Challenge:

Farrish Johnson was using a combination of 3 on-premise physical servers, each with a different distinct purpose within the practice, which were nearing the end of their life cycle. Their previous IT provider had quoted them a costly, time intensive project to replace this hardware.

Solution:

Mankato Computer Technology was able to virtualize all 3 of their existing servers onto a single new physical machine which was robust enough to handle the needs of all their employees. This solution meant a lower investment in their on-premise hardware with no loss in functionality.

Impact:

The inclusion of Mankato Computer Technology in the bidding process resulted in our company handling a server transition that addressed the needs of the firm, simplified their existing hardware loadout, contributed to ease of use and backups and ultimately saved the firm a significant expenditure. Mankato Computer Technology was able to complete the project for $65,000 less than what the previous IT provider quoted.

Challenge:

Mid-States has two geographically disparate locations, with one in Mankato, MN and one in Joplin, MO. Prior to contracting with MCT, Mid-States relied on tech support from a variety of different providers in both Minnesota and Missouri, largely on a break/fix basis, as problems arose. In addition to their separate locations, many employees are also in the field around the country, meaning that at any given time, they may have teams in Tennessee, Oklahoma, Montana or any other state, as well as their home offices.

Mankato Computer Technology Solution:

Mankato Computer Technology provides Mid-States with security and hardware monitoring for their computers, wherever they are located. Employees of Mid-States can now call a single provider for help desk support and receive high quality, responsive service remotely. As a part of their annual technology planning, Mankato Computer Technology coordinated with Mid-States to migrate to a cloud-based email solution which allows employees to stay in touch, even when they may not have access to their office computer.

Impact:

Running into technical problems can bring the work day to a screeching halt and without the right support, it can be difficult to know who to turn to. With Mankato Computer Technology as their Managed Service Provider, Mid-States employees now have a standard answer to the question of where to turn when they experience problems with technology. End users can file tickets with the Help Desk for non-urgent problems or call the Help Line for immediate assistance.

Challenge:

Collaboration on files and documents between locations was a significant chokepoint within the operation that slowed productivity. Storing documents on individual user’s machines also increased the possibility of data loss in the event of a hardware failure. NCI was using an old email system which locally stored email data on the machines of each user; they were also primarily using large email attachments to share files.

Mankato Computer Technology Solution:

MCT implemented SharePoint, a cloud-based file sharing solution from Microsoft. This allowed staff from all locations to save their work on the cloud, easily collaborate and share data, without a costly investment on server infrastructure. At the same time, MCT implemented a new email solution; in industry parlance, this was what is known as an email migration, moving the entire organization from an old email system to a new one with better performance and functionality. The final stage of the work was performed remotely by our staff over a single weekend. MCT Migrated the mailboxes and data of approximately 100 users from 8 locations across 3 states. The entire organization was moved from an outdated email system to Microsoft Hosted Exchange, allowing many more capabilities (Including calendar sharing, in-browser email accessible from anywhere, syncing between multiple devices and easy administrative management).

Impact:

The project moved from planning to execution in about 1 month with minimal complications and little follow up support needed. This radically changed the way data is shared across the organization. No more emailing attachments with important data– they now have an extensive SharePoint setup with appropriate permissions to take the pain out of collaboration on important documents.

Challenge:

Each organization at the center has their own set of needs and their own data which is sensitive and needs to stay internally secure. Resources are shared between the organizations, but data is not.

Solution:

Mankato Computer Technology set up a server that could be used for file sharing by all tenants, but each user within the organization uses domain credentials which grant them access to only the data for their organization. Mankato Computer Technology also built out a network that allowed all tenants to route their traffic through a shared firewall, vastly increasing their security. Virtual Area Networks or VLANs were used to segregate network access for each non-profit in the building.

Impact:

IT can be a capital-intensive prospect and building an effective, secure network or putting in place reliable data-sharing solutions can be daunting, even for for-profit companies. The shared resources approach and the innovative solutions enacted by Mankato Computer Technology allowed each tenant to enjoy the efficacy of premier solutions, without drastically increasing their expenses.