When you’re a nonprofit organization that supports the morale, education, and wellness of the men and women of the Coast Guard, you have bigger things to worry about than if your Wi-Fi or phones are going to work that day. Unfortunately, these are the types of challenges that Bradley Sisley of the Coast Guard Foundation was facing, especially since they’re located in a rural area a mile off a country road in Connecticut. That was until they found Stuart Bryan of I-M Technology who came in and completely overhauled their IT services, bolstered their cybersecurity protocols, and brought them firmly into the 21st century.
From Outdated to Upgraded
Just because the Coast Guard Foundation was founded in 1969 doesn’t mean their technology services should also be from that age. “Before working with Stuart and his team, technology challenges were all around us. From old wires to outdated hardware, subpar internet, and spotty physical servers, we had very minimal IT services, and we were clearly not operating as efficiently as we could be,” explains Bradley. “We did have email and [internet access], but it was all really just the bare minimum.” The team at the Coast Guard Foundation knew there had to be a better way, so they began searching for someone who could help. “Although I wasn’t there during the onboarding process, I know that once our team started looking, the name I-M Technology came up right away,” says Bradley. “Plus, they were just down the road from us, which was advantageous since we always prefer working with local third-party vendors whenever possible.” And thus, their partnership was forged.
After an initial assessment period when Stuart and his team came in and looked at the organization’s needs and the challenges it faced, they got straight to work. “The first thing they did was optimize the systems we already had in place. Our Wi-Fi was terrible, and much of the wiring needed to be replaced, so they came in and did that right away. Then we looked at moving our phones to a digital system, which we still use today, to make it more stable,” says Bradley. “Eventually, we started hiring remote employees in 2012 that were working from home offices, so Stuart helped us organize and streamline that as well. They were able to start putting us in that remote field about eight years prior to COVID, so when the pandemic hit, we were able to accelerate the things we were doing for our remote workers for all of our office workers, making the transition seamless.”
Not only that but Stuart and his team at I-M Technology have been integral in helping the Coast Guard Foundation move from physical servers to the cloud. “Since more than half of our workforce is remote—by design, not due to COVID—it just makes sense to make the move. Now, everything we work on is entirely cloud-based, and the only interruptions we have to deal with are things out of our control, like if the hosting site is having a problem, for example. Otherwise, it’s made our office much more efficient, and we are rarely ever left without the ability to work,” notes Bradley. He adds, “Another thing I should mention is that I-M Technology worked with us to create a plan to use our previous servers until their useful life had expired before moving us over to the cloud. I appreciated this because then we didn’t waste any money, and the transition was tiered, making it that much easier.”
Protection Made Easy
But it wasn’t just the hardware and basic technology that I-M Technology upgraded. It was also their cybersecurity protocols. “For us, the biggest risk factor is phishing emails. So, what Stuart did was add an additional layer of protection for things like our email while also ensuring there’s employee education on how to recognize such cyber threats. For example, whenever an email comes from outside our offices, it has a warning on it, which is really helpful if someone is trying to mimic our CFO or President,” mentions Bradley. “I would definitely say that cybersecurity is the most significant risk our business, and other businesses, face in today’s world.” However, with I-M Technology in his back pocket, it’s not something that he has to think much about. “Though cybersecurity is our biggest risk,” says Bradley, “it takes up a very small part of my brain thanks to I-M Technology. And this gap between knowing it’s our biggest vulnerability and not having to worry about it is precisely where our trust in I-M Technology lies.”
When asked what he would tell other business owners and decision makers who were looking to upgrade their IT, Bradley says, “I would remind them that IT, and specifically cybersecurity, is not an area they want to underspend. Yes, you can easily overspend, but you certainly don’t want to underspend, because a data breach or cyberattack can ruin a small business. Also, remember that you get what you pay for, and that the cheapest option is not always the best for your company.” He adds, “What I can say is that over our 15+ year partnership with I-M Technology, every recommendation along the way has been the right one at the right time, and that’s priceless.”
Ultimately, having I-M Technology come in and completely overhaul their IT processes while bolstering their cybersecurity protocols has allowed Bradley and his team to get back to doing what they do best – tackling the toughest challenges that the Coast Guard members (and their families) face on a daily basis. So, if you need robust technology solutions from a trusted IT firm, look no further than Stuart Bryan and his team at I-M Technology!
