This article first appeared on Forbes.com on June 2, 2022. Dylan Natter is the CEO and founder of centrexIT, a San Diego-based Managed Service Provider devoted to industry-leading standards of professionalism and care.
We all know cybersecurity is a serious threat, so I won’t bore you with statistics you’ve heard a thousand times. But consider this: Studies indicate the cybercrime industry is more profitable than the worldwide illegal drug trade. Cyberattacks will continue and are only going to increase, especially with global conflict and political unrest on the rise. Bad actors leverage technology to automate attacks. They don’t care who you are, so small to midsize businesses (SMBs) are not immune.
Leading San Diego IT Services Provider Celebrates 20 Years in Business and Reports 10% Employee Growth to Date in 2022
SAN DIEGO—May 3, 2022— centrexIT, an information technology (IT) services provider helping businesses thrive through technology, today announced the appointment of Katie McEvoy to the new position of Director of Quality. McEvoy, who has been with centrexIT since 2015, brings more than 15 years of management experience to the role.
As Director of Quality, McEvoy is responsible for ensuring the highest levels of success, satisfaction and loyalty for centrexIT customers. To that end, she is charged with evaluating, strengthening and streamlining end-to-end processes, procedures and operations—spanning sales, contracts, delivery, finance and administration. A key area of focus for McEvoy will be instituting employee collaboration and development practices that consistently drive a high-quality client experience.
“From her commitment to excellence and attention to detail, to her thorough knowledge about our clients and the outcomes they want to achieve, Katie embodies all the characteristics of the type of leader best suited for this role,” said James Desson, President, centrexIT. “We will look to her to ensure our work aligns with client standards for quality, integrity, and efficiency, and will count on her expertise to make our teams work both smarter and stronger together.”
Prior to her new role, McEvoy served as a centrexIT account executive since 2018, earning increasing levels of responsibility each year. Previously with centrexIT she also held the positions of help desk manager and client care coordinator. Highlights of her recent accomplishments include developing and implementing an updated client contract model and creating a new auditing process for all third-party products resold, allowing the company to capture unrecognized monthly recurring revenue.
McEvoy’s promotion to Director of Quality comes as centrexIT celebrates 20 years in business. As one of San Diego’s largest IT service providers, the company has experienced 10% employee growth to date this year. Key customer verticals include life science, non-profit, and medical.
About centrexIT
centrexIT helps small to medium-sized businesses focus on their success by providing a value-driven and transparent IT experience. With a wide range of available services, such as Information Technology (IT) and Information Systems (IS) management and consulting, centrexIT incorporates best-in-class solutions to establish stable, scalable, and secure technology environments. Since its founding in 2002, commitment to consistently providing excellent customer service and quality has defined centrexIT as the leading managed IT services provider in Southern California. To view centrexIT’s service and product offerings, or to join the centrexIT team, visit www.centrexIT.com.
How do you say thank you for 20 years of service? For me it is with gratitude.
I have the urge to pinch myself, for this moment seems unbelievable. 20 long years ago I started centrexIT as I discovered my passion to help people business solve problems using technology. My favorite reaction is when someone says, “Wow! I didn’t even think what was possible.” or “Dang. That is so simple now.” I realized that technology can be a powerful tool or a major pain in the butt. Technology is nothing without people and for many it can create unnecessary stress and even anxiety when using it. I take that personally and have always been seeking new ways to make people’s experience with their technology simple and almost invisible to them. Great technology, when it works right, can be a powerful enabler for people to achieve their mission. We understand the trickle down impact great technology can have, or not have, on the chain of customers.
It started with a mission
I set out on a mission to create the most people obsessive IT services company, where people loved to come to work and have fun solving challenges together. I learned in our first year of business how my job as a leader was to ensure our clients and team were always being taken care of. I could see that as the team grew, I needed to make sure they were taken care of so they would have the desire to pass that care along to our clients and their employees. I hadn’t truly realized what I was doing until maybe year 15 where it became apparent that I had intentionally, yet imperfectly implemented a super-secret care formula. “I will take great care of you and in exchange you will take great care of our customers.”
