Integris

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-owner of a real estate and vacation rental management company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Integris?

I needed desktop support for my office's 45 employees and computers and network administration.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Integris has provided managed IT services for us for about four years. They provide desktop support and administrate our network. 

For a time, I had a representative assigned to my account we would meet once a week. This representative identified that we needed to move our data from a server-based infrastructure to a cloud-based infrastructure. For this project, Integris did an assessment, presented a proposal, and then led us to a transition to SharePoint. 

What is the team composition?

Previously, I worked with Ben (Former Senior Client Success Manager) and another teammate who’s no longer with Integris. Currently, I have another account representative and a technical team.

How did you come to work with Integris?

Integris’ owner came to Galveston, Texas, to speak about cybersecurity. I heard his talk and was so impressed that I met with him about working with our company and invited him to speak to our real estate group about cybersecurity. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2018, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although the transition to SharePoint was painful, it’s been worth it; ever since everything is set up and working, things have been great. Overall, the migration Integris led has been a sea change; we’re thrilled with that. 

We’re in a storm event area, and I used to remove my physical server every time a weather event happened. Once we moved to SharePoint, everything changed dramatically. I don’t fear losing data anymore and no longer have the added hassle of removing a heavy server. 

How did Integris perform from a project management standpoint?

When I worked with Ben and my other former representative, we met once a week, and they kept the program going. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I have a wonderful representative from Integris — she’s amazing. Moreover, the support technicians are terrific; they’re patient and know when to escalate. My realtors and staff all work with them well. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Unfortunately, things have changed since Integris has integrated into their current brand identity. Before, they were very customer and relationship-centric. Now, it’s hard to get anybody from their team to talk about billing. Sometimes, businesses try to make things automatic, but we need someone to talk to when there’s a question. Integris needs to have someone who answers the phone in their accounting department. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You need an account representative to have one teammate to call who’s watching your back.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m Chief Operations Officer at Any Baby Can, a nonprofit community-based organization. Our mission is to partner with families to build stability, develop skills, and unlock each child’s full potential. We offer a continuum of services, including:

• Parenting and childbirth classes that give parents the tools, skills, and confidence to raise a healthy family.
• Help children with development delays reach their full potential and increase the parents’ ability to support their child.
• Provide support, medical case management, and resource navigation for children with special healthcare needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Integris?

We needed assistance to improve our organization’s IT practices.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Integris provides managed IT services for Any Baby Can. They provide troubleshooting services (on a remote basis) that focus on resolving software and hardware issues through a ticketing system. They also work with us on special projects such as robotic process automation, firewall, and wireless access point upgrades.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Integris helped us plan and execute migration of our information to a Microsoft SharePoint site. This helped us transition to a hybrid workplace model.  Altogether their support helped improve our agency operations so that we can better serve our clients.

Additionally, Integris provided in-kind support with some IT projects as well as agency events through their corporate volunteer program. We are grateful for this support!

What is the team composition?

Throughout Any Baby Can’s relationship with Integris, we worked with different Integris teammates on various projects and staff support needs. My primary points of contact, Integris Chief Information Officer and Managed Services Concierge, are accessible, follow through on agreements, and are reliable partners. Integris team of professionals also work diligently to resolve our staff support requests.

How did you come to work with Integris?

I started working at Any Baby Can in 2019, and we were already engaged with them. The Any Baby Can / Integris relationship goes back to 2013.

How much have you invested with them?

The range cost for special projects is usually between $2,000–$8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Integris in February 2013, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Integris has responded well to our organization’s rapidly changing conditions. They’re reliable and trustworthy.

How did Integris perform from a project management standpoint?

Integris has a ticketing system that we have access to. We can generate the tickets by email or phone call and track the ticket status on their platform. We can also see which teammate from their staff is working on the ticket.

We have great communication with Integris; they’re responsive and accessible. When we contact Integris, they usually get back to us within a couple of hours. We also have in-person meetings and weekly meetings through Microsoft Teams and Zoom to discuss the project’s priorities and status. 

Integris meets deadlines and stays on budget. Whenever there’s an issue with a deadline, they let us know, and we adjust our timeline as needed. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with Integris’ accessibility and reliability. They’re good at explaining the technical terms to our team, which has helped us build a strong working environment that has grown over time.

