Review our case studies for IT management for the construction industry:
Parking Equipment
Situation
The client was purchasing and fabricating electronic equipment used in state-of-the-art automobile parking facilities. It took the basic equipment—purchased from an international manufacturer of such devices—and tailored it to suit the needs of individual customers. In doing so, it had become one of the upper Midwest’s market share leaders. The owners of the company, however, were nearing retirement and wished to sell the business. Although the client had enjoyed considerable success, its owners feared that, when putting the company up for sale, it might not show its full value. In seeking consultants to suggest ways of improving the company’s “curb appeal,” they contacted 612 Network.
Outcome
We were able to provide perceived added-value in several areas. We created a remote electronic monitoring system, installing VPNs at individual parking ramp sites—as well as moving their network from simple server to a sophisticated PCI compliance based network. Additionally, we set up a process for having our technicians accompany the client’s engineers on sales calls.
The client’s CEO has stated: “Our challenge to 612 Network was pretty broad. They dig very deep into all aspects of your business. They learned so much about us that we even had them redesign our website, which became just another way they helped us to more effectively show just how valuable we were—and get us to the end game of selling to our supplier—for top dollar.”
Construction/Rentals
Situation
The client is a major builder and manager of Twin Cities’ apartments. The owner had been arguing that the best solution to its IT situation was to contract with individual vendors in the varying parts of its digital space. As this approach became increasingly cumbersome, the owner finally consented to engaging 612 Network—with the expectation of coordinating/consolidating IT components, and thus saving money.
Outcome
The client has long been managing IT at each workstation. We are now moving them to cloud based Office 365 and Azure Active Directory, and will ultimately take them from a distributed workgroup to a centrally managed and secure network. The client’s COO has observed, “It’s still relatively early in our relationship, and we need to keep a tight rein on expenses, so our IT budget has little to no margin for error in it. I know that we can sometimes seem stubborn, maybe, I suppose, even downright obstinate—but 612 Network keeps fighting for what they believe is in our best interests. The early performance is good, and I think the future looks bright.”
Industrial Equipment Supplier
Situation
The client specializes in providing baler products and services that assist in the cost effective handling of recyclable materials. Opening its doors in Minneapolis in the early 1970s, the company has grown to serving markets throughout the upper Midwest. With an expansion in products, services, and markets, the client determined that it was no longer being well served by one-to-two-person outsourced IT firms, but felt that the hiring of either internal IT staff or a large national IT supplier would be inconsistent with its business model. They were excited at the prospect of finding 612 Network a more “perfect fit.”
Outcome
One aspect of our relationship worth highlighting, according to the client, is 612 Network’s responsiveness. Their COO has remarked: “Sometimes I’d pick up the phone to call them, and feel a bit guilty about bothering them with a minor problem. But our lead technician would always say, ‘You hired me to be bothered.’ This may sound a bit corny, but in some ways we feel like they are part of our extended family. In any case, they are one of the few vendors we send a Christmas card to!”