I have toiled relentlessly, adjusted our service offerings, and discovered new ways to engage and enroll our team. Today, I am filled with gratitude for each and every one of my clients and employees.
As the son of hippie parents, I grew up with a sense of wonder and yet a desire to learn and succeed. As a young man with high goals and seemly unachievable dreams, the journey, at times, seemed like a mixed bag of feelings. A mixed bag of hopes and disappointments, victories and failures, doubts and confidence, criticism and validation. I would not say the path was an easy one to walk and I would not say I am extraordinary. What I am is tenacious and willing to ask myself the tough questions to grow and change.
The Natter family in the mid-80s, Dylan Natter shown at far left.
Pushing the envelope
But it takes more than personal effort for a company to succeed for 20 years. It takes a great work environment and ownership-minded employees to keep pushing the envelope. And push that envelope we have. We recently conducted a survey of the goals and dreams of our employees. I was delighted to see the passion and ideas our team sees possible for our company. We also asked about personal goals and to the extent we can help to support those personal goals, we will. I totally believe in providing work programs that benefit the whole person. To that end, we will continue in all our efforts to develop a culture of support and growth.
I believe centrexIT made it 20 years because of our people and commitment to never settle. The commitment to keep showing up and to keep pushing forward despite the obstacles. I know I gave my all to my goal. I made many sacrifices on the way, some that made me question my goal entirely. People told me it wouldn’t feel good the day I actually made success and longevity happen. As we celebrate this 20-year milestone, I agree with them today. I do not feel good. In fact, I do not feel anything except tremendous joy and gratitude for everything and everyone who helped me reach this milestone. And I am totally invested in creating even more value for our clients and employees as we enter the next chapter, “our twenties”.
In gratitude, thank you
I would like to personally thank my wife and children for allowing me to integrate centrexIT into our extended family. I thank my parents and siblings for building a strong “middle-child” individual that loves a good challenge. Finally, I thank my friends that I have neglected to spend enough time with that always have my back.
To everyone who has been a part of my life and a part of this journey, I wholeheartedly thank you and express my gratitude. Every drop in the ocean counts and I would never forget those who helped me sail through troubled waters, for they deserve a part of this successful milestone.
We have a lot to be thankful for this year! We officially went fully remote, we moved to a better office space, and we helped develop an exciting new IT management platform, all while navigating a second pandemic year. And most importantly, we worked hard to support each other and keep our core values at the forefront of everything we do. 2021 was certainly a year to be thankful for!
Every day is a great day with our team
Officially a Fully Remote/Hybrid Team
Along with thousands of other companies, in March 2020 we were pushed into a fully remote workforce. Like the rest of the world we thought we’d be back in the office in a couple of weeks, or at most a month.
Half a year later with no end to the pandemic in sight, we started having internal discussions about our ongoing work-from-home situation. Was it working? Was it something that we wanted to continue if we could return to the office tomorrow? After numerous surveys amongst our team members, it became clear that nearly everyone preferred the fully remote setup, and we decided to make the change permanent.
This permanent change allowed us to expand our team nationwide. Not only were we able to hire top talent from out of state, many members of our staff were able to move closer to friends and family across the country.
The ground-floor space and excellent location makes it significantly easier for our engineers and technicians to prepare and distribute hardware to our clients throughout the county.
Additionally, hot-desk workstations and conference rooms are available for those who wish to work and meet on-site.
centrexIT Releases Pzzle
IT is a rapidly changing environment. Whether it is software updates, hardware advances, or the increase of cybercrime, technology is always changing. Under normal conditions, a significant adjustment in IT management is needed every 5-10 years. The Covid-19 outbreak accelerated this need with the sudden and dramatic shift to a widespread remote workforce.
