Managed IT services / Cyber Security

How Metal Image MD Regained 3 Hours of Sleep Every Night

Company spotlight

Metal Image, a family-owned and operated metal printing company, is growing at steady pace in the last few years. What started in a cramped bathroom in 1974, Metal Image has now become one of New Zealand’s leading metal printing specialists.

Andrew Robbie, Managing Director of Metal Image, foresees entering new markets as the catalyst for rapid growth in the next few years. But this can’t happen without making changes to their IT infrastructure.

Metal Image Logo
industry
Manufacturing
Year founded
1974
Services provided
Fabrication

The Problem

Metal Image was in a long-term supplier relationship. This service provider handled all their IT needs from security to networking. But as Metal Image grew, the supplier didn’t grow with them.

“As we evolved, our supplier wasn’t evolving with us,” said Andrew when asked about the state of their IT. “We felt like we were being ignored.”

This statement by Andrew isn’t unique to them. One of the most common complaints about MSPs (managed service providers) is the lack of responsiveness when issues/problems arise. This is often the result of understaffing or simply poor management.

This results in poor customer service, a lack of transparency, and a lot of recurring issues. Because there are no service level agreements, the service provided is often reactive—only taking action when something bad happens.

In the end, the client suffers.

This is what prompted Metal Image to search for another service provider.

The Solution

Andrew knew the importance of IT in the business. After all, they are relying on cutting-edge equipment like laser and flatbed printers. He knew that without a solid foundation that “just works,” they’ll find it very difficult to reach their goals.

His top three criteria for picking the new IT provider were:

  1. Good people fit
  2. Local
  3. Solutions/services offered

Andrew wanted a provider that’s easy to work with and local to them.

So, like what most people do nowadays, Andrew went online to start his search for a new provider.

I “Googled some local suppliers, found three. We approached all three. But before we approached them, took a look at their website and looked at the people involved in every organisation…It’s very important we get a good people fit.”

In the end, Metal Image picked us to be their managed service provider.

When asked about it, Andrew said “the other competitors were just a bit oversized for us. And while they were extremely strong in security, it was kind of overblown for what we were looking for. We were looking for something more rounded.”

And that’s something we take pride in. We customise the services we offer for every client. We don’t slap on and reuse the same proposal for everybody.

“All three in their own individual ways were quite strong. It was a difficult decision…[we picked iT360 because] the approach we felt would suit us…because the onboarding with iT360 was the most comprehensive that we were presented with.”

Metal Image Today

The relationship with Metal Image is still new. But we can say with absolute confidence that we’ve helped reduce the stress Andrew and the team are experiencing each day.

When asked what’s different now compared to where they were 3 months ago, Andrew said while chuckling, “about 3 hours of sleep at night. It was a bit of a worry where we were before…there isn’t really a comparison because of the scale and the scope of the services offered…and that’s given us a lot of security.”

Without us actually being aware of it, we were completely exposed. Our anti-virus, our firewall and things like that were very piecemeal…We arrived at a point where we haven’t had very much protection at all for a period of up to much as 6 months before we became aware of it. That was the beginning of the end of our relationship with our previous supplier.

Andrew Robbie, Managing Director

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Service is with this company is outstanding. The whole is friendly, patient and eager to attend to any IT issue. Highly recommended for IT services.

Louise Whelan
Louise Whelan
Exec. Assistant, Bellingham Wallace

One of the things that I was really grateful for was right from the minute of conception where we had our first meeting, to when it rolled out, it was very, very quick…the issues that we were having with the previous company, we didn’t have to deal with them for very long once iT360 came on board and we signed up with them.

Eleanor Lefever, Office Manager, DHC Consulting Group
Eleanor Lefever
Office Manager, DHC Consulting Group

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