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Getting an electrical business into the cloud

Rocket IT has worked with progressive, North Shore-based electrical company DNA Electrical since 2020. This locally owned business is committed to providing great service to their clients and best practice across their operations, which includes having their office – and IT systems – running like a well-oiled machine.

Rocket IT was recommended to DNA Electrical’s co-owner and general manager Andrea Hoareau and she could see why, right from the very first meeting.

“When I met Simon to discuss our needs, he was easy to deal with and made me feel comfortable. He was patient with all my questions and really professional, plus I really trusted the person who referred him, so we started our partnership in 2020,” Andrea says.

Since then, the Rocket IT team has moved DNA Electrical to the cloud (getting rid of their in-house server) and moved their files to Sharepoint.

“These changes have streamlined operations and enabled our team to work much more productively on a remote basis, which is important for our business with the growth we have experienced and continue to see. It’s also made the office operations cleaner and more organised and given us peace of mind that our data is safe.”

Andrea says the process went seamlessly.

“It was well organised and their team did great. I have been involved in IT system changes in the corporate world prior to owning DNA Electrical so know how these things can go wrong!”

Andrea says she enjoys working with Rocket IT because they’re “easy and responsive, friendly and professional. I would recommend them to others looking for an IT partner.”

When Financial Holdings Limited were looking for a new IT services provider, they knew what they wanted: an IT company with a proven track record, who came recommended, and who had the right personality fit for their team. Rocket IT was recommended to Financial Holdings Ltd (FHL) by someone they trusted. After interviewing a couple of potential providers, Rocket IT stood out as being the clear fit for them.

“We liked what Rocket IT had to offer and there was an immediate personal rapport established between their team and our directors. We enjoy doing business with good people who we get along with and the Rocket team are very easy to work and communicate with,” says Nina Sones, credit & accounts manager at FHL.

Over the past 3.5 years, Rocket have provided ongoing IT support to FHL’s head office and 10+ employees, empowering them to do the work they need to, without being held back by their technology systems.

The FHL team was particularly pleased to have the expertise of Rocket IT when they suffered a serious virus attack. The Rocket team leapt into action, changing hosting from the inhouse servers to a safer hosted data centre and then restoring all FHL’s data.

“They were very transparent with their response and worked around the clock to restore services – they appeared to take the task very personally,” says Nina.

When asked what FHL enjoy about working with Rocket, the answer is short and simple: “The people first and their promptness second!”

“If you are thinking about working with Rocket IT, definitely give them a chance. Meet them and see if they are the right fit for your business… chances are they will be!”

Rocket IT has worked with Super Liquor Holdings, a New Zealand-based liquor retailer, since 2019.

Super Liquor were looking for an IT partner to help them migrate into the cloud, then manage their network and IT systems for their Auckland Support office and over 170 stores around New Zealand. They chose Rocket IT for their experience and expertise in managing IT operations for retail businesses.

“Rocket IT seamlessly provided our Support office with managed network and then implemented Office 365 across our stores and Support office, ensuring we were all on the same system. This allowed us to seamlessly move to working from home during the covid lockdowns,” explains Martin Graham, Super Liquor’s IT Support and Training Specialist.

“The process was well managed and we had very few issues during the implementation. Rocket IT also provided great response times for any issues that did arise.

The resulting IT systems at Super Liquor have been very efficient and effective, allowing the company to focus on its core business operations.

Martin Graham “highly recommends” Rocket IT to anyone looking for an experienced and reliable IT partner.

Phoenix Metal Recyclers is a metal and battery recycling company that has recently grown from four sites to 22 across New Zealand, with staff numbers increasing from 30 to 70 in just one year.

This impressive growth has come mainly through acquisitions, which has brought its own challenges in terms of getting all branches aligned in terms of IT and systems. Some of the acquired businesses were formerly paper-based with staff who aren’t regular computer users.

Phoenix Metal’s CFO Michelle Davis says they were grateful to have support from their long-time technology provider, Rocket IT, who has helped them with hardware installation, implementing a front-end system which buys and sells products, and providing ongoing support as they bring all sites into line.

“We had to learn lessons along the way, but Rocket IT has been adaptable and able to move quickly when needed,” she says.

“Two of the main challenges we’ve had is dealing with people who aren’t technologically confident, as well as maintaining and looking after existing equipment that is past its best-before date.”

Security is also a concern, as they have staff who aren’t technologically sophisticated using their systems. However, Phoenix Metals are working with the team at Rocket IT to focus on education and training, as well as making sure they have great internal systems to protect against cyber threats.

Michelle says they’ve appreciated having a proactive and helpful IT company on their side during this growth period and beyond.

“Simon is really proactive – he comes out to see me once a month and has ideas in terms of ideas and suggestions in terms of how we can improve things, which I really like. He’s got big corporate experience and other customers that are growing so he has expertise in this area. When I’ve gone to him with problems he can’t solve he always has good referrals so it’s good that they’ll support us with what they can and provide us advice with other matters that they can’t.”

“To anyone thinking about working with Rocket IT, give them a go. They’re good at what they do and they’ll definitely take away some of the worries you have around technology and security.”

NZ Ceiling & Drywall Supplies is a leading supplier to the building and construction industry. The Kiwi-owned business has eight branches around NZ, with two more opening this year. To help facilitate this scale and growth, NZ Ceiling & Drywall Supplies undertook a series of upgrades to their IT system – and they chose Rocket IT as their IT partner for the journey.

“We were in the process of upgrading to Office 365 and the new Microsoft Navision System and needed an IT supplier to support us along the way. Our project lead at Acumen Consulting recommended Rocket IT,” says NZ Ceiling & Drywall Supplies national sales and operations manager, Dwayne Cox.

In the initial meeting with Rocket IT’s MD Simon Gibson and project manager Nick McClintock, Dwayne was immediately blown away by the experience and expertise they bought to the table within the IT industry.

“Beyond that, it felt like Simon really cared about our business and was interested in our operations and goals and that was key to us. He also understood our requirements and needs in moving forward,” says Dwayne.

Eleven months later, the partnership is going from strength to strength. With Rocket IT’s guidance, NZ Ceiling & Drywall Supplies has moved completely to Office 365, computers have been integrated, and hardware (32 terminals) have been updated. Rocket IT also took on the task of consolidating all the company phones, changing providers to align them all.

“The fact that this project is completed and that it was seamless is amazing. Rocket IT just got some key information and ran with it, which is brilliant because we’re so busy with our day-to-day working in the construction industry,” says Dwayne.

NZ Ceiling & Drywall Supplies has now chosen to migrate all their IT services to Rocket IT.

“I’ve been really impressed with them because things get done. No issue is too big and when there is a problem, they try to solve it before they involve us. They just get on and do it,” Dwayne says.

“Another thing that sets them apart from others is that the MD is always reachable, always happy to take our call and, if something did go awry, we know he’d get on and fix it. That’s the sort of relationship we try to form with our clients so it’s something we really appreciate from our suppliers. Their customer service has played a big role in how happy we are to work with them. To anyone thinking about working with Rocket IT, I’d say go for it – you won’t be disappointed.”