Worgess Insurance Agency Uses IT To Gain a Competitive Edge in the Insurance Industry

Online, May 13, 2014 (Newswire.com) - A Case Study For Managed IT Services

Their Network:

For the past 15 years, Worgess Insurance had been working with an IT provider out of Sterling Heights, MI. They never seemed to have any major issues with their infrastructure and, overall, thought they were being taken care of very well. Little did they know, behind the scenes of their successful insurance agency was a growing IT system which, over the last decade, had become both dated and disjointed.

According to Jake Worgess, Vice President of Worgess Insurance, "We knew some of our infrastructure was aging, but we had no idea how inefficient our previous set up was until Omega did a thorough evaluation of our network and sat down with us to explain their findings."

Worgess Insurance was using a $20,000 phone system that was over 10 years old. They had 2 AMS servers, 1 Small Business Server 2003, 1 TeleVantage Server, and 1 Backup server that were also all almost 10 years old. They weren't using a VPN to remotely access their desktops. The internet was incredibly slow, and their computers were almost 5 years old.

Jake added, "We did not have a set refresh schedule for our equipment. We had never really made any effort to upgrade anything because it almost always involved a considerable financial commitment up front. Just before signing with Omega, the quote we received from our prior IT provider to upgrade our phone system was for $6,000 to $25,000. These large upfront costs seemed to deter us from making decisions."

Worgess' "home grown" infrastructure was typical of many small business environments, with hardware ranging from brand new to almost ten years old, and core software applications with varying revisions and patches. Jake and his team knew they needed to make some significant IT changes in order to bring the infrastructure and systems in line with their goals for the future. The only question remaining was how to get it all successfully accomplished.

Solution Overview:

Omega Computer Services began work by replacing Worgess' old desktop systems to improve the company's basic level of computing and to create a standardized computing platform. The next steps involved the upgrade of the network core to secure and stabilize the delivery of network services. Omega was able to eliminate all servers except the Small Business Server 2003, which was replaced with the Small Business Server 2011. The insurance agency management system was switched to a web-based solution, eliminating the need for two servers on-site. A VoIP phone system replaced the expensive, outdated phone system. Omega added a link and load balancer and an additional internet connection, to double their internet speed and create redundancy.

After completing work on the network infrastructure, ProCare, a comprehensive managed IT services solution, was implemented. All of Worgess' system's monitoring, maintenance and management activities are handled on a proactive, scheduled basis. The end result for Worgess Insurance is a highly reliable, up-to-date technology platform that can support any requirement or new initiative it needs to compete in the marketplace.

Why Omega Computer Services was the Right Choice:

When Worgess Insurance began to evaluate the idea of using Omega's services, they heavily weighed the pros and cons of their current situation and their desired situation. Should they leave their technology provider of 15 years for a company they had never worked with before?

Jake noted, "When we looked at what Omega had to offer, we realized that if they could do what they were promising to do, we could effectively achieve the goals we had set forth in our business plan all at an affordable price. Also, they are a local provider right out of Kalamazoo. We would no longer have to wait days or even hours for them to come on-site if needed."

One of the deciding factors was Worgess' need for new hardware. If they were to stay with their current provider, they would have to spend thousands and thousands of dollars to replace their outdated equipment, including laptops, desktops, and servers. This made the decision to go with Omega's ProCare solution almost too easy.
Jake goes on to say, "They were able to integrate our two locations and upgrade our systems without any large upfront costs. Plus, we now have scheduled equipment refreshes every three years so we will never have outdated equipment again. Now, our future IT needs are adjusting constantly as we grow and change as an agency. I can meet with Ron and present a "wish list" of things I'd like to implement and he adds it to our master plan going forward. I no longer feel like we are behind the times in technology. Instead, I feel as though we are using IT to achieve a competitive advantage.

Benefits for Your Business:

Jake goes on to say that, "The costs savings for Worgess Insurance has been even greater than expected. We expected the savings on the network and hardware costs, but by utilizing a VoIP phone system, Omega managed to cut our phone bill by almost $500 a month. They saved us tens of thousands of dollars by replacing all of our old equipment with no upfront costs. They consolidated our servers down to one, significantly reducing the amount of energy used, and thus lowering our electric bill. And on top of that, the money they have saved us has allowed us to expand our sales force and create a new marketing partnership to help grow our business.

After the initial transition and installation of new equipment, productivity has been up. My staff knows that they can call Omega at any time if something needs to be fixed, which makes getting things done very efficient. After the completion of a few more projects, I think our productivity will better than ever.

The biggest benefit, however, is the peace of mind that comes from knowing we have a true partnership with Omega and that they care about the success of Worgess Insurance. I don't have to think about my network on a daily basis anymore; I know that, behind the scenes, everything is up and running securely, leaving me to focus on the money-making aspects of our business."

Jake's Words of Advice:

"I think that many businesses have grown accustomed to spending way more than they need to in order to keep up with technology. Other business owners think they don't need and can't afford someone to constantly maintain their network. I would advise these business owners to consider all their options. Omega's ProCare managed service package seems almost too good to be true. It is the perfect option for any organization that wants to keep up with the latest technology and partner with an IT provider that truly cares about your business, and not break the bank doing it!"