Virtual CIO Services Helps Streetsense With Strategic Planning

THE CHALLENGE

Fast Growth Spurs Architecture Firm to Hire Managed IT Service Provider

Streetsense, a fast growing architecture and design firm in Bethesda, MD was struggling to support the technology needs of employees in multiple different business units.

Although Streetsense had a small internal IT team, the complex nature of the business coupled with fast growth was making it difficult for the team to keep up. It was almost impossible for a small internal IT team to have the knowledge to support the intricate needs of wildly different business units, let alone come up with long term strategic planning.

They started their search for a Managed IT Services Provider and quickly decided that Ntiva was the right partner to take over both tactical and strategic needs, which included our Virtual CIO (vCIO) services.

THE SOLUTION

Custom Cloud Storage & Retrieval Saves Money and Time

The first item on the agenda was to figure out how to expand quickly into all of their new locations, in the most cost-effective manner possible.

Their current infrastructure was not built to support distributed offices, where all employees would need access to huge design files. In a world of incredibly heavy graphic processing combined with gigantic storage needs, expansion can get very costly if not properly planned out.

Ntiva proposed and implemented a custom cloud storage and retrieval solution that offered tiered access to different types of data. Massive files and programs that need to be accessed for live changes required fast speeds, but less active and archived data could be accessed at lower speeds, saving dramatically on overall costs.

Other recurring IT services included remote monitoring and management, 24/7 help desk, and an up-to-date backup and disaster recovery solution.

THE IMPACT

Outsourcing Routine IT Tasks Plus Strategic Planning Provides Competitive Advantage

Streetsense quickly realized that one of the most important functions to help grow the business was strategic IT planning. Ultimately they outsourced 100% of their IT needs to Ntiva, handing over routine tasks such as network monitoring and management, help desk, application support and more.

They also continued to take advantage of recurring virtual CIO consulting services, which Streetsense considered critical to keep on top of new technology advancements along with access to expert advice.

Having full access to a team of experts with deep technical knowledge across many disciplines was the key to supporting the fast growth in a very competitive industry.