There ’ s no doubt that technology has changed rapidly over the last few decades . From the days before the widespread adoption of the internet to today where everything is digitized and online , this stark transformation has affected everyone and everything , including how businesses run and operate . Nobody knows this better than IT Manager Greg Potcner , who started with Aero Manufacturing over 30 years ago . However , as the organization ’ s technology needs became more complex , it became evident that some additional IT support might be necessary . Thankfully , he found David Javaheri and his team at Direct iT , who have since helped him get all their technology requirements together , updating things where needed , and attending to their ever-evolving technology needs .
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMATION
At its core , Aero Manufacturing is a fabrication facility specifically for the turbine and aerospace industries , meaning there is a lot of welding , machining , and forming constantly going on in the workshop . Where technology comes in is on the other side of the wall where the office staff resides . “ Our role in the office is to essentially support the shop guys ,” Greg begins . “ That ’ s always what the goal has been , but over the years , what that looks like has changed .” He continues , “ When I started working here in the ’ 90s , we had a job shop application running on a mini computer system with ASCII terminals connected , and that ’ s how we would track inventory , complete accounting , and all those business functions . As the company grew , we became more involved with servers and PC workstations , and then we needed to start networking all these things together . Remember , we were doing this before emails were a standard thing !”
As the company entered the 21st century , Greg faced many new technological challenges . “ I am the IT department ,” Greg jokes . “ During this time , about ten years ago , I had to start tackling things that I had no idea about , like networking and running exchange servers and things like that . I happened to come across a mailer from an IT company called Direct iT where they were promoting a spam filter application to put in front of your exchange server . I thought to myself , ‘ We ’ re having troubles with that ,’ so I called them up .” Upon successfully installing the filter and chatting further with David ’ s team , Greg realized that Direct iT could offer Aero Manufacturing so much more support than just the spam filter . “ It first started out with us purchasing blocks of support hours ,” Greg explains . “ Eventually , we switched to their monthly plan , so they were there whenever I needed them , and we ’ ve been doing that for the last five years or so .”
AN EYE-OPENING ATTACK
Having Direct iT as a partner has come in handy more than once . For example , about seven or eight years ago , before a lot of today ’ s cybersecurity technology was available , Aero Manufacturing was hit with ransomware . “ It happened on a weekend , and when we came in on Monday , we realized , ‘ Uh oh , we ’ ve been hacked ,’” says Greg , “ My first call was to Direct iT to tell them that two out of my three servers and about six workstations had been compromised . Their team promptly came out and spent the next 2½ days retrieving data from our backups and rebuilding our servers . Come to find out that someone had found some type of backdoor hole we didn ’ t know about . Needless to say , I was thankful that David ’ s team immediately jumped into action to help me resolve the issue and get the company back up and running .” Greg adds , “ I couldn ’ t have done it on my own .”
Now , with advancements in technology and this experiential knowledge , Greg works with Direct iT to implement robust solutions that are proactive rather than reactive . “ One thing we have in place now is SentinelOne EDR antivirus software that will disconnect a workstation from the network if it detects a prohibited activity or imminent threat ,” mentions Greg . “ Since we don ’ t have any remote users , this has helped significantly , along with , of course , other firewalls and security protocols we ’ ve implemented over the years .”
“ YOU CAN ’ T DO IT ALL ON YOUR OWN ”
When asked what he would tell other IT managers who may need a little additional support , Greg simply states , “ Don ’ t hesitate to look for outside help , because the truth is that technology is changing all the time , and you can ’ t do it all on your own .” He continues , “ That ’ s why partnering with Direct iT has been so great because I can be the ‘ boots on the ground ’ person , and they can just pop in whenever I need them . Honestly , it ’ s been a fantastic feeling to have someone right at your fingertips and to get support immediately . Plus , if I ever want to take a vacation , I can get away knowing that Aero Manufacturing is still fully covered in my absence .”
Ultimately , by working with Greg to handle some of the more complex technology challenges that the organization has faced , Direct iT has helped them firmly step into the 21st century while leaving room to address their ever-changing needs . This support has allowed the Aero Manufacturing staff to continue servicing the world from New England as they produce precision metal fabricated and machined components for industrial and commercial applications . And if you ’ ve been searching for a knowledgeable , responsive IT firm that ’ s willing to work with you to support all your technology needs , look no further than David Javaheri and his team at Direct iT !
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