Today we’d like to introduce you to Charles Swihart.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Charles. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was a software developer through the 1990’s, but about 2000 I started seeing a lot of work being outsourced overseas. So I decided to move away from software and into support which, at the time, required a physical presence.
For many years our company thrived on break-fix IT work. We quickly reacted when client networks had issues and put out those fires well. Several years ago we started moving into a proactive (or Preactive) role providing 24×7 monitoring of customers’ systems and remote support.
Today we do not do break-fix work any longer and focus on providing Managed IT and Security Services to Engineering and Construction firms across the Houston area.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Our greatest struggle has always been finding IT technicians that work well in our environment. Most professionals who work in network support, server support or in help desk roles do so in a single environment, be it large or small, where everything is done the same way.
If they put in a server, it’s done the same way every time. Every user they support uses the same email service, the same line of business applications, the network is the same. These technicians’ jobs are also very specific. The network tech only does networks, the desktop support tech only does desktops and the server tech only does servers.
In our environment, we deal with many businesses from 10 to 100 users. While there are many similarities, each network is unique. Our technicians are expected to support several different environments each day and to support many areas of those environments. They may straighten out a network issue at one customer, file server permissions at the next and a virus issue on a desktop after that.
The key to keeping up is good documentation. Our technicians must be able to document everything they come across and must be flexible to move from one client to another throughout the day.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are a Managed IT Service Provider or MSP. We provide a proactive, comprehensive IT support team for companies that do not have the budget for an entire team. We can provide this much more affordably than they can by hiring full-time employees.
We are proud of our customer retention. Our very first customer who chose to step away from the break-fix model to Managed IT Services has been with us since July 2006.
What sets us apart from others is that we are the only IT Services firm in the Houston area that focuses exclusively on Engineering and Construction industry. We took a hard look at our customer base and found that these are our favorite companies to work with. We know their applications, we know how they work, what they require of their networks and they value our services.
What were you like growing up?
I was a shy, quiet kid. I tinkered a lot. My dad was often upset with me for taking something apart. I have always loved to see how things work.
Of course I started working early. Selling greeting cards door to door, mowing lawns, etc.
Contact Info:
- Address: 15531 Southwest Freeway
- Website: http://preactiveit.com
- Phone: 8329446250
- Email: swihart@preactiveit.com
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