TechMD

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of information systems at Community Health Resources. We’re a behavioral healthcare provider in Connecticut. We have over 30 locations and almost 900 employees. We provide behavioral health services to children and adults, including foster care, methadone treatments, and partnerships with the department of corrections.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechMD?

We were trying to fortify our existing IT department by adding an advanced skill set for infrastructure support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TechMD supports our infrastructure. They purchase and support our firewalls, switching equipment, WiFi endpoints, virtual servers, and servers. They also support our switches and routers and monitor our systems.

TechMD provides off-site support but will come out to install equipment when we need their assistance. They build servers for us and manage our support contracts and license subscriptions.

What is the team composition?

We have a sales representative, a designated support person, and a virtual CIO.

How did you come to work with TechMD?

I had been a customer of the company that TechMD took over, so it was an easy transition. I chose to keep working with them because I could count on the support I had been provided, and the expectations continued to be met.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our security posture has improved immensely since working with TechMD. We stay on top of our end-of-life equipment and meet all HIPAA standards and guidelines with the support of TechMD.

How did TechMD perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is excellent. They plan and communicate well and deliver on time and within expectations. We use their ticketing system and email for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The way they work together and coordinate efforts is impressive. We meet regularly with our sales representative, designated support person, and virtual CIO. TechMD has a good system in place where my communication with those folks trickles through the organization to purchasing. We have 24-hour support, and they communicate well within their own organization.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re working on improving the tools they provide to their customers, which is a move in the right direction.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Determine exactly what type of services you expect. There’s so much within IT, such as workstations, help desk and infrastructure support, and budget management. Have a clear idea of the gaps within your organization that you’re trying to fill with TechMD’s support.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the system administrator for an online law school and university based in California and Colorado.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechMD?

When I joined the university, I discovered we had a lot of legacy equipment, including old hardware, software, and storage systems. Therefore, I started looking for different cloud storage and hosting systems and ultimately decided to go with Microsoft (MS) 365.

We decided to go with MS 365 because, as a higher education facility, we would basically get the license for free. Still, I wasn’t familiar with the MS 365 suite. Knowing how extensive it was, I started looking for companies to build the backend of the environment and hand it over to me.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TechMD helped us implement MS 365 for our university system. Their scope included managing the system implementation, helping me set up a SharePoint environment with MS Azure, and teaching me about MS Azure online management systems.

When working with other clients without internal IT staff, TechMD would normally do the entire setup themselves. However, since I was here, they simply gave me instructions on how to do certain tasks to help us save money. In addition to the implementation, TechMD helped us get new hardware. They used their partnership with Dell to help us order a large number of laptops and equipment.

What is the team composition?

I mainly worked with one teammate from TechMD, but there were two teammates involved: Angelique (Project Coordinator) and a main technician who was my main point of contact. Initially, I also had the phone number of one of TechMD’s department heads, so he was the first team member from TechMD I communicated with.

How did you come to work with TechMD?

I started looking for various companies and found TechMD. One of our university's student service staff members had gone to TechMD’s office to ask for a business card and gave it to the former system administrator. Although that person didn’t reach out to them, the student service staff member still had the card and gave it to me.

When I contacted TechMD, I discovered that they were a one-minute walk from us, so they were able to come on-site for free to do an on-site survey; that was the main reason we went with them. If we ever needed them to come in and fix something for us, they would be able to do it, making our relationship easier.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent close to $11,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together in November 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were working with very old processes and IT equipment, but TechMD made the transition to MS 365 easy for us. We were able to order new equipment through them using their connections. Moreover, the fact that we upgraded from our local file server to cloud storage in SharePoint and OneDrive for on-demand files made working hybrid a lot easier for us.

Before working on this project, our Colorado location didn’t have access to our files because they also used local file servers, so we had to use Dropbox and other tools. This was a cumbersome process because we had to use multiple file-sharing software services. Now, both locations can see our entire files through SharePoint.

How did TechMD perform from a project management standpoint?

Although we experienced some delays, those were on me. Given that I was only one person in charge of this project, I had some issues jumping back and forth between different duties, so I ended up missing meetings or not having time to go into certain ones. TechMD was still very punctual and met all the deadlines that were their responsibility.

What did you find most impressive about them?

TechMD made everything go very smoothly, and the information they gave me was readily available.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was nothing TechMD could have improved on. If anything, the issues we’ve experienced have to do with MS 365 directly rather than the job performed by TechMD.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust the skills of TechMD’s technicians — they’re very knowledgeable and well-trained.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT Director at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. We also have a preschool and other educational programs on campus.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechMD?

