How a Triangle company has made a successful transition to the cloud

This article was written for our sponsor, RapidScale.

Long gone are the days when the cloud was only used by industries like healthcare, technology and finance. Now, businesses across the spectrum are experiencing the benefits of the cloud, especially as remote work increases in popularity.

At ACR Supply, for example, the HVAC distributor has partnered with managed cloud services provider RapidScale to increase security and stability.

"We have anywhere from 80 to 90 users at any given time, and they need access to our system. Our system was so old, so we went to a cloud provider a few years ago, but it got to the point where the service was just not reliable. We started looking and networking and eventually landed on RapidScale, which was conveniently right here in the Triangle," said Troy Meachum, CEO at ACR Supply. "We were able to do some live Q and As on Zoom meetings, and now we house all of our systems — email, analytics, all of that — with RapidScale."

RapidScale uses Microsoft 365 to provide clients with a variety of apps and capabilities that are not just limited to email, but also video conferencing, real-time document collaboration, project and workflow management and more.

Since each business has different needs, RapidScale worked closely with ACR Supply to ensure they had the software, security and stability that they needed.

"They provided a Citrix environment that was very similar to what we came from, and that was a big deal versus going into a virtual desktop scenario. We were very used to the environment we have and the way it works, so they adapted to us and put together a team of experts that worked with us for implementation," said Meachum. "I worked with their team over the next two to three days, just working out all the bugs and getting everything working correctly, and their team of experts are so knowledgeable in their given areas. I could call them at any second or email them with the issue, and they were always quick to resolve it."

RapidScale actually deploys a special onboarding team that's in charge of ensuring a smooth transition. The team helps clients for anywhere from 12 months to 36 months after implementation. Part of Rapidscale's implementation process is making necessary adjustments once the new service is turned up based on monitoring tools and direct client feedback.

"What sets us apart is our team's ability to solve problems, to reach out to their peers and to quickly resolve issues. While some other providers may only be skilled in a certain area, we have a team that has specialties across the board — so if one person doesn't know the answer, then they probably know someone else who does," said John Rinehart, director of client experience. "When you look at a cloud project, I'd love to say it's easy, but it's not — especially when you're moving a client from a legacy technology into a new technology. There are a lot of moving parts that come with that, and we have built a tremendous apparatus to support clients through that process."

After coming from a previous cloud provider that was less reliable, being able to count on the support and knowledge of RapidScale has been a game changer for Meachum and his team. One of the biggest differences, said Meachum, is response times. When an issue comes up, the team responds as soon as possible to help bring a resolution, leading to few if any downtime windows. RapidScale also sends out regular surveys that allow Meachum's team to provide feedback on their services and suggest any changes or improvements if needed.

They then publish the results of their surveys through a net promoter score, exhibiting transparency with all of their clients.

While the migration process is far from easy, Meachum has been thankful to work with a cloud provider he can trust.

"We had some bumps the first day of the transition, but since then it has been smooth sailing. I can't tell you how fortunate we've been to be able to be with a company that provides such a stable environment," said Meachum. "I was not expecting to get a local company — that was just icing on the cake for me — I even have lunch scheduled with the president and the other COO to get to know them personally."

"Having somebody locally that we can actually go to and get a personal response, it's been a huge deal for us."

This article was written for our sponsor, RapidScale.