has helped us implement our ERP system. However, the initial project happened before my time. I was working within the company but in a different capacity, so I don't have all the details. Since then, our organization has grown quite significantly, so we now have our own IT department.

Still, we use Sikich to find solutions to pain points within our business. Whenever we find a pain point within our business, we go to them and ask them what our options are — they do a lot of consulting. We also work with Sikich to troubleshoot our ERP system, although we only send them tickets that we can't solve internally. Their services are 100% off-site.

In addition to the services we've hired Sikich for, they've offered additional services. They've specially offered other services whenever we need things outside of the scope, which causes an adjustment of the current project or the creation of a separate project to satisfy our needs. If required, they direct us to third parties.

Basically, if we have a problem we can't solve, we forward it to them, and they leverage their internal expertise or reach out to the product manufacturer to find a solution.

What is the team composition?

I interact with 5–6 teammates from Sikich on a regular basis.

How did you come to work with Sikich?

I don't know how we originally found them since I wasn't involved.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them around $72,000 per year for a premium service focused on system troubleshooting. On top of that service, there have been other projects on a yearly basis with a separate cost, so I don't know the total investment.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around 2007, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sikich's work has impacted our business positively. They're mindful of getting problems resolved in a timely manner because they understand that those problems affect our day-to-day business operations. When it comes to looking for solutions, I feel that they're not trying to make a sale. The team truly looks for what's best for our company both functionally and financially. Overall, working with Sikich has been very positive over the years.

How did Sikich perform from a project management standpoint?

For the most part, Sikich has delivered on time and within budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive things about Sikich are their knowledge of the product they help us support and their transparency with us. Everyone on Sikich's team, from their project managers to their account managers and support technicians, has done an exceptional job with their response times and knowledge.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There's nothing Sikich could improve on; they're doing a fantastic job.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I 100% recommend working with Sikich. In fact, my brother told me that they were looking to implement a new ERP system in his company, so I told him to call my account manager.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Director of IT of a vitamin and supplements company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Vitamin provider

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Transfere our NAV 2015 Database from a third parties cloud to their cloud
• Setup access for all users to be able to access NAV 2015 on the new server location

SOLUTION

How did you find Sikich?

Worked with them previously on our older version of NAV and to implement our DTC site to NAV.

Why did you select Sikich over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Sikich were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We worked with Sikich on our Microsoft Dynamics Business Central 365 Implementation.  Deliverables included:

• project managment
• system development and testing
• various integrations.

We have also worked with them on integrations for other tools such as TPM and expense managment.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sikich was one of the best third parties I have worked with on an ERP implementation.  They were able to quickly resolve issues and any questions that I had.  We were in constant communication on budget and hours and I felt 100% supported by everyone on their team.  I had a successful go live with minimal issues to work through.

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

Weekly project managment meetings were had and issues were resolved in a timely manner.  I always knew when development would be completed and ready for us to test.  They were always professional when dealing with anyone on in my organization.

What was your primary form of communication with Sikich?

Virtual Meeting

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

Sikich truly wanted to ensure success for all users. They were willing to jump on calls to discuss issues and give input to improve processes.  My account manager always reaches out to ensure we have everything we need. 

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

I can't think of any I am very impressed with their service.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the IT, senior tech of a charter school management company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Charter School Management

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Bifurcation of Company IT services
• Separate Primay Domain Controller and Move to Azure
• Upgrade Finance package from Great Plains tpo Business Central

SOLUTION

How did you find Sikich?

Dont Know

Why did you select Sikich over others?

High ratings

How many teammates from Sikich were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Our company split into two separate companies, the first focus was the creation of second primary domain controller, with a duplicate Active Directory and DNS. We then renamed the PDC Net Bios name of the PDC, and created duplicated Financial servers in Azure.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was impressed with our first team headed by Josh and Alex. It was the cleanest cut i have ever seen in the last 20 years working with our company.

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

They helped us thru the process, at every step, and they were understanding of our needs and responsive to every issue.

What was your primary form of communication with Sikich?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

It feels to me that the Sikich team, us understanding and takes our issues seriously. I feel "everyone", Treats us as if " It were there Own Company." What more can you ask for?

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

I don't really have any complaints

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO at Waverly Advisors, a wealth management firm. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sikich?

We needed Sikich to provide managed IT services. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sikich has set up our tenant SharePoint Telecom. They set up Microsoft Teams for our phone system. They helped with the transition of an acquired firm to move from their environment into our environment. They work onsite as needed with the acquisitions. They’ll have one or two people to help with training and data transfer. Most of our interactions are remote though. 

What is the team composition? 