We needed a company that could help us become Cloud-based. We wanted to have a more agile mobile workforce and a better frontend experience for our staff, and we didn't want to rely on many on-site tool servers anymore.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired TechMD to help us become Cloud-based. We started the engagement by providing them with all of our current information, which included our network infrastructure and our list of inventory in terms of machines. TechMD did a great job of getting everything organized — they did a lot of discovery to try to get things not just properly documented but working as well.

Our network infrastructure, both Wi-Fi and switchover structure, was quite antiquated and was far past its usable life cycle. TechMD helped us create a more robust system and solved our networking issues, including issues with our phones, printers, IoT devices, and computers. We also had a big reliance on hardwired LAN because our Wi-Fi was quite fickle and didn't work very well. 

TechMD’s support allows us to have a strong network infrastructure that could support some of our future goals, especially from the Cloud side. They also provided us with more visibility on our network so that our support could be more pleasant and efficient.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with Angelique (Project Coordinator), Gus (vCIO), and one other person from TechMD.

How did you come to work with TechMD?

Initially, we had an existing MSP that wasn't quite meeting our needs. We had done some research and became aware of TechMD. They're fairly local to us here in our county, and they had such a glowing record that we just chose to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. September 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen a 10–100x increase in our Internet speeds, and we now have full coverage of our campus. The biggest measured outcome, I would say, is that we now can fully use our phone systems and printing systems to their full potential, which wasn't something that we could do before because of our network infrastructure. We have removed 90% of our hardwired pipelines, and we now have most of our workforce on Wi-Fi.

In terms of my time, TechMD probably saves me at least 5 hours per week in network troubleshooting on-site, and that is due to the increased technology and the management tools that are available with our new systems. 

How did TechMD perform from a project management standpoint?

TechMD performed well in terms of project management. They’ve done an excellent job of staying on budget. The team at TechMD had rallied and not only ended up saving us money, but started our project months early, which is why we were able to finish when we did. They’ve really creative and aggressive about constantly searching out new opportunities for equipment.

We typically communicate through email and Microsoft Teams meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

TechMD is all about the customer experience. They're really intentional about how they do their client management process. Gus, our vCIO, leverages the TechMD resources to solve our problems. Our account manager is also sensitive to our specific organizational needs and our industry as well. They're all about helping us win, and that's spectacular for an MSP.

Aside from that, their team of account managers has a really great width of experience. They were able to find someone who has a lot of relevant knowledge in our area, so choosing them was a very easy decision just because of how they hire their account managers and their expertise. Just interacting with them has been so amazing, and we love the way that we work together. Overall, they're a great company that prioritizes their mission over their bottom line and makes sure that they can help us the best they can.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They’ve gone above and beyond my expectations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Research & Development Analyst for City Net, a homeless services agency serving throughout California.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechMD?

We contracted TechMD to be our IT consultant organization-wide. They guided us through the transition from our former email and Productivity suites to our new "ecosystem". They also were our daily IT services, answering calls and resolving tickets from our staff.

SOLUTION

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

We found TechMD through a combination of online research, asking other nonprofit peer organizations, and personal contacts. Our deciding factors were their history of working with other nonprofits before us, their cost, and their reputation.

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

They set up our email system, productivity software suite, agent installation for all devices (for tech help), as well as hardware and network assessments. They also handled our entire migration for around 175 employees with our file storage and emails.

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

We had many leaders available for many of the steps through the process, including the Project Coordinator, the Project Consultant, the vCIO, the Proactive Services Manager, and others.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We successfully migrated around 175 staff and over 200 devices to a brand new email and productivity suite, including all of our 8+ year file storage for really important client and infrastructure resources, and it went off as well as we could have hoped. There was a learning curve, but they made themselves available in open Virtual Meeting rooms for hours at a time for many days in a row to field all questions and walk people through their questions and processes.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was effective and quick. We had a small team that worked with a small team of theirs, and our regular meetings plus day-to-day communications managed what we needed, helped diagnose any issues, and produced an effective strategic plan and implementation.

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

TechMD is very communicative. I never had trouble reaching them, and they were diligent to reach out or respond via email or phone regularly. Their technical expertise was excellent, and they had plentiful resources that they shared with our staff.

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

Their billing process and invoicing was often confusing, and we had to work with them over a long period to get it to where our Finance Team could understand it all accurately and clearly in a format that was effective.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the controller for a residential plumbing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechMD?

Our previous provider was completely unresponsive and left us to navigate a whole host of issues with our IT infrastructure. I have zero understanding of how the whole thing works, so we partnered with TechMD to help us fix and stay ahead of those technical issues.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Upon our onboarding, TechMD updated and fixed a few things on our system. They set up our firewall and now mostly provide support offsite. When we needed them to, though, they come to our office to manage our IT infrastructure. 

