TechNoir Solutions

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Soucie Horner, Ltd.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Interior Design and Architectural design services firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire TechNoir Solutions to accomplish?

Develop custom software to integrate the workflow of four divisions of our company into one platform.

SOLUTION

How did you find TechNoir Solutions?

Referral

Why did you select TechNoir Solutions over others?

Company values aligned

How many teammates from TechNoir Solutions were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Develop an order writing, purchasing and procurement software that integrates with Quickbooks. Development and testing to occur in two-week segments with the bulk of the development focused on a complicated and dynamic order writing platform.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Having deliverables to test every two weeks ensured open communication and adaptability for the process of custom software development. Seeing it come to life and being able to use it as we continuously built on the product made it easy for our internal groups to provide appropriate feedback in a timely manner.

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

Responses to requests via email came quickly, and they weren't afraid to pick up the phone for a conversation if there were any ambiguous topics. Throughout the process, they were great about restating our needs in a language that made sense to both parties, so we knew we were on the same page. The cadence of deliverables eliminated any anxiety or doubt of progress being made.

What was your primary form of communication with TechNoir Solutions?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their knowledge of Quickbooks and ability to communicate. Unparalleled.

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

Nope.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founding partner of Volant Law LLC, a law firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechNoir Solutions?

I experienced an email security breach and required assistance to resolve the issue.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

My email account was compromised, and someone emailed the people on my contact list. Luckily, TechNoir Solutions came to my aid and assisted. They provided me with urgent offsite IT support to address the breach. 

After our initial experience with them, we hired them for their ongoing formal IT support services. Their team has been providing our firm with reliable tech support, and they've also installed various products and software included in their service offerings. 

What is the team composition?

I’m in touch with two team members, including the owner.

How did you come to work with TechNoir Solutions?

A client of mine suggested I reach out to TechNoir Solutions. I didn’t research or negotiate; I signed a contract with them based on my need for immediate help.

How much have you invested in them?

So far, we’ve invested $500.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in July 2023, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

TechNoir Solutions immediately addressed the email breach and took care of it within 10 minutes. The team has taken steps to provide protective and supportive services to ensure that there are no further attempts to breach our security.

How did TechNoir Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

The TechNoir Solutions team meets deadlines and stays within the budget. Our primary modes of communication include email, phone, and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're highly responsive, and the communication with the team has been excellent. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their performance has exceeded expectations, and they execute their responsibilities exceptionally well. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend comparing their services. When I urgently needed help, they quickly jumped in and effectively resolved my issue.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President/Owner of Chambers Gasket & Mfg. Co.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Fabricator of custom gaskets

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire TechNoir Solutions to accomplish?

• Replace full time IT employee
• Various projects on case by case basis (e.g., hooking up new machinery to network, extending network to newly builtout office space, etc.)

SOLUTION

How did you find TechNoir Solutions?

Referral

Why did you select TechNoir Solutions over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from TechNoir Solutions were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

TechNoir just gets it done, period. I never really worry about price as I have worked with them for over a decade and trust their work and billing. From just managing our IT, to helping us build out infrastructure for new office space to figuring how to save an ancient tool data base that will only run on Windows 95, TechNoir gets it done.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are cloud based for our administrative and manufacturing processes. We cannot have any connectivity issues.TechNoir build redundancy into our system. As to all other a la carte projects, TechNoir gets them done on time and on budget.

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

Projects are on time and on budget. I can speak directly to the owner whenever I want.

What was your primary form of communication with TechNoir Solutions?

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

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

They figure out a way to help me no matter what.

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

nope

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the technology director at Nisen & Elliot. We’re a law firm located in Chicago.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechNoir Solutions?

We were looking to update our hardware and merge two different networks. We wanted to have ease of access to our users in terms of software distribution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TechNoir Solutions helped us replace our entire server. They brought in a new server and transferred all of the data and information over to it. They also helped us set up new machines for that new server.

The full process was upgrading our server and reconnecting everybody there. We were using a local Microsoft Exchange server, and they moved us over to a cloud server through Office 365. After that, they helped us merge two separate networks.

Currently, they work as our IT company for any small issues that we have and help us plan projects for the future.

What is the team composition?

There are around 4–5 people from TechNoir Solutions that are dedicated to us.

How did you come to work with TechNoir Solutions?

I’d worked with TechNoir Solutions at a previous organization, where they worked as our IT company. Additionally, they were referred to us by a few individuals close to our firm. They recommended TechNoir Solutions as a reputable team to work with as far as technology.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $25,000 on the merging of the networks and the new server. So far, we’ve spent at least $60,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around November 2019. The server upgrade took around 1–2 months. The merging of the two networks was intentionally delayed so that the tax deadlines didn’t interfere with the merging process, and we finished that in June 2020. Our partnership is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m the liaison between Nisen & Elliott and TechNoir Solutions, so our employees come to me to report any issue or to ask why something is happening. Therefore, I’m able to judge how successful everything has been.

