Executive Summary: Homeowner’s Association Takes On Ciracom Cloud’s Direction to Provide Better Service for its Residents
About Brambleton Community Association
Brambleton Community Association is a homeowner’s association serving the Brambleton area in Virginia. Its core mission is to develop and execute plans that enrich the community and lifestyle of its residents through social events, community programs, and the building and maintaining of recreational facilities.
Customer Issues
Brambleton initially wanted a VoIP and a better alternative from its previous email exchange platform that could provide bigger mailboxes for its staff and eliminate manual tracking of Office 365 licenses. Eventually, network issues became present that hindered its customers from successfully accessing the association’s pools and utilizing designated Wi-Fi in the area, creating a bad experience for its residents.
Solutions
Ciracom Cloud designed and implemented the following solutions to create a more pleasant experience for Brambleton’s customers while eliminating as many disruptions in the workspace as possible:
- Email migration from BAE to Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Exchange Online, and Office 365 E3 and setting up distribution groups and auto-responses
- Deployment of Kaseya VSA (remote monitoring management solution) to ensure computers are always connected to the server
- Installation of Cisco Meraki, Cisco Umbrella, and Webroot Cybersecurity
Email migration from BAE to Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Exchange Online, and Office 365 E3 and setting up distribution groups and auto-responses
Besides the deployment of Vonage (phone system), Ciracom Cloud also migrated Brambleton’s email system from BAE to Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Office 365 E3, and Exchange Online (Plan 1). Doing so not only provided its users with bigger mailboxes, but it also eliminated the tedious process of manual license tracking.
Furthermore, Ciracom Cloud helped a lot in setting up distribution groups and automated emails for Brambleton because the association has been receiving a lot of emails for different contact purposes. To simplify the process of responding to these emails and promoting shortened response times, Ciracom Cloud built different distribution groups and assigned templated automated emails for each group some even include links on where to download forms themselves, that information seekers automatically receive once they send out an email to the association.
Deployment of Kaseya VSA (remote monitoring management solution) to ensure computers are always connected to the server
One of the projects Ciracom Cloud spearheaded was the deployment of Kaseya VSA (remote monitoring management solution) to all of Brambleton’s computers assigned in each of their pool locations. These computers are connected to the one in their main office’s database server that can check in members of the association who are issued membership cards when accessing pools. Unfortunately, these pool areas were continuously losing its network connection which interrupted the check-in process of Brambleton’s members accessing said pools. To eliminate recurring disruptions, Ciracom Cloud installed Kaseya VSA and turned monitoring on in the pools’ computers to periodically check that servers are connected. Now, if it ever detects a disconnect between servers, Ciracom Cloud can send a script out to it that restarts the VPN connection back to the office.
“In today’s environment, it is essential that we operate our small office system with the same integrity and standards as larger corporate America. We rely on Ciracom Cloud’s focus and expertise to keep our systems, equipment, and software current so we are not easy targets; open and vulnerable to attacks and viruses. Ciracom Cloud’s attention to our systems keeps staff productive and efficient, and our data secure, while working at the office or remote locations.” - Rick Stone: General Manager
Installation of Cisco Meraki, Cisco Umbrella, and Webroot Cybersecurity
Wi-Fi connection was another issue often addressed by the association. One of their pools with a massive deck area has a Wi-Fi router, built by a third party, just wasn’t working anymore. Brambleton sought Ciracom Cloud’s professional support to resolve the problem; right away, Ciracom Cloud successfully fixed the issue by installing three (3) exterior Meraki access points, more commonly used for stadiums. Special antennas were also put in place to ensure Wi-Fi accessibility for the entire pool deck.
Outcomes/Impact
With Ciracom Cloud’s assessment of Brambleton Homeowners Association’s needs and the deployment of Ciracom Cloud’s solutions, Brambleton currently no longer has the need to manually manage and track store-bought Office licenses once they’re migrated to Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Exchange Online, and Office 365 E3. Checking in its members into pool areas without any interruptions are now possible as well, with the installation of Kaseya VSA that has the capability to automatically detect disconnects between pool computers and database servers located in Brambleton’s office. And ultimately, the association now has stable Wi-Fi connection not only in the office, but also in its pool areas via the installation of exterior Cisco Meraki wireless access points with special antennas.
These implemented solutions designed to address the association’s issues, not only enhanced its staffs’ workability but also provided a better overall experience for its residents. “What I really appreciate is Ciracom Cloud’s knowledge and systems in place to promptly respond to the needs of our staff and organization,” said Rick Stone, General Manager for Brambleton Community Association. “Ciracom Cloud proactively works to keep our systems current and to educate our decision-makers on necessary upgrades and best practices. Ciracom Cloud has afforded us to incorporate cutting edge technology in our small office environment,” Stone added.
With the increase of malware incidents and cybersecurity-related attacks, Ciracom Cloud also placed top-tier software and technology to ensure a secured and locked down environment for Brambleton which includes Webroot Threat Intelligence Services’ antivirus solution, Cisco Meraki firewalls and Cisco Umbrella Roaming. These protect computers even when staff are not present in the office. Additionally, backups are in place through Unitrends, a Kaseya-owned company that specializes in backup and recovery plan, and backup domain controller. “In today’s environment, it is essential that we operate our small office system with the same integrity and standards as larger corporate America. We rely on Ciracom Cloud’s focus and expertise to keep our systems, equipment, and software current so we are not easy targets; open and vulnerable to attacks and viruses. Ciracom Cloud’s attention to our systems keeps staff productive and efficient, and our data secure, while working at the office or remote locations,” Stone concluded.
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