When scalability and security are your top priorities, you need the support of a tech company who understands both. Clarity Labs came to ProSource with a security mindset and the desire to create solid infrastructure that would allow them to be responsive and pivot in a way that their industry demands.
With a variety of individuals, both employees and customers, needing access to applications and files, reliability, security, and scalability were necessary. However, assistance with trouble tickets, connectivity, and decreased production downtime was also vital. In short, they needed a team who could handle it all and be as reliable as the infrastructure they designed.
All around solutions for security, scaling, and savings
In 2019, Clarity Labs came to ProSource with a myriad of issues related to infrastructure, connectivity, support, and telephony that needed immediate resolution to facilitate their goals. In an industry that relies on innovation, development, and quick time to market, time was of the essence to support both immediate needs and longer term business objectives.
IT issues were impeding all aspects of their business, resulting in downtime across all segments. “Just being able to use ProSource as a resource to get us where we needed to be without technology holding us back was significant. The help desk has been essential,” notes Megan Alfonoso, VP of Manufacturing Operations. In a competitive manufacturing marketplace, resolving any issue that pulled resources away from or delayed production was crucial.
Outdated and inefficient network setups across two separate buildings created connectivity issues and security vulnerabilities that also made scaling goals difficult, if not impossible. With both employees and customers needing fast, reliable network and application access, Clarity Labs needed a solution that would not only improve speed and reliability but also add in layers of security to keep networks and business functions separate.
The speed and reliability of the cloud and connectivity has been fundamental in our growth. We can just send people to cloud storage and that saves us a ton of time. It says to our partners that we have put technology in the forefront and that was vital for our long term acquisition goal. — Megan Alfonso, VP of Manufacturing Operations
Their relationship with ProSource enabled them to meet those infrastructure goals and see improvements in the way technology facilitated and improved business functions.
In addition to network needs, ProSource identified application and access issues that could also improve their security standing and data governance. Further, the cobbled together and ad hoc nature of the existing infrastructure meant frequent IT issues and slow resolution times from a previous service provider, which impacted production and growth. Similarly, the lack of an internal team meant some services were duplicated and others were not robust enough to meet demand and needs. Enter ProSource, who was able to rebuild the infrastructure, identify hardware and application needs, repurpose tools and tech, and streamline services, saving not just time and effort, but also money.
Choosing the cloud for connection and collaboration
Given the nature of Clarity Labs’ industry and the intense need for collaboration, the impression their outdated tech was giving to partners wasn’t up to par, especially with a longer term goal of selling stake in the business. Similarly, significant time and effort was lost in production cycles when outdated modes of sharing designs and data were employed. “Who doesn’t live in the cloud these days? OneDrive has been essential for our information sharing and collaboration. A full tech suite to communicate makes everything so much easier,” says Alfonso.
Up until the partnership with ProSource, too much time, money, and resources were lost to waiting on fixes for technical issues, time that could have been spent in production and manufacturing. When the pandemic hit, demand for hand sanitizer hit its peak and without ProSource’s assistance, Clarity Labs never would have been able to meet the increased demand. In fact, the vital infrastructure provided by ProSource enabled the company to grow from six to 20 employees over a two year period and leverage the technological improvements to attract larger companies, one of whom eventually acquired Clarity Labs.
In short, the partnership with ProSource helped this small manufacturing company handicapped by poor infrastructure and re-positioned them in the market, with the support of streamlined and efficient technology, enabling them to meet their goals in record time.
Bottom line
We grew really fast so we were able to delegate the tech piece to ProSource, which was super helpful in terms of saving us time and resources. We were able to use our resources where they needed to be rather than attempting to fix IT issues when we didn’t have the experience. — Megan Alfonso, VP of Manufacturing Operations
Outcomes
- Secure, robust wireless for streamlined operations
- Reduced phone bill and used existing hardware
- Consolidated and segmented networks secured behind edge protection
- Reduced licensing costs for Office 365 by 30%
- 6 users to 20 in 2 year