Thankfully, we’ve created a solution with our partner Dreamtsoft: Pzzle, an IT management platform optimized for MSPs, which is now officially in use with all of our clients. Clients using Pzzle will be able to view their IT environments in real time and develop their own applications as we continue to roll out our planned content. Stay tuned in 2022 for more exciting updates!
Bow Ruggeri, CEO of Dreamtsoft, and Dylan Natter, CEO of centrexIT, are transforming the way businesses manage information technology services.
We enjoyed several outdoor centrexIT family events this year, including hikes and a fun family beach day in the beautiful summer SoCal weather.
Since we were working remotely, we also spent a lot of time this year enjoying the company of our furry friends at home. Loki won the contest for cutest doggy snores, and would often take naps sprawled out right next to Jose’s backpack.
We also celebrated our quirky sense of humor by doing things like brainstorming fun article ideas we could submit to Forbes on behalf of our CEO Dylan Natter. Photoshop is an amazing tool!
Most of all, it was a relief to be able to meet safely in person again.
Some of the team after our November strategic planning meeting. It was the first time we got together indoors as a large group since March 2020.
Our new vision
2021 continued the self-reflection many companies began in 2020, and centrexIT was no exception. We dedicated time as a team to reflect on our purpose and values of C.L.A.S.S. (care, leadership, accountability, service and speed). Every time we considered what was truly important to us, the answer was always people. People, people, people.
Thus, we are gratified to publish our new vision: to be the most people-obsessive Technology Enablement Services Company.
Why does this matter so much to us?
It matters to us because our clients deserve the highest level of service. Without fail, our clients are pillars of our communities. Whether it is the San Diego Humane Society or MAAC directly helping animals and people, or our dozens of life-science and medical clients who are inventing or distributing the medicine that keep us healthy, we are in constant awe at their commitment and passion and are humbled that we can help with their success.
In Closing
In closing, thankyouthankyouthankyou!
Wherever you may be, we wish you the best for 2022!
Pzzle by centrexIT Marks the Industry’s First Rapid Application Development Platform Designed with Multi-Client, Data-Sovereign Architecture
SAN DIEGO – Nov. 17, 2021 – centrexIT, an information technology (IT) services provider helping businesses thrive through technology, today announced the launch of Pzzle, a cutting-edge platform designed to streamline the delivery of IT services to clients. Designed in partnership with Dreamtsoft, the development team behind ServiceNow, Pzzle is the industry’s first enterprise-grade IT service management (ITSM) and rapid application development platform. By combining speed of innovation, product flexibility and multi-client segmented architecture, Pzzle expands traditional managed service provider (MSP) support and improves client experience, data quality and security.
This year was a big year for us. After the first few months of working remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic, the team gave a nearly unanimous vote to continue working remotely, even after things opened up. This caused us to make the big decision to downsize our permanent office space. Our new space focuses on provisioning, project engineering, “hot desks” for anyone who needs them, and occasional in-person team meetings.
Dylan and Caleb reimagine a couple of rooms in our new Poway office space, while Fernando and Hadis celebrate finishing up after a busy day of moving complex IT equipment
One of the biggest changes that came with making a long-term remote work decision for the team was the opportunity to open up our hiring to other states. For years, we hosted an official “Welcome” for each new employee at our weekly all-hands Lunch & Learn. Now, as part of the introduction, each new employee tells us about their hometown. The hometown pictures give us an opportunity to take a “virtual tour” of a new and exciting place. Having a nation-wide presence also allows more flexibility for our existing staff. For example, most employees can move closer to family when needed without job interruption.
Since making the shift to a fully-remote team, we don’t meet in person very often. When we do it’s even more special. Events like family beach days or hiking trips are some of our favorite ways of getting together and celebrating each other and the places we live.
Family beach day in the summer of 2021
Doing IT with C.L.A.S.S.
