Lightbulb Networks

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a full-service CPA firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lightbulb Networks?

We hired them for IT security and maintenance of our networks.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team handled the design of our network, installed and replaced our servers, and now make upgrades on our network. When we need to upgrade our hardware, they handle that as well. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve met about three people from their team. The owner is our point of contact.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $15,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since around August 2019 and our engagement is ongoing. 

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

On a scale of 1 to 10, their work is around 8. Our uptime is good, but sometimes we go down and have to troubleshoot it; I can’t attribute that to them but sometimes it isn’t as stable as it should be. When the network goes down, they are good at getting us back up and running quickly. 

How did Lightbulb Networks perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re pretty good at managing the project. We communicate on an ad hoc basis. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are easy to communicate with and are fairly responsive. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’re fairly comfortable with the work they’re doing. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clearly define the engagement, that’s most important. Be clear about the results you’re looking for. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own a body shop.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lightbulb Networks?

Lightbulb Networks was helping us with our IT systems.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team is our managed services provider. They set up our entire infrastructure.

What is the team composition?

I started working with the owner.

How did you come to work with Lightbulb Networks?

It was a referral.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with their team in February 2018.

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

I’ve been impressed with the overall expansion and growth. They’re committed to making everything work properly and adapting to our growth. They’ve done an excellent job.

How did Lightbulb Networks perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very professional. Their communication skills are excellent. They also let us know a great deal of information to make sure we understand our projects and if there will be any bumps ahead.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team is always there. They’re easy to reach and talk to. We’ve never had issues getting back with them. We trust them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since they’re a growing company, they need more personnel.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Allow them the opportunity to improve themselves. They’re trustworthy, honest, and transparent.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a local and regional CPA firm that offers tax audits, accounting services, and consulting services. I’m the managing principal. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Lightbulb Networks?

They helped us save money by eliminating an extraneous remote desktop service.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We generally use their services for technical support and consulting. They discovered that we were paying additional money for a service that our Microsoft package already provided. From there, they transitioned us to Microsoft’s remote desktop service, which saved us money. We call on them to help us through sticky technical issues, and they also do dark web monitoring on our staff member emails.

What is the team composition?

I work with three of them, including Kennan (CTO).

How did you come to work with Lightbulb Networks?

Keenan was employed with another firm prior to creating Lightbulb Networks. During that time, he helped us rewire our network server and took on various other IT projects. We were familiar with him and wanted to continue working with him. 

How much have you invested with them?

The dark web monitoring costs about $2,000 each year. Our network rewiring project cost and an additional $2,500–$3,000. I can’t recall the investment we made on the remote desktop migration, however.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with them since around 2018.  

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

When we’ve had issues, Kennan digs into the details. Rather than a quick fix, he does the research required to fix our problems for the long-term. 

How did Lightbulb Networks perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very timely about keeping us informed about progress, letting us know if there is anything that may cause a delay. We communicate primarily over email. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They look for long-term solutions rather than quick patches for our issues.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The level of feedback you’ll get from them exceeded that of other managed service providers. I’d recommend comparing them against others.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of the design group for Southern California Electrical Firm. We design the new utility systems for people and project manage and consult for the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lightbulb Networks?

We were a small company that was just starting out, so we didn’t have any kind of IT support and needed one.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They came in and set us up with the network and gave us some cloud systems. They set up our IT security, too. They support us in any IT needs that we have and do a lot of work behind the scenes. They scan our systems, keep malware out, and manage our clouds. When we need new machines, we run it by them and use their help there, too. 

What is the team composition?

We typically work with about three people from their team. I’ve worked with Keenan (CTO) from the beginning and there are two others who help out, too.

How did you come to work with Lightbulb Networks?

We’d talked to a couple of choices, but I knew Keenan through mutual friends. They were very responsive, gave us a lot of options, and they seemed to fit with what we were doing. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since around March 2019 and our engagement is ongoing. 

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

They’ve been great — I’d give them a 10 out of 10. Whenever we have any kind of issue, they are there for us immediately. Everything is extremely fast and we never feel like we’re in a line of 5,000 people. 

For example, we had a massive email hack and a virus, and they dropped everything they were doing to check all of our systems and machines within the company. They figured out the problem, fixed it, and gave us options for extra securities. 

How did Lightbulb Networks perform from a project management standpoint?

They are always available. We can submit a ticket and they’ll look at it, but we can also contact them immediately. Whether we need someone onboarded or some issue like the hack comes up, we can reach them and they’ll help us immediately. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like that we’re dealing with the same people; they know our systems and remember us. They’ve been an extremely solid team to work with. We also really like the cloud server they use; it’s really accessible from our phones and computers. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing. They’re all we need for a company of our size. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I really like the cloud server, so I’m happy we chose to use that and would recommend it. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We manufacture die-cutting tools for corrugated packaging. This includes display die cuttings for boxes, produce containers, labels, and more. In my role, I manage all in-house IT work.

What challenge were you trying to address with Lightbulb Networks?

We needed a vendor that could provide IT support across our six locations in the US. 

What was the scope of their involvement? 

We have a service agreement with Lightbulb Networks to support our IT needs. They function as a remote consulting company, offering on- and off-site helpdesk assistance. If an employee has a technical issue and I can’t get to them in time, then they call Lightbulb Networks for help. 

They manage our machines, computer hardware, services, and more. Additionally, we’ve done several server upgrades and migrations, and they’ve also swapped out older equipment at our branches. 

What is the team composition? 

I work with the founder and a support engineer.

How did you come to work with Lightbulb Networks?

One of our customers referred me to them, so I decided to give them a shot. 

How much have you invested with them?

Over the past two years, we’ve spent between $75,000–$100,000. It’s a monthly payment for a service agreement.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked with them since August 2018.

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

I’m happy with their support service. They’re always there if I call about an issue, and I would recommend them to any business looking for an IT consultancy.

How did Lightbulb Networks perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s a fast turnaround. When we call, there’s always someone there who can get on the problem and fix it. They stay on top of things, too.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They work great together as a team, and it’s not a struggle to get them to do things. Of course, the value we get for their price also has to make sense, otherwise, we wouldn’t have signed an agreement with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, based on my experience, they’ve exceeded what I ask for.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a consulting firm and I am a Senior Manager.

For what projects/services did your company hire Lightbulb Networks?

IT management

What were your goals for this project?

To manage IT and emails

How did you select Lightbulb Networks?

We reviewed a few options and they were the best.

Describe the project in detail.

They provide IT, email, and dark web support

What was the team composition?

We have a rep at Light Bulb and also able to use their support staff.

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

No problems with emails or IT

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are very quick to respond to any issues or tickets.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No