Ripple IT

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Director, Chief Administrative Officer of a real estate company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are the first investment-grade credit tenant in the NNN single-family rental space that provides investors with a simple, safe, and accessible product by eliminating the owner’s management responsibility and risks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Ripple IT to accomplish?

• Our Outsourced IT Department
• A go to source for special IT projects
• Consultative IT support

SOLUTION

How did you find Ripple IT?

Legacy vendor

Why did you select Ripple IT over others?

Good value for cost

How many teammates from Ripple IT were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Ripple IT provided IT Support during a last-minute office move with extremely short runway for completion.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

On time completion of office setup. Creative solutions (Consultative services) regarding a backup plan for internet setup and operation as well as permanent internet equipment recommendation, support & setup.

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

Response time following an escalation was fantastic. Ripple IT initiated a self-escalation when they assessed our needs and some initial frustration. The Ripple IT team was fantastic in offering support throughout the office move and setup process.

What was your primary form of communication with Ripple IT?

Virtual Meeting

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

Availability and patience during an otherwise stressful project timeline from the Ripple IT team

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

Pre-assessment of our needs and timeline to better understand the unique needs and timeline.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m senior management for an investment management firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ripple IT?

We needed help with managed IT services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ripple IT handles all of our IT infrastructure, including desktop support, user support, onboarding new employees, acquiring new hardware, and so on. They take care of any project associated with IT support, such as changing email addresses, installing software, and managing our network. They mainly work remotely, but if they need to come for on-site projects, they come.

What is the team composition?

We leverage all their expertise, from senior management to junior engineers. Additionally, we have Melissa (Director of Strategy) as our account manager.

How did you come to work with Ripple IT?

They were managing the IT infrastructure of a company we acquired.

What is the status of this engagement?

They worked with the previous firm for at least six years, but the acquisition was made in January 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Ripple IT is always responsive. The projects always get done on time and with high quality. Overall, we have nothing bad to say about them.

How did Ripple IT perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a single point of contact to reach out to them. If we have a standard issue, like a new employee, or a desktop issue with a specific employee, we coordinate it through a central person in our organization. We open a new ticket and communicate with Ripple IT to manage the process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They view the relationship as a real partnership. Moreover, Ripple IT comes up with actual work solutions and costs; they’re very solid.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything off the top of my head.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Your needs might change along the project, so communicate regularly and ensure you properly define the scope of work before going into it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Operations Manager of Tandem AI

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

TandemAI accelerates drug discovery using AI and machine learning to create a healthier world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Ripple IT to accomplish?

• Serve as our primary managed service provisder
• Streamline our onboarding and asset distribution
• Assist with the buildout of our IT infrastructure in our headquarters

SOLUTION

How did you find Ripple IT?

Online Search

Why did you select Ripple IT over others?

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

What was the size of Ripple IT’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

Our company was establishing a new office in operations in New York City. Ripple IT was the ideal partner in designing our inventory management, physical IT structure in our headquarter office, and serving as our IT helpdesk. Their project management was seamless and they communicated with us through every step of our work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• We were able to move in with all IT infrastructure in our office up and running two weeks before our target date.

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

Ripples project management was extremely communicative and very customer focused. We were able to set up and test all IT infrastructure in our new office space two weeks before the target date we had to move in so everything was ready to go by the time that our furniture arrived.

Through a combination of video calls, in person support, and remote consulting they were able to design out our wireless network from afar to ensure maximum coverage throughout our office space and execute on their designs in just a short time. From our first call with Ripple to the physical set up of our space, their team was extremely customer-focused and highly responsive to our needs.

What was your primary form of communication with Ripple IT?

Virtual Meeting

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

Most technology companies that we contacted in seeking to execute on this project were highly focused on the technical aspects of what they could offer and their expertise. Ripple IT was very different in that they took a very human center to approach to the work that they under took with.

They wanted to know what our needs were, how they can best fulfill them, and spoke in very relatable and non-technical language which was understandable to most stakeholders within our team despite their level of technical expertise in IT infrastructure. Each member of the team was also incredibly friendly and warm giving us a sense of comfort and confidence in their abilities.

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

Since the outset of our work with Ripple they have been a phenomenal IT partner. They've provided support on multiple fronts including interfacing with our international partners to configure aspects of our network and security to ensure compliance for both sides. Additionally, they are intuitive into how we are utilizing their services and constantly offering ways to continually improve on their performance for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of construction and design for a commercial real estate development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ripple IT?

Our company was growing, and we needed IT support to resolve issues faster.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ripple IT provides us with managed IT services on- and off-site. They’ve installed our computers and a firewall and now monitor our serial numbers. We also call them if we have issues with our internet connection or need help setting up our devices or with chatrooms, and Ripple IT offers support. When we have an issue, we contact  Ripple IT’s help desk, they submit a ticket, and then someone calls us back. 

