Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?
It's a little early for meaningful numbers. Just tonight [December 2015], we're decommissioning the old file servers. People have been using the new system for a month to six weeks with positive sentiments across the board, at least for now.
Our policies and procedures were sufficiently undocumented to start with, that there were tons of things to be fixed and patched. Even though the transition was a little on the long side, had we not had Mindsight to help us, I think it would have been a horrific nightmare.
How did Mindsight perform from a project management standpoint?
Mindsight have been terrific to work with. They're very efficient in terms of responding to the issues we gave them. Having watched the transition, I can say that we've gone from trying to manage it internally and having them support us, to almost reversing the roles and having them manage it. The more we had them do, the faster the pace went and, I think, the higher the quality, too.
Communication has been informal, which is one of the reasons why things got off to a slow start. We use Spiceworks for helpdesk ticketing. It's done fine for passing information, identifying bugs, and managing the projects we're working on. We will have a weekly tactical review session, and a strategic, big picture, monthly meeting.
What did you find most impressive about Mindsight?
They're extremely responsive, even when they might not have the resolution at hand. They maintain very open communication and provide administrative support when needed. It's important that we're never left in the dark, and Mindsight would not let that happen, which is the support reliability we need.
Are there any areas Mindsight could improve?
They've done a superb job. I've dealt with many contractors, and Mindsight stands out as being very responsive. Things can always be improved, though. How they could do that, I'm not sure. Perhaps they could do a better job exposing what their leadership was doing for the client on a more regular basis. It's nice to know that the leadership is involved and trying to keep the business innovative.
Noteworthy highlights include a proactive approach to network management and a genuine willingness to understand the needs of their clients before proposing solutions.