Orca

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Red Dot Accountants Ltd

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Accountants and tax advisers

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Orca to accomplish?

• Hosting Services

SOLUTION

How did you find Orca?

Referral

Why did you select Orca over others?

Referred to me

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

The provision of hosting services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Transfer to New Hosted Platform & ongoing service

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

Their project management is excellent — our communication has been great throughout.

What was your primary form of communication with Orca?

Email or Messaging App

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

Speed of response and easy to speak with

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Finance Manager of a construction company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Quantity Surveying and Project Management

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Orca to accomplish?

• Security
• IT management
• IT compliance

SOLUTION

How did you find Orca?

Online Search

Why did you select Orca over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Orca were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

• IT management
• CSE Essentials Plus
• Vulnerability tests

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Out of date products identified and secrity enhanced since findings

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

Delivered on time and as required

What was your primary form of communication with Orca?

Virtual Meeting

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

We were impressed with their knowledge of systems and professional approach to dealing with our needs.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Partner of Westcotts

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Accountants and business advisors

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Orca to accomplish?

• To migrate our IT infrastructure into a hosted platform
• Provide ongoing 1st and 2nd line IT support

SOLUTION

How did you find Orca?

Referral

Why did you select Orca over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Orca were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The project involved reviewing our exisitng on site IT setup across the practice. Suggesting the most optimum hosted setup. Once the setup had been agreed, implementing and transferring all our onsight infrastructure to a hosted platform during the transfer providing onsite support in all locations to transition all users and ensure all users retained access and provided guidance on the new setup.

Following the completion of the initial transfer, providing ongoing 1st and 2nd line support for all users to free up the time of your internal IT team to focus on higher level projects. In addition providing a sounding board for new projects and regular monthly feedback on systems.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• The complete transfer of systems without disrupting the ongoing work of the practice.
• Team feedback for ongoing support being a considerable improvement over pre changes setup.

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

An agreed outline of how the setup and transfer would be completed was set out at the outset. This followed throughout the process, with any reasons for delays clearly communicated and plans adapted as needed. Work was regularly undertaken outside of normal working hours with Orca team members available for calls always when needed. 

Any issues identified in sites as the transition occured resulted in changes in following sites so any issues were not reported.

What was your primary form of communication with Orca?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We're impressed with Orca's availability and willingness to adapt as issues arise.

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the executive of Adaero

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Machining

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Orca to accomplish?

• Full-Service IT Management
• Review of IT system
• Ongoing support and management of IT system

SOLUTION

How did you find Orca?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Orca over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

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

Full IT system management. They have provided full reviews to ensure compliance with latest standards, have resolved any IT related issues regarding network access, software installation, email signatures, ensuring up to date and supported hardware

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have an IT system that works, our employees are happy with the level of service provided. Responses are quick with resolutions usually within 24hours

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

Very high levels of visibility with what they were doing. Plenty of clear communication. Vast majority of issues completed in the agreed timescales to the agreed costs.

What was your primary form of communication with Orca?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They are good communicators and are very effective and responsive. They provide all of our IT needs and I don't need to worry about them not being able to complete a task.

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

No areas for improvement. I'm very happy with the service received.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Rushtons Chartered Accountants

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers to local SME businesses

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Orca to accomplish?

• Server Upgrade
• Additional Security
• Future proof our IT

SOLUTION

How did you find Orca?

Online Search

Why did you select Orca over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Orca were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Full server upgrade and hardware renewal. They migrated all data across and provided us with a plan for transition to new Apps.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Limited chargeable hours downtime and an increased level of security.

What was your primary form of communication with Orca?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Project management was very clear and we were kept well informed throughout the process. Dates were booked in well in advance.

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

All technicians were very knowledgeable and worked with us to implement a system that was bespoke to our needs. The director and owners were hands-on, which is very important to us.

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

Potentially more testing of the system could havebeen carried out prior but time constraints made it not possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director at an accounting firm. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Orca?

Our previous providers weren’t providing us with all the services we needed, and we had a lot of downtime. So, we got a hold of Orca and migrated our processes over to them. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the start of the partnership, we spent three months transferring our entire IT system to Orca. Orca’s team came on-site for a weekend to transfer our IT processes to their team. Since then, they’ve also purchased software for our team, which they’ve led installation. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with Mark (Director) and three other senior staff members who handled the onboarding process. 

How did you come to work with Orca?

We researched the marketplace and spoke to another accounting firm that recommended Orca to us. We talked with Mark, and he laid out timelines and several budget options that could help address our problems. We were comfortable with their offerings and decided to hire them. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around £24,000 (approximately $27,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in June 2022. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The entire transfer has been smooth and seamless. All of the issues we had before are gone. Our downtime went from 3–5 days a month to absolutely no downtime since starting the partnership. 

Orca offers a variety of services, and when we need to utilize them, we will reach out to Orca’s team. 

How did Orca perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is spot-on. Orca hasn’t missed a deadline — what they’ve said they’d do, they’ve done. Their team always ensures we stay within budget. 

We usually have Microsoft Teams and Zoom meetings. Mark has come to our office twice, and we’ve had phone calls with him and his team. If we run into any problems, we can call them; although, we haven’t had any problems. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their total and utter professionalism set them apart from their competitors. So does their ability to deliver on time and within budget. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There is nothing for them to improve — their services are spot-on. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Follow their recommendations — Orca knows their business well, and everything they’ve recommended we’ve followed to the letter. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Accountancy Practice. I am the MD.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Orca?

Provide on going managed services.

SOLUTION

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

Experience of sector

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

keeping our service going. Cyber protection.

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

full team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have great knowledge of our business and provide fast response times. Friendly and efficient.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Great

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

Excellent service

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

no

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.