VarianceM

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP of IT Operations of a health and wellness advertising company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Health and Wellness Advertising

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Infrastructure Review, Build and Train

SOLUTION

How did you find VarianceM?

Referral

Why did you select VarianceM over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from VarianceM were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We partnered with VarianceM on a wide-ranging infrastructure modernization effort that touched everything from Nutanix/VMware rebuilds to Active Directory hardening, Azure network rearchitecture, and backup resilience. They tackled every challenge—planned or unexpected—with professionalism, deep technical expertise, and a solutions-first mindset.

From cross-vCenter VM migrations and encrypted NetApp replication policies to streamlining our employee name change process and optimizing Veeam testing environments, VarianceM proved to be proactive, detail-oriented, and incredibly collaborative. Their team didn’t just “complete tasks”—they spotted risks early, brought forward-thinking ideas, and consistently aligned with both our technical and business goals.

VarianceM is more than a vendor—they’re a true strategic partner who delivers enterprise-grade results without the overhead. We’d recommend them without hesitation to anyone navigating complex IT transformations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Re-build infrastructue and fix error prone areas. Document all aspects of the design. Implement pro-active alerting. Train AT staff through all aspects of the infrastructure. Their technical execution was precise, well-documented, and aligned with our goals. They didn’t just check boxes—they delivered solutions that were reliable, scalable, and thoughtfully implemented. Their attention to detail and follow-through gave us total confidence in the results.

Their work saved us time, prevented costly missteps, and laid a stronger foundation for future growth—making the investment well worth it. They were reliable, knowledgeable, and incredibly easy to work with—bringing both technical depth and a true partnership mentality. They made complex projects feel manageable and delivered results we could trust. We wouldn’t hesitate to work with them again.

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

VarianceM’s project management was outstanding. They handled a complex, multi-track set of infrastructure and cloud initiatives with clarity, structure, and flexibility. Each phase—whether it was Nutanix rebuilds, Azure vNet rearchitecture, or Active Directory cleanup—was well-documented, communicated clearly, and tracked against realistic timelines.

They were transparent about progress, proactive about flagging risks, and quick to pivot when our internal priorities shifted. Even when we added new tasks midstream, they adjusted without losing momentum or dropping quality. Their responsiveness was top-notch—they consistently made themselves available for discussions, answered questions quickly, and always followed through.

Simply put, VarianceM made a heavy lift feel manageable. They delivered consistently, kept us informed, and made us feel like their top priority throughout. They were proactive in setting realistic timelines, communicated clearly about progress, and adapted quickly when priorities shifted—without compromising quality or momentum.

What was your primary form of communication with VarianceM?

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

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

What impressed us most about VarianceM was their ability to combine deep technical expertise with practical, real-world execution. They didn't just know the technology—they understood how to apply it in a way that worked for our environment, constraints, and goals.

Whether it was designing an Azure network architecture that accounted for future scalability, untangling legacy backup issues with Veeam, or creating a clean, efficient name change process across systems, they always brought thoughtful, forward-looking solutions.

Their team didn’t wait to be told what to do—they anticipated our needs, raised smart questions, and offered better ways to get things done. That kind of strategic thinking is rare—and it’s what makes them more than just a service provider. They’re a true extension of our team!

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

None that we can think of!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Technology Service Manager of Holly Hunt

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Holly Hunt is a to-the-trade luxury furniture brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Upgrade Active Directory Forest from 2003 to 2016
• Aid with clean up and maintenance of Active Directory

SOLUTION

How did you find VarianceM?

Referral

Why did you select VarianceM over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from VarianceM were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

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

The scope of this work was to perform an extensive upgrade to our internal Domain Schema, from forest level Windows 2003, up to 2012.  This required multiple stages of upgrade given our intention was to get to 2016, so took multiple days of dedicated work to complete. 

As well as the upgrade, we also took this as an opportunity to perform some much needed cleanup of the environment as this has not been a focus for some time and many stale objects have accumulated over time. 

Key Deliverables:

• Cleanup stale objects, including those related to Exchange and SCCM
• Delete stale links between sites 
• Cleanup domain controllers and ensure replication is in healthy state
• Functional level upgrade to Windows 2008 RTM (Stage 1)
• Functional level upgrade to Windows 2012 R2 (Stage 2)
• Verify and validate functional level upgrade across domain and ensure passed health checks. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Measureable outcomes for this project included:

• Domain schema upgraded to Windows 2012
• Domain operating correctly
• No outage incurred to business during upgrade

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

The team's project management for this work was excellent.  Communication was clear and prompt throughout the project's lifetime, with resources easy to work with and reach as needed. 

All items were delivered on time, even when we needed to adjust timelines at short notice, response to our needs was always positive with a keen willingness to help and desire to get a good result for everyone. 

What was your primary form of communication with VarianceM?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The most impressive thing I found with this company was their willingness to be available when we needed them, and their ability to communicate clearly and effectively.  At no time during the project were we concerned with their ability to help or their willingness to go that extra mile to ensure we reached success.

This is truly a company that you can trust has your best interests in mind and will do everything in their power to help you acheive results. 

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

honestly nothing that I can think of. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the IT lead at Intelligentsia Coffee Inc., a retail and wholesale coffee company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VarianceM?

We hired VarianceM primarily for IT consulting, as well as some hands-on IT configurations across our store locations. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

VarianceM provided consulting as we started new projects and configured some of the routers, switches, and other devices we purchased at our stores. They ensured routers at different locations were communicating properly to our hub location, correcting firewall and VPNs in the process. They also provided business strategy recommendations such as the type of equipment we should consider to upgrade our infrastructure.

