FluidOne - Chorley

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive of Fitlock Systems Ltd

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

manufacturing

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire FluidOne - Chorley to accomplish?

• Emergency Takeover of full IT infrastructure in a 1 month Timeframe
• Liaise with previous IT firm after it lost all the companies systems and data

SOLUTION

How did you find FluidOne - Chorley?

Referral

Why did you select FluidOne - Chorley over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from FluidOne - Chorley were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

After a catastrophic loss of all of our Systems, Data and Backups by our previous IT Managed Service Provider, FluidOne - Chorley were able to provide a rapid response service that resulted in a new server and virtual desktop solution with 2 weeks of being appointed.
They managed all the communications with the previous IT provider and were able to overcome a hostile working environment to achieve our objectives.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Business Continuity

A rapid response fully delivered and functioning IT infrastructure from scratch.

Liasing with multiple service providers to ensure all systems functioned as they did prior to the catastrophic data and systems loss.

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

The rapid response was well beyond expectations and the costs were reasonable.

What was your primary form of communication with FluidOne - Chorley?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their ability to react quickly and solve numerous business problems with minimal fuss was highly impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement or something FluidOne - Chorley could have done differently?

None

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the technical director at an AV systems integrator. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orca?

We’re not IT specialists, and we needed a partner to help us meet our growing IT needs. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Orca is looking after our IT infrastructure and services; their team provides on- and off-site services. Whenever we have IT issues, we reach out to their help desk to resolve them. 

They’ve supplied and installed our two servers; they upgraded the servers about a year ago. Orca’s team has also installed and configured our main office's network hardware and wireless access points. 

What is the team composition?

We have direct contact with Mark (Director) and the teammates at the help desk. 

How did you come to work with Orca?

Orca rebranded recently — originally, they were a part of another company that was a part of our accounting firm. Once they broke away from the accounting company, we brought them on for IT. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing relationship began in 2010.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It is difficult to pinpoint specific metrics. I can say that the support Orca provides is excellent — their responses are great. Since partnering with them, we’ve seen an increase in uptime and overall performance. The proactive maintenance and active monitoring of our systems ensure they address issues before they occur. 

How did Orca perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly meetings with Orca’s team. They’re very responsive; we communicate through emails and phone calls. We also have annual reviews with Mark. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Orca’s expertise and knowledge from the very start of the project have been great. Mark and Alex (Director) are technical experts that can answer any questions or solve any problems we have. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t fault the support we’ve gotten from Orca. Since we’re an AV company, we’re heavily involved with Microsoft products, specifically Microsoft Teams Rooms, and it would be good if they gained more knowledge about that software solution. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise customers to be clear about their requirements to ensure they get the most out of the engagement.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Calibration Engineer working for Universal Instrument Services, my role is to maintain customers equipment to make sure they are reading.

I also look after some of the IT making sure everyday tasks within the company are working correctly and consult Orca for anything that requires their assistance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Orca?

We recently moved premises to a brand new building and the IT we had was showing its age. We as a company came to an agreement of what we will replace and Orca stepped in and gave us good quotes in delivered quickly during the time of the epidemic.

SOLUTION

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

Orca have been managing our IT for a long time and know our system and equipment, they new that devices will need to be changed and are very supportive.

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

When the day of moving premises Orca came early and had a detail plan that they had set up and clarified before they came to move the server from our old location to the new building. Another member of Orca was setting up the new computers to join the company domain ready for Staff members here at Universal to carry working when all set up.

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

We had two members of the IT team from Orca that are very knowledgeable within this field, any issues that had arisen during the move and teething issues afterwards sorted them out quickly and explained the whole process.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

During the move we ran into some small issues and these were sorted quickly and efficiently. Other issues had also occurring but only slight teething issues due to everything being new, these were sorted quickly and mostly remotely without disruption within the workplace.

Orca maintain our server to make sure its all working correctly and have done so giving us reports and letting us know its all. All the new replacement IT has made workflow a lot better due to speed and effectiveness of the new network and devices.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The effectiveness has been seen with better workflow with a quicker network and better VPN connections for our remote workers. Orca made sure everything ran smoothly for all our staff and was friendly and quick to resolve any issue.

