Success Stories
Want specifics? Take a deep dive on how we help our clients achieve operational excellence.
Barb & Company
As technology evolves rapidly, many organizations struggle with questions about their IT environments. Should we move everything to the cloud? What should we do to protect our systems and data from cyberattacks? How can our staff get prompt support when problems arise?
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Barb & Company looks to IronLogix for answers to all its IT questions.
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Since 1986, Barb & Company has offered a suite of services, including tax and tax resolution, bookkeeping, payroll, audit and assurance, and consulting. The Columbia, S.C.-based CPA firm helps clients meet their goals in the ever-changing financial and regulatory environment. By partnering with IronLogix, Barb & Company can focus on its clients rather than technology issues.
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“If we have an IT problem, it shuts us down. So it’s very important that we work with IronLogix,” said Mike Barb, CPA. “They support all of our equipment, our connectivity to the Internet, our software packages and our phones. And they’re all great to work with. I don’t know what we’d do without IronLogix.”
"It's nice to have somebody to crunch the numbers and say the best bang for your buck is to do A rather than B."
Highly Responsive Support
Barb & Company first began working with IronLogix in the early 2000s. Before that time, the firm did not have a dedicated IT services partner to handle its IT needs. The firm’s staff handled IT issues internally, calling in outside help when major problems arose. That scenario is no longer realistic.
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“When I first started, I used to do everything myself,” Barb said. “I can remember buying our first computers and setting up the network. If we needed additional help, we had clients who could do IT work. But we have 21 people in the office now. We need prompt, expert support that we can depend on.”
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Barb and Company’s computer systems play a central role in all the services the firm offers. Data security is also critically important. IronLogix keeps the systems up to date and manages all the security systems. The IronLogix team also manages computers used by staff members working remotely and provides after-hours support.
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“I’m a workaholic,” Barb said. “Normally, I’m up and on the computer at home at 6:00, and do some work before I go to the office. I’m also on there until 10:00 or 11:00 at night. Saturdays and Sundays are no exception. Whenever I have a problem with anything, I can always get ahold of somebody at IronLogix. They can log in remotely and fix whatever needs to be fixed no matter where we are.”
Sound Advice
The IronLogix team maintains an inventory of Barb & Company’s computers, and determines when to replace them. Systems are refreshed regularly to ensure that they’re secure, performing optimally and can support the latest software versions.
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IronLogix also provides objective advice to help Barb & Company make the best IT decisions. Recently, the firm faced a server upgrade and considered moving its primary tax software into the Microsoft Azure cloud. The cloud would have eliminated the need to replace the in-house server every few years. However, IronLogix computed the cloud costs and determined it would be significantly more expensive than purchasing and maintaining server hardware. The firm’s software costs would also have increased.
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“It’s nice to have somebody to crunch the numbers and say the best bang for your buck is to do A rather than B,” Barb said. “It sounds nice to be in the cloud, but at this time it wasn’t the best decision. A lot of IT companies wouldn’t have done the analysis. If we had said we want to move to the cloud, they’d help us do that, but they wouldn’t consider whether we should do it.”
Cost-Effective Solution
Barb believes any organization that relies on technology should have a contract with an IT provider such as IronLogix. He says the cost is well worth it.
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“If you’re a two-person shop and have a couple computers, it’s one thing. But when you have several employees, multiple systems and lots of software, you don’t have time to be shut down. Time is money,” he said. “I’ll be honest — sometimes you look at the price because computer support is expensive. But if it saves you time, it saves you money. You need a contract with a company like IronLogix that has multiple skilled people who are always available to help. And if you divide the cost by the number of clients you have, it’s not that much.”
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Barb has referred IronLogix to his clients and enjoys seeing the IronLogix team when he visits client sites.
“I refer them anytime I can,” he said. “I’m not sure how anybody that has a substantial business can operate without IronLogix.”