Z7 Solutions

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the IT Director of Meunier Carlin & Curfman, LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide legal services to protect patents and trademarks.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Z7 Solutions to accomplish?

• Provide an in-house solution for file sharing needs.
• Replace our on-premise backup solution.
• Remove tape backup from our backup program.

SOLUTION

How did you find Z7 Solutions?

Referral

Why did you select Z7 Solutions over others?

Architecture

How many teammates from Z7 Solutions were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Z7 assisted us with the design and implementation of two different systems. The first system was FileCloud, a service that allows for onsite setup of a file sharing platform. This system improved security and cost for us, allowing us to remove another vendor (ShareFile). This system also provides an option for us to remove the VPN requirement for file server access.

The second system was Metallic backup, a system that allows for both on-premise and cloud backups. After setup of this system, we were able to remove tape backup from our backup schema. It also provides a more robust recovery solution if our server room in the office were to become inaccessible.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are saving several thousand dollars each year on both solutions; we have enhanced our backup and recovery capabilities compared to the old vendor. We can expand our user base on the new file sharing platform now without increasing cost.

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

Yes, Z7 Solutions delivered turnkey solutions as fast as we could schedule meetings and perform the work. Z7 was available for us with quick responses, even after-hours.

What was your primary form of communication with Z7 Solutions?

Virtual Meeting

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

Z7 did the best job of any vendor of listening to the needs and finding the appropriate solution. As a result, we removed the VPN from being required for file server access and were able to move file sharing in-house, a long term goal.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Z7 Solutions could have done differently?

n/a

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co-founder and Principal of Autism Inspired Academy. We are non-profit private school serving children on the autism spectrum.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Z7 Solutions?

We hired Z solutions to assist us in acquiring Google Licenses and setting up our student Chromebooks along with the security needed for the devices to be safe.

SOLUTION

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

I researched on google and found that they were a family-owned business and had great reviews.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Zack assisted with acquiring and setting up the google licenses and Chromebooks. We wanted to merge our current usage of Microsoft 365 with google so our students could have a single sign on. Zack spent countless hours implementing this project and figuring out all of the bugs and kinks that came with it.

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

One vendor from the team worked with me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Every device was set up as a single sign on device. The students were able to utilize their Chromebooks and their Microsoft login to access their computers and google. They then had google classroom set up where they can complete their assignments. It was a great success and something I could not have done without Z solutions.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was amazing. They accommodated my timeframes and really were efficient and effective.

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

I really felt like I was being treated like family. As a small school many companies disregard us and don't give us the time we need. They were so patient, willing to explain everything, and ensure that our students were safe and secure on their devices. They gave you the attention, care, and accommodations needed to make it a smooth process.

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

Honestly no!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of User Support for a NYS Agency

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Z7 Solutions?

Z7 was working on building out our VDI platform when COVID hit in Feb 2020 - escalating all deadlines. Z7 managed to get us through moving all users to remote environment in a few days.

SOLUTION

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

I am not involved in the selection process.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The project called for a dedicated team of detailed planners. The project was started by another vendor when Zack and his team took over the project.

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

We have a dedicated project manager, but at any time sever Z7 resources can be accessible for any major project needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our WMS environment is now used in every office through out NYS.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Extremely effective. Z7 continues to be our support team and has gone above and beyond on assist us through several difficult transitions; major upgrades of hardware, software and switches. They continue to support us on system image upgrades as well us keeping us up to date technology-wise.

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

I have always been impressed with the quick responses to our issues regardless of time of day and thoroughness in resolution.

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

I think in the future, it would be a great idea to have Z7 onsite once a month. I would be happy to advocate for personalized office space for the team. It's the closest I can get to having them even more accessible than they currently are.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Systems Administrator at the company. We provide water, wastewater and reclaimed services to the customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Z7 Solutions?

Z7 completed VxRail Horizon VDI Solution Health Check and Upgrade Services and Applications Modernization.

SOLUTION

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

Z7 came up in our search for a vendor that could support our VMware environment. We chose Z7 after reviewing their past projects and interviewing them.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The Z7 team performed a health check on our VXrail environment before making any changes to the enviornment. Once the health checks were clear they upgrade all components of our VMware Horizon environment from Horizon 7 to Horizon 8.

After all upgrades were done addiitonal health checks were performed to ensure the environment was healthy and SOPs were delivered to the IT staff.

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

We worked with Zack, Z7's IT Solutions Intefrator and VAR, and Carl, Z7's Lead Solutions Expert.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The environment was successfully upgrade from Horizon 7 to Horizon 8.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. Z7 was flexible to our needs.

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

They felt like part of the team from day 1 and continue to offer support where they can.

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

Z7 executed their work perfeclty and they did an excellent job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the technical lead for the end customer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Z7 Solutions?

We needed proven expert to help with technical guidance, architecture, implementation and staff training for all critical Data Center storage, compute and virtualization.

SOLUTION

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

Z7 Solutions was recommended to us from a reputable vendor and another government entity.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We worked on health checks and remediation of DellEMC storage, Cisco UCS, Brocade Fabric and VMware environment. We also had to rapidly train our staff to get up to speed where Z7 Solutions came in with their value to quickly adopt and respond to requirements.

Describe the recruitment process in detail.

We had a long process of selecting the right candidates but it wasn't hard to make a decision after talking to Z7 Solutions technical staff.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Expertise and contacts within the industry allowed Z7 to provide the ability to upgrade an outdated operating environment on storage array. Implementation of first Cisco UCS Mini platform was also implemented, assisting organization to provide virtualization converged infrastructure.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Everything was on par and our engineers made a quick gain of skills necessary to continue handling daily operations of our enterprise infrastructure.

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

Their experience and ability to transfer knowledge to the staff are impressive.

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

Would like to see them locally present with an actual office in our area.