Challenge: The Atmosphere of a Start Up

For Karen Boater, starting a new business could be summed up in one word, "Chaos . it's absolute chaos." Although officially the head of Human Resources for sports-marketing startup Sports Loyalty, Karen was finding herself being pulled in multiple directions and placed in charge of a variety of initiatives. One of those initiatives was to find an IT provider that could design and build an entire network infrastructure for Sports Loyalty, but could also provide ongoing maintenance and strategic thought leadership.

"I had so much going on at one time. I was directly responsible for the IT, the infrastructure, and the office management so I was looking for an IT company that I could rely on. I needed someone who had knowledge and expertise that I could trust so that when I said 'This is what I need to happen,' I'd know that they would do it at the level that I expect it to be done at."

Solution: Taking Ownership and Managing Expectations

Introduced to Thrive Networks by IDG Ventures, a Sports Loyalty investor and Thrive client, Karen agreed to an initial consultation during which Thrive's sales and engineering representatives walked through Sports Loyalty's new office space

with her and discussed exactly what she needed and why she needed it. They also developed a timeline detailing each step of the network build-out so Karen could better manage expectations for herself and her business partners.

"There were many things that set Thrive apart from other vendors I was considering. Their response time was fast, the project plan behind their proposal was far more complete, and the comfort factor was unparalleled. Overall, Thrive was way ahead of everyone else"

After receiving the green light to move forward, Thrive immediately put their project plan into action and over a three day period built Sports Loyalty's network from the ground up. Once the infrastructure backbone was in place, Thrive configured all desktops and laptops, and met with the entire Sports Loyalty team to train them on best practices and processes. After the network build and training was completed Thrive continued to add value to the relationship by providing phone and Internet vendor recommendations to Karen; further giving her time back to focus on her many other responsibilities.

"The entire network build-out process was great because Thrive managed both my expectations and the expectations of everyone else here."

Result: A Strategic Growth Partnership

Today Sports Loyalty has grown to become a nationwide leader in sports marketing and promotion. They continue to rely on Thrive for proactive network maintenance and support as well as strategic thought leadership. From troubleshooting firewall issues for their consultants in Dodger Stadium, to using the Client Portal to track and monitor issues, to project planning with their dedicated network engineer; Karen and her team at Sports Loyalty are leveraging Thrive Networks as their strategic IT partner and aligning themselves for continued growth.