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

Orca are very friendly and quick to resolve any issue we have, We deal with many members of Orca and readily have our information to hand to fix issues quickly and promptly. We appreciate how Orca have dealt with members of our staff with limited IT knowledge and can work with them sort issue they have and be able to guide them through patiently and effectively.

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

I don’t think Orca could have done anything differently or improve really, they have everything all under control and planned out very well. I would just say just keep up the good work and thank you for your patience with us with our issues however big or small.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of an independent timber merchant that my husband and I started from scratch.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HW Technology?

Because we were starting from scratch, we had a small independent need for IT help. Once we started to grow our business, it was quite obvious that we needed more help and more expertise in ways to move our business forward.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

HW Technology (HWT) helped us grow our business with their IT work. No one on my team is very interested in technology. We didn’t have to do much except tell them what we wanted. Once we outgrew basic solutions, they helped us shift to cloud-based technology. 

What is the team composition?

At first, we only spoke to Mark (Director). As our relationship grew, we’ve had contact with quite a few people from HWT over the years. 

How did you come to work with HW Technology?

I was recommended to them by a small team of consultants. Even from our first conversation, I knew we’d get along well. We had the same thought outlook. It was ideal to work with them because they were approachable.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend £12,000 (approximately $17,000 USD) per year. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together four years ago, and our work is ongoing. 
  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the finance director of a construction business. We’re also an office and furniture welfare provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HW Technology?

We had a lot more employees being taken on, which meant a lot more IT. Internally, we couldn’t cope with the challenges. We reached out to HW Technology (HWT).

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They took over control of our servers to ensure there was no downtime. In 2019, we needed a new overhaul of our hardware. They came in and set up our new laptops and desktops. The team connected everything to our servers and made sure everything was running efficiently. They stayed for a couple of days to make sure everything was correct. The team also provides instant support whenever we need it.

What is the team composition?

I work with their director. I work with 5–6 other engineers as well.

How did you come to work with HW Technology?

Our managing director and their director had a mutual connection. After one meeting, we decided they were the right team to work with going forward.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent £110,000 (approximately $152,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2015, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our entire team has positive feelings about HWT. We’ve had no complaints.

How did HW Technology perform from a project management standpoint?

We report any issues to their support desk. Someone always responds within 5–30 minutes. I typically call their director directly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their efficient response time stands out. They’re always quick to resolve an issue or take control of a problem device and fix it from their end.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. Sometimes we don’t have the same engineer when a problem recurs, which can be tough. If they could assign the same engineer who already solved the issue once, they’d be able to fix it a lot quicker.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to use them before trying to fix your IT issue yourself. Don’t spend an hour trying to solve a problem when they can fix it in 10 minutes.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I m the Financial Controller for an Italian owned company distributing wallcoverings to the UK market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our company required a complete overhaul of it's IT systems. We approached HW Technology in 2004 to complete this and have never looked back. We remain with HW Technology to this day with them managing our IT systems, new installs and general day to day IT issues and problem solving.

SOLUTION

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

This vendor was a recommendation from our Auditors.

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

HW Technology ensured our new IT infrastructure was set up and installed with minimal fuss within the timescales required and to a very high and professional standard. New servers were installed, PC's and a new accounting software package. Once everything was up and running we kept them on managing our IT needs via a monthly/annual maintenance support package.

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

Their Director was our main point of contact from the initial planning to implementation and testing. Since then we have dealt with several members of their support team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

HW Technology understood the needs of our business and implemented systems to ensure our goals and achievements were met from an IT perspective. I have found and continue to find that their level of service is second to none with a very knowledgeable, professional, and friendly team of Directors and support technicians.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had regular meetings, emails, and telephone conversations before, during, and after most stages of projects undertaken by them. We now submit most support requests via their support ticketing system.

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

Their high levels of knowledge and professionalism while relaying information was most impressive.

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

I honestly don't think there is at present, I remain equally impressed after 17 years of service.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the group chairman of Blenheims. We are a company that undertakes property management on behalf of various clients. We manage blocks of flats and principal estates of houses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HW Technology?

