Wendego I.T. Solutions

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner at a legal firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Wendego I.T. Solutions?

They’re going to be our new IT support partner at our new law firm.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We want to be completely on the cloud so they recommended cloud-based applications for us to use. They set up the entire IT room in our office with internet, firewalls, Wi-Fi, and switches to make sure everything works well.

They’ve referred us to other vendors that provide security. Additionally, they’ve helped us select which equipment to purchase. Currently, they’re reaching out to each employee as we give them a computer.  

What is the team composition?

We work with three people from their team.

How did you come to work with Wendego I.T. Solutions

They were recommended to us by a personal friend.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $1,500 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2020, and our work is ongoing.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We want to be completely on the cloud so they recommended cloud-based applications for us to use. They set up the entire IT room in our office with internet, firewalls, Wi-Fi, and switches to make sure everything works well.

They’ve referred us to other vendors that provide security. Additionally, they’ve helped us select which equipment to purchase. Currently, they’re reaching out to each employee as we give them a computer.  

What is the team composition?

We work with three people from their team.

How did you come to work with Wendego I.T. Solutions?

They were recommended to us by a personal friend.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $1,500 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2020, and our work is ongoing.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT administrator for Sand Diego Pathology. We’re a medical lab that focuses on diagnosing different diseases and cancers for doctors’ offices and even hospitals. We also handle the technical work for some of the local biotech companies, creating the microscope slides for their research.

What challenge were you trying to address with Wendego I.T. Solutions?

We’d be working with our previous IT provider for a several years, but our infrastructure never really improved. Downtime was frequent, and costs kept adding up. That’s when we decided to look for a different provider to take on our IT needs.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Wendego I.T. Solutions handles nearly all elements of IT support, from our network to our hardware. Because we already have an infrastructure in place, their team looks for improvement opportunities and updates our security.

What is the team composition? 

I work with three people.

How did you come to work with Wendego I.T. Solutions?

We searched through the internet and got referrals from other businesses. All in all, there we interviewed 2–3 other IT providers before landing on Wendego I.T. Solutions. They were the best fit for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked with them since November 2017.

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

The uptime is almost 100%, which is a significant improvement from our previous provider. We’ve never had any issues with their response time, either. They typically get back to me within a couple of hours, and all issues are resolved within the same day.

How did Wendego I.T. Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

For one, they’re very accessible through email and meetings. They talk to us on a set schedule so that we can figure out which improvement projects we need to do to avoid future issues. 

That just goes to show how proactive they are, too. They’re not waiting for something to break down to jump on it. If there’s an issue that we need them to work on, the team is willing to take on the project during the weekend, even though we know it’s beyond their regular office hours.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What stands out to us the most is their unique fee structure. It’s a flat monthly rate regardless of the services provided on the number of times we call them. That type of structure means it’s in their best interest to keep our infrastructure in top shape so that we’re not calling them constantly. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing that comes to mind at this point. They’re doing a great job so far.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a lithium-ion battery research company. We do experiments and research in the area of lithium-ion batteries, and we work with clients across the battery process chain. I’m the VP of Data.

What challenge were you trying to address with Wendego?

We’re a small company, so we don’t have an internal IT department. We weren’t happy with our prior IT provider, so we were looking for a change.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Wendego serves as our IT department. They do desktop support and PC specifications, and they also work on our ticket systems. I tend to work with them on the server and network infrastructure behind the scenes. 

When they came on, it was time for an overhaul of our old server. One of Wendego’s first tasks was to work with us to spec out a new on-premises system. They understood our needs and ordered appropriate server switches. 

The team is currently migrating all of the server data from the old system to the new one. It’s a big project because we have a lot of data and a lot of machines. As we build out new functionality internally, I often need new virtual machines installed, and Wendego addresses those needs.

What is the team composition?

We have a point person.

How did you come to work with Wendego?

We found them online and interviewed various people. We liked that Wendego was a small company because we’re a small company, and we like flexibility, thinking outside the box, and getting things done. 

They also didn’t have a cookie-cutter product to roll out. We felt good about what they recommended because they explore our options and didn’t just decide what to do right away.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent just above $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in December 2019, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

Wendego is doing very well. They return tickets very quickly, and they get responses, not always resolutions but definitely responses, within a day. The team is attentive and flexible, and they have good ideas. We’ve migrated about 80% of our system and nothing has broken, which is good. 

How did Wendego perform from a project management standpoint?

They do well. I’ve been working closely with our point person as we move certain business processes over to the new servers. We work with him on timing and scheduling. For day to day aspects, most users put in a ticket.

