Orchestrating Great Events: How Caldwell Group Ltd. and Novatech Keep Things Running Smoothly
4 min read
After event-management company Caldwell Group, Ltd. took a technology plunge and developed its own in-house IT infrastructure, the firm realized that the solution was not meeting its needs. While investigating other options, Caldwell Group President Polly Bermingham found a better answer in the cloud with ITility by Novatech cloud solution. That was in 2007, and today the partnership is as strong as ever.
From Under performing to Outstanding
“At the time, we were working with a pharmaceutical firm that had huge meetings—2000-3000 attendees—so we needed a fast system,” says Bermingham. “We had spent a lot of money on a server that could take 200 hits a minute, but it wasn’t enough. We kept expanding and expanding and it just wasn’t cutting it.”
Bermingham’s frustration lead her to search for a new IT solution, and she came across a mailing piece she had received from Novatech. She and her team began evaluating vendors and eventually chose the ITility by Novatech solution because, as Bermingham says, “We liked them the best. Plus, we were paying more to our one IT guy for service than we would pay Novatech for everything in a year.”
Novatech transitioned Caldwell Group’s data and business applications—Microsoft Outlook and Office—to a cloud server hosted at its world-class data center. With the new solution, Bermingham and her employees would access their data, email and software over a secure, redundant, high-speed Internet connection. She would no longer have to worry about on-site infrastructure or data security and backups, because Novatech would manage and maintain everything in the background.
Responding to Changing Conditions
When the economic recession hit, ITility by Novatech enabled Bermingham to be technologically prepared. With the meetings and events market taking a tumble as companies tightened belts, Bermingham adapted without any IT headaches.
“The economy had a huge impact on the industry, so we went to a remote model,” says Bermingham. “Today, our people still work from their homes, and we are incredibly more productive. We have all our files on the server. We’ve saved so much money, and it’s not just because we went remote. It’s because we partnered with Novatech.”
Ultimate Portability
Using ITility by Novatech has given Caldwell Group benefits that extend far beyond the money Bermingham saved in infrastructure and office space. Her team can access their files—from any Internet-connected computer—while they are in the field or at a conference, trade show or client meeting.
“We used to have big file books we would drag around with us, but now we just get on our computers and we have everything we need,” says Bermingham. “When we have presentations, if people forget or lose something or we need something in an email, the information is right at our fingertips.”
Bermingham also touts the ITility by Novatech solution for what she calls the “crisis management” phase of meeting management. “You have the plan, but it changes until the day everyone arrives. You need access to that information and it has to be current—almost real time. With ITility by Novatech, we have a security blanket. Novatech saves the day, all the time.”
Service Beyond Expectations
Bermingham says the Novatech support staff is knowledgeable, friendly and focused and says, “They will teach you and coach you until you get it. They have made me a fan of technology.” If something goes wrong, she notes, “Their emergency service is quick and responsive. You never have to wait and you never have to call them twice.”
As evidence of the Novatech team’s enthusiasm, Bermingham relates the story of getting a new computer. “I was trying to set it up remotely, and I couldn’t figure it out. I said, ‘Just let me bring it over,’ and in 10 minutes they had it up,” she reports.
Even though Bermingham and her team are now working with different people than when they started with Novatech five years ago, she says the team is just as helpful as they were at the outset. “We were big fans of Novatech back then and we still are today,” says Bermingham. “I have not talked to one person who couldn’t do what we asked. It doesn’t matter if it is 10 on a Sunday night, they will call you back. There are not many companies like that.
“Novatech has totally lived up to our expectations,” Bermingham concludes. “There is no better decision we could make, for the service; the product; the money. I would highly recommend them to anybody, and I have.”
