SDAO Gains Confidence and Capability with VC3’s Co-Managed IT

The Special Districts Association of Oregon (SDAO) is dedicated to supporting local service agencies across the state by providing them with advocacy, education, and resources like insurance to support their success. Technology is vital to SDAO’s mission since their services are fundamentally based on managing and delivering information.

As Director of IT, Gary Byars oversees all IT operations at SDAO, from end-user support and cybersecurity to IT strategy and network improvements. He’s always had a small internal IT team, but when his staff decreased by one, he contacted VC3 to explore how co-managed IT services could not only bridge the gap in his IT department but expand SDAO’s IT capability.

“I had been talking about doing this for several years but losing an internal employee freed up some resources,” explained Gary. “I told my supervisor that I would like to try this out with VC3 and see how it goes; then maybe we won’t need to fill that position, and they agreed.”

COVID Lockdown with Onboarding Team Onsite 

The VC3 onboarding team was onsite at SDAO in early March of 2020. As they were gathering information, learning about the IT environment, and installing support tools, the governor of Oregon declared a state of emergency because of the COVID-19 pandemic and locked everybody down.

At this time, no one at SDAO was set up to work from home. With the VC3 onboarding team still on site, a solution was deployed that would allow SDAO’s staff of 60 people to access their work computers virtually through their home computers. This was possible because, as part of the onboarding, VC3 had already set up a portal to facilitate support services.

“This couldn’t have been more fortuitous for us because we didn’t have a work from home solution at that point,” said Gary. “VC3 saved the day for us.” 

Strategic Initiatives Accelerated with VC3’s Expertise and Toolset 

A few months later, VC3 helped the organization transition from desktops to laptops to improve the effectiveness and security of employees’ remote access. This would have been a much more difficult step for Gary and his internal IT team to take on without VC3’s toolset and expertise guiding them through the project.

Very soon after that, SDAO’s servers were moved to the cloud and their backup process improved. This was an initiative that was on Gary’s IT roadmap for the future but was accelerated because of the need to better support remote workers. The VC3 team was instrumental in providing strategic guidance as well as project planning and implementation, all while proactively managing the organization’s network and endpoints, and responding to support desk requests from end users. 

Reassurance and Confidence Through Partnership 

“From the onset of our relationship, we were off and running and having some great successes. That really cemented VC3’s value to my organization, straight away,” said Gary.

Gary views SDAO’s relationship with VC3 as a partnership and an extension of his team. The strength of this partnership helped Gary navigate a challenging period in their relationship. His feedback was welcomed, and he not only knew that his voice was heard, but he saw changes being made that led to progress. He also recognized that as VC3 continued to grow, it would mean that he would have even more resources and more expertise to call on, and that would be a tremendous benefit to SDAO and their mission to serve their members.

“I’ve got someone who has my back, and that offers a level of reassurance I didn’t have before,” said Gary. “There’s a depth of knowledge in the VC3 team of technical experts. When I’m working in areas where my knowledge might be a bit lacking and need someone more experienced to step in, that help is always there.”

Not only is help there, but Gary feels like he can go on vacation without worrying about a project that’s underway or even a security incident. Knowing that his IT environment is in capable hands, he can truly disconnect and recharge. That’s the kind of confidence any Director of IT could hope for, allowing him to focus on strategic initiatives rather than day-to-day concerns, and take time off knowing everything is covered. 

SDAO Equipped to Advance Their Mission

SDAO’s partnership with VC3 has provided Gary with IT capabilities far beyond what a small internal team could achieve. He views this relationship as a true partnership, where both teams work together seamlessly, with each serving as an extension of the other. This close collaboration allows Gary and his team to move forward with confidence, knowing they have a trusted resource just a phone call away. With VC3’s strategic support and expert guidance, SDAO is well-equipped to tackle IT challenges and advance their mission with assurance and efficiency.