We had a few slowdowns at the beginning of the year, but it had to do with disruptions in the shipping of equipment, so it wasn’t their fault. Since then, we’ve been moving the software and the data over in a nice way. 

The people we work with don’t have processes and procedures that they have to follow to get things done. We just rely on their being good people, and we can have a good dialogue about what we need to get done. The team is very collaborative.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Wendego’s customization and attention to detail are great. They think about what we really need and ask what they can do to meet that need, rather than using a cookie-cutter approach.

I also like that we work with one person per project, so I feel comfortable that they know the background information. Additionally, their response time is really good too.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend them because they work well.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Senior Recruiter with Host Healthcare. We are a nurse traveling agency based in San Diego, CA.

For what projects/services did your company hire Wendego I.T. Solutions?

I worked with Wendego during my onboarding process as a new hire in early September and they serve as my go to for any IT needs I may have in the future.

What were your goals for this project?

I was just hired and the company is currently WFH. I only had a laptop for the first few days to get me by. Once I was hired, I was given Kam's info and told to call him to get set-up. I optioned to start sooner than later and time was of essence. I sent Kam a text to see if he was available at 6pm on a Friday!?! He replied quickly and said to call him whenever. 

Describe the project in detail.

Long story short, by 8pm I was up and running with everything I needed for Monday and he made himself available over the weekend just in case.

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

I have not had any issues since my original setup and had a smooth transition once I received all my proper equipment to WFH.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

How quickly they respond and are able to troubleshoot issues individually and on a company level

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I have noticed.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m in charge of IT and CFO of a company that sells LED lights. We’re the biggest third-party seller on Amazon. We're a multi-location company located in San Diego, Mexico, and Indiana.

What challenge were you trying to address with Wendego I.T. Solutions?

Our multi-location structure makes it more difficult to run our data operations. The previous company that managed our IT services oversaw the complete breakdown of our IT, which lost a lot of our information.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team provides IT services. When we have a machine or our telephones aren’t working properly, they’ll help us. Their team provides support remotely but are also on-site once a week. They use a ticketing system, so we update a ticket in the system when there are challenges. Wendego I.T. Solutions did an overview of our security procedures and suggested what we should have in place. They advise us on our infrastructure and purchases as well as help us to purchase the correct hardware.

What is the team composition?

The entire team is at our service, but the owner is still our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Wendego I.T. Solutions?

We got in touch with them through an employee who had worked with Wendengo I.T. Solutions previously. When we were having our own challenges, our employee recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $3,000–$4,000 a month. We’ve been charged a fixed price, so there haven’t been surprising price increases. When we were half the size we were today, we had another IT company that charged us twice as much.

What is the status of this engagement?

We had preliminary meetings with their team in April or May but weren’t quick to jump on the bus because some decisions aren't taken quickly in our organization. We started working with them in December 2015 and the collaboration’s ongoing.

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

Even though I thought the new security system was expensive, we don't have any downtime, so it's not that expensive. They’re great, helpful advisors. Wendego I.T. Solutions has been great not just in running our platform but also advising our purchases. We're happy to work with them.

How did Wendego I.T. Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

I only have the highest praise for them. From a cost-effective point, they haven’t nickeled and dimed us. They’ve stuck to the same price and there haven’t been any surprises. Their team has been amazing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The prices are fixed and Wendego I.T. Solutions has stuck to their word. They don’t compromise on quality. I can insist on buying cheaper hardware because I don’t see the benefit but they always have their way. The result is that we haven’t had computers breaking down, which is the point of investing in security.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go ahead and work with them as quickly as possible.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO at Direct Communications Solutions. We’re an IT company that specializes in IoT solutions. We help clients to deploy primarily wireless cellular devices in the field. Most recently, we purchased GPS tracking devices and assist other businesses to deploy them.

What challenge were you trying to address with Wendego I.T. Solutions?

Primarily, we wanted a local organization to support our immediate needs. We also have two remote offices but didn’t want to take on the burden of hiring our own IT staff because we’re a lean organization. To dedicate the resources needed for different areas of technology, it wouldn’t have been cost-effective to invest in our own IT specialists. We thought it would be more efficient and effective to hire an organization to take on the burden to facilitate my business.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Wendego I.T. Solutions has taken on various responsibilities including recommendations and setting-up new PCs as well as purchasing, managing, and licensing Office 365. Their team manages those activities for new staff members and once the employee’s up and running, Wendego I.T. Solutions drop their agent onto the personal computer or server. They also monitor all of our antivirus needs such as inbound and outbound threats.