Overall, our work has been pretty successful. After the merge, there were a few people that encountered some issues with file access and other aspects. However, those were outliers because 95% of the individuals didn’t notice the change at all, which was a success.

How did TechNoir Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through email, and TechNoir Solutions has a ticketing system that I have access to — I can see any open tickets we have. They also have their set of preferred tools that they like to use.

We meet on a quarterly basis to review larger projects, check on the status of the project that we’re working on, and set goals for the year and each quarter.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Something that struck me right away is TechNoir Solutions’ willingness to explain the reasoning behind something and the steps involved in every process.

They’re willing to take as much time as needed to make sure that we understand what they’re proposing. That way, if any question comes up or an issue is encountered, we have the same ground level of knowledge to work from, which makes it easier to have those conversations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be better if TechNoir Solutions could respond to their tickets faster. However, we know that we’re not their only clients, and they’re incredibly busy. We have a fair number of tickets open. Therefore, they can’t always get them as fast as we’d like.

Any advice for potential customers?

Do a little bit of research on your own about what projects you want to be done. TechNoir Solutions is very good at explaining how projects can be accomplished and goals can be met. Asking questions in the initial meeting is beneficial, and they appreciate the deeper dove into it sooner rather than later.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of development of a company that owns and operates shared office and coworking spaces across the U.S. I head up the acquisition and development of the spaces.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechNoir?

TechNoir was initially one of our clients, and they recognized a few shortcomings of our network, particularly with the Internet and wireless services in our building. They made a few recommendations, and then we eventually hired them to manage our other buildings.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TechNoir manages the dev and deployment of the physical infrastructure for every one of our buildings, including the budgets for the necessary network hardware. The project manager bids on and negotiates our fiber contracts, securing the best rates for each location. TechNoir also maintains the systems to make sure everything functions and runs properly. When construction starts, they accept the hardware and manage the installation, which includes the firewall, switches, wireless access points, and low voltage contractor. Our clients can choose from an a la carte menu of customizations that TechNoir offers.

What is the team composition?

We work with the owner and a project manager.

How did you come to work with TechNoir?

They were one of the first clients to rent out our spaces.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent less than $500,000 on labor.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked with them since January 2014, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our COO is pleased with their services, and they’ve received lots of positive feedback. They keep us updated with technology and are constantly looking for ways to improve the security and functionality of our spaces. They manage to keep costs down and have a good ROI.

How did TechNoir perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a robust ticketing system and, in most cases, respond to our requests on the same day. I have direct communication with the owner and our project manager, and we talk daily or as often as needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re great at scaling to meet needs and creating the best final product possible. They proactively look for ways to improve, all while doing their best to save you money. They’re a great investment that treats your projects as their own.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We mention any problems, and they do their best to accommodate.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of a real estate company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Real estate acquisition and development

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire TechNoir Solutions to accomplish?

• IT support
• IT consulting

SOLUTION

How did you find TechNoir Solutions?

Online Search

Why did you select TechNoir Solutions over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Referred to me

How many teammates from TechNoir Solutions were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Transition all IT managed services from one vendor to Technoir including employee helpdesk support for any and all IT related issues.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All managed services transitioned successfully and Technoir continues to successfully manage any and all related issues.

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

All delivery dates were met. Any challenges in integration were handled in an appropirate amount of time.

What was your primary form of communication with TechNoir Solutions?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Entrepreneurial mindset and culture. Willingness to think creatively about our specific situation.

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the V President of Apex Wood Floors, Inc

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Install and sand hardwood floors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire TechNoir Solutions to accomplish?

• Switch to a better server
• more speed
• get the latest technology

SOLUTION

How did you find TechNoir Solutions?

Referral

Why did you select TechNoir Solutions over others?

• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from TechNoir Solutions were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Better speed/more storage space/better up to date technology

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

constantly our systems are getting better and our service is amazing

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

Any problems they are on top of it

What was your primary form of communication with TechNoir Solutions?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their communication and knowledge of the new technology were impressive.

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

No not in my opinion

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of several Primrose Schools and part of Macland Opco, LLC, the management company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TechNoir Solutions?

We needed someone to handle the technology needs of our schools in three states.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TechNoir Solutions handles the hardware, software, and cybersecurity needs of our schools and the management company. 

What is the team composition?

I work with around six people from TechNoir Solutions, including the owner, the owner’s assistant, and the help desk team.

How did you come to work with TechNoir Solutions?

Another business owner recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2021, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before our partnership began, our schools had little to no internet connection, and their cybersecurity was nonexistent. Since then, TechNoir Solutions has seamlessly integrated IT and cybersecurity systems in our schools.

How did TechNoir Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

TechNoir Solutions’ project management is excellent. They communicate efficiently, stay within their budget, and alert us whenever something falls outside the scope of work. We communicate via Slack and Zoom, although most of our communication happens via phone calls or in-person meetings on-site.

What did you find most impressive about them?

TechNoir Solutions has outperformed in all of the tasks we’ve assigned to them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m not aware of any areas of opportunity for TechNoir Solutions.