Wursta

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the COO of Boston Partners in Education, a nonprofit organization that matches PreK-12 students in the Boston Public Schools with trained academic mentors to help enhance their academic achievement and nurture their personal growth.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wursta?

We needed to migrate our instance of G Suite off of the account of a host company, which had administered our account for several years, into our own Google for Nonprofits account. Having moved out of the host company's building, we needed to establish our own Google account.

What were your goals for this project?

This project was more complicated than a normal migration, as not only was it Google-to-Google, but also involved a switch from G Suite Basic to G Suite for Nonprofits. Our goal was to transition as smoothly as possible, with minimal disruption to our workflow. This migration was crucial for our business, as most of our operations rely on G Suite.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Wursta was referred to us by one of our board members, who works for Google. Prior to engaging Wursta, we vetted several other firms. None were as responsive as Wursta. To our delight, after learning about the project, Wursta offered their services pro bono. As a small nonprofit with a limited budget, we were thrilled by this offer of in-kind support.

Describe the project in detail.

The project included: - Migrating G Suite data (Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Contacts, etc.) from a host company's tenant to our own account - Assisting with domain transfer and configuration - Configuration of new G Suite tenant and apps - User provisioning and communication assistance - G Suite admin training and support Several unexpected challenges confronted us during the project, all of which Wursta worked diligently to overcome. These included issues related to Google's Nonprofit program licensing; domain setup; and collaboration with the host company. Throughout, Wursta's approach was professional, flexible, and responsive.

What was the team composition?

The project team was mostly comprised of Wursta consultant Joe Wilson and myself. Mike Shenk and Teron Sorensen of Wursta also provided support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We successfully migrated to our own G Suite tenant with no loss of data and very minimal disruption to our work. Given the magnitude of this project's impact on our workflow and the complexity of the requirements, along with the unexpected roadblocks we encountered along the way, this project was a resounding success.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Wursta's service delivery was excellent, from scheduling, communicating goals and deadlines, sharing materials, training, and troubleshooting, to the actual work of configuring the new G Suite tenant. I especially appreciated that Joe helped us with learning more about G Suite administration; the knowledge we gained will be invaluable in managing our IT infrastructure on our own.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Especially compared to other IT vendors we have encountered, Wursta's team proved exceptionally proactive in communication -- a huge plus for a small nonprofit with little IT expertise. Their diligence in seeking solutions to problems we would have found otherwise intractable was truly impressive. Without their expertise in Google products as well as their ability to adapt to changing requirements as we discovered unexpected obstacles, we would have had a much harder time migrating successfully.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Most of the barriers we encountered on this project were due to issues outside of Wursta's control -- in particular, the vagaries of Google's nonprofit product offerings. Joe has expressed to me that this project provided an excellent opportunity for Wursta to learn more about Google for Nonprofits and how Google's setup procedures are different for this product. This should help Wursta head off potential roadblocks on similar projects in the future.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CIO at an ad-tech company. We have a suite of tools to offer audience insights, targeting and measurement solutions designed to understand, influence, convert and measure the consumer journey.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wursta?

Our company was using multiple systems for email and collaboration. We wanted assistance consolidating our environment  onto one system – G Suite.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They migrated content from Microsoft Office to G Suite. Their team also provided training and education for our staff and global stakeholders. They ran trainings at our offices in San Francisco, New York, Dublin, and Sydney. 

What is the team composition? 

We had a team of about six or seven people. 

How did you come to work with Wursta?

We approached Google directly. Though they don’t provide migration services, they have a directory of trusted providers, including Wursta. We did a proof of concept with several companies and chose Wursta based on their performance. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $110,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We approached them about the proof of concept in July or August 2019. However, we didn’t start the implementation until December. The project was completed in February 2020. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were extremely professional and the quality of their work was very good. We had a very smooth rollout of the new system. 

How did Wursta perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management skills, industry experience and product knowledge make them stand out.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their project management skills make them stand out. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any major criticism or constructive feedback at this stage. I think they engaged very well with the team and I was impressed with their work. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To be successful, you can’t put it all on Wursta. There is some groundwork you need to do to prepare for an integration based on your company’s needs. Every company has some uniqueness about their environment.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT manager for the RevZilla brand. We’re an e-commerce retailer for motorcycle gear

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wursta?

We had to merge two sister companies, particularly the G Suite we were using into one.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For the integration itself, they executed and supported it afterward. They provided a lot of services outside of that as well.

What is the team composition?

Directly, one; indirectly, 2–3.

How did you come to work with Wursta?

They were already our third-party G Suite provider, so when we decided to undergo the integrations, we bid out the job to several providers. Wursta just had more confidence and knew what it would entail. It made us feel better about the overall process.

How much have you invested with them?

It was somewhere between $20,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from December 2019–February 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The service was great. All of our concerns were taken care of, so it was a very good experience. Like any project of this magnitude, we faced some hiccups, but they resolved everything very quickly and with minimal user interruption.

How did Wursta perform from a project management standpoint?

We came in ahead of schedule. The process was very simple. Our integration rep was great. We worked together on a lot of things prepping for the migration weekend. We communicated over the phone and Google Hangouts. We had a few weekly meetings but generally used Google Hangouts for simple communication. It was purely remote.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Matt (Founder) himself exuded confidence, making us feel like the team could gt the job done. Compared to other companies we considered, Wursta really sold us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Stay in communication. They did a good job with that, and it helped the project run smoothly.