Keeping the
technology resources of the Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4)
in top shape is the job of IT manager Paul Stieber. But when Stieber or
his staff have a specific problem or project that requires outside help,
they turn to Micro-Tech U.S.A. to find a solution. The social services
agency utilizes both Micro-Tech U.S.A.’s consulting services and service
agreements to achieve the performance the agency demands.
"We came to Micro-Tech because we needed a partner that could step in
and act as the system administrator should the need arise, and also
provide additional decision-making expertise as the agency’s needs
evolved," Stieber said. "We also have delegated some jobs as needed --
jobs in which they have more skills or we don’t have the time to do
ourselves."
Tough Case Load
C4 provides a broad range of mental health services to a diverse
clientele in the Chicago area. From 11 locations located in all sections
of the city, a staff of more than 300 psychiatrists, social workers,
counselors and case managers serve those in crisis and in need with
professional help.
Unlike smaller social services agencies, C4’s larger size means it has
high IT demands. Counselors must carefully document their work for
Medicare billing and grant funding. Communication between the locations is
crucial to schedule appointments and distribute caseloads.
Besides Stieber the small IT staff includes a system administrator, a
programmer and two technicians charged with keeping more than 300
desktops, 16 servers and customized applications up and running. For
special projects or maintenance, Micro-Tech U.S.A. often gets the call.
Getting Help
A good example is C4’s Citrix WAN server. Micro-Tech U.S.A. configured
and installed the Windows NT server and Citrix MetaFrame software to allow
C4’s management team to access applications from home, enable on-call
staff to access information remotely and to serve smaller sites with only
a couple of staff members without installing a LAN. The installation only
took a couple of days and C4 had immediate use of the system -- Stieber’s
team didn’t have to learn a new system from the ground up, and was able to
continue to focus on day-to-day issues.
C4 also uses a service agreement plan from Micro-Tech U.S.A. that
allows them to draw from a pre-paid account to cover service calls and
maintenance issues. Micro-Tech U.S.A. has established a printer
maintenance program for all of the agency’s 45 printers. Servicing
printers isn’t effective use of staff, Stieber said, and outsourcing to
Micro-Tech U.S.A. saves a lot of money and headaches.
Good Teamwork
Micro-Tech U.S.A. also recently performed an installation of antivirus
software on all C4 desktop systems, completing the job in just a few days.
More than just a maintenance provider, Micro-Tech U.S.A. has become a
trusted partner for planning and achieving C4’s IT goals.
"Micro-Tech’s consultation is really strong," Stieber said. "If we say
we are thinking about where we want to go in the next six months, they’ll
show up on short notice with some really good ideas -- and that’s a
valuable resource for us."
Stieber appreciates the relationship his organization -- including
system administrator Osborne Oreikaose -- has with Micro-Tech. The two
organizations will work together intensely on a project for a while and
when it is finished go back to more of a "maintenance" state. Stieber
counts on Micro-Tech U.S.A. to bring him technical expertise he wouldn’t
have otherwise, and he considers the friendliness and professionalism of
Micro-Tech U.S.A.’s staff to be an asset.
"I chose Micro-Tech U.S.A. because we were compatible in size and for
their experience with smaller organizations like non-profits," Stieber
said. "A lot of vendors really wanted our business, but I really felt if
my server went down I would be their secondary concern. With Micro-Tech I
felt we would be just as important as any customer they have."