As well, their team services our local domain server, which is Windows-based. They assist us with all of our cloud-based solutions including customizations and direct our server-side setup in AWS. We’ve got about 19 different Cloud servers for different applications running for either ourselves or our customers because we provide software solutions. We lean on them for SSL certificates too.

They set up all of our employee email accounts and assist with all of our Dropbox accounts. Locally, they do all the local backup as well as act as an agent for me to then take all of my data and store it on the cloud. We have three layers of redundancy within our infrastructure, but the majority of their work’s done onsite.

What is the team composition?

Three people have worked on our account. As of lately, we communicate with one person on an ongoing basis.

How did you come to work with Wendego I.T. Solutions?

We found Wendego I.T. Solutions by happenstance. We were growing as an organization. And bought out our Florida office, which managed our IT. We looked for a local provider and googled IT support specialists. Their team was in the building complex next to us, so they came over and we gave them a try.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them around $4,000–$5,000 per month to support our 35 employees. We’re high in the number of PC’s that we have and that’s how they assess true costs: what number of PCs do we have to manage and how capable is the staff?

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2015 and they’re still our partner.

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

They’re top notch and understand—as a small-to-medium-sized business—how critical it is to be up. Their team has made the right decisions for my business. When clients aren’t serviced to their liking, Wendego I.T. Solutions will change staff.

We’ve had 2–3 other companies bid to do their work, but those vendors can’t touch Wendego I.T. Solutions’ responsiveness. Given the depth of involvement, national companies’ prices are easily doubled. The price almost triples to get that type of responsiveness.

How did Wendego I.T. Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

I submit everything into a ticketing system and then get a response back with a ticket number and their immediate feedback. The ticket then gets assigned to one of their departments. I’ve never had a problem bleed into multiple days when my staff members were held up.

Their response time is phenomenal. They jump right in whenever we have an issue. Their team adapts to my needs by gauging my level of outage. They’ve dropped everything and worked remotely while sitting at another client’s location to address my immediate need.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve stuck with them because they’ve never given us a reason to leave them. We’ve never considered shopping for a new provider.

Are there any areas they could improve?

During the first two years, we would sit down with them and go over all of my organization such as the number of PCs, which ones are about to expire or have problems. If I asked that of Wendego I.T. Solutions, they would be able to do that. As a customer, I’d like to see that annual report given to me whether or not I asked for it. In all fairness, I haven’t kept him to task because I have more important things to do.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Push as much as you can to give them full control of the project. Take their advice when it comes to the next generation of items. For example, I fought them on a filter for our email but then one of our employees got spammed to buy expensive gift cards. If I would’ve trusted Wendego I.T. Solutions, our employee wouldn’t have had to go through that.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Duchateau is a manufacturer of high-end architectural finishes, including flooring and wall panels. In addition to my duties as Marketing Communications Manager, I also oversee our relationship with Wendego, our Managed IT service provider.

For what projects/services did your company hire Wendego I.T. Solutions?

Wendego oversees all aspects of our information technology infrastructure, for both our HQ location, our remote warehouse location, and for our individual sales representatives located across the U.S.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a vendor who could be a true partner with us, listen to our needs, and propose on-going solutions that met those needs. We also wanted the management of our network and our end-users to be as seamless as possible.

How did you select Wendego I.T. Solutions?

After poor experience with a previous vendor, we did research, and found that Wendego was highly respected, and that although their pricing was reasonable, they provided increased levels of service than we had experienced with other vendors.

Describe the project in detail.

Wendego completed a full inventory of our hardware, software, and network design. They then proposed a menu of needed improvements. They also gave us direction on the best way to proceed, enabling us to gradually implement improvements to our IT infrastructure, keeping costs steady.

What was the team composition?

Wendego worked with our Office Manager initially, who oversaw this project. It then transitioned to me, and I work with both Wendego and our employee base to ensure that all of their technical needs are being met.

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

Our uptime has increased, and our implementation of Microsoft Office and Office 365 has been streamlined, so remote management is easy and painless. Our network infrastructure is rock solid, and Wendego has been with us every step of the way, ensuring that we implement what we need.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

In addition to a industry-standard ticketing system, the team at Wendego also checks in with me regularly, and also provides high-level executive summaries and reports.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I have worked with many IT vendors in my career, and most of them want to provide canned solutions. Wendego is different - they really take the time to get to the core of our needs and issues, and develop solutions that fit our goals, our budget, and our company culture.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We have been extremely satisfied with Wendego. The key to our relationship has been the setting of goals before we began any changes to our systems. Thanks to this process, we both were able to work towards the same outcomes.