Starport Managed Services

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of IT delivery for Trailcon Leasing, a company that leases and rents trailers in Canada. I've worked for them for over 20 years. We have over eight locations nationwide and have been in business for over 35 years. We rent and lease about 12,000 assets, as well as the maintenance. We also manage over 30,000 assets from our customers.

We provide our customers with a 24/7 call center for repairs over the road. We also manage our customers’ own yards and approve asset inspections. We also give our customers real-time access to data analytics, preventive maintenance, fleet maintenance, yard location, and more.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Starport Managed Services?

We had a cyber incident back in 2021, and our previous service provider didn’t have enough knowledge to support us throughout that cyber breach event.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a cyber assessment, and Starport Managed Services helped us clean our environment as part of that assessment. They also identified legacy systems the previous vendor had installed that were never brought to our attention.

We have over 300 local and remote users, so it couldn’t be done overnight. They helped us with a plan to remove the previous vendor and onboard them within six months.

They started helping us migrate to Microsoft 365 for our email and collaboration. We also had some pieces of equipment that were out of warranty and had to be replaced. They sized the equipment based on our requirements and suggested a backup solution and DR system.

They provide off-site services 95% of the time, but they come in to help us organize our rack and cabling when needed. We have a small IT team on-prem that communicates with them whenever needed. They also helped us buy Dell equipment, which we have installed in our local on-prem server room.

What is the team composition?

There are about five people on their side. I have contact all the way to the top of the chain. Mike is a partner success specialist who does the day-to-day, and his manager is Keith, the director of client accounts. I also speak with Brad, their CEO, several times a year. I haven’t spoken to their CTO recently, but engage him when needed.

How did you come to work with Starport Managed Services?

We found Starport Managed Services after a few conversations with their management team. We decided they had enough knowledge and resources available to help us through that engagement. We really liked their responsiveness and how they helped us, even though we weren’t customers then. We realized we had to migrate to a more robust vendor and chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $2.5 million CAD.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2018, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've been pleased with their help and support. Thanks to the sizing and equipment they installed, our uptime is over 99.99%. When there is downtime, they quickly help us resolve it. They’ve also helped us with our BCP. Within 2–3 weeks, we’ve been able to complete a full end-to-end BCP process with direct access assistance.

We rely heavily on them for any new technology that can help us continue to improve our efficiencies and minimize downtime. They’ve been a great and silent partner. They are not upfront, but they are there for us anytime we need them.

How did Starport Managed Services perform from a project management standpoint?

We meet with them once a month to review ongoing projects and activities. They’re really good at that. We have phone calls once a month and then email as needed throughout the month. We use GitHub, but I think they use some tools. I don’t remember which of them, but nothing recently.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We've been partners with them for almost seven years, and their quality of service hasn’t diminished from the beginning of the engagement. What I've heard of other vendors is they start really high, and then the quality, people move on, and then you end up not having what you need after three, four, five years since the start of the engagement. The team has been very steady. They’re very knowledgeable and understand our business. They have a robust call center that can process requests as needed. They’re great people to deal with. It’s serious business, but they’re fun to talk to. We really have a great relationship.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Now that our company is growing, we’ve been acquired by a new group, and our business is being audited more and more. Our vendors are being asked what systems and standards they use to ensure the whole end-to-end cycle is secure.

I recommend Starport Managed Services start improving and at least formalizing this on their side. I know they do a lot of that, but there’s nothing formalized that they can get a document for our auditors.

I have spoken with Keith about this in the past, and I would greatly appreciate it if they could do something like that. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ensure that you do your homework before talking to them. Understand your requirements and what type of environment you would best work in.

Don't go to them trying to solve all your problems if you don't know what you're looking for or need. I find that engagement works best when knowledgeable people are involved on both sides of the communication.

Again, don't rely 100% on them because their job is to advise; you need to know exactly which path you’re taking so they can tell you the best way to get there.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the IT manager for a nonprofit organization that protects life insurance policyholders if their insurance company goes insolvent. I oversee the day-to-day IT infrastructure and services that we provide to our employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Starport Managed Services?

We needed a managed services provider to manage our servers and advanced technical issues. Additionally, we needed help procuring equipment and services from other vendors.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Starport Managed Services supports finding vendors or consultants to provide our IT services. They've installed hardware and software on-site. They do most of the work remotely, but they sometimes come on-site to address issues because of whatever machine they're connecting to if they cannot access it from their location. They do frequent maintenance depending on when required; we use Microsoft. So, if there are any updates at Microsoft, send them out. Usually, they send me come out on Tuesdays. They review it and then push the ones related to our devices every few months.

What is the team composition?

We have an account manager and a team lead. They’re our main points of contact. It goes to their help desk whenever we submit tickets, which might be a different team I don't know about.

How did you come to work with Starport Managed Services?

They were already our managed services provider when I got hired.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent between $50,000–$200,000 CAD.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2016, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Last year, we had a big project migrating our services from on-premises to the cloud. We're still in that process, but they have played a huge part in getting us from where we were to where we are now. When we started our services with them, they had a major project of bringing all of our services to their sites, which, from what I've heard from our colleagues, the team played a really big part in achieving that as well.  They’re good at getting what their clients need. They've met our expectations. 

How did Starport Managed Services perform from a project management standpoint?

We started with Matt and got a new team lead, so the process has been great, even though their management has always changed. They're still there and understand what we're looking for, their history, the services they provided, or our IT structure, and they're always there to help. They go back and speak to each other to clarify how things are set up. So, I would say the entire team has been great. And the change process has been phenomenal. 

Usually, they are pretty quick in resolving issues; if something from servers needs to be replaced or they don't need to order it, they resolve it within a day or two when they need to come to our office. Still, if they can do it remotely, they get it done within hours. They do a good job of meeting deadlines and communicating, but if it's just them. It gets complicated when another third party is involved. We provide them with the details we want for the project, and they manage the project. We communicate through email and Microsoft Teams.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provide a wide range of expertise in the areas where we need assistance. Their knowledge of cybersecurity, IT services, and certain applications or hardware have impressed us. If they don't know, they provide advice or recommendations for consultants or vendors who can provide the services we’re looking for. It's good that they try to find a solution even though they don't have that service in-house.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve managing third-party vendors during the project. Work along with them, too.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know what you’re looking for because you can’t assume they’ll know what you want. Have an idea of what you’re looking for, and be open to asking questions and getting more options. Generally speaking, even though they will suggest certain approaches, don't take your face value. Always see why it is done that way or if there's another approach. To manage how much you're spending, compare costs. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Operations of Cowie Capital Partners Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Commercial property development and management

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Starport Managed Services to accomplish?

• Better network security
• Quicker service timelines

SOLUTION

How did you find Starport Managed Services?

Referral

Why did you select Starport Managed Services over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Starport Managed Services were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Manage all aspects of IT infrastructure and cloud environments

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Service response intervals and system downtime

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

Everything was ontime and within scope

What was your primary form of communication with Starport Managed Services?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I'm impressed by their hands-on approach.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Starport Managed Services could have done differently?

No