How did you come to work with VarianceM?

We were already working with them when I came into the role, and I was encouraged to continue the relationship based on their services in the past. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $10,000–$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on several projects between November 2018–February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of their services is second to none. They were able to configure our technologies and resolves any issues seamlessly, troubleshooting when necessary. 

How did VarianceM perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive and accessible; I could always get ahold of someone on the phone within an hour if I needed help troubleshooting issues in the field. They also provided thorough documentation of their work, including functional specifications and follow-up reports that broke down the work completed in great detail. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They clearly have a vast knowledge of multiple systems and configurations. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try to have as much of a plan in place as possible before reaching out to them to save on initial consultation costs. Although they're able to provide nuts-to-bolts solutions, having a more detailed plan already in place will start the relationship off more efficiently. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CIO for a private holding company that manages multiple companies in different industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire VarianceM?

We engaged VarianceM because we needed better security, availability, and reliability from our IT infrastructure in our newest endeavor. VarianceM proposed a design within our budget and implemented it as part of our “IT Infrastructure Expert as a Service” offering. The project included revamping the network, edge security (firewalls), ISP availability, and compute nodes. 

What were your goals for this project? 

Our goals were to increase the security, availability, and reliability of all resources on location to ensure as close to 100% uptime as possible.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I had previously worked with VarianceM at a previous company and, from that experience, knew they were my go-to company for a project like this. 

Describe the project in detail. 

The project consisted of upgrading the existing IT infrastructure to ensure uptime, reliability, and security. This included designing, specifying, and configuring firewalls, network infrastructure, and compute nodes. 

On top of that, we had to have as little downtime as possible during the switchover from existing systems. VarianceM put a plan in place and executed it to perfection; we had, at most, five minutes of planned downtime.

What was the team composition?

They assigned a dedicated engineer to be our main point of contact.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since completing the project, we’ve been at 100% uptime for ISP and compute nodes, even while having ISP issues. The redundant setup has allowed us to bounce between internet providers without downtime or end users noticing. We’ve also increased security over the existing setup by eliminating unnecessary connections while increasing the availability of easy-to-read logs for security review.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

VarianceM has a quick response time to any question or issue. Our main workflow was through email as that was my preference, but, if something came up, any communication protocol was available, including SMS and phone.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I’m impressed with their ability to find an answer to any issue. They have great technical experience, and it’s clear that they've almost seen it all. If there’s something new that they haven’t encountered, they’re not afraid to let us know. The team will then look into the matter and pretty much become experts within a day or so. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, there’s nothing that I can currently think of from this engagement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m the network manager for a point-of-purchase display manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VarianceM? 

We initially engaged them to train our team to use specific applications but have since expanded their role to general infrastructure and networking support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

In the beginning, they came onboard to troubleshoot our training processes and advise us on our software. They showed us how to use VMware, vSphere, and both the 2008 and 2013 versions of Windows Active Directory.

Since then, they’ve supported us on a number of large implementations across all of our locations. This has included a Fortinet Firewall project, a NetApp SAN upgrade and migration, an XPoint wireless migration, and a Cisco wireless controller and access point upgrade and migration.

What is the team composition?  

They’ve assigned a dedicated engineer who is our main point of contact. 

​​​​​​How did you come to work with VarianceM?

We had an existing relationship with one of their engineers, so we considered them for the partnership.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $80,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement? 

Their work started in June 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While we haven’t measured their performance quantitatively, my network administrator and I have worked directly with VarianceM for some time, now. We know how well they work and how successful they are.

How did VarianceM perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything has been great. The team works on and off site, so they’re always accessible to us. To manage projects, we use an online portal that lays out the milestones and provides progress updates. We can also submit questions through the program, which is very helpful.  

What did you find most impressive about them? 

I’m impressed by their level and quality of service. Unlike other vendors, VarianceM doesn’t try to nickel and dime us. Rather, they have a deep knowledge of a number of topics in the IT world and advise us accordingly. Whenever we’ve thrown them a challenge, they’ve either already been exposed to it or can quickly find the answers that we need.

Are there any areas they could improve? 

No, I don't have any suggestions or complaints at this time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?
 
It's helpful to communicate the bigger picture to them so that they can provide better guidance. Because they have such a high level of IT experience, they can easily identify potential issues that may crop up with a specific solution you’ve outlined. From there, they can better align your solutions with your goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the IT systems administrator for Mazzetta Company, a food importer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with VarianceM?

We reached out to VarianceM for software optimization services, including network stability and backups. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

VarianceM upgraded our network infrastructure, which included current infrastructure mapping and reworking elements of it for efficiency. They've also established monitoring, backups, and redundancies of vital network services, as well as having addressed connectivity issues for all five of our branch locations. They continue to provide assistance for managed services and any IT related issues as needed. 

What is the team composition? 

We work directly with the owner of the company.

How did you come to work with VarianceM?

I knew of VarianceM through a managed services company we used to work with, as well as some of their previous clients who provided rave reviews. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've probably invested about $250,000 in total over the years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since May 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our up time is now at over 99%. We're very happy with their continued support overall; I've never heard a single complaint from our team about working with them. 

How did VarianceM perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very responsive and accessible through SMS and email. They're able to work both on and off site as needed. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I can always get ahold of them when I need to.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything. VarianceM is one of the best firms I've ever worked with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Provide clarity around business goals and any budgeting constraints and trust in their process.