What is the team composition?

TechMD has a team that responds to the tickets that we submit, and so far we’ve worked with around 10 people. We also have an account manager to who we can reach out.

How did you come to work with TechMD?

Some years ago, TechMD stopped by our office, since we work right down the street from them. At the time, we weren’t ready to switch providers since it was a big task. When we were finally ready, though, we decided to reach out to them again.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership began in February 2022 and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

TechMD’s response time is excellent and ten times faster than that of our previous provider. We’ve been 100% operational since switching to them, and we haven’t had any complaints since.

How did TechMD perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicate, meet deadlines, and stay within budget really well. They assign specific team members to each project, and these people are good at staying on task. We mostly communicate via Microsoft Teams, email, and their ticketing system. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been most impressed with their widely positive reviews. When I was searching for providers and asking around for referrals, virtually no one is happy with their IT company. Seeing that TechMD actually has good reviews made me take a chance on them, and I’ve been pretty happy with that decision so far.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve met my standards. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re a very communicative team, so it will help for you to be communicative on your end as well. Also, be mindful of when you intend to start your partnership. When we engaged TechMD, it was right around the end of our fiscal year, so it was pretty strained initially. We weren’t able to kick off as smoothly as I would’ve liked. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm an accountant at Marina Plastic Surgery.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechMD?

Our biggest challenge was improving our cybersecurity systems.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TechMD is currently upgrading our entire cybersecurity system. The team first took a look at how our previous IT partner set up our systems. Then, TechMD made recommendations on improving our security measures and how to apply these measures correctly.

The TechMD team is still implementing various security solutions using the existing technology we were already using. They also provide other IT services, like helping us increase our internet speed.

They've come into our office a few times for things like hardware upgrades, but most of TechMD's work is done remotely. On the side, they also frequently recommend vendors who can solve our other issues.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is Angelique (Project Coordinator), who handles the scheduling, and Shaun (Virtual CIO). We've also interacted with several technicians.

During onboarding, we also worked with David (Proactive Services Manager), who walked us through the process and introduced us to the team assigned to the project.

How did you come to work with TechMD?

One of our doctors asked around, and someone recommended TechMF. We read some reviews, interviewed them, and decided they were the best fit for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in September 2021, and it's ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's been a good experience so far. The main thing we're grateful for is how the team has kept us in the loop about the state of our IT processes. 

Our previous IT provider kept us in the dark, so we weren't aware of whether or not our systems were healthy. Meanwhile, TechMD has been very upfront and open about what's going on and what they could do to fix it. 

How did TechMD perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is excellent — they're very open and honest. The team walks us through each step and constantly updates us on their progress. Additionally, if we have questions, they do a fantastic job of explaining technical terms.

We typically submit issues using tickets, and the technicians have done a great job being responsive. The team usually calls back within two hours or even sooner if it's an urgent matter. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We're most impressed with their responsiveness. Whenever we have an issue, they quickly come up with a solution. The team has never made us wait; we've never had any outstanding tickets that have been pending for too long.

Overall, TechMD has been amazing — we couldn't be happier with our decision to work with them. Their monthly fees are very reasonable, and we're more than happy to pay for their outstanding work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have any complaints — TechMD is a great team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend working with them because they genuinely care about their clients. The team is very helpful, which is the best thing you can ask for from a partner.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a partner in and the Chief Investment Officer of an asset management firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechMD?

The sensitivity of the information that we retain for our clients demands that we maintain a level of technology platform sophistication and security that few, if any, firms our size could develop and sustain in-house. We looked to TechMD to establish the proper foundation for our technology program, while ensuring that we continue to improve upon that base as threat-protection, client engagement and regulatory requirements evolve.

SOLUTION

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

It was no easy task finding a provider that could meet our primary project requirements (design and support a transition to Microsoft 365, establish and maintain a cloud-based document management system), while also serving an ongoing role as a comprehensive outsource IT partner. TechMD handily met these and a number of other requirements that placed their team and capabilities firmly above the other competitors.

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

The first phase of the project involved a transition from multiple electronic communications services providers, as well as varied archival providers and processes. The second stage (ongoing) involves determining an information security solution suitable for a predominantly mobile device-oriented operating environment. TechMD design the projects related to and manages the execution of the transition to new service providers, while continuing to investigate potential solutions to not-yet-resolved challenges.

