A CUSTOMER CASE STUDY
IT Services for Educational Institution
PROJECT DETAILS
- IT Services
- Sep 2019 - Apr 2020
- Less than $10,000
PROJECT FEEDBACK
The new server has allowed the client to load the latest OS, improve their security, and gain support packages. GenCare saved the client money by reusing their equipment instead of recommending new purchases. Their professionalism and clear communication stood out.
PROJECT SUMMARY
GenCare helped set up a new server for an educational organization. They recommended the right hardware and software to load, set up a failover server, and provided documentation.
The Client
I’m a systems administrator for an educational institution.
- Systems Administrator, Educational Institution
- Education
- Anaheim, California
The Challenge
We needed assistance with upgrading our data center — specifically, updating the hardware and maintaining the overall infrastructure and security.
The Approach
We purchased a new server, and GenCare helped us spin it up and load the appropriate OS and RAID configuration according to their recommendations. They then installed digital services like Active Directory (AD), DHCP, and DNS roles. These act as a function of the organization to maintain our core infrastructure so that people can log in and change passwords and our computers can communicate with different appliances throughout the network.
Lastly, GenCare helped us spin up a high-availability failover server that would take precedence if anything happened to the first server. They provided both onsite and remote support.
CLIENT RATING
What is the team composition?
We worked with three people: two engineers and a sales individual.
How did you come to work with GenCare?
I was new to my position, so I did my own research by searching Google and reading Yelp reviews. GenCare had very positive feedback, so I asked them to provide a bid. As a public organization, we’re required to consider multiple companies for a project like this.
GenCare’ s salesperson brought their team onsite to give us both a better understanding of what our needs were. They offered impressive suggestions and offered us a much lower bid because they were able to reuse our equipment instead of recommending new equipment.
How much have you invested with them?
We spent about $5,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
The project started in September 2019 and wrapped up in April 2020. It could have moved much faster but due to constraints on our side, we experienced a lot of delays.
The Outcome
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Thanks to GenCare’s help, we were able to update our machines to the latest OS, improving the security posture of our organization and letting us get the support packages we needed.
We also went a discovery process to review our high levels policies like DNS and DHCP and to mitigate stale files in the database. This improved our performance and minimized errors. Lastly, GenCare helped us review our retention policies. That way, we’re not as susceptible to ransomware, and we can reproduce our server in a timely manner if anything happens. That was one of our biggest achievements.
How did GenCare perform from a project management standpoint?
I couldn’t have asked for a better organization. I’m relatively new to this and have limited experience working with other vendors. Any communication with GenCare was superb. They were easily accessible and prompt to respond. Their sales consultant followed up multiple times to make sure we were on task. The team was flexible throughout the project even when we found out we couldn’t achieve specific objectives due to a lack of time or resources. It helped us understand better our environment so we know what we need in the future.
GenCare also did a good job of documenting our server, which was a major aspect of the project. In the end, we did a knowledge transfer to cover all tasks and goals that they met, inform us where we need to be, and go over best practices based on their recommendations for our environment. Now, we’re more informed of our network and what’s on it.
What did you find most impressive about them?
The ability to communicate effectively and in a timely manner is the number one priority for me. I could’ve hired someone to do what GenCare did, but not necessarily with the same level of communication.
Even when COVID-19 forced us and other clients of theirs to migrate to remote work, we never felt like GenCare neglected us. They kept us informed and reached out to check our status multiple times.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I was thrilled all around. They delivered everything we asked for, and I’d definitely work with them in the future.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Trust them. Their prices are competitive and reasonable. Their communication is top-notch; their sales team will follow up with you to make sure engineers are on target and meeting your objectives in a timely manner.
