Story · Engineering firm · Cloud migration
Getting ahead of a vendor forcing everyone off premises
Deltek Ajera, the project accounting system the firm runs on, was being moved to the cloud by its vendor whether customers liked it or not. The vendor's default schedule landed in the firm's busiest stretch.
The situation
The letter from the vendor was short on detail and long on deadline. The firm's principals wanted to know what it would cost, what would change for their project managers, and whether it had to happen in the middle of proposal season.
What we did
We read the vendor's material, called them, and came back with a plain timeline and a firm quote. Then we negotiated the migration window into the firm's slow season instead of the vendor's slot.
We also caught a second cost. The firm was about to pay to import years of archived documents into its cloud document system, only to archive them straight back out. Using the document vendor's own sync tooling instead did the same job for a fraction of the spend.
"The vendor's timeline is a starting point for a conversation, not a delivery date."
How the engineer on this one puts itWhat changed
ResolvedMigrated on the firm's schedule, at a known cost, with a wasteful document import avoided entirely.
The guide behind this story
ChecklistIT due diligence when buying a business
The technology questions to ask before the letter of intent, what the answers do to the price, and how integration goes when it is planned.
Read the guideOrder the internet circuit the week the lease is signed. Carriers take six to twelve weeks. Nothing else on a move fails as often.
The relocation checklist Did you knowA backup that has never been restored is a hope, not a plan. Ask for the date of the last tested restore.
What to actually testQuestions people ask about this
Our software vendor is forcing a cloud move. Can we push back?
On the timing, often yes. On the move itself, rarely. The useful move is to get ahead of it: understand the cost, pick your window, and avoid the add-on services you do not need.
The full answer
"It was great to have a conference call between Midwest IT and our software vendor to resolve this issue. Draven was persistent, resourceful and patient to solve the problem, and he did! I felt confident this issue would be resolved so I could have a successful event."
Ann, Geneva Lakes YMCAMeet Draven- A technician who knows your setup takes every request. Not a dispatcher, not a queue.
- Every closed ticket is surveyed and a partner reads every response.
- 99.5% of surveys come back positive.
- Family-owned since 2005. 21 years in the same corner of Wisconsin, not going anywhere.
"Thanks for the hard work. I was kept informed with regular updates until the concern was resolved."
Jeff, insurance brokerageTalk to a partner, not a sales script.
Tell us what is going on. A partner will call you back the same business day, look at what you have, and tell you honestly whether we are the right fit. No pricing pressure, no pitch deck.