Case Study

Partner Ben D. explains it this way: “A lot of professional firms, like ours, have very complex IT requirements. We’re completely reliant on our IT systems for virtually everything – from research to scheduling to work flow management. So when you have a business like ours, with say 70 professionals, even one hour of downtime is extremely expensive. We can’t afford those kinds of risks.”

Just as important, though, was the fact that even though they completely outsourced their IT services, they still needed an IT provider that was able to meet the level of upkeep and service required. “We needed someone who would be willing to take the time to understand our unique service offerings and market position and then learn our industry’s specific software requirements.”

There were other challenges as well. The industry-wide software that this firm uses is constantly being updated to reflect changes in tax laws and rates. It was also important that multiple users with multiple devices have remote access at any given time. And, due to the nature of the services that they offer, They had to keep network security and data recovery in mind as well.

“We needed an all-in package,” says Ben. “We needed someone who could build us a network that was scalable and reliable. But it also had to be serviced, maintained and monitored by the same company.”

“We needed a proactive IT partner, not a reactive one.” ActiveCo was more than up for the challenge.

No matter if it’s a small, overworked IT department or a completely outsourced service, ActiveCo’s goal is to leverage technology that will positively impact people and productivity. After adapting the ActiveCo process to their client’s business needs, it quickly became clear that the company was having system performance issues, which were affecting productivity across the board. As well, due to their stringent privacy requirements, their IT network had to be completely private as well.

The ActiveCo solution: all-inclusive, cloud-based managed services. Everything is off-site and is 100 percent private. It not only meets their high security requirements but it also means no one else has access to the network. Once ActiveCo installed the new system, ongoing maintenance and support services ensure it’s constantly maintained at that level of security and privacy.

“ActiveCo’s commitment to our business process, work flow, and learning more about not just the company but the industry itself, has made it feel more like a partnership than a business relationship,” says Ben. “They’re not satisfied with maintaining the status quo and they’re always willing to adapt and improve. I believe this is one of their biggest assets.”