Proper Sky

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Trilogy Wellness of Maryland LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Medical Dispensary 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Proper Sky to accomplish?

• • A cannabis startup partnered with Proper Sky to build the server and infrastructure to support our industry software CannaPoint.
• • We also needed high surveillance camera security for the entire property which Proper Sky helped facilitate.
• • On top of that, Proper Sky’s helpdesk support team delivers day to day helpdesk support to ensure our systems and employees are up and running.

SOLUTION

How did you find Proper Sky?

Referral

Why did you select Proper Sky over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Proper Sky were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.
Proper Sky built out the server infrastructure to support their Cannabis startup, which includes WAN/LAN, Firewall, Wireless Routing, Switches, Security and VLANs as well as all the security surveillance prior to grand opening. Proper Sky helpdesk is there as our 24x7 ongoing support for any technical needs.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Highly available redundant server system
• Network segmentation that kept the security cameras up and running 24x7 
• Met MD regulations for video retention and availability 
• Had location Opened up and running earlier than grand opening 

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

• Project hit all milestones with in time line and under budget.
• Their ongoing communication was priceless!

What was your primary form of communication with Proper Sky?

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

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

• Willingness to help
• Communication 
• Worked around the Clock to ensure goals were hit on time

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

Nothing to Note 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CFO and VP of finance at a nonprofit organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Proper Sky?

We used to have in-house IT staff, but we thought it would be a better option to outsource our IT needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Proper Sky provided us with managed IT support. They initially did a complete assessment of our IT infrastructure and environment and provided a thorough report that included improvement suggestions based on our budget. Their responsibilities involved managing our IT helpdesk, purchasing and installing hardware and software, maintaining and upgrading our servers, and even managing our security cameras and phone systems. They also provided cybersecurity training for our employees and implemented a ticketing system for our agency. They always had one person on-site as well as a whole team at their home base providing remote support for us.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Jim (Founder & CEO), Shana (Director of Finance), and Kalin (Centralized Services Manager). Jim was amazing. He understood our needs, and there was nothing he couldn’t fix.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June 2016–January 2023.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Proper Sky quickly got everyone set up remotely without missing even one hour of work. We experienced almost no downtime while we were working with them. If something went down, Proper Sky already had a backup set up for it. We also experienced an increase in our internet speed and a lot of cost savings.

How did Proper Sky perform from a project management standpoint?

Proper Sky performed well in terms of project management. They stayed on budget and always went above and beyond to meet deadlines. They were quick to address support tickets, communicated constantly, and provided regular updates.

We primarily communicated through emails and phone calls. They used their own ticket management system.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with Proper Sky’s ability to effectively utilize their resources to address all of our needs and keep our systems up and running at all times.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive Director of Human Resources and Operations of DJS Associates, Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

DJS Associates, Inc. has been, and continues to be, a trusted source of quality forensic consulting and litigation support services for the legal community, insurance industry, government entities, and the public and private sectors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Proper Sky to accomplish?

• Partner with leadership on Company IT Budget
• Roll out new hardware and software systems company wide
• Onboard DJS Associates, Inc as a full client of Proper Sky's MSP services
• Upgrade Network Capabilities
• Partner with leadership on IT Strategic Plan

SOLUTION

How did you find Proper Sky?

Online Search

Why did you select Proper Sky over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Proper Sky’s team?

12

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

Proper Sky has successfully transitioned the company from an in-house IT team to a managed service client by providing several managed IT services to our company, including fully managed IT support, comprised of both remote and on-site help desk services. Proper Sky has completed, and continues to expand upon, full technology consultation services and project management.

With these deliverables, the DJS Team has become more productive (with a streamlined approach) and able to utilize our systems and storage capacities more effectively. Proper Sky implemented multiple products including multi-redundant backup services, monitoring, patching, and end-point protection, both EDR and MDR – providing the team comfort in the reliability of the tools in place.

Proper Sky completes strategic business reviews with DJS leadership, leads IT vendor management, and identifies potential risks through assessments and gap analyses. Proper Sky manages our environment wide asset tracking system and asset lifecycle plan. All the above resulting in a safe, well-organized, efficient, supportive, and cost-effective IT structure.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Higher associate satisfaction with ticket resolution – both in timeliness and solutions presented
• Improved efficiency with work completed within network and with company hardware
• Advanced knowledge retention with thorough documentation
• Increased access to resources
• Enhanced team productivity
• Higher levels of care with project management
• Transparency, communication, and collaboration during onboarding process, from initial meet to migration day

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

Since the very first meeting I had with the Proper Sky team, they have been nothing short of amazing. Proper Sky is led by one of the most talented, dedicated, knowledgeable, collaborative, and realistic professionals I have ever known. The projects, objectives and deliverables committed to and planned were delivered timely every step of the way over a multi-month timeline.

The Proper Sky team also provided consistent updates along the way. When responding to our needs, the team took time to listen and ask engaging and thought-provoking questions, which is incredibly helpful when you might not know what questions to ask. The Proper Sky team focused on getting to know us - including all the end users. The value our relationship with Proper Sky team is immeasurable and the way they work beside us truly makes them part of the DJS family.

What was your primary form of communication with Proper Sky?

In-Person Meeting

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

Proper Sky's holistic approach - the team wants to ensure each stakeholder and resource is represented in each decision made, ensuring the best results are realized.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a medical practice.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Proper Sky?

We hired Proper Sky to install and manage our entire IT services suite: (VOIP, cypersecurity, EHR, office security cameras, credit card billing, and other services).

What were your goals for this project?

...not to ever have to think about our IT services...(to be able to simply turn on the computers and have everything work as intended)

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We interviewed 3 other vendors and spoke with multiple references.

Describe the project in detail.

Project involved installing and continuing to manage all of our IT needs. These include: VOIP, EMR, credit card billing, cybersecurity, office security cameras, music for each room, remote access, shared server space, networked scanners and printers.

What was the team composition?

We worked closely with a single team leader (James Crescenzo) as well as the company founder (Jim Smith). However, we've also had interactions with many other supporting members at ProperSky along the way.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We're very happy with the outcome. Best example is that I really don't think twice about our IT needs--everything simply works. Furthermore, when we have questions or concerns, they are great about coming up with quick and creative solutions. One day, we lost connectivity to the internet due to unscheduled and unreported work on a nearby node, within 30 minutes, the Proper Sky team came to our office and set up a mobile cellular hot spot to restore our access. It was seamless and life saving. Another time we had questions about how to most efficiently staff the offices. Proper Sky now provides regular reports in Power BI so we can track how the phones are being utilized. This is extremely helpful.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Outstanding. We have a basic number and email to contact for routine needs. For anything more pressing, we can send text messages to the team leaders and we get a response in minutes.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

-extremely accessible and responsive

Are there any areas for improvement?

-it'd be nice if they provided other services...and take the place of our other less reliable and accessible vendors