CLIENT PROFILE
DMark Group Inc. is one of the largest franchisees of Manpower, the world’s leading provider of workforce solutions, connecting human potential to the power of business. DMark Group has 20 staffing office locations throughout Wisconsin, Iowa and Florida.
THE SITUATION
DMark Group had what Wipfli consultant Jeff Anger described as a “farmhouse” IT system. Disparate pieces had been bolted together over the years, and platforms that weren’t designed to work together had created a complicated network that was at times unstable and challenging to maintain. When DMark first joined the Wipfli managed services program, it averaged 30 to 40 service tickets every month.
DMark Group desired to update its aging systems to create more stability, as well as become more forward-thinking and proactive.
THE STRATEGY
To reach these goals, Wipfli created a long-term roadmap. The team designed a new system, rebuilding DMark Group’s entire network infrastructure, including server systems and remote desktop platforms. Failover internet was added at all locations, ensuring continuous internet uptime.
Following Anger’s farmhouse analogy, he says, “We stripped everything down to the studs and rebuilt it with a longer-term strategy in mind.”
That strategy is a big part of what COO Lisa Fiore appreciates about Wipfli’s service. Previously, Fiore would have described the organization’s IT service as “reactive.” Now, she and her network administrator meet with Wipfli for monthly calls and in person every quarter to review current projects and update IT strategy with an eye to the future.
“I really put a lot of value in the annual roadmap,” says Fiore. “Together, we began laying out the path to be proactive. Because they know our industry, they are able to make relevant recommendations and help me to understand how something may apply to our organization.”
WHAT WERE THE RESULTS?
Today, DMark generates only about two service calls a month — just 5% of its previous support load. DMark’s system is so stable that Fiore says Wipfli has practically “worked themselves out of a job.” Accordingly, DMark now enjoys significantly lower managed services fees, along with the invaluable benefit of a continuously stable business network.