Another aspect I’m impressed with is Integris’ community sense. Some of their staff have volunteered at our organization's events — they’ve gone above and beyond. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

As a nonprofit, we have a shoestring budget. Integris has done a great job at lowering their costs for us, but if they could provide added services, that’d be great. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of technology at Esler Companies.
 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Integris?

We hired Integris for their managed IT services. When we acquired new offices in Texas and Oklahoma, they were already our existing IT services provider, so we just decided to continue our partnership with them.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Integris handles our IT-related needs. They provide help desk support for all our teammates in our new offices. For instance, if somebody locks themselves out of their computer or clicks on a virus, their team is in charge of addressing that. Additionally, they do all the computer builds and ship the computers and other necessary equipment out to different teammates. They also help us identify and implement pieces that we need to improve our IT security. 

We plan to do more security projects in the future with the Integris team.

What is the team composition?

We’re usually in direct contact with two people from their team, Amy (Client Success Manager) and Gino (Virtual CIO).

How did you come to work with Integris?

They were already working with the previous owner of our company when we acquired the new offices.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Integris in September 2020, and our partnership is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In the beginning, we needed to sort out some transition issues; there were a lot of back-and-forth conversations between Integris and us. However, now that their team is in place, everything has been going well. They adhere to their service-level agreements and manage our support ticket queue very nicely. Also, the quality of their work has been really good.

How did Integris perform from a project management standpoint?

Once their team understands the deliverables for a specific project and gets the right people involved, they’re able to deliver on time and manage everything the way it should be managed. Moreover, we have bi-weekly meetings with them to make sure everything’s on track. They also help us right away whenever we have a problem.

For communication, we mainly interact via email and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We like how the Integris team is staffed appropriately — we never have any issues in getting all the work done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As mentioned earlier, we had some transition and communication issues early on. They’ve already fixed that, and the entire process has been much smoother since then.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Make sure to tell them what you want and how you want your project to be managed. Be receptive to their ideas as well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the interim executive director of the Spirit Mountain Recreation Area, a four-season resort in Northern Minnesota.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Integris?

Our organization isn’t large enough to have internal IT support. Our previous IT services provider took on another role, so we hired Integris.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Integris provides IT support and helps us purchase IT equipment, providing on- and offsite services. Their purchases have included a server and laptops. The team has also rewired our chalet. More recently, they’ve helped us assess a number of vendors for a POS system.  

What is the team composition?

Initially, we worked with a salesperson. Currently, we have a dedicated point person who handles our tickets when we have issues, though we’ve worked with the VP of sales and about 4–5 teammates from Integris. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them around August 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're grateful for Integris' help. For example, they provided valuable advice when we were trying to find a new POS system. The VP of sales looked at all our responses from three different vendors, contacted them, and did informational interviews. From there, he shared his opinions with us, which was helpful because we don't have the technical understanding and knowledge he does. On top of that, they provided this support without additional charge. 

The rewiring process also went very smoothly; they were able to identify areas where we had potential issues and address them, which we appreciated. Overall, Integris is a knowledgeable team. 

How did Integris perform from a project management standpoint?

Regarding project management, they're responsive and have good communication. The team lets us know if they run into a problem and get issues resolved. Our communication channel depends on the subject. For example, we send them a ticket through email if we have a technical problem. We also have a lot of email and text message communication. Regardless of the medium, Integris is always very reachable. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm impressed with Integris' responsiveness, which can be challenging for service providers. The team is also knowledgeable, and I feel confident they're taking good care of us. Even though I'm not very knowledgeable and don't have a lot of basis for comparison, I know Integris addresses our issues, which is comforting to me. Moreover, they're supportive and want to ensure we're okay. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the initial sales process, the salesperson could have taken more time to fully understand our situation in terms of where we were starting. Although the issue has been rectified, that was a bit of a hiccup on their part at the beginning. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don't be afraid to ask them to go beyond what you might traditionally ask from an IT provider. Integris has gone above and beyond the call for us. Although it's not assumed that a provider will do that, I've learned that if you don't ask, they can't help you. Take advantage of the team's expertise because they're willing to share it; it's certainly benefited us. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the legal administrator of Hanft Fride, a law firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Integris?

