We started working with Agency Off Record (AOR) in the middle of 2015. They had recently moved into a new office in downtown Denver and were having a hard time being productive with their growing team. Growth is awesome, but it can present technical challenges. Thankfully, we’ve been able to handle the technical issues so they can focus on their clients. Network administration, phone systems, and file storage – we’ve helped them manage their technology without adding an IT person to their roster. In our first meeting, we discussed their current workflows and toured the office. In a few minutes, we created a new strategy that we’d roll out over the coming months. After we finished the project, they ended up saving $24,000 a year. Please continue reading this case study to learn how we can make your business more productive while saving you tons of money.
Agency Off Record
When we first visited AOR, their daily struggles included extremely slow internet, an antiquated file server, and a phone system that didn’t work well. The phones rang, but the system didn’t have any modern features like virtual conference rooms or voicemail to email messaging. They weren’t happy with what they had, but they didn’t know how to improve their systems. We completely overhauled their entire technical infrastructure. They got a new internet connection, firewall, phone system, server, and RAID storage solution. All these upgrades paid for themselves over time. After our improvements, they saved at least $2,000 per month. Yeah, they’re happy.
Network Administration
The first part of this project was increasing their overall internet speed. Their team couldn’t be productive with the speeds they had at that point. The Birch connection was only providing 8 Mbps (Megabits per second) download speed and significantly less upload speed. We talked with our contacts at Comcast and were able to secure a 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload connection; that’s more than ten times their previous speeds for 25% of their normal monthly bill.
Since they were hosting a server at the office, we also needed an enterprise-grade firewall to help manage the network and keep it secure to the outside world. The Kerio firewall handles everything from virus protection to dedicated bandwidth for crystal clear phone calls. Within a few hours, the network infrastructure was in place. We heard giggles and Spotify streams in the office the next day. If you’d like to know more about our network services, please give us a call.
Phone Systems
After we established a reliable network infrastructure, we were able to move onto the phone system. Since Birch also provided the phones, we had to replace them before they could cancel their Birch contract. We worked with Jive Communications to provide them with the same phones they loved while improving the system capabilities. They moved to a digital infrastructure that allows for easy device management, unlimited expansion, and complete customization. We set up several virtual conference rooms, ring groups, and dial plans to give them the exact workflows they wanted. Since Jive phones work anywhere, we set up their remote employees with phones too. They can take phone calls from Hawaii and no one would know the difference. If you’d like to know more about our phone services, please give us a call.
File Storage
When we looked into their file server, the first problem we noticed was its age. They had a Mac mini running a 9-year-old operating system that just couldn’t handle the technology requirements of a modern company. They needed a newer server to ensure continued functionality and security. We set them up with a new, quad-core Mac mini server running a server-grade solid-state drive and upgraded the RAM to 16GB. At Drift, we always recommend Mac mini server solutions for security, cost of ownership, and reliability. A comparable rack server from Dell runs at least $2,000, consumes a significant amount of energy, and produces a lot of noise. Not many people want that sitting in their office. We support both solutions and suggest whichever option is better depending on our clients’ needs.
In addition to the Mac mini server, we set them up with 24TB of redundant file storage. The storage lives in two 4-bay Thunderbolt RAID arrays for extremely fast data access. The primary array has 10TB of usable RAID 5 storage, and the secondary array is a nightly backup of the primary array. That technical jargon may not mean much to you, but this configuration makes it almost impossible to lose data. We also set up our recommended CrashPlan online backup solution for a final layer of protection. AOR will never lose their server data. We’re completely confident in that.
Spending A Little Saved Them Lots
AOR completely recouped the cost of these upgrades and service changes within the first four months. They’re saving over $2,000 per month with these new systems — that’s $24,000 in the first year alone. Obviously, they’re very happy with the improvements, but this isn’t an isolated case. We’ve done this repeatedly for many of our clients. Go ahead, invite us to your business for a free intro meeting. We’ll look at your technology, determine the right way to improve it, and save you money. We helped AOR handle their network administration, phone systems, and file storage — we can do the same for you. Give us a call or fill out our contact form today!