Every time we hire a new teammate, Ripple IT offers onboarding for them and sets up their computers. Additionally, Ripple IT has installed security software to preview our email and catch spam. They also manage all of our Microsoft accounts. 

What is the team composition?

We work with Nick (Infrastructure Engineer) and Melissa (Director of Strategy). 

How did you come to work with Ripple IT?

We found them through a Google review. I contacted and interviewed Ripple IT, and we chose them because they had the tools and support capabilities and could resolve our issues faster than any other company. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $40,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2022, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we started working with Ripple IT, the overall security of our system has improved by 100%. When we have an issue, they submit a ticket immediately and call us back within 10 minutes. 

How did Ripple IT perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly communicate through tickets via email — the process is very easy. Any time we have a question at a higher level, we call Melissa. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with Ripple IT’s ability to execute timely and efficiently. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could provide us with more feedback, such as summarizing our monthly services with them and telling us about our operating costs. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend you contact Melissa and have her explain how Ripple IT operates, their different pricing models, and their services before you enter into an agreement with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m currently the policy and advocacy manager for Food Well Alliance. Food Well Alliance is a nonprofit operating in five counties around the metro-Atlanta area to support community gardens and urban farms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ripple IT?

We originally brought Ripple on board as our general technical support team. Food Well Alliance is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Our parent organization moved out of the building we shared with them, so we needed our own tech support services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ripple initially came into our office and helped us transition from our landline system onto the Vonage application, which was available on our teams’ phones. They established our wireless network too, helping us set up a contract with Comcast and implementing hardware to support our WiFi network. As we went remote due to COVID-19, their team also set us up with a new suite of laptops. Although they met our team, Ripple primarily supports us remotely. If we have issues, we send tickets through their system.

What is the team composition?

Our initial main point of contact left the company, so now our main point of contact’s Corey (Strategic Account Executive).

How did you come to work with Ripple IT?

Our former executive director found them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent an estimated $23,000 on their services so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We originally engaged Ripple in January 2020 and have an ongoing contract with them for technical support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team feels supported and confident in our technology. We brought Ripple on board shortly before we left the office due to COVID-19. Ripple executed our timely shift from desk lines to Vonage because we also moved to remote work. As we went remote, they also set everyone up with laptops. It was fortuitous because their team prepared us to leave the office.

How did Ripple IT perform from a project management standpoint?

During our onboarding phase, we migrated our Google Drive data and onboarded our staff. We had weekly calls with Ripple, which were really helpful. For any one-off issues, we submit tickets to their support email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We had complicated issues related to disentangling ourselves from our parent company’s tech systems. Our onboarding took longer than Ripple anticipated, but they really stuck with us. As we transitioned off of our parent company’s systems, they had weekly calls with our staff for several months. I appreciated their flexibility and ability to stick with us until the initial project was complete

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have a dedicated service representative. However, we send tickets through their general system and then the first available technician responds. That’s fine because it’s not a large team. It would be nice to work with just one person who knows our issues and could anticipate our needs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As much as possible, it would be helpful to have in-person meetings in the beginning. We found it invaluable to have them come on-site and meet our staff. It was helpful for them to have that knowledge even though it became a remote relationship.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the chief service officer of Pillow Pharmahealth. We’re a small prescription benefit management (PBM) company that began four years ago. We administer prescription drug programs for small-to-medium-sized companies throughout the country.

In my role, I’m responsible for all elements of service. That includes the way we serve as patients or the way we serve as clients — anything that has to do with the way we’re servicing people.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ripple IT?

When we started four years ago, we brought them on to set up the entire IT infrastructure for our small office.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When they were establishing our startup’s IT infrastructure, they came in and helped us choose our laptops. Their team also set up our network. Essentially, they were responsible for all our IT-related matters. Following that, we established an ongoing maintenance contract with them to help us with anything related to IT that may arise. If we change servers or have any laptop problems or power outages, they’re our go-to IT partner.

We have two ways of interacting with them. Anyone in our company can contact them through a toll-free number or send an email which will electronically open up a ticket. Once the ticket gets opened and assigned to one of the technicians, that technician reaches out to us with an email. They make an outbound phone call to us to talk about whatever the issue is. Issues range from not being able to boot up a laptop, receiving an error message, or handling a new software update release.

What is the team composition?

I work with Corey (Strategic Account Executive). He’s our go-to person when anything comes up with regard to our contract or any terms we need to negotiate.

How did you come to work with Ripple IT?

The CEO of my company had a working relationship with Ripple IT’s CEO. The two of them negotiated terms on their own. Then, a small team was put together to participate and interview them for the final decision. I had conversations with a few people at Ripple IT. Everything sounded great, and I was happy with what I heard.

How much have you invested with them?

