McLean & Dickey Insurance Brokers
Orillia, Ontario,Canada
Configuration:
Install Attix5 backup software on five servers to provide secure offsite backupOverview of Company:
McLean & Dickey is an Independent Insurance Broker specializing in Personal, Commercial and Marine Insurance with a staff of over 40 people, all dedicated to making the purchase of insurance easy, pleasant and personal. McLean & Dickey was built upon a foundation of strong values and principles and a culture devoted to customer service.
Stage2Data:
Glad to meet you Chris, it’s been our pleasure to work with you at McLean & Dickey Insurance Brokers. Can you recap how you came to work with our team?
Chris Gooding:
We were introduced to Stage2Data through the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO). When we first met, we weren’t ready to move forward with a change in our data backup process but later, when we were, we included Stage2Data in our list of companies to consider.
Stage2Data:
What made the move to a Cloud-based Backup something you wanted?
Chris Gooding:
Prior to S2D we were backing up our two office locations using USB drives (External Hard Drives). It wasn’t a robust solution and there were issues around security and safety that concerned me.
Stage2Data:
What kind of concerns were you facing with the External Hard Drive backup?
Chris Gooding:
The way we were doing it with rotating drives, it’s very hands on, very manual. With so much human intervention needed, it was hard to walk away trusting that the other person in the company was trained well enough and able to do such an important job. There was too much room for human error.
Stage2Data:
What made you decide to go with Stage2Data once you were ready to make the move to the Cloud?
ChrisGooding:
I investigated many companies and options for our backup solution but Stage2Data stood out from the crowd because their team was great from the beginning.
Stage2Data:
Walk us through the period from deciding to go with Stage2Data to being free from backing up on External Hard Drives.
ChrisGooding:
One of the first steps was going through an environmental assessment where Stage2Data carefully looked at our needs, how much data could be compressed,how much data we had and then they came to us with a solution. Next they gave us examples and a demo. The system was very impressive, the best we’ve seen in regards to how they compress the data.
Stage2Data:
Compression was important for you?
ChrisGooding:
Yes very much! We’re in a non-urban center, a small town in Ontario on a point to point radio internet band link.This means we don’t have great bandwidth which could have limited our ability to backup off site. Compression was a big consideration and Stage2Data delivered that in a big way. The massive compression they deliver brings down our internet costs and reduces time.Without it, we couldn’t have moved forward but with it, it all works.
Stage2Data:
Tell us about the move to the Cloud. How was the team at Stage2Data to work with?
ChrisGooding:
One of the biggest things that I found with Stage2Data is that their support guys are amazing. That just won us over right away. These are people we can trust with our data. This is what our relationship with Stage2Data is built on. When you have someone on the other end of the phone who you have faith in,it makes all the difference.
Stage2Data:
There were a few hiccups during your install, tell us about that.
ChrisGooding:
We did have some hiccups due to issues on our servers and the Stage2Data team spent a lot of time figuring out the source and the solution. It wasn’t just one person, at one point even Stage2Data’s CTO was involved. It all got sorted out and it works great. That was my first glimpse into a service team that really delivers above and beyond.
Stage2Data:
You’re a solo IT professional. What does that level of support mean to you?
ChrisGooding:
Having that support is huge for me. As a solo IT guy, I don’t have anyone to lean on or to ask questions of. Now I have a team I trust watching our system and making sure it’s backing up. That peace of mind is very important for me.
Stage2Data:
So a vacation is possible now that you’ve got a support team watching your back?
Chris Gooding:
(Laughs) Yes, I can have a vacation. If I’m away and something does happen, we’ll get a call from Stage2Data and they’ll work with our team here to address the issue.