Due to our company's growth, we wanted to outsource our IT needs to another company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Integris has been our IT services provider for more than 20 years; we’ve purchased hardware and software from them, and they host our servers, take care of our internet security, and manage our licensing.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a handful of people from their team, including Erin (IT Client Success Manager), who is my main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Integris?

They reached out to us when we were looking for computers to buy.

How much money have you invested in this partnership?

So far, we’ve spent around $5 million with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 1999, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve kept us running in great shape; we’ve had hiccups along the way like anyone else, but they’ve solved them quickly. Also, the internet service we get from them is great.

How did Integris perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform well with project management; they assign a team to us every time we have a project together, and they manage the logistics and planning of the task. Integris is also good with communication; we use emails, phone calls, meetings, and their ticketing system.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their organization within their team enables them to have experts in all their areas — if I need something, they connect me with someone who knows exactly what I need.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve overcome the challenges that have arisen throughout the project, but everything has been good recently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Reach out and start a conversation with them and see if what they offer matches what you need; they have a wide spectrum of services, even things people don’t think about.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of finance and administration for Matsuura Machinery USA. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Integris?

Integris has done many things for us, including a long-term business IT strategy that fits our budget and goals. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Integris utilize new technologies at various points in time. For example, they’ve upgraded our network infrastructure in 2016. They’ve also reconfigured our wireless network. In 2020, we switched to a hosted server environment. In between those major projects, they did miscellaneous projects. All of these projects have involved setting up new user PCs. They also do hardware upgrade support as needed. 

Moreover, they offer a combination of on- and off-site services. Initially, they assigned a regular site personnel in our office. As we’ve progressed into new systems, we’ve started using their online support ticketing system on top of their on-site support. 

What is the team composition?

The team composition varies per project, but we often work with senior-level people from their team. We also collaborate with project managers. 

How did you come to work with Integris?

Back in 2013, we were searching for an ERP system and were referred to Mark (Founder). That started our conversations, and they bid for our project at that time. That was the start of our engagement. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $1.1 million. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the engagement in August 2013, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t use success metrics when it comes to IT, but we’ve held Integris to high standards and measures of performance. In terms of the usability of the systems they’ve proposed, they meet and exceed the goals we set. 

How did Integris perform from a project management standpoint?

Integris’ project management has been great. Whenever they develop a project plan, they collaborate with us and have regular meetings throughout the project, depending on its length. At the end of each project, they create a summary and come back to us to discuss our experience and whether or not we met our objectives. 

To communicate, we send maintenance tickets online. For project meetings, we do video conferences through Microsoft Teams. We talk over the phone as needed. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Integris has become a partner for our company. We’ve had a long-term relationship, and they’ve supported us well over the years. They listen and match their services to our expectations and budgets. For that reason, we’ll most likely stay with them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m a firm believer that there’s always room for improvement somewhere. We can always work on having better communication between our teams. On our side, we can work better on defining the project, while their team can work better on defining what our expectations should be. Nonetheless, they’ve done well in all areas of communication with us. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Look at the level of services that Integris offers versus other teams. The professional involvement their staff can offer over the years is also important. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a manager at a financial advisory firm. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Integris?

We brought on Integris six years ago to be our IT vendor. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Integris is our exclusive IT vendor, providing on- and off-site services. Their team handles all of our product licensing and renewals and software maintenance for our machines and security systems. Integris also manages all new IT projects. We’ve had 2–3 overhauls to update our computers and compliance security throughout our partnership. They’ve also provided several recommendations for web design agencies. 

What is the team composition?

We work with 5–6 teammates from Integris, including sales and renewals teammates, and a team staffs the help desk. 

How did you come to work with Integris?

Stephen (Regional Director of Sales) contacted us to start a partnership.  

How much have you invested with them?

We invest around $150,000 a year with Integris. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership with Integris began in April 2015, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been impressed with how well Integris handles our IT needs — they do a great job, and my entire company appreciates their work. Integris’ team is straightforward and transparent about their work and what they can deliver for us. 

How did Integris perform from a project management standpoint?

Generally, Integris meets our deadlines, although sometimes we have to wait on assistance from their managed services team. We use a ticketing system to convey IT issues and communicate through emails and phone calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Integris’ team really makes us feel like we’re a top priority for them — they make us feel important. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Integris’ team is currently expanding, which will address some of our biggest challenges, so I have nothing for Integris to improve now. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise customers to be transparent about expectations and their desired level of service from Integris. If those aren't possible from Integris’ perspective, they’re transparent enough to convey that information. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the network manager for a healthcare organization. We serve the upper Midwest of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. I manage all of the network equipment, staff, and internet circuits.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Integris?

