M.R. Mead and Company, LLC

BACKGROUND
M. R. Mead & Company LLC, located in Chicago, Illinois, is a private insurance intermediary specializing in the unique needs of private and closely held companies and associations across the United States. In addition, the company and its affiliates are able to draw upon considerable resources to provide a full complement of insurance, wealth management and risk transfer services. The company operates from three locations in the United States.

BUSINESS CHALLENGE
With an increasing number of customers and a broadening portfolio of services, M.R. Mead’s technology needs were growing. Improved inter-connectivity between its three locations was a must. The company also sought to add new capabilities to improve productivity and provide enhanced services to its customers.

M.R. Mead had limited internal IT support and its past experience with outside technology consultants had been unsatisfactory. With large firms, they felt their problems were given a lower priority due to their size and the recommended solutions were too expensive. With independent consultants, M.R. Mead did not feel they had the depth and breadth of technology expertise to recommend the most appropriate solutions. The company sought to develop a relationship with a firm that would understand their small business and provide strategic guidance for solutions that would fit their needs and budget.

SOLUTION
M.R. Mead selected SWC Technology Partners to evaluate and implement an enhanced infrastructure that would cost-effectively support their business requirements. SWC’s recommendation was an enhanced Microsoft-based infrastructure that was in line with M.R. Mead’s budget. The new infrastructure included Microsoft Windows® Small Business Server and Microsoft Exchange Server, and provided the company with enhanced security and protection features (firewall, VPN, AV, AS). Additionally, centralized storage of key business documents and seamless connectivity between offices improved communications and productivity and helped to ensure that key business assets were protected.

For ongoing support, M.R. Mead selected SWC Managed Services to proactively monitor and manage their newly enhanced environment. For a fixed monthly fee, SWC guarantees service level agreements for network and server uptime and provides onsite support to troubleshoot and resolve technical issues. Each month, the companies meet to review results and discuss short and long term business objectives to ensure that the IT environment can effectively support the company’s goals.

RESULTS
In addition to having a network that is stable, manageable and reliable with enterprise functionality that fits within their budget, M.R. Mead has found a true strategic partner who is working with them to improve their business. With SWC managing their network and overseeing technical issues, M.R. Mead now has
a predictable IT budget and can focus more efforts on serving its customers and growing its business.

ABOUT SWC TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS
SWC Technology Partners is the leading provider of innovative IT solutions to small and medium-size businesses. For more than 30 years, SWC has excelled at providing strategic guidance and delivering solutions tailored to the needs of growing organizations. SWC’s areas of expertise include best-in-class Managed Services, Performance Management, Business Applications, Messaging & Collaboration and Network Infrastructure & Security solutions. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, SWC is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, a Symantec Gold Certified Partner and a Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Partner.

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