When E.W. Howell needed to enhance their network and IT infrastructure, Brainlink International provided the level of knowledge and service they required at a competitive price, helping them to focus on their core business productivity instead of their IT.
Founded in 1891, E.W. Howell is a well-established and prominent General Construction and Construction Management firm. With offices in Manhattan and on Long Island, they provide services to a wide range of clients including retail, education, government, cultural and healthcare organizations.
As a multi-billion-dollar contractor based in multiple locations, E.W. Howell faces many IT, networking and security challenges. At their headquarters and their construction sites, workers use a variety of devices to communicate, receive and send information. It is imperative that the entire network is reliable, fast and secure. Any problem could have real world productivity and monetary impacts.
E.W. Howell’s CFO Dan Williams says, “IT is necessary for communication and reporting. Without information, building halts. Quick, reliable information is needed to make decisions.”
E.W. Howell needed an MSP that would complement their in-house IT in providing networking stability, ease of use and security at a competitive price level.
The Situation: Multi-billion-dollar construction firm requires a secure and reliable IT network
After an interview process, E.W. Howell selected Brainlink as their MSP based on their expertise and competitive, transparent pricing. In order to help E.W. Howell focus more on their business and less on IT issues, they proactively secured their network with Sophos UTM. They also installed iView, allowing them to monitor procedural compliance and quickly resolve network issues.
Williams states, “Sophos UTM and Sophos iView have been a real boon to our productivity and to our ability to stay compliant.” He further adds, “In an environment like ours, we have millions of porous borders, and users out in the field are constantly moving inside and outside the corporate network. It was virtually impossible to monitor that activity with the tools we had. In the past, whenever we had malware or virus outbreaks, we always had to clean up the mess after the fact.”
As their IT service provider, Brainlink ensures that any issues E.W. Howell encounters are solved quickly and efficiently. Brainlink supplies full documentation of each solution and develops Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) from this information, allowing for major improvements in problem resolution and procedural efficiency.
Williams praises this approach, saying, “I love the prompt response and the ticketing system. Instead of wasting 10 phone calls calling our old vendor, now I get complete visibility in my email!” He continues, “Having our internal IT staff plug into Brainlink’s ticketing system and follow that process has increased our productivity.”
The Solution: E.W. Howell partners with Brainlink for expert and cost-effective IT services
Brainlink proactively maintains and monitors E.W. Howell’s network health and security by continuing to provide them with distinctive and innovative solutions, including:
- Advanced Network Security and Backups – Brainlink protects their client’s assets using state of the art network protection, including Sophos UTM and iView Reporting. Backups ensure that data is recoverable in the event of any catastrophic event.
- SOP Development – Brainlink develops, refines and documents all completed procedures allowing quick resolution times for any repeated tasks or issues.
- Full Transparency – Brainlink shares all their work and information with their client ensuring full confidence and understanding of what is being implemented and achieved on a day-to-day basis.
Williams praises Brainlink for their thoroughness and advanced planning which gives them a competitive edge over other IT companies. “Brainlink’s forward-thinking is one of their best assets. They ask questions and help us prepare for the future.”
E.W. Howell trusts Brainlink to keep their IT systems and data safe. Contact us right away at (917) 685-7731 or raj@brainlink.com to find out how your business can benefit from our expertise and proactive IT security.