CloudCaseStudies: Exclusive Concepts
Founded in 1997 as one of the first Internet
marketing firms, Exclusive Concepts is now one of only a few firms
primarily focused on online retail. Primary services include
Search Engine Optimization, Pay Per Click Advertising, Email
Marketing, and Conversion Optimization.
Exclusive Concepts was faced with an aging email server running Microsoft Exchange 2003. The old server was just about out of storage to house the data and it looked like they were in for a very expensive new capital investment to replace it.
Seeking Alternatives
The executive team knew there were other solutions available, so they began to search for the right alternative. Initially they signed up for a 30-day trial of Google Apps for Business, but the limitations of this solution became immediately apparent.
As part of their business, Exclusive Concepts has developed very large and sophisticated Word documents and Excel spreadsheets which make extensive use of the macro programming capabilities. They quickly found that Google Apps for Business could not tightly integrate with these critical documents. In fact, when they were compelled to transfer their documents to the corresponding Google Apps, they found them to be far too simplistic and unable to perform any of the necessary functions.
With the announcement of the release of Microsoft Office 365 they quickly and easily determined that this new platform would integrate with their current business and tools very well, so they contacted Microsoft seeking answers to their questions and further support for their decision.
Microsoft referred them to one of their Top 5 national cloud champions, CloudStrategies, to provide the required support. They had already signed up for Microsoft Exchange Online and were considering replacing their existing file system with SharePoint. The CloudStrategies team helped Exclusive Concepts complete their Exchange Online implementation by simply answering their questions. After careful discussion, they recommended holding off on the SharePoint transition until the company was more prepared for it.
The Right Solution
Exclusive Concepts
Vice President of Product Development Dan Theirl was most impressed
with CloudStrategies willingness to answer his initial questions
readily. "The thing
that stood out," explains Thierl, "was that they were willing to
put in the time and effort up front to give us the best advice, not
necessarily just sell us a product. They looked at our
business and what we were actually doing and really considered how
we operate before they would actually recommend going down the path
of upgrading to SharePoint. A lot of other companies
would have just said 'here's SharePoint, let's get you up and
running on it.'"
Thierl anticipates that CloudStrategies will be very helpful in planning and executing their eventual transition to SharePoint. First, they need to determine if their complex advanced Excel tools can be successfully edited simultaneously by multiple users. "We don't want to continue having multiple versions of files all over the place," observes Thierl.
Hurricane Irene Meets Office 365
While the electrical power in Burlington, MA where Exclusive Concepts is located never went out during the recent northeast disaster of Hurricane Irene, the power in their building failed the next day, and stayed off for three days! Had they still been using their aging on-premises server, Exclusive Concepts would have faced disappointing many of the customers who depend upon their support every day. "We had everyone who needed a phone go across the street to another building that had not lost its power," explains Dan Thierl, "and everyone else was able to continue working and serving our customers from home. I can't put a dollar figure on it, but it would have cost us plenty with our clients who need our help."
Regarding his experience with CloudStrategies, Dan Thierl observes, "They're very professional. They follow up, and they provide a quality service!"