This case study looks at the work we collaborated with a client in the landscaping industry that was going through a growth and acquisition phase. When we came aboard, this Maine-based company had 75 employees — about 25 were on the network while the rest were out in the field working on projects. Due to the potentially sensitive nature of some of the details, we are not including the company’s name.
Background Issues
The landscaping company was working with another Managed Service Provider (MSP), but they had long response times and weren’t providing any tech guidance. The employees were dissatisfied with the technology in place, and the company had recently hired a new president who wanted to create a strategic IT plan and budget that could help meet the company’s desire for growth through acquisitions.
The company also wanted an MSP that was flexible enough to meet its seasonal shifts in demand. Roughly, 70-80% of the company’s revenue was earned during the summer. When we came to meet with them, we also discovered that a lot of their hardware was out of date, and that surprised them.
Strategy
To get a baseline understanding of this company’s needs, we started with a network assessment. With a network assessment, we look at the client’s infrastructure and chat with PC users to develop a sense of their technology gaps, IT needs, and security vulnerabilities.
Then, based on what we learn during the network assessment, we develop a managed services plan. Our managed services plans often share a lot of elements such as help desk services, periodic visits from a dedicated network engineer, and IT strategy review (ITSR) meetings, but we customize each plan to meet the unique needs of the client.
Network Assessment
We sent one of our engineers to the client’s offices to do an on-site audit of their network, and based on our assessment, we identified the following areas that needed attention:
- Wireless coverage — The client wanted to be able to access notebooks and tablets wirelessly in conference rooms and in the shop, but they only had a single access point, making this impossible.
- PC functionality — Although their desktops were in decent shape, they wanted more functionality. The project managers wanted notebooks that they could use while out at work sites.
- Firewall security — The firewall didn’t meet our standards, and it didn’t allow remote workers to access the network safely.
- Lack of email backups — Because they were using POP accounts, their email was not being backed up. It was being saved on local computers.
- Lack of knowledge of Microsoft applications — The staff needed additional training to ensure they were making the most of MS applications.
- Desire to move line-of-business (LOB) application to the cloud — They were hosting their LOB application in the cloud and wanted to move to the cloud. We needed to make sure their internet connection could support the move and that a backup was in place.
Security Assessment
We also did a security assessment for this client. Criminals are not actively seeking out landscaping companies in the same way they target financial institutions or similar organizations. However, landscaping companies still have data such as customer payment numbers, personal information and banking details for employees, and internal data, and they need to protect that data.
Ransomware threats are becoming very popular with cybercriminals. Basically, these criminals look for any way to access your network, and once they are in, they encrypt your data, lock the door, and demand a ransom.
They usually watch the company for a while before setting their ransom, and they choose an amount that will hurt. If they know that you don’t have $1 million and couldn’t get it, they don’t set their ransom that high, but they will typically hone in on the highest amount that you are likely to be able to pay.
Businesses need to protect themselves from these threats, but they also need to ensure they have a plan in place that details what they would do in the case of a data breach. They need to know how they are going to deal with the media, and they should have a plan for alerting their accountant, attorney, and employees as well as the FBI and police.
We talked with the client about these threats and emphasized the importance of having a cybersecurity insurance plan in place. While this was not particularly necessary for many businesses a few years ago, it’s now become an imperative. Unfortunately, it’s a cost of doing business, like how you need flood insurance if you live in certain areas.
Tactics
Based on everything we discovered, we developed a budget and a statement of work (SOW) for the following four projects:
- Onboarding — During the onboarding stage, we got to know the client, and we put PCs, servers, and network infrastructure into place.
- MS 365 migration — We replaced the old POP email accounts, trained staff on MS Teams, and activated multi-factor authentication.
- Wireless improvement — We added access points and improved coverage in offices and remote worksites.
- Strengthening security — After upgrading the necessary equipment, we added endpoint detection services (EDR) and response on servers, created a password policy, added in security against dark web/email compromises, and updated the firewall with added security services staffed by security analysts from global intelligence agencies.
Results/Outcomes
We have been working with this client for five or six years. Their network, servers, and PCs are up to date. We improved the wireless capabilities in the office and provided project managers with Surface Books for remote accessibility.
Now, the PCG team continues to provide this client with the IT services they need to be productive. A dedicated network administer has monthly scheduled visits on site. We also provide very fast response times with our help desk services.
Ultimately, our goal is to not have any help desk tickets. We are working to create a tech environment where everything runs flawlessly. We want the network users to be as efficient and as productive as possible. We also keep a spare hot PC on-site so that if a user has an issue, they can get a replacement PC up and running quickly and easily.
Our work has created a great user experience that improves productivity and efficiency, and they also know that they are more secure and have our team to guide them through issues. They don’t have to limp along and only deal with technology when it breaks or needs an immediate replacement.
Twice a year, we hold ITSR/Virtual Chief Information Officer (VCIO) meetings to make sure we’re meeting the company’s needs and to create IT plans for the future. We minimize unexpected expenses by planning ahead. For instance, if you have 30 desktop users and the average computer lasts five years, you need to plan to upgrade about six PCs per year. This means you spend $6,000 or so each year, rather than being forced to come up with $30,000 every five years. This is the type of plan we helped them develop for all their technology needs.
By migrating this client to MS 365, we made onboarding easier, and in addition to helping with new employees, this also streamlined the onboarding process when the company acquired another business in New Hampshire. The new people were easily able to plug into Teams and OneDrive.
As indicated above, we also added security to minimize their risk and put in a new firewall that allowed remote workers to access the network safely.
During our time with this company, they have become more productive and efficient. They have increased their winter business and acquired another company. Our role has been to support their growth, and we plan to continue doing so.
The purpose of technology is to support your business goals. We talk with clients about their goals, issues, and problems, and we show them how IT can help. Our clients are focused on making money, and we help make that happen. To learn more about how our services can support your company’s growth, contact us at PCG today.