They have a helpdesk that is staffed by a number of people that we can email and create a ticket for service. The bulk of the team is six people including a chief information officer, someone who organizes projects and proposals, a high-level systems engineer, and a field person who helps with the acquisitions. 

How did you come to work with Sikich?

They were a referral. Upon the spinoff of our larger organization, we were without an IT department. We looked for someone who had experience in helping in an outsourced IT role and who would also strategically help with the acquisitions that we planned on making. Sikich stood out from the other companies.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost $150,000/year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2021, and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sikich has been a vital resource for us. Our employees are exceedingly happy with their tech support. They’ve been really successful in helping us with the acquisitions and technology transitions of a firm we acquire. Their data and emails get moved into our Microsoft Tenant. Every time a trouble support ticket is completed, our employees always rate their service as excellent.  

How did Sikich perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent at project management. Everything has gone very smoothly. They meet every deadline and deliver under budget. We communicate through Microsoft Teams for video calls and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed by their knowledge and acumen of the Microsoft infrastructure. They’re also very personable. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve been a great partner. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a very specific scope of work in mind so they can assign the right technician and team. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am a department director at Buona Companies

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Foodservice company, operating multiple QSR concepts, franchising, full service catering, USDA facilities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Corporate IT Security

SOLUTION

How did you find Sikich?

Referral

Why did you select Sikich over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Sikich were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

We wanted to enhance our network security and bring it together under one umbrella. Everything from proactive maintenance and patching, backups, end user security awareness training, EDR, network monitor. The list goes on.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

During our vCIO meetings, we review reports regarding the network and endpoint health, security settings by end user, and any security incidents. They helped us generate a budget and review with us regularly. The status of any ongoing projects. For example simulated backup recovery with full writeup.

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

Everything was broken down into individual parts. All with an achievable timetable. Reviewing with us what was a high priority, but also listening to what our concerns and requirements were. For example, we had insurance requirements we had to hit by x date and needed it done before that date.

What was your primary form of communication with Sikich?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

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

Their tenured staff. We've worked with them prior to this and we still work with the familiar names. That feels rare in the IT business, especially during the pandemic.

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

No really. The periodic vCIO meetings keep that in check. They inform us what other companies are doing in the industry to protect themselves and why. Everyone agrees before we do or decide to table something for a later date.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CFO of a real estate consulting services firm. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sikich?

Our firm hired Sikich to provide outsourced IT services. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Sikich provides a combination of onsite and offsite services. The team handles the technical side, end-user support, as well as all the hardware maintenance. They support the infrastructure, and the helpdesk across the firm, and provide ticketing solutions and project management of all IT projects and initiatives. Additionally, they handle any pilot programs, help us expand into new locations, or upgrade our offices when we relocate. 

What is the team composition?

At any given time, we work with about 20 people from the Sikich team. They've provided a primary point of contact that acts as our virtual CIO, and his right-hand person, who is our dedicated account representative.

How did you come to work with Sikich?

Unfortunately, I'm unsure how the partnership began. Sikich was on board before I joined the firm. 

How much have you invested in them?

We've spent $4 million–$5 million since I've been working with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

I've been working with Sikich since July 2018, and it's ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are extremely satisfied with Sikich's comprehensive services. They have become our go-to team for all IT-related matters, and we value our strong partnership with them.

How did Sikich perform from a project management standpoint?

We meet with them weekly to get status updates on the progress of various initiatives. Quarterly, they provide a business review to identify the performance pertaining to ticketing, help desk, and support activities, as well as our future outlook on what the landscape needs to look like.

We communicate via phone and Microsoft Teams for video conferencing. We utilize email to accompany documents or other communication that isn't over video conference. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our company has expanded by 200% since I joined the firm five years ago. The Sikich team has been able to scale up with us and is well-positioned to support our growth and continued growth; we will be growing another 50% over the next two years. 

They provide solutions responsive to our needs rather than repeat the same recommendations at a more significant level. They're transforming the landscape to support what our firm is evolving into. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There are no areas for improvement at this time. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It's crucial to be transparent and communicate your needs clearly and concisely to ensure an effective partnership. With transparency around what your environment looks like and where you want to go with it, whether it is Sikich or any other provider, you will likely be satisfied.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a single-family office.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sikich?

We needed assistance with managed IT services. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sikich provides on-site and remote managed IT services. They function as our virtual CIO and assist with our software coordination. Sikich helped us move into our offices in 2018. They’ve helped us install all the office hardware and technology. Sikich has also helped us migrate our software to the cloud since we used to have an on-site server.  

What is the team composition?