Whenever you have a big change, it’s common to see a shift in company culture. One way we kept our culture during the shift to the remote working-environment is an intentional focus on our core values of C.L.A.S.S.
Care
Leadership
Accountability
Service
Speed
These core values are critical for both internal and external customers. External customers, our clients, obviously benefit from top-shelf services when each touch uses care, leadership, accountability, service, and speed. Internal customers, our teammates, benefit from working in a supportive environment where each can succeed at their work. The world of IT is fast-paced and stressful at times; knowing that each person you work with has your back and is working towards a common goal makes all the difference.
Here are a few of the things our employees said in the San Diego Business Journal Best Places to Work 2021 survey:
What does centrexIT do that makes it a place where people would want to work?
“Everyone is so welcoming and understanding! There’s a strong belief that teamwork and collaboration are valued. This produced a true “open door policy” that comes without the fear of being shamed or having to deal with retaliation. It’s the most positive work environment I’ve experienced in my 20 years in the workforce.”
“Listens to its employees, supports a good work/life balance, takes calculated risks to improve the lives of employees and clients.”
“It keeps their employees in mind in every decision they make, big or small. The compensation is more than fair and there is plenty of opportunity to grow within the organization.”
“It values individuals. The company recognizes where it needs to improve and invests in those areas for the benefit of all. They listen to the needs of employees and make efforts to fill those needs!”
“The level of respect, care and integrity we provide not only to each other, but to our clients is awesome”
“The transparency everyone has. I feel there is no one person I can’t approach if needed. A level playing field.”
“They continue to look for ways to improve their culture and work/life balance”
“They do not treat you like another number. You are an individual and your family and life comes first, you end up building strong bonds with both leadership and teammates to which it makes it so you want to go to work.”
Looking at 2022
We’re excited that centrexIT is once again recognized as one of San Diego’s Best Places to Work in 2021. As the world continues to change, our priorities are to adapt so centrexIT can keep being one of the top places to work in San Diego and beyond. We want our remote team to feel connected. We want our benefits and compensation to exceed the market going rate. And we want to have a work environment of mutual trust and support where we do IT with C.L.A.S.S.
Company Appoints Vice President of Technology and Director of Technology as Revenue Growth Rate Remains Strong
SAN DIEGO – Sept 28, 2021 – centrexIT, an information technology (IT) services provider helping businesses thrive through technology, today welcomes Joseph Turso as its new director of operations. The company also announces the promotions of Sean Ernst and Andy Albrecht to vice president of technology and director of technology, respectively. All three appointments come on the heels of centrexIT experiencing strong revenue growth, as the company expands its client base to multiple time zones across the United States.Read more “centrexIT Welcomes Joseph Turso as Director of Operations”
We recently teamed up with PBO Advisory Group and Franklin | Soto to present the top best cyber practices to help protect your organization’s valuable IT and financial assets. The 5 top IT security habits we shared in the webinar will help your business get started right away with a better IT security posture.
Scheduled to launch in mid-2021, joint venture project will transform the way businesses manage information technology services
SAN DIEGO – June 15, 2021 – centrexIT, an information technology (IT) services provider helping businesses thrive through technology, and Dreamtsoft, developer of an application Platform as a Service (aPaaS) designed to streamline building and deploying applications for enterprises, today announced a strategic partnership to transform the way businesses manage IT services.
Dreamtsoft was founded in 2014 by Bow Ruggeri, one of the original architects of the $100 billion tech giant ServiceNow. This same group is helping centrexIT tailor and evolve its platform to meet the nuances of the managed services provider (MSP), information technology service provider (ITSP) and managed security service provider (MSSP) industries. Featuring unparalleled transparency and customer service, adoption of the platform will provide small and medium sized businesses with the efficiencies and functionality long enjoyed by the enterprise world, all at a value-focused price point.