We had our own servers, but we found that the person who was maintaining them wasn't particularly great. We were introduced to HW Technology through our external accountant who used them as well. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Since 2006, they've been providing cloud IT services to our group. HW Technology provides all of the cloud-based servers we use; we just log on to their servers. They maintain all of the software that we own and offer security measures for those servers. The servers are in a data center, which means that they are protected and backed up. HW Technology maintains the servers in a  much more effective and efficient manner than we would be able to do without spending a considerable amount of money. 

They source Microsoft licenses for everything that we do. If we were doing this ourselves, we’d have to buy multiple licenses. Microsoft bundles their licenses, so if we hit our limit, we’d have to buy 20 more licenses, even if we just need one. On the other hand, HW Technology can charge us for one additional license whenever we have a new staff member, which saves us time and money. Also, they look after all of our PCs. If we have a problem, we can phone their support desk, which is exceptionally good. 

HW Technology sources our computers, laptops, and printers. For instance, if our printer isn’t connecting, they sort that out. We use Microsoft Remote Desktop and Microsoft Authenticator for specific authentications. We're also testing a software to log on and authenticate through our mobile phone. We have around 5–6 people using this software. We were testing it just before COVID-19, and we've been happy with it. We wanted to bring that across for everyone, but we thought it was a step too far during that period. It's something we will look to introduce across all the users at some point once we're back in the office properly.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with Mark (Sales & Marketing Director), but I have no idea of how many people he has working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with HW Technology?

Our accountant recommended them. He introduced us when we were struggling with our one-person IT support.

How much have you invested with them?

I don’t have the exact numbers; however, I can say that since 2012, we have spent around £1.3 million (approximately $1,840,000 USD). The fees have grown as we have.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2006. We’ve been working with them for just under 15 years, and we continue to use their services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The only feedback I can give about the quality of their work is the downtime. If their servers go down, then we can't work or get access. Over 15 years, there have only been 1–2 instances where the broadband line failed, but their side has never failed. We've never had a situation where we haven't been able to continue working one way or another. To me, that is a massive success in dealing with a company over 15 years.

How did HW Technology perform from a project management standpoint?

Whenever we’ve had individual projects, such as when we moved to a SQL server about 3–4 years ago, they've always met their deadlines. We’ve never had a problem. Whenever we call the support desk about an issue; they are fast and extremely responsive. I've never heard anyone complain about a lack of response from them.

We usually communicate via email or we can phone up the support desk. I tend to call or email Mark if I have an issue that needs resolving since I have a relationship with him.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their response time is impressive. Internally, they have their own set response times, depending on how urgently they view something. However, I find that if you send them an email or phone support, they generally fix the problem within minutes. If they can’t, they work on it, and they will get it sorted as quickly as possible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not particularly — their communication is excellent, and they get back to us promptly. Based on my experience working with them, there’s very little that has gone wrong, and therefore that I would look for them to improve.

Any advice for potential customers?

To get the most out of the engagement, spec out what you want them to achieve and have that conversation with them. If you are uncertain about what you need, then they're going to struggle to provide the service that you want. Understand what they are capable of doing, and allow them to do that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a multi-disciplinary professional services firm based in London. We offer accountancy, legal, and architectural services. The accountancy department has subcontractors based in India, UK, and a growing number in South Africa.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HW Technology?

At the time, we were a much smaller organization and I had the opportunity to reconsider my IT and what we needed. HW Technology was used to dealing with bigger companies, but they believed in my business and offered me a very competitive package to stay.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

My IT is completely outsourced to HW Technology, and they’re providing us with cloud hosting. They support MAC and Windows computers and they’re good in most areas of IT. 

What is the team composition?

There are quite a few different members on their team providing us with support. I’d be speaking to a different person from their helpdesk every time I ring them up. However, they’ve all been really good. They’re very thorough and their methodologies are really strong — their ticketing system is also really robust.

In terms of strategy, my account is only being managed by one person because I don’t want anyone else, nor do I need anything — I have a good relationship there.

