Sikich

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a government administration office.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Master Infotech?

Our IT network was expiring in disarray, so we needed to update it. Therefore, we were looking for an IT partner to provide confidence in our network’s security to avoid cyber attacks.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Master Infotech provides on- and offsite IT services for us; they monitor our computer networks, applications, and hardware to make recommendations on potential improvements. Based on those suggestions, we then have the final say on whether they install or replace any software or hardware or not. In addition, their team assists all of our departments with updates on the systems we use — we’ve implemented a rotation cycle where we replace our computers with newer ones every four years.

What was the team composition? 

We mainly work with Dean (Client Account Manager) and Dustin (Director), but they have other members that work with us on- and offsite.

How did you come to work with Master Infotech?

Sikich had worked with someone from our team on a previous project, so we decided to reach out to them for this task.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2016, and the engagement is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sikich has been very helpful in increasing our network speed and assisting us in adapting to new technologies and applications.

How did Master Infotech perform from a project management standpoint?

Sikich's team gives us an upfront cost for every project, which we approve, but if the task is getting longer than expected, they reach out to us and request additional hours to finish the project they're working on. They're also responsive and quick — we only need to send an email or make a phone call to them, and they address our needs immediately. Moreover, they have an efficient ticketing system where they contact the employee that has the technical issue and can also take care of our hardware and software replacement needs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Sikich is always on top of the schedule, communicative, and reaches out to us to keep us updated on the project's progress through weekly phone calls.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sikich isn't the cheapest option, but I can sleep at night knowing that our IT networks are in good hands. Sikich is a professional team, and we're satisfied with their services.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Sit down and talk to them to iterate what type of services you need — Sikich can provide an array of services to assist you with several projects.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Office Manager for a mid size law firm in the Chicago Loop.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Sikich?

Sikich has been our Managed IT Provider since 2013.

SOLUTION

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

We interviewed several companies to determine what best fit our needs for our budget.

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

Sikich manages our day to day IT needs as well as any projects we may need. They are here for us 24/7 for remote support and provide network support, device management, proactive maintenance of all system, and anything else we need related to IT.

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

We consistently work with many team members in various roles from Partners, to CIO to engineers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sikich recently helped us with an office move that was completed successfully and without any major hiccups. They helped tremendously in making the tech side of the move seamless. In addition to that large project, Sikich has consistently brought new ideas for us to improve internal processes, speed, and security.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We can always rely on Sikich to provide us with great service and be there when we need them. They are very responsive, but more than that they are proactive in bringing potential issues to our attention before they become problems.

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

The reliability as well as the responsiveness of ALL team members from the top down to engineers has been outstanding.

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

We appreciate the consistency and great work!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a department manager for an aircraft parts manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sikich?

We needed help with getting the NIST 800-171 certification.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sikich has done an assessment of our cybersecurity to get everything in place so that we can get the NIST 800-171 certification. For this assessment, they’ve provided me with both on-site and off-site services.

To get everything started, I first provided Sikich with our current documentation related to the project, after which they started the security assessment process. Then, they laid out a plan and defined the structure of what needed to be in place to get the certification. Currently, we continue working on implementing those requirements.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a scheduler, an engineer, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Sikich?

We originally contacted them through another service provider that we used for getting a Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). In order to get the NIST 800-171 certification, the service provider needs to be certified to do that, and Sikich was certified and came highly recommended, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together on this project in December 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although we don’t have the certification yet, we have a score that indicates our level of compliance. Since working with Sikich on implementing changes, our score has improved dramatically.

How did Sikich perform from a project management standpoint?

Sikich has always been on top of project management, and they’ve guided us every step of the way. Moreover, their team has kept everything within the promised timeline, and their communication is great. The scheduler helps us organize regular meetings to follow up on assignments needed to be completed before getting the certification. We use Basecamp to collaborate, as well as Microsoft Teams and email to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Sikich is knowledgeable, and they’re one of the few entities certified in facilitating the NIST 800-171 certification. Overall, they’ve been great partners.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work with them and keep up with what you need to do. Although Sikich can help you discuss solutions, a big part of the project has to do with your technology and your needs, so there will be things you’ll have to do on your end. Additionally, have dedicated people from your end working on the project.