For Paradigm Chemical & Consulting, a functional IT system is mission critical. With 80% of its employees and contractors in the field rather than in the office, the company needs reassurance that everyone with a company-issued device can enjoy the productivity benefits technology affords them. The firm also relies on having a network that operates at an optimal level.
When it became evident to Paradigm Chemical President and COO James L. Herrin that its previous IT provider wasn’t able to meet those goals, Herrin began looking for other answers. He found the responsiveness, support and strong relationship he sought with DynaSis.
When he decided it was time to look for a new provider, Herrin discovered that he had already connected with one DynaSis's principals via social media. “Chas Arnold [DynaSis's VP of Managed IT Services] and I followed each other on Twitter, and when we realized who each other was, he started calling me directly,” says Herrin. “When the relationship with my previous IT provider began to break down rapidly and I needed to make a change, DynaSis was my first choice.”
According to Herrin, three or four other firms sent him information about their companies, but none of them were initially appealing. When Arnold visited him in person, Herrin says, the deal was sealed. “After Chas and I talked, and I discovered how long DynaSis had been in business, it was clear to me that I needed to move to DynaSis,” Herrin says.
A DynaSis Technical Account Manager, was assigned to Paradigm and met with Herrin in advance of the technology and network assessments DynaSis would perform to assist in making its recommendations. After evaluating Paradigm Chemical’s IT infrastructure―and its technology and business requirements―DynaSis recommended its Digital Veins solution (now entitled “Ascend”). With Ascend, Paradigm Chemical would receive proactive, monitoring and support for its server and desktops (software and hardware) for a set monthly fee.
“DynaSis diagnosed that the previous company’s network monitoring tools were consuming 30% of our memory, by themselves,” says Herrin. “They were slowing our whole network down. With DynaSis, the system has really sped up. Their turn-up addressed every one of my issues.”
As part of the contract, DynaSis also provides 24-hour tech support for the company’s in-house employees as well as workers and contractors in the field, who use company-issued laptops. Connected employees can open tickets by clicking an icon on their desktop or laptop and request support directly. “With our previous provider, support tickets would go unresolved for weeks at a time,” says Herrin. “We haven’t had that problem, at all, with DynaSis. The speed at which they address our issues is phenomenal.”
Another problem, Herrin says, is that its previous provider didn’t assign a single point of contact for the account. “We would have tickets in for three or four issues, and I would get phone calls from four different technicians. With DynaSis, I have a single point of contact and a level of intimacy that I didn’t have with the previous provider.”
In addition to deploying Ascend, DynaSis is helping Paradigm Chemical implement a more robust firewall solution (hardware and software) and upgrade its backup system. DynaSis is also working on hardware upgrades for Paradigm Chemical and has helped the firm communicate more effectively with third-party technology and telecommunications vendors such as Dell and Cbeyond.
For Herrin, although speed, support and network efficiency are real business benefits, on a personal level, he’s happy to finally be heard. “When the DynaSis account manager came to visit me, he sat for an hour and a half, just listening,” says Herrin. “That’s the biggest thing that separated DynaSis from other providers― they actually listened.”
Ascend: DynaSis’s highly flexible and versatile IT Management solution:
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YOUR location, OUR equipment, OUR expertise
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For JEH Homes, which in 2013 was named one of the Top 10 Residential Homebuilders in Atlanta, the economic recovery has meant beneficial growth in both its business and its stature. With that growth, however, came a challenge―how to ensure its technology systems were robust and well-managed enough to keep pace. For JEH Homes, fast, functional technology is vital, not only for office workers, but also for sales agents in the field.
When the company outgrew its previous IT provider, it found a new technology "home," as well―with DynaSis and its all-you-can-eat, flat-fee Digital Veins IT service package. For the solution, DynaSis migrated JEH Homes’ email to hosted Microsoft Exchange, providing company personnel with remote access to corporate email on their laptops and desktops. DynaSis also provides JEH Homes with proactive, 24/7/365 network and system monitoring, management, remote issue resolution and system updates, plus round-the-clock Help Desk with an online ticketing system that JEH Homes’ users access through a dedicated portal on their PCs.
To complete the package, DynaSis offers on-site assistance for problems that cannot be resolved remotely and helps JEH Homes manage some other hosted solutions that are outside the scope of Digital Veins’ sphere. DynaSis' IT planning experts also consult with JEH Homes on upgrades and other improvements that would benefit JEH Homes’ utilization of technology.
According to JEH Homes’ Controller Christina Campbell, the DynaSis solution and service are exactly what JEH needed to keep its own homebuilding on track. "We called DynaSis in, and they were a bigger operation with more resources than our previous provider," says Campbell. "It made sense to go with a company that was more equipped to handle our volume. DynaSis took a look at what we had, how we were setup, and where we needed to go. They presented what we needed to do, and they discovered a lot of things that should have been happening but weren't."
Backup It Up
One of the operations that wasn't happening as it should was JEH Homes’ backup procedure. Although JEH Homes had never had a backup failure, Campbell says, DynaSis gave them a strategic plan where none had existed before.
"The old IT company wasn't giving us the backup recommendations we needed, like backing up to an offsite location as a better safeguard," Campbell says. "Before we signed up with DynaSis, we didn't realize that our backups were not sufficient and were not happening often enough."
Remote Support
Campbell reports that DynaSis has also helped JEH Homes get a handle on its support for its remote site. Of the 36 individuals on the JEH Homes’ network, 10 are sales agents that rely on remote access to the network. "DynaSis has really stepped up; they helped us to get our remote access problems under control and provide a better system to support the agents," says Campbell.
"From a company perspective, it all really starts with agents in the field," she continues. "One of the biggest rewards we have seen is that now our remote locations are up and running smoothly. DynaSis also makes sure that our agents have access to our SharePoint site, and if they don’t DynaSis works with our SharePoint hosting company to straighten things out."
Bottom-Line Benefits
Campbell says the whole company's IT and productivity flow has improved while under DynaSis' care. "They are a really well-rounded IT company, and the Help Desk is phenomenal," says Campbell. "Our prior firm had an online ticketing system, as well, but DynaSis' response time is 10 times better now that our users have options to call or go online. We typically get a call back from DynaSis within 45 minutes―their response time is 100 times better."
Campbell also notes that DynaSis is helping JEH Homes plan for and implement the upgrades that will carry the company into the future. "It was crazy-insane, the differences in technology our people were using; the laptops and desktops," says Campbell.
"DynaSis told us, 'Eventually this is what you need to do,' and they have worked with us to make the purchases as we need them, so we didn't have to order 15 laptops at once. We give them the specs, and they deliver each unit, set it up and make sure the user is good to go."
About JEH Homes
JEH Homes is an Atlanta new home builder known for creatively designed homes with superior construction and attention to detail. With a focus on understanding and appreciating the true meaning of "Home," all of its Atlanta new homes include JEH Homes' GREENdesign Initiative smart features, remarkable value and an exceptional Worry-Free Warranty. For more information, visit www.jeh-homes.com.