Many of the new clients that come to us for managed IT services have an IT manager on staff. Much of our conversation with that person revolves around how they can be more successful when we partner together.
Now I know just what that feels like because of what I’ve experienced as Accent has integrated with VC3.
As I write this, we’re less than six months into our new relationship and I recognize how the benefits of being part of a larger organization are playing out. I feel just like that IT manager when they suddenly have access to more expertise and resources. Through working together, the potential for individual and company success bursts open. We truly are “Stronger Together.”
What “Stronger Together” Looks Like
When the VC3 integration team says we’re Stronger Together, they mean it, and I see it. Here’s a sample of what I’m talking about.
Deeper Bench of Expertise
Each of the companies that have become a part of the VC3 family have specialties that they bring to the mix. For example, our folks here in California are sharing their knowledge about Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) with the rest of the company. And we’re learning about how to best serve municipalities from another.
More Extensive Cybersecurity Knowledge
Although we’ve always been strong in cybersecurity, our security team has gone from six to more than 60 professionals. With that many eyes on security, we have an even firmer grasp of how to continuously improve the way clients manage cyber risk.
More Technology Innovation
Leveraging technology for innovation has always been important to us here at Accent and now we have more in-house expertise in that area. Automating business processes is one area where this plays out. VC3 has a software development team that we can now call on, whereas, in the past, we would have had to outsource that capability.
National Presence with Local Service Delivery
The VC3 service delivery model is very much focused on providing businesses with a local service team. We recently onboarded a new client headquartered here in Southern California, along with a distribution center in Tennessee. Both locations get a local team, along with the benefits of being part of a larger entity.
How Many 'Families' Work Cohesively Together
At VC3, we talk about the different companies that have been integrated together as families. Right now, there are five families spread across the US and Canada. When you’re in a family, you share a common background and way of doing things with each other.
Within our families, we actually share a lot of history. The people in leadership have known each other for years and developed their businesses in large part from the knowledge that was shared through participation in industry peer groups.
Then there’s culture. When cultures are aligned as they are with all the VC3 “families” then the integration process doesn’t mean everything has to change. Everyone is still rowing in the same direction. It’s just that now there’s a bigger boat.
That’s not to say that there aren’t challenges. There are. Strategic decisions might take a little longer than they used to when we were on our own. Pushing out new tools is more of an undertaking when you have hundreds of employees.
Good thing for us, taking on challenges is what we do on a daily basis. It’s how we learn. It’s how we grow. It’s how we become stronger together.
