Case Study: Benefits of Managed IT Services Add Up for Small Accounting Firm
The company featured in this case study is Jenderuss Forensic Accounting Services. Facing the challenges of a small but growing accounting firm, Jenderuss must carefully consider and budget for all expenses. They had an ad-hoc network setup, sharing their data between workstations. The firm was attempting to save money using a break-fix mentality and minimalist approach. With unpredictable IT costs and no dedicated IT support, owner, Jennifer Jones looked to the expertise of IntegrIT Network Solutions to bring her IT to the next level to better serve her staff and customers with the most ROI.
History
Jenderuss Forensic Accounting Services has been serving small businesses and individuals in Western Washington since 2002, offering sound financial and tax planning advice, as well as, preparing corporate and individual tax returns and setting up and maintaining all of its customers LLC needs. Located in Lynnwood, their focus is on saving their client’s money by rigorously reviewing and analyzing their client’s financial situations in order to maximize their tax savings.
Jennifer was in the process of expanding her office and bringing on additional full-time staff, including sub-contractors during tax season. As a small but growing accounting firm, Jenderuss needed a reliable network it could count on to store its files, share its printers, and connect it to the outside world. However, her computer network was not on par with the growing firm and she needed to make some significant IT changes in order to bring the infrastructure and systems in line with what she wanted to accomplish.
Jennifer looked to the expertise of IntegrIT Network Solutions who came up with flexible IT solutions that met the individual needs of her company, which was crucial to the success of her IT investment.
Challenge: Limitations on the Network Causing a Significant Business Impact for Small but Growing Accounting Firm
One of the challenges she faced was having proper technology for the office. Prior to her network upgrade, Jennifer was keeping all her files on a laptop computer. She had a desktop running server software, which was unstable and slow. She was tired of dealing with technology struggles. She had outgrown her current network setup and it was inadequate for multiple users, who experienced constant lock-up resulting in lost work and data.
She was moving into a larger office and needed the new location set up with a new, complete computer network. She needed a robust, reliable network infrastructure, where multiple employees could access shared data both onsite and remotely with limited or no downtown. She wanted to make sure her new office had the proper technology to serve her growing staff and client base. It had to be secure and stable, without any lag in performance.
Solution: Tailored Network Solution to Handle Needs of Expanding Office and Proactive Maintenance Enabling Client to be more Productive and Focused
IntegrIT Network Solutions specializes in providing quality, cost-controlled IT solutions and support services to the SMB market in the greater Seattle area. They set up smart and affordable computer networks and IT systems tailored to the way their customers do business. Their customers rely on them to ensure their intellectual property is protected in the form of digital assets and to provide best of breed technology solutions that fits their budget and business model… allowing them to remain focused on their core competencies.
Larry Owens of IntegrIT Network Solutions met with Jennifer to discuss her needs and project budget. She liked the way IntegrIT approached the project. “Instead of being pushy or trying to sell me a lot of equipment, IntegrIT worked with me to find the best equipment and software for my business needs and budget,” Jennifer said.
The technology setup proposed by IntegrIT specified a standardized, cost-effective solution that was easy for the customer to administrate. IntegrIT was instrumental in setting up the network from initial planning through installing and configuring the entire network system, including new server, computers, router/firewall, and backup system. Another key role IntegrIT played was the coordination of all vendors to ensure the ISP, wiring, phone system, and printers were ordered and set up based on the needs of the client.
Once everything was setup and running smoothly, Jennifer decided to leave her network in the hands of the IntegrIT professionals by signing up for a the IntegrIT Rest Assured™ Managed Services plan. Although Jenderuss is a large enough accounting firm to have a sophisticated system, it was small enough to not need a full time IT person.The Managed Services plan allows IntegrIT to administer her network remotely. This means Jennifer never has to worry about her network being down, or having to perform regular maintenance like security and patch updates. All of this is taken care of by IntegrIT on an ongoing basis. Instead of waiting for things to break, IntegrIT constantly monitors the network and takes care of issues before they become problems. Once she realized that she was saving money utilizing the proactive model, she moved into a more robust plan that was more economical for her business. “With the Rest Assured™ support plan I do not have to worry about computer performance and unexpected expenses. I know how much I am going to spend for the year. It is like an insurance policy against computer disasters.”
Results: A More Efficient, Reliable, and Secure Network with Proactive Monitoring and Maintenance to Ensure Maximum Uptime and ROI
End result was she had the network she wanted, remote access, ability to expand as needed during the busy tax season. She also has the ability to quickly turn down workstations during the off-season. Another key advantage for Jennifer is the ability to work via her mobile phone. No longer does she have to make an unnecessary trip to the office since the data she needs is now at her fingertips.
Tax season used to be very stressful for Jennifer. Working late hours and many hours trying to get everything done. With improved accessibility, efficiency, features, and service, Jenderuss’ new networking infrastructure is saving more than money. And, as a Managed Services customer, issues can be dealt with even before Jenderuss is aware that issues existed. This helps prevent problems from becoming emergencies. All of this was done for a consistent, predictable monthly price. “I value character and integrity. That is why I chose IntegrIT. I know they will always do the right thing for our firm. We trust them completely.”
Related posts:
- Computer Services: How Proactive Updates and Patching Help Your Business Stay on Top of its Game and Make the Most of Your Technology Investment
- The Four Benefits of Managed Services
- How to Solve the Issue of Lagging Workstations by Freeing Up Disk Space
- Curing an Unstable Computer Network by Correcting Improper Configurations, Vulnerabilities, and Unreliable Connectivity
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
There no doubt about that. We have a small medical practice and since we started using this Houston everything has been fantastic. They take care of all the updates to our computers and even remove viruses, it's really an invaluable service.
To request more information on our services, please fill out the form at http://www.integrit-network.com/quote.php
The benefits of a Managed IT Support service plan, is that small businesses that rely heavily on technology to run the business, yet cannot afford to hire a full staff of certified computer and networking experts, can have it all for a quarter of what it cost to hire just one junior level computer tech. In addition… their network is monitored round the clock, their computers are managed and maintained on a regular basis, their data is protected, backed up, and recoverable within hours. Our service plan also includes a 24x7x365 help desk staff, which comes in handy for those who work outside of normal business hours. The service literally pays for itself in less than 3 months. So the benefit is maximum up-time, security, and staff productivity with a lower total cost of ownership for maximum ROI.
For more information on the benefits of and FAQs about Managed IT Services, I highly recommend you check out the following links:
Benefits: http://www.integrit-network.com/benefits.php
FAQs: http://www.integrit-network.com/faq.php
I hope that helps
IntegrIT Network Solutions, Inc.
Serving the Greater Seattle, WA Area