IT Services for Professional Service
Build Reliability and Security into Your IT Infrastructure with All Covered IT Services for Professional Service
Case Study: Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates, Inc.
At a Glance
A growing transportation consulting company evolves from in-house IT support to using All Covered and gains peace of mind through access to needed resources and skills.
The Context
As companies grow, they often use a part-time or dedicated internal resource to help with their IT support. This can leave gaps in terms of the knowledge needed to cover IT issues and creates a risk for the organization if that person is unavailable. The resources of a professional IT services company, like All Covered, can provide the broadest range of expertise at a lower cost than dedicated employees.
The Client
Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates, Inc. (HSH), provides consulting services in the areas of transportation planning, traffic and civil engineering, and public involvement/strategic planning. Based in Boston, HSH was founded in 1987 by Jane Howard and Katherine Stein. The firm has been involved in many major engineering projects in the Boston area, including highway designs, downtown revitalization projects and transportation plans that encompass traffic, transit, pedestrian and bicycle needs. The company also facilitates public information sharing sessions and inquiries regarding significant highway and building projects. HSH has approximately 50 employees split between its downtown Boston headquarters and an office in New York.
The Problem
Daily operations at HSH depend on a robust IT environment. The firm uses AutoCAD, Synchro traffic analysis software and Deltek Vision for project management. Bob Dankese is the CFO at HSH and has responsibility not only for the financial systems but also for HR and the IT environment. When he joined the company in 1997, he found a very basic set of computing systems and IT support was provided by a part-time person. HSH then moved to having a full-time IT person internally. When that person decided to return to college in 2005, Bob and the management team analyzed HSH’s overall IT needs and realized that there were some problems with having a single internal person. Bob was concerned that there was an exposure from not having multiple sets of eyes reviewing the IT infrastructure for security, back-up and stability. Also Bob says “I wasn’t convinced that we really needed the expense of a full-time person.”
Enter All Covered
Bob decided to ask other local engineering companies about their IT support methods with a view to finding a better solution. One of those companies was already an All Covered client and gave a positive recommendation that led Bob to engage with All Covered, after a series of interviews.
The Results
Since 2005, All Covered has supported HSH’s users and infrastructure. The environment has been steadily upgraded as needed, including server and desktop replacements, plus a terminal server capability for remote access. Bob states that “the All Covered staff are very competent and responsive.” Bob added that “financially we’re a little better off than having our own person, and with All Covered, we have so many more resources and all the breadth of skill available to us.”
Bob gets peace of mind from the fact that “we’re now safe in the knowledge that all our IT systems are documented and secure.” He commented that “small businesses should look at the experience we have had and think about the risks they run if they are not using a professional IT support company.”
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“The All Covered employees take great pride in their work. We’re now safe in the knowledge that all our IT systems are documented and secure.” |
