Case study: intY assures Systems Assurance with Microsoft cloud support
Systems Assurance has been providing IT equipment and services to corporate and government organisations since 1992. Initially focusing on hardware technology sales, in recent years Systems Assurance has moved into the cloud technology market, offering its customers a range of services to help improve the flexibility and scalability of their IT estate. Working with a small team of engineers, Systems Assurance offers a comprehensive variety of services to its clients, including web hosting, software licensing and maintenance, all underpinned by dedicated customer support.
When Systems Assurance initially moved into the cloud services market, it worked with several of the large, broadline distributors. However, these were not particularly productive relationships, as Simon Lewington, Managing Director at Systems Assurance, explained:
“Four or five years ago we recognised that cloud technology would enable us to deliver services that give us a stable source of recurring revenue and provide real value to the customer, which we could deliver with our small team. We looked at the large, broadline distributors, but felt that they didn’t understand the services market, and they couldn’t close the gap between what the dealer can’t do and what the distributor can do. As our dealings with these larger distributors progressed, we grew increasingly frustrated at the disjointed process of delivering cloud services to our customers, which didn’t align with seamless way that Systems Assurance does business.
“We were looking for a distributor that had knowledgeable staff that could provide attentive support and engage with us as well as our customers. Our clients are large corporate enterprises and government institutions, so a reliable IT service is critical to business success. It was important to us that we worked with a cloud provider who understood our needs and those of our clients.”
Since it was founded in 1997, intY has developed unparalleled expertise and knowledge in distributing cloud services, ensuring that its partners have access to the latest cloud solutions, all supported with the necessary training and resources needed to make them as competitive as possible. intY’s breadth of experience and success in the cloud marketplace is reflected not only in its global reach, with operations in the UK, US and main-land Europe, but also in the depth of its partnerships with the biggest names in the industry – something which became quickly apparent to Systems Assurance. Simon continued:
“Having tried a number of the major cloud distributors, we had a conversation with intY. The company may not have been quite as big as some of the other’s we had worked with, but it was its total focus on cloud services that appealed to us. As we discussed our requirements, and those of our customers, with intY, it became clear that not only have they acquired significant expertise in the market, but that the team were focused on ensuring smooth and seamless service delivery.
“Working with intY to access Microsoft’s cloud solutions has been critical to the recent growth in our cloud services business. Our clients are large corporations and government institutions, and they want a name and a brand that they can trust. Everyone knows Microsoft, it is a real industry leader, so when you can offer your clients cloud services from one of the world’s largest, most recognisable technology companies, it gives them confidence in the services we are delivering. When we can go to our customers and tell them that we can have them on-boarded on Microsoft Office365 within a matter of hours, rather than days, that’s a convincing sales proposition, and is really only possible because of the support that intY gives us.”
“We said to intY when started working with them that we wouldn’t come to them as often as some resellers might, but that we would bring them big deals, that would need a lot of support and advice. We have since found that intY are the ideal partner for our approach to business. They offer us the assistance we need, getting involved with conference calls with the client to put their minds at ease, and offer the skills and expertise that we don’t have in-house, closing the loop where the larger broadline distributors couldn’t.”