We invest approximately $25,000–$50,000 a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in February 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their service has been outstanding. Items get resolved on the same day we report them. They provide a same-day turnaround. We don’t have any super challenging requests because we’re a small team. Everything is worked on so fast and beautifully; we’re absolutely thrilled with them.

How did Ripple IT perform from a project management standpoint?

Two or three times a year, we meet with Ripple IT to provide feedback in terms of areas for opportunity or things that are going well. We haven’t had any sort of opportunity list with them. Our meetings are becoming shorter and shorter because all of the feedback is positive and wonderful.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their technicians have been special for us. We don’t have a lot of technical expertise within the organization so dealing with them has been a blessing. They’re able to explain technical things to laymen in an easy way. Their team always remains patient with us, we’re never rushed off the phone. We never leave with any open questions.

Everything is crystal clear in dealing with the agents on the phone. Each technician always knows exactly what they’re doing. They read up on our past issues so they’re informed. It’s clear that they’re doing their homework. This is all on top of the fact that their turnaround time to close issues is extraordinary.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. I’ve asked them to make recommendations to us about things we may not be aware of or have on our radar. They’ve expressed that that will be a big focus in this upcoming year.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure they understand your short-, middle-, and long-term needs. Allow them to understand the business you’re in. It’ll help them know what sort of data they’re working with. Let them make recommendations and be open-minded to their suggestions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an experimental design agency that started out as a production company. Now, we have a production arm, a creative arm, and a strategy arm. Our company mostly works with B2B events, although we do some B2C events, as well. Although my role started in operations, I currently work in HR.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ripple IT?

We were looking for a managed IT services provider who could work with both our Mac and PC users no matter where they were.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Ripple IT has worked with us for the majority of our company history, which has spanned 22 years. It’s phenomenal how they’re able to work with our team remotely to do pretty much everything IT-related. Whenever our employees are having technical issues, they’ll work with us to troubleshoot.

Besides the day-to-day IT operations, their team handles the onboarding setup for new hires such as granting access to company resources like our Egnyte cloud system. It’s the same for when anyone offboards — they’re very hands-on in any large-scale layoffs that we have to do. Typically, we just connect with them, and they’ll make all of the changes in real-time as needed. 

Several times a year, they audit our IT infrastructure since safety and security have become bigger concerns for us. That also involves testing our team on security practices and making recommendations. We’ve had ongoing conversations for the last six months about additional actions we can take as a company to up our cybersecurity, too.

As for some of their larger projects, we did a huge company rebrand back in 2017, and they coordinated with our website developers. They worked on our internal wiki, making sure that all of the content got moved over to the new domain. Then, obviously, all of our email addresses had to change, and they worked on a lot of the additional backend items (e.g., Calendars, Microsoft Outlook, License changes for Adobe).

What is the team composition? 

I’ve worked with a variety of people over the years. Anthony (Project Team Lead) is currently my primary point of contact. He’s my first stop before start doing anything. Then, there’s James (Senior Systems Engineer) who focuses on implementations. He’s been with us for such a long time that everybody who’s been with us for any amount of time knows and loves him. Aside from them, I’ve worked with several others day to day, including people who are no longer at the company.

How did you come to work with Ripple IT?

This was before my time, but I can say that it was due to a relationship between our founder and the person who runs Ripple IT. Our company is a very people-first organization in just about everything, so it’d be no surprise that that was how our founder started working with them. 

How much have you invested with them?

Our current monthly bill fluctuates between $13,000–$15,000, running on a per-user cost. If there’s a special project, the price will increase to accommodate.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked with them for 20 years, now, at least since January 2000, and the relationship is still going strong. 

Recently, we’ve started consulting with them on some things we need from our clients. Occasionally, a client will audit us, so there are some compliance items that we have to sort out. They help us with that process, which can be a behemoth of paperwork as they respond to questions about how information is backed up and how we keep our data secure.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I work with a lot of external vendors, and I’ve never run across a company that works with us as well and as flexibly as we need them to be as Ripple IT. They always respond immediately, no matter who is reaching out. I can’t think of a time when a team member has complained that they’ve reached out to Ripple IT and not heard back.

Over the years, we’ve gone through company audits to see where we can save on costs, and our CFO and CEO have talked with me to see if we’d benefit from hiring some internal IT members. The conclusion is always the same: there’s no way we can get what we need by hiring someone in-house nor going to another company that would afford us the same level of service as Ripple IT. They don’t just support our daily actions but are also consultants who can stand up to our ever-changing needs.

How did Ripple IT perform from a project management standpoint?

All of their logistical information like response time is tracked in their system, and I appreciate that there’s always a very open line of communication. The day-to-day items are processed through a well-oiled machine. For the bigger projects, I’ll typically meet with our account manager every week to schedule deadlines and review deliverables. They’ve never had a problem with getting anything done.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re just good people! Some of that comes from how long I’ve known them since I now have a relationship with so many of their team members. It’s nice that they’re able to offer a level of personalization, considering how easy it is to get lost in the fray as a vendor becomes huge. 