We mainly work with Dustin (Director). We’ve worked with other teammates from Sikich, but Dustin is our main contact.  

How did you come to work with Sikich?

We’ve worked with Sikich for a long time before they were called Sikich. We went through an RFP with several firms, and Sikich came ahead. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invest around $76,000 annually with Sikich. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Sikich in July 2017, and our engagement is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our network speed is really good, and Sikich successfully helped us move all our software into the cloud — this has been great. We were behind the eight ball when we started working with Sikich. They’ve helped us move forward in implementing systems and technology to become more sophisticated. 

How did Sikich perform from a project management standpoint?

Sikich is good at communicating with us. We have quarterly business reviews through Zoom.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with Sikich’s ability to resolve issues quickly when our system goes down. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sikich brings great ideas to the table, but sometimes it comes across as them trying to sell us something. Some of the things we’ve asked Sikich is the first time they do it, and I’ve told them I don’t want them to test with us. 

Moreover, even though our contract includes on-site assistance and Sikich is 30 minutes away, they ask us to resolve the issues before offering to send a teammate to our office, which takes more time. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend meeting with Sikich in person instead of via Zoom. Also, when you meet Sikich’s teammates, ask them how long they’ve been working there. We’ve experienced Sikich’s change of staff. Dustin is our primary contact, but not having a backup isn’t so good either. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of IT for an electronic components solutions manufacturing company. We design and create switches that other large businesses use.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sikich?

Three years before I started working here, the director of IT at the time left the organization. The company’s challenge was finding resources to fill the gaps.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At my request, we went through a second onboarding process with Sikich so I could be familiar with their services. They introduced themselves and explained their role within the organization and what they were supplementing.

Sikich managed our Microsoft 365, procured our hardware purchases, and tracked our warranties and support contracts so we didn’t have to do that. In summary, they handled everything from the firewall back to the end user without providing end user support. For major incidents, they provided on-site resources upon request, but 90% of what they did was off-site support.

What is the team composition?

We initially engaged with a virtual CIO; he did the additional onboarding. We also worked with around five engineers, including network, cybersecurity, and hardware resources.

How did you come to work with Sikich?

The CFO at the time found them through a friend.

How much have you invested with them?

The monthly fee was around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from October 2019–January 2023. We had a conflict of interest due to their collaboration with our finance team; we had to go to a different management service.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When we started engaging with Sikich, everyone complimented us because there were fewer interruptions during production. Word of mouth was our metric; many people on the shop floors and the office were saying how well the systems were running.

How did Sikich perform from a project management standpoint?

They were effective. Sikich’s team kept us in the loop and always delivered within the price and timeline they established. If the deadline was ever jeopardized, they’d let us know and explain the roadblocks they ran into.

We had quarterly strategic meetings to review what they’d done and what they’d do three, six, or nine months down the road. We also used Basecamp for project management and usually communicated through emails or Microsoft Teams when we had to escalate something.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were effective in their communication, and we always felt like a priority. Sikich never pushed us onto the back burner to work on a bigger company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had a couple of bumps in the road, but nothing impacted our organization. Once we got a better understanding of the process, we knew how to communicate better with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come to an agreement about your expectations and understand their processes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of IT for a local public library; we serve approximately 22,000 residents.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sikich?

We brought Sikich on to provide managed IT and network support services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In our ongoing partnership, Sikich manages and maintains key components of our network infrastructure. This includes software and firmware updates, monitoring any hardware issues, and remediating them. They primarily work off site, but they’ll send someone in to solve hardware-related issues that require an on-site presence. 

The team has deployed sensors to monitor our drive space and alert us when critical systems go offline. In these instances, they proactively generate tickets to correct the issues as quickly as possible. 

What is the team composition?

I have one main point of contact, but we’ve also interacted with the director of the network operations center. Depending on our needs, we also work with 10–12 other team members. 

How did you come to work with Sikich?

I’m not sure how we initially found them; our partnership with Sikich started before I joined the company. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spend approximately $6,500 monthly, but their rates have increased over time. In total, we’ve spent $50,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe we started working with them around  January 2017, and the partnership is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re proactive in terms of monitoring the equipment and identifying potential issues. Once a quarter, they provide us with a report outlining which of our machines are no longer compliant with our standards and action items to make them compliant. They also submit weekly security reports detailing where our technology stands and which flags we need to address. 

How did Sikich perform from a project management standpoint?

Sikich utilizes a ticketing system for routine maintenance and management tasks. They provide a statement of work (SOW), a cost estimate, and a set of deliverables for separate projects. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with the Sikich team’s proactivity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more transparent about their project pricing.