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

We worked (directly) with one business development manager, one team manager, two project managers, at least six implementation specialists.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

What might have been an otherwise impossibly challenging e-mail transition proceeded more smoothly than we had expected. And the switch to cloud-based document management was near instant and entirely successful. Where unexpected issues arise, the entire TechMD team is prompt in their diagnoses and resolutions.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Still almost entirely virtual, our projects demanded many odd-hour efforts. The TechMD team managed the challenges of remote management and delivery, while remaining patient and diligent against the trials of evening and weekend communications and project execution that such transitions commonly require.

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

Most firms with whom we spoke prior to engaging TechMD offer far more limited services or otherwise suggested our project requirements were insufficiently complex, large or comprehensive to fit their client profile. TechMD’s willingness to manage our firm’s complex technology requirements set them apart from others we reviewed.

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

Given the various sub-projects in process at any moment, it was not always clear to us with whom we should be working on any specific issue. Even so, everyone on their team was quick to redirect such issues to the individual(s) more appropriate to the task.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there? 

I'm the office manager of August Law Group, a law firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechMD?

We needed someone to provide IT services and consultancy.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TechMD fulfills all of our IT needs. They monitor and install our equipment and notify us when anything needs replacement. Furthermore, the team has set up two-step authentication and remote access for us. They also manage and host our websites and handle online payments. 

Recently, our physical server was starting to have issues, so we had to decide whether to replace it or transfer everything to the cloud. TechMD then handled the entire process of migrating our data from our server to the cloud.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is Angelique (Project Coordinator), while Andrew (Marketing Communications Manager) acts as the technical lead. We've also worked with Shaun (vCIO), our account manager.

How did you come to work with TechMD?

TechMD acquired the IT company we were previously engaged with. We were happy with their services, so we continued the partnership.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent $105,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started around October 2016, and it is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

TechMD does a great job keeping us informed of upcoming tasks like upgrades and replacements. Whenever we have an issue, the team stays on top of the situation until they find a solution and resolve the problem. 

How did TechMD perform from a project management standpoint?

Angelique is great at settling realistic timelines for tasks and following up to ensure things stay on track. Additionally, Shaun reviews the project with us roughly every six months.

We primarily communicate via email and phone, with occasional in-person interaction for specific projects. Depending on the urgency, TechMD responds within a couple of hours when we call them about an issue that needs attention. 

What did you find most impressive about them? 

They're professional and reliable. TechMD possesses outstanding technical prowess and always suggests the best possible solution.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we don't really have points for improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Maintain open communication and establish a close relationship with them. I also recommend taking their suggestions into account.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner and chief executive officer of a boutique law firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire TechMD?

Our IT services are critical to our ability to conduct our business and communicate with clients. I was introduced to TechMD about six years ago through a local networking group. Since then, they have helped us with all aspects of our IT, and most recently a complete migration tot he cloud and conversion to SharePoint.

SOLUTION

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

We had experiences with a few different outsourced IT providers before selecting TechMD, and I was looking for a group that was easy to work with for a small business that is not "tech savvy", but robust enough to keep up with the most challenging IT issues, confidentiality requirements and threats that all companies face today.

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

TehMD has, from the start, helped us with monitoring and maintaining all of our IT equipment, and providing recommendations on IT strategy with respect to security, functionality and procurement. During the pandemic, while everyone was working remotely. it was decided to undertake a migration to the cloud.

Tech MD reviewed every aspect of this change with us, and helped each person at our firm successfully to make the conversion to the SharePoint system which they put us on.

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

We worked with a number of Tech MD personnel, from the President of the company through multiple technicians and account representatives. probably 4 to 5 different of its people were involved during and after the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Moving from a physical to a cloud-based IT solution was a very scary thing for us, but Tech MD worked "around the clock" to ensure that the system worked correctly, and each of us could access and use our data on the new system. We could not have made it through the full migration without the attention and assistance that we received from TechMD, and which we have come to know and appreciate over the past several years.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Tech MD staff communicated daily with us through this process, communicating by e-mail, text and phone as necessary to ensure that nobody was left out in the cold after the migration. They truly pay attention to customer needs and concerns, and address them quickly and effectively whenever they arise.

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

The level of personal dedication which every technician displays in working with us is truly remarkable. People will follow up on their own, after hours, to make certain that whatever issue was being worked on has been fully addressed, and to help keep our people online and working night and day, as necessary.

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

There is really nothing more we could ask for, in terms of the working relationship we have with Tech MD. Of all of the vendor relationships that we have, none has turned into such a true partnership, where we know without fail that if we experience an actual or potential problem with our IT, they are there to help us avoid it, or recover from it as quickly as possible.