Faith is Better Than Hope When it Comes to IT Support Services

Continental Contractors fills a unique niche in the construction industry. They renovate hotels. Their client base is spread out all over the country and they routinely have multiple projects going on at the same time. It takes a lot of coordination to keep up with all the jobsites that are in different stages of renovation and the company has adopted technology tools to help them coordinate workers, contractors, and materials.

Reliance on technology means that the technology itself needs to be reliable. No one wants downtime because downtime stalls progress and increases costs. Unfortunately, Continental Contractors had to experience this firsthand before they came to XPERTECHS when server space they leased from their former managed IT service provider was compromised. The result was that their access to data was cut off for multiple days.

“We lost a lot of productivity and potentially lost revenue,” said Renee Bagshaw, Chief Operating Officer for Continental Contractors. “Without access to email or documents stored on our network, we were forced into crisis mode to keep our clients’ projects moving forward.”

Bad Experience Triggered the Search for a New Managed IT Service Provider

Renee and the rest of Continental’s leadership team knew that they couldn’t go through another experience like that, so the team immediately began a search for a new managed IT service provider. One of Continental’s project managers knew about XPERTECHS from her experiences working with them at a previous company and reached out to start a conversation.

The team liked what they heard. In fact, Renee felt like they spoke the same language.

XPERTECHS had worked with other companies in the construction industry, so they were familiar with the terminology. Not only that, but they understood their needs for working with huge files and large amounts of data. Additionally, XPERTECHS was aware that people use technology in different ways and knew how to help people at their level, from the most enthusiastic to the most reluctant tech users.

“We really just enjoyed getting to meet them. They were very forward looking, and they seemed to have a great plan put together,” recalled Renee.

Forward-Thinking Plan for IT Stability and Security

Top priority on the plan was to get Continental Contractor’s servers to the Azure cloud environment where XPERTECHS could manage them with IT and cybersecurity best practices. The server migration project wasn’t just to rebuild the company’s servers in the cloud, but to create the firm IT foundation needed for predictable technology.

Along with moving their servers to the cloud, the company was able to get everyone on Microsoft SharePoint and Office 365. This was an initiative that Renee had wanted to move forward with for a few years, and XPERTECHS was able to make what could have been a very difficult transition, if not seamless, then very close to it.

Discovered They Were Missing Essential Security Best Practices

With three offices plus multiple remote workers and project superintendents all needing access to data and IT systems from different locations, security is a big issue. With XPERTECHS, they have access to sophisticated security tools and the guidance they need to ensure that they’re properly managing cyber risks.

Part of the layered security strategy that XPERTECHS recommended was the utilization of multi-factor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on to protect accounts from being compromised. While MFA had been discussed before they came to XPERTECHS, Continental’s prior service provider had not communicated the importance of that additional layer of security.

“There were so many things not in place that we didn’t even realize we were missing until we switched over to XPERTECHS,” said Renee.

Confident That Technology Won’t Slow Them Down

As COO, Renee is aware of the breadth of expertise and service that XPERTECHS brings to the table but that’s not the case for most of Continental Contractors’ employees. They just want their technology to work and to be able to get help quickly when they need it.

“We talk with IT support a lot less and that in itself is a reason why everyone in the office and on our jobsites rave about them. They’re thrilled to be working with XPERTECHS,” said Renee.

Technology has significantly changed the way that construction companies work over the past 20 years. When that technology doesn’t work, everything grinds to a halt.

Renee said, “We rely on technology so much that we just have to have complete faith in the services that are being provided.”

Fortunately, they have that faith with XPERTECHS by their side.

ABOUT CONTINENTAL CONTRACTORS

Continental Contractors Inc is a company of hospitality renovation specialists. They work with hotel owners and managers to plan, coordinate, and execute all aspects of the renovation process. With offices on both the east and west coasts, in Maryland, Virginia, and California, Continental performs work throughout the United States and Caribbean. While specializing in guestroom renovations, we have extensive experience in public area and exterior projects as well. Learn more at: https://continentalcontractors.com/