The primary challenge was to have solid, reliable connectivity for all of our facilities.  Many of these facilities are 24-hour emergent care facilities that require 24-hour enterprise connectivity.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Integris is our network provider. They also provide some internet services, including reliable private connectivity to all facilities with high expected uptime. They offer technical support, which we can call whenever we have a question or service issue.

What is the team composition?

From sales and down to the support side, we’ve spoken with 10–20 people. We work with an account representative, and the department that services us consists of a director and a few other management staff outside of sales.

How did you come to work with Integris?

The people I worked with were from a company that Integris acquired. They were local and well-known within our IT community. I decided to approach them because I’d been friends with many of them for a long time. I knew their service was great and that I could talk to them to get what I needed. We were both local and growing companies, so it just made sense.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them around January 2018, and it’s an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

If our connectivity is down, the hospital goes into diverting mode, which means they won’t accept trauma patients. Therefore, we don’t serve as many patients, so we stop making money. Fortunately, we don’t see that impact because Integris delivers an exceptional service.

In general, the sales process is fantastic. They deliver what we need at a competitive price.

How did Integris perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very responsive. When issues occur, the response times are phenomenal. We have a person on the phone in a matter of minutes. Anytime we need an escalation or something isn’t resolved in time, we can go up the chain quickly and comfortably to get excellent feedback from them.

Integris has a ticketing system. If they see something go down and we don’t notice it, they generate a ticket and send it to us. The ticketing system automatically generates communication, and when we respond, it updates the ticket. We generally communicate with them through that or via texting somebody.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their personality and personability are their strongest points. We can get a friend on the phone in short order.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d say no, not at this time.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure your needs are clear and that their solutions are aligned with your business needs from the beginning. Moreover, give them a chance to throw their hat in the ring; they’re great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a law firm with 14 offices nationwide. I’m the IT manager of the firm and a jack of all trades systems engineer. I’m in charge of technical support, ordering equipment, planning and building servers, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Integris?

They’ve become our go-to IT partner over the last three years or so.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They host all of our virtual servers and run a VDI environment. Our whole business is on their hardware. We use them for all our VM consulting, hardware ordering, and more. One of our largest projects was an information security solution.

What is the team composition?

It’s perfect. There’s a group of 6–8 people we work with on a regular basis.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent several hundreds of thousands of dollars with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since February 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re very good. We’ve run several large projects with them: VDI horizon rollouts, SD-WAN rollouts, bringing multiple circuits into 14 offices. When we do the projects with them, they give us access to the top person who can make things happen. We don’t have to go through multiple levels to get to someone who can make something happen. This has greatly helped us. If something doesn’t go as planned, then they always hop in and fix the situation.

How did Integris perform from a project management standpoint?

We talk multiple times per month, and it’s almost always the same group of people. They’re a very large company, and one of the parts we like most about them is that we have our own core group we work with. I don’t know if every client gets a dedicated team, but it’s worked very well for us to have one. I know who to go to based on what topic the question is about. They’re top-notch. We rely on them and trust them with our business. We’re in good hands.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We can get in touch with them when we need to. It’s not like working with Microsoft where you have to wait a couple of hours to get help. I have the personal email addresses and cell phone numbers of the people I need to reach when something bad happens. I generally don’t do this, as people tend to abuse that access, but I’ve had to reach out to them at 1 am and they’ve responded. They know something bad is happening if I do this.

The fact that they can make all the work happen stands out. They’re very knowledgeable in the places we’ve used them. They have top-notch people. I would rather they have resources who can get things done than be the top experts across the whole field. I don’t need the smartest Exchange administrator in the company. I need the person that can accomplish my goal.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I sound like a broken record, but they do everything. There isn’t anything I’ve been disappointed about off the top of my head. They always come through.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re one of our most trusted partners. We trust our 14-office, nationwide business with them and they’ve never led us astray. If someone doesn’t know something, they know who to reach out to to find the answer. Everyone I work with is great. I’ve become friendly with them outside the office. They’re Minnesota-nice.