How Mainstreet IT Solutions Helped a Central PA Home Remodeling Business Grow
When a Pennsylvania home remodeling company needed reliable and dependable IT support, MainStreet IT Solutions was their ideal solution. But it wasn’t their first stop. Without in-house IT staff, they relied on a managed service provider (MSP) who couldn’t support them, especially regarding strategic growth.
The Challenge
Not all MSPs are created equal. Of course, MSPs vary in services offered, regions serviced, and industry-specific expertise. But not every MSP offers consistent, quality service at a fair price. Moreover, not every MSP offers strategic and collaborative support that can help a business grow effectively. Some MSPs are pretty good at doing exactly what you tell them. But they’re not nearly as good when considering what technical recommendations to help you achieve your long-term vision, plan for emerging economic or technological trends, or establish scalable infrastructure to support your growth.
Home remodeling is an industry that’s driven in large part by regional and national economic trends. Remodeling jobs can be expensive and typically higher when consumers have additional discretionary income and can borrow at low rates. Low-interest rates can also help drive home sales, as sellers may renovate critical areas of the home to maximize its market value. High consumer confidence, low inflation, and rising wages can also help spur remodeling jobs. And when they’re present, remodeling companies need IT support that allows them to operate smoothly, reliably, and efficiently.
Home remodeling also requires a high degree of organization and collaboration. You’re dealing with multiple vendors when working on numerous home renovation projects. Ensuring you have the supplies to complete the jobs on hand is crucial. Additionally, you’re dealing with multiple clients. Keeping the details of each job straight is critical to providing high-quality and timely remodeling services. And making sure that you can stay in contact with satisfied customers, obtain referrals to new ones, and connect with promising leads as soon as possible is crucial to sales and revenue.
But suppose you’re struggling with ensuring that all of this data is in a usable format that can be instantaneously and securely shared throughout the organization with the employees who need it. In that case, you have a real challenge on your hands. And if your staff is spending more time figuring out why their Internet service is up and down than inputting the latest batch of fresh leads into your customer database, you can’t grow.
In this case, the company needed IT infrastructure to handle its operations, be aligned with best practices, and be managed externally. Without internal IT staff, minor IT problems became major headaches and slowed down operations considerably. While the company had relatively specific computing needs, its lack of internal IT staff meant that frontline staff was stuck troubleshooting technical problems rather than selling the company’s services or providing them.
Moreover, the company needed cybersecurity, which, in this day and age, must be top of mind for all businesses. Small businesses especially must be mindful of cybersecurity concerns as more than half face wind up closing shortly after a cyber attack. Larger companies often have the assets to cover the extraordinary costs that a successful attack can incur, while small and medium-sized businesses usually don’t.
The company was undoubtedly looking for IT services that required minimal in-house management. But perhaps most of all, the company was looking for more than an outsourced helpdesk. They sought a proactive and strategic partner, not just a role player. That’s where our company, MainStreet IT Solutions, came in.
The Solution
Looking for a trusted and expert voice in IT in the Central Pennsylvania region, the company began working with our company in 2015. We began to evaluate the company’s existing IT infrastructure with an eye toward what they needed and what they’d need in the future. After working closely with the company to develop a plan that made sense, we worked to migrate data out of legacy systems and into devices and applications from trusted vendors like Dell, Fortinet, and Microsoft.
Leveraging our IT expertise, we deployed a Dell server with Active Directory, a robust Fortinet firewall, and Microsoft 365 for cloud-based collaboration as the core components of its upgrade. We also deployed backup and recovery applications and cybersecurity tools to protect the company.
The company has also benefitted immensely from our managed IT services, which afforded them ongoing server maintenance and patching and continuous server, firewall, and device monitoring. We offer helpdesk services through phone or email for these services, available to the company’s in-office and field staff. With home remodeling, the core of the business is in the field, with staff prospecting for leads, converting them into customers, and completing renovations. The fewer company staff bogged down managing IT, the better.
Over time, we’ve helped the company manage its IT infrastructure to account for changing operational needs, emerging trends, and new opportunities. We’ve helped them deploy Aruba access points for reliable wireless connectivity, set up and manage Dell and HP workstations, and more. And we work hand-in-hand with the company to help them determine how their existing or new IT assets can help them solve the most common business problems they face.
The company has grown substantially in the past few years. And as they’ve grown, we’ve worked with them to ensure they have what they need to meet new demands. With a solid footprint in Central Pennsylvania, we’ve kept abreast of regional economic activity and business challenges. That knowledge and insights from our work with other clients have allowed us to provide ongoing strategic recommendations to help the company grow.
We’ve also been working with them to help future-proof their business. Many new and exciting technologies have emerged in recent years. As we’ve worked with the company to design an optimal IT environment, we’ve done so in such a manner that hopefully can make integrating new technologies relatively painless.
At MainStreet IT Solutions, we’ve prided ourselves on our technical expertise and ability to leverage technology to help businesses grow. From companies in accounting to home remodeling, we continue to provide the IT support that thriving Central Pennsylvania companies need.
