TRINUS Technologies

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the billing supervisor and IT coordinator for a municipal government.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TRINUS?

The time I had available to dedicated to our IT services wasn’t sufficient so we wanted a managed IT service. We lease all of our computer equipment every four years, and it was getting to be a lot to manage on our own.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

TRINUS provided us with all 45 of the computers and laptops for our office. Their team set up our entire system, installed all of the necessary programs, and got everything up and running. Additionally, they supply all our hardware on an ongoing basis, including virtualizing some of our servers.

They also provide customer service for us. If there is something we don’t have time to deal with or is out of my scope, we get on the phone with them right away. TRINUS does a lot of troubleshooting remotely or over the phone and we work with them on a daily basis. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked closely with Junar (Service Technician, TRINUS) for the past two and a half years. Now they’ve switched to a help desk model, so most of our calls go through the desk and a technician will get back to us to deal with the issue. 

How did you come to work with TRINUS?

We’ve had a relationship with TRINUS for going on 19 years. Our agreement with them officially began two and a half years ago, but they’ve always been our go-to for IT support. 

We initially started working with them because we used Dynamic GP through Diamond Software and they were one of the only local vendors at the time who worked with Diamond modules. We received a referral for TRINUS from someone who worked at Diamond. 

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested between $500,000-$1,000,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing agreement with TRINUS began in December 2016. It is a four-year agreement with the option to renew it for one year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

TRINUS has been amazing. We have a direct line to our technician and regardless of the hour or day, there’s always someone available. If we drop an e-mail to them with an issue we’re having, they usually respond within the hour. They are generally knowledgable about our systems and programs, but on the off chance they don’t have an answer right away, they’ll do research and come back to us with their findings. 

How did TRINUS perform from a project management standpoint?

Their services are second to none. We normally communicate over the phone. I can call and ask for Junar, and if he isn’t in, they’ll put me through to his cell phone. If we ever have an urgent issue, we can call in and speak with any available technician or send an email to their portal.

What did you find most impressive about them?

TRINUS’ team is very personable. Being from such a small town, that personal feel they provide is important. They understand where we’re coming from as a rural municipality. 

Since we are out in the middle of nowhere, most of the time they are able to do the work remotely. However, if something comes up, they’ve always willing to have someone out here and working on the system immediately. They’re willing to go above and beyond to accommodate.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’re so satisfied with them. Obviously, there have been minor hiccups along the way. When they first took over the IT services, it was harder to hand over the reins when I was so used to being hands-on. That was just part of the process.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s hard, but it’s very important to trust them. When I have been willing to step back and let them move in, they have always gone above and beyond. They make sure to do the most for their clients so it’s worth it to put your trust in them. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a planning and development officer working for the county of St. Paul. I’ve also helped out with some IT-related tasks along the way. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TRINUS?

We’ve migrated all of our systems administration and IT functions to TRINUS.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In our time partnering with them, they’ve come in and changed out our computers, handled our servers, maintained security, and fixed anything our staff has had a problem with. Much of their work is done remotely, but there have been times when they’ve come on-site to fix more serious issues. Day-to-day, they help people change their passwords, log into servers, access their program data, etc.

What is the team composition?

If we have any issues, we call their team’s help desk.

How did you come to work with TRINUS?

We’ve been working together for a long time now, so I’m not sure where we found them originally.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the partnership in March 2016, and they still manage all of our IT. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While I don’t have much physical evidence of their impact, they’ve helped us fix tons of problems very quickly. They always try to get things done right away. Once, we had an issue with a server and a representative had to physically drive out to fix it. Everything was taken care of within hours. 

How did TRINUS perform from a project management standpoint?

TRINUS is very easy to communicate with. I typically contact them using phone or email, but they occasionally come here for meetings to make sure everything’s going well. Customer service is very important to them, and it shows. They’re organized and always easy to get ahold of.

What did you find most impressive about them?

All of their employees working at the help desk work super efficiently, approach us with kindness, and are willing to take on all of our IT problems. They’re all very smart and able to make quick fixes to our system if something goes wrong. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so. They’ve been able to handle all of our problems.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re planning to enter this type of partnership, it’s important to remember that your company has some responsibility, so all the work shouldn’t fall solely on TRINUS.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a municipal director of finance and human resources in our community.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TRINUS?

We needed someone with the expertise to oversee hardware acquisition and software maintenance for various municipal departments.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They manage our IT services. We have two liaisons in-house who keep them updated on the services we need on any given day. They’ve assisted us with streamlining our hardware and they also provide technical support to our employees. There’s also a guarantee that they’ll maintain or replace the hardware if anything happens to it.

We worked out the details of the order remotely and then their staff came on site to set up the new computers, install the software we needed, and set up anti-virus protection.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a project manager and two technical experts.

How did you come to work with TRINUS?

I’d met them at a professional conference and I’d also asked for recommendations from municipalities similar to ours. We decided to go with them because they had that depth of municipal experience.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed our contract with them in December 2015 and we’re still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t experienced the kind of downtime we used to see. Our workflow is also smoother now that we don’t have individual users installing software haphazardly and accidentally creating conflicts.

How did TRINUS perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re easy to communicate with and they complete their tasks on schedule. We mostly keep in contact via email and phone, although they’ve also begun implementing an online ticketing system.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re easy to get ahold of whenever we have questions or a concern, even after hours or on weekends. As someone who frequently works from home, that accessibility is appreciated.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. We’re happy with the services they’ve provided.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Reach out to them if there’s something you’re not happy about, especially if it’s a service you’ve paid for. We realized they hadn’t come on site as often as our contract stipulated, so we reminded them about it. They’re very accommodating as long as you communicate.