At the beginning of 2015, Allen Rubber & Tire was ready to expand again. As is often the case with growing companies, their IT demands began to outpace the ability of their old server to keep up. Across their 3 existing sites, a single on-site central server was tasked with all their IT management needs.
Regaining 100+ Man-Hours a Month
At the beginning of 2015, Allen Rubber & Tire was ready to expand again. As is often the case with growing companies, their IT demands began to outpace the ability of their old server to keep up. Across their 3 existing sites, a single on-site central server was tasked with all their IT management needs.
Founded in 1932, Allen Rubber & Tire sells tires to auto service shops as well as operates its own retail service centers and conducts online sales for unique vintage tires. They have 40+ employees who need access to their specialized tire sales and inventory management software. Scattered across multiple locations, you can imagine the strain such use can put on an aging server. It also stresses the IT maintenance capacities of their team. And, like many companies, Allen was not really big enough to need a dedicated IT expert on staff, so the managers shared responsibility for fixing the server when it crashed.
And boy was it beginning to crash . . . a lot. Data freezes and lockouts became increasingly common. Not only did this interfere with everyone’s productivity, it also caused the leadership to drop everything to fix the problem.
Finally, when Allen was ready to open its fourth location, they determined “No More!” Managing Partner Phil McConnon said “We’re not going to take this antiquated system with us.” And so the search for a better IT solution began.
As Allen evaluated its options, CTN Solutions rose to the top of the IT vendor list. According to McConnon, CTN’s ability to understand their company’s business needs, not just their IT needs, was pivotal. With CTN, McConnon felt he was adding an IT partner who would genuinely involve itself in his company’s success, speak plainly and not in tech jargon, and be able to grow as his company grew. And so their relationship began.
CTN assessed the multi-site IT needs of Allen Rubber. Their solution was to develop a customized cloud-based IT platform. By moving everything to the cloud, Allen no longer had to buy any server equipment nor did they have to worry about having an IT person on staff. Now CTN became their IT “staff” person, always ready to solve a problem, answer a question, or consult on a smart way to accommodate growth.
Beyond going to a cloud solution, CTN also set up a new interface to the shared special tire management software. Now everyone on Allen’s team could access it more easily and via any type of device – PC, windows laptop, MAC, iPad, cell phone, tablets, whatever. Previously, only one device type could access the software. Workers had been hamstrung when new technology came out that they wanted to adopt. But not anymore.
CTN also arranged a much larger capacity cable connection with Allen’s internet service provider, which increased speed and capacity. And CTN installed WiFi nodes on the ceiling of the new location, improving efficiency (because of the way the radio waves travel) and saving floor space. Before turning over the new system, CTN tested every access point to ensure it’d work smoothly when Allen logged on and began work. And it did.
Today, the IT headaches are history and Allen’s team has regained many, many hours of monthly productivity previously wasted by crashes and reboots. Now they can concentrate on growing their business and serving customers.
If your company has outgrown its server and IT capacity, call Matt McCloskey at (610) 828- 5500 to see how CTN could help you regain your lost productivity.