Every time I have a bad experience working with another vendor, I’ll email Ripple IT saying that I’m reminded of how wonderful they are. They’ve maintained consistency in the quality of their service because we’ve been working together for so long. People have come and gone from their organization, but they’ve somehow been able to keep a sense of continuity.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I know they used to send out newsletters that highlighted relevant news about tech, but it would be nice to have those include team members who are coming and going. Since we’re talking about cybersecurity so much, I’m always a bit skeptical when an unfamiliar name on their side reaches out to us. A newsletter that shares highlights about their company and any new hires would be helpful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You can go to anyone at Ripple IT, and they’ll find you the right person to get you what you need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of internal technology for Vector Solutions. We’re a continuing education company that supports both the public and private sectors. We provide training resources and help users earn credit to maintain their licenses. For example, we provide continuing education on equipment and procedures for people working in chemical plants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ripple IT?

We originally brought Ripple IT on to migrate our email from G Suite to Microsoft Office 365.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After they migrated our email to Microsoft Office 365,  we asked them to migrate back to G Suite. Since then, they’ve become our go-to G Suite support provider. They manage all of our Google licensing.

We often bring them on board when we acquire a new company, too. They bring our new partners onto our email system to improve communications.

What is the team composition?

We have a consistent account manager, but whenever we start working on a new project, they assign a new project manager and engineers.

How did you come to work with Ripple IT?

They were referred to us. I was deciding between Ripple IT and a couple of other companies. Throughout the process, we considered the price and the size of their operation. I felt like a very large company might not give us the attention we needed. After talking to Ripple IT, I felt like they would support us throughout the entire project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership began in August 2017 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their engineers are very talented and are very dedicated to helping us meet our goals. If they think something won’t work out for the best, they bring it to our attention and suggest a different approach. They think the box outside and come up with new solutions. Even if they aren’t what we originally scoped out, their ideas align with our project goals.

How did Ripple IT perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicate very well and do everything they need to in order to meet our deadlines. Recently, they worked all weekend, late nights, and early mornings to get a migration project done quickly. They didn’t give up until the project was complete. In that aspect, they’re amazing partners.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very diligent. They go out of their way to find answers for us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could build out their staff a little more, so sometimes I think they don’t have enough engineers, so

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront with them and let them know exactly what you’re looking for.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of TSWII. We’re a financial services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Ripple IT?

We brought them on to handle our managed IT services. They would essentially be taking those duties off of my shoulders because I had formerly been handling all of the IT for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They handle our general managed IT services, and we’ve had different one-off projects. They migrated us from our local server to a cloud provider. They’ve also migrated our email services from one provider to another. Their team assists us with our cybersecurity, upgrades, as well as provides additional resources to strengthen our cybersecurity processes and infrastructure.

They handle our individual pieces of equipment and computers by getting those onboarded and secured. I work with an account representative who assists us in troubleshooting efforts or communications with the internal staff. We also have a senior technician who helps on individual projects. Occasionally, he assists on various things.

What is the team composition?

I work with our account representative and a senior technician. There are several others who are the on-call techs who assist us when we call.

How did you come to work with Ripple IT?

We only run Apple computers and systems, and we’re a very small firm. Finding a managed IT partner who would take our account and could meet both of those needs was difficult. One of Ripple IT’s competitors recommended us to them. They thought we’d be a good fit. We were immediately impressed so it was an easy decision.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $50,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in December 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All the projects they do have a successful outcome. They’ve consistently met our goals. Their team provides excellent customer service for our ongoing needs. They’re available, timely, and resolve our issues. Ripple IT is a great partner to work with.

How did Ripple IT perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve only had one project with a hard and fast deadline, and they met it. Most of the time, it’s pretty flexible because everything is a process we knew would take some time to work through.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their customer service is the best thing. Ripple IT has a good system in which they respond and let us know they received our inquiry and are assigning a technician to our case. They’re usually able to set out a reasonable timeframe. I appreciate our account representative's follow-up with us. He proactively reaches out to help us plan — that’s rare from what I’ve seen.

In our four years together, there’s only been one instance where we had a miscommunication. We went to him and set up a conversation to cure that. They did everything we could ask for in terms of making that situation clearer. They cured that hiccup within a very reasonable amount of time and ensured we were happy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’d be great if they opened an office where we are. All their services are done remotely. They’re willing to come up here if needed but we haven’t needed it. If they increased their footprint and opened an office here that’d be wonderful.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communication from the beginning is very important. Scope out exactly what you expect. Maintain those lines of communication so everything is clear on the frontend.