How much have you invested with them?

On average, we probably spend about £5,000 (approximately $7,000 USD) a month with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our partnership in September 2014, and it’s been ongoing since.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The relationship manager from HW Technology is so helpful in setting everything up and supporting us.

If I’m being honest, when they offered the package to us, I thought we got a better deal out of the partnership than they did. Our company grew and it’s been a very good relationship. The level of quality and the technology they were offering at that time was far superior to what could’ve gone to the market. We would’ve been paying more for someone else, and we definitely wouldn’t have had such a good relationship.

They have specialists in the accountancy, legal, and architectural side of my business, which shows they have real knowledge and understanding of our needs. They’ve been really proactive in helping us in what we should and shouldn’t do, and how to increase our knowledge and capabilities in terms of IT and software.

How did HW Technology perform from a project management standpoint?

We have monthly review meetings with my team to talk about our needs, and I have quarterly review meetings about what I’m doing, what’s going to change, and what I might need for strategy. It’s quite an engaged process despite working remotely — we don’t often have problems with the work because we’ve got internal support for that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve got trust in them, which is really important when you’re working with somebody. They’ve got a really good process so they’re honest about what they can and can’t do. As an outfit, I’ve got trust in them, which I think is really hard to win in this industry.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The price they offered was competitive, but they’re not cheap. There are always going to be people who are cheaper but at the end of the day, it’s an investment if you’re going for the full bells and whistles package. Other than that, I don’t really have a fault with them. I really don’t have anything to say that’s an issue, and there has never been a time I couldn’t get a hold of them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would say to get the full picture of what your business is going to do and let HW Technology get on with it. It’s really about giving an honest opinion on what you’re trying to achieve at a business level.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an associate partner at an accounting firm, and I’ve also been dealing with IT supervision for our business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with HW Technology?

We had an on-premise server-based IT infrastructure that was outdated. We wanted someone who could get a server in place and deal with the transition of the on-premise server to a cloud server.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had initial conversations before the COVID-19 pandemic, which accelerated the decision-making process going through the options and the costs available with the options. We decided on having HW Technology moving our servers into the hosting platform with everything that involved. 

We had a team dedicated to run through all of the migration of the data and the setup of users, doing most of the work remotely due to the COVID-19 restrictions. They also came on-site to update the cabling and connections so we wouldn’t have any downtime in the project. Everything went live within eight weekends after the initial decision was made.

They currently manage the host, make updates, and operate the whole domain for us.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 4–5 people throughout every step of the project.

How did you come to work with HW Technology?

They were referred to us by a coworker that worked with them in the past. They came in with a presentation, a review of what we had in place at the moment, and a plan on how to help us. They offered several options for what we wanted to do with them, but they also highlighted potential security issues on our network and updates that we weren’t aware of and needed to be done. We were impressed with that initial meeting, they were on top of the security services that are getting more important every day, and we decided to move forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around £20,000–£25,000 (approximately $28,000–$35,000 USD) with them so far. That includes the initial work and the monthly fee for service and maintenance.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2020, and the engagement is ongoing with the updates and follow-up services they provide.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I can see how the connection and ability to work remotely has significantly improved on everyone. Also, everyone is solving problems and getting things back up and running very quickly — everyone is very happy with the connection HW Technology delivered and how it works.

How did HW Technology perform from a project management standpoint?

The project was completed within the timeframes we settled. We had regular Zoom and Microsoft Team meetings where we discussed updates and progress on the project. Currently, they’re quick coming back to us whenever we have any questions. 

They’re quickly reactive to any problem that arises in terms of user issues, but they’re also proactive with security updates and flagging things that need to be done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with them. One of their strengths is that they’re pragmatic in finding the best way to adapt their work with how our business operates — we know if we have to change something to run our business the way we want to, and they don’t dictate how things need to be done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s been taking a while to work out the relationship between our internal IT staff and HW’s team in terms of role definitions. That was something we expected, and it was inevitable because we’re going through significant changes. It’s not negative, but it’s something that is taking a bit of time to sort around.

Any advice for potential customers?

I recommend other firms in the industry to work with them.