“As an MSP, it is critical for us to be able to efficiently manage and maintain the technical, financial and process controls of our clients’ IT environments,” says Dylan Natter, CEO of centrexIT. “Due to budget constraints, small and medium sized businesses often work with MSPs who cannot implement expensive, enterprise-grade technology platforms that provide this level of detailed tracking. We have partnered with Dreamtsoft to enhance the company’s core platform of MSP-based applications while consolidating our technology stack. From managing our clients’ services, products and financial management, the platform provides businesses with a system of record that oversees their entire IT ecosystem.”
Companies traditionally had physical networks on premise that required MSPs to provide one hundred percent of the system upkeep. Over the last five years, numerous companies have transitioned to a hybrid IT infrastructure or exclusively cloud-based model to accommodate the growing remote workforce. Clients have shifted their scope of IT priorities from traditional, all-encompassing services to emerging technologies like security and data governance. Additionally, scaling companies are seeking more tailored solutions that meet their unique business needs and evolving IT requirements. Until now, the industry lacked an adaptable platform capable of scaling, instead following a one-size-fits-all approach that diminishes the value of what an MSP has to offer.
As one of San Diego’s leading MSPs, centrexIT works with numerous clients who are looking to scale quickly and efficiently. Rapid change requires a system that can precisely track clients’ evolving needs and produce a detailed report of usage that directly correlates with their growth trajectory. Dreamtsoft offers aPaaS built on enterprise-grade technology. Its fully customizable software generates a user-friendly interface for IT companies to use in business management. By making it easier for them to synthesize information and seamlessly track where time and energy is being allocated, leadership teams are able to run their businesses more effectively.
“In the IT industry, there is a disparity between the level of service small MSPs receive in comparison to their enterprise-level counterparts. This imbalance often goes unnoticed, meaning poorly managed MSPs are more prevalent than one might think. If something happens to one client, it can affect the MSP as a business, which in turn impacts other clients,” says Bow Ruggeri, CEO and founder of Dreamtsoft. “Providers need to treat clients independently, offering carefully tailored programs rather than one-size-fits-all services. Dreamtsoft is built on that as a foundational element – everything is separate, which allows for better tailoring of services for end clients. We envision providers being an extension of their client’s organization, providing seamless IT service and functioning like an in-house IT department. Our partnership with centrexIT will allow us to roll out a platform that is poised to transform information technology services.”
Bow Ruggeri, CEO of Dreamtsoft, and Dylan Natter, CEO of centrexIT, are transforming the way businesses manage information technology services.
About centrexIT
centrexIT helps small to medium-sized businesses focus on their success by providing a value-driven and transparent IT experience. With a wide range of available services, such as Information Technology (IT) and Information Systems (IS) management and consulting, centrexIT incorporates best-in-class solutions to establish stable, scalable, and secure technology environments. Since its founding in 2002, commitment to consistently providing excellent customer service and quality has defined centrexIT as the leading managed IT services provider in Southern California. To view centrexIT’s service and product offerings, or to join the centrexIT team, visit www.centrexIT.com.
About Dreamtsoft
Dreamtsoft is committed to developing and delivering an enterprise grade, multi-client, zero trust, low code flexible application Platform as a Service (aPaaS). The platform is designed to consolidate technology sprawl and business processes in order to elevate how IT service providers deliver exceptional experiences, while maintaining the highest quality and security for its clients. To learn more, visit www.dreamtsoft.com.
In our recent webinar with Veeam, we reviewed why you need a security plan for Microsoft 365. When Microsoft 365 was officially announced in 2017, it came as the next obvious evolution of the already powerful collection of Microsoft office tools. From a collaboration perspective, it provides an elegant solution to connect and empower remote team members. From an IT perspective, it streamlines IT management of users, devices, apps and services. And best yet, it uses integrated, intelligent security to safeguard company data, customer data, and intellectual property. If security is already baked into the software, why do you need a security plan for Microsoft 365?
