Scorpions falling from the ceiling. A “cable” that was actually a snake. Extreme weather. Remote locations.

Being a managed services provider for businesses in Kansas City can present unique challenges from time to time, but one recent project has taken us places we weren’t expecting to go.

IT Challenges Know No Bounds

When ExplorUS needed co-managed services to support their small IT team in 18 locations, we were eager to jump in and help. As a family-owned company operating national, state and local park concessions for nearly 30 years, ExplorUS has properties in all sorts of beautiful — and sometimes difficult-to-serve — areas.

ExplorUS had purchased the sites and inherited an aging technology infrastructure, but they were committed to bringing it up to date quickly. Employees struggled to use these systems efficiently, causing stressful delays in the company’s retail and hospitality settings. For several months, our team worked to support ExplorUS in updating their networks and servers.

But the company expanded rapidly and we found our role expanding right along with it. ExplorUS added more than 100 locations over the next year and asked Cenetric to lead the IT management. While it was a thrilling challenge to take on, it also presented some unique situations we hadn’t faced before.

• Nature: With locations in rugged areas like Rocky Mountain National Park and Death Valley, we had to come up with some uncommon solutions to implement networks that could withstand extreme weather conditions.Wondering about those scorpions we mentioned? One of our brave employees opened a drop ceiling in Death Valley, only to have an entire nest of live scorpions fall on their head. This same unlucky employee was reaching for a cable in an office in Petrified Forest National Park — and that “cable” quickly revealed itself to be a snake. (Don’t worry — the tech was fine in both cases.)
• Remote locations: Even if weather conditions weren’t an issue, some locations are so isolated that we had to get more than a little creative in acquiring internet access to set up a proper network. Some sites had been abandoned by the previous owner for many years with no modern infrastructure available, creating extra challenges for our team.
• Regulations and restrictions: Because many of the locations ExplorUs acquired during our engagement were historic properties, they came with tight restrictions on how we could perform our work. And because the networks were being built to handle payments from retail, restaurant and hotel customers, we had to make sure everything we did was PCI-compliant.

ExplorUS continues to use Cenetric network services for all its new locations and remains more than pleased with their support. In fact, our network engineer received a standing ovation at their recent leadership meeting in honor of the technology transformation we helped create.

Always Cenetric — No Substitutions

One key aspect of the project has been the fact that we buck a common industry practice. It’s typical for managed service providers to strike deals with each other to provide service in areas where they don’t normally operate. A Las Vegas provider might subcontract with one in Kansas City to handle IT services for their client here, for instance.

While these swaps are common, Cenetric’s commitment to service quality means we don’t do it. When you work with us for on-site IT managed services, you’ll get a Cenetric expert every time — one who’s certified, trained in customer experience, and well-versed in your project. Continuity of service is important to our clients and to us.

But this policy just wouldn’t work without the dedicated team of support techs we have at Cenetric. Thanks to the remote locations they serve on this project, our team members often can’t reach our Kansas City home base to get guidance or input. They have to rely on their own training and expertise — and they’ve pulled it off without a hitch every time.

No IT issue is too big or too small for Cenetric experts.

Many managed service providers don’t have the breadth of expertise needed to pull off a project like this, and others don’t have the flexibility in their business model to meet the needs of a unique customer like ExplorUS. But Cenetric is set up to handle any challenge  from the everyday to the truly unexpected.

Have an IT project that needs a unique approach — or do you just need responsive, expert IT services you can trust? Set up a meeting with Cenetric to tell us about it. Whether you’re in Kansas City or beyond — even way beyond — we have the experience to help.