See how PCG’s services improved the tech environment of a medical supply manufacturer with 57 employees and 31 PC users. Due to the sensitive nature of the industry, the client name has been omitted.
Challenges: Outdated network infrastructure, lagging line-of-business (LOB) application, lack of support, and an internal IT person ready to retire
Solution: Updated network infrastructure, provided weekly onsite engineer, and implemented a tech budget and roadmap
Outcome: Improved productivity and security saving the company $195,000 on LOB costs over 5 years
Background Story
The client had an internal IT employee who was ready to retire, and they were trying to decide between hiring an internal full-time person or turning to a managed service provider (MSP). They also had an aging network, and they were struggling with performance issues with their current LOB application (JobBOSS).
They reached out to us to see if we could help with their IT needs and to talk about the upcoming projects on their radar.
Strategy
We started with a network assessment, and we found a lot of gaps in their network performance as well as user complaints about network reliability. Then, we sat down with the company’s leadership team for a VCIO/IT strategy.
VCIO stands for virtual chief information officer, and this is one of the services we provide. Our clients typically aren’t big enough to have an internal VCIO, but by contracting our services, they get the IT leadership and guidance they need to be successful.
During that meeting, we outlined the following issues that the client needed to address:
- 10+ year old servers with no support
- Unmanaged, poorly performing old style switches
- 20+ outdated Windows 7 PCs
- An unsupported firewall with no security services in place and limited bandwidth
- An LOB application that was versions behind and unable to meet users’ needs for reporting and ticketing
Tactics
To develop tactics to address these issues, we talked with users on the floor about their experiences with the company’s network. Then, we contacted the client’s software vendor, and we talked with them about the functionality, requirements, and costs of both their cloud-based and onsite options. We also spoke with the client about what they liked with their previous approach to IT, and they said that they really liked having a person on-site.
Supporting a company’s IT needs requires a lot of knowledge about networking, desktop, wireless, and in most cases, a single person doesn’t have the knowledge base to handle all these tasks plus provide the hands-on support that the PC users need. Additionally, a single employee simply cannot provide 24/7 support, and if they get sick or injured, the company doesn’t have anyone else to rely on.
Hiring PCG to provide tech support offered a 50% savings to this company compared to hiring an internal person, but they were used to having someone on-site. To give them the best of both worlds, we customized a service plan that included an on-site engineer for four hours a week. In addition to providing support for the client, our onsite engineer helped us get to know the client better so we could serve them more effectively.
They were running JobBOSS on old servers with an old version of SQL, and it was performing slowly. Reports that should have taken a few seconds to run were taking 30 to 40 seconds, and that was creating unnecessary downtime and employee frustration. Since their servers were aging, they were considering moving JobBOSS to the cloud.
While that makes sense with a lot of applications, JobBOSS charges a per-user access fee for its cloud-based services and the client would have needed to increase the bandwidth of their internet line and add a redundant line. This made the move to the cloud unaffordable, and after crunching the numbers, we decided that the on-premise software was the best option.
Outcomes
To help this client, we customized a service package with the following elements:
- Onsite support — An on-site person on site to field questions and help with training, but they weren’t limited by the knowledge base of a single person.
- Managed services — Access to a team of experts with a diversified knowledge base about all aspects of cybersecurity and network infrastructure, who helped to maintain equipment and plan for the future.
- VCIO services — Help with long-term vision, IT planning, budgeting, and advisory services.
Most importantly, we created a five-year $75,000 plan to upgrade their servers, PCs, and network infrastructure, and we worked with their LOB software provider to setup, migrate and confirm all modules were up and operational. By keeping JobBoss on-premise, we saved the client $195,000 over five years.
At PCG, we focus on providing managed IT support for manufacturing companies. We understand the unique challenges you face in your industry, and we can customize solutions to meet your needs, save you money, and improve operations. To learn more, contact us today.
