IT Services for Financial

Build Reliability and Security into Your IT Infrastructure with All Covered IT Services for Finance

Case Study: First Mortgage Solutions

The Context

Like other kinds of financial services organizations, mortgage businesses have been quick to understand the benefits of effective, efficient information technology (IT) solutions. In an information intensive, heavily regulated industry, the need to speed and simplify cumbersome, paper-based processes and procedures is critical. During the 1990s, mortgage businesses increasingly used computers, networking technologies, and industry-specific software such as Calyx Point to handle work that was growing in both volume and complexity. And today, vast amounts of information—from changes in interest rates to loan submissions—are transmitted electronically.

Along with progress, however, has come new IT challenges. How can mortgage firms, especially small ones with limited resources, manage their critically important IT resources with maximum effectiveness? How can they make their IT work for them instead of—as was often the case—against them?

The Client

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, First Mortgage Solutions specializes in financing residential properties from single-family homes to small apartment houses in both Georgia and Florida. Together, its small staff leverages an internal network to service approximately $100 million in loans a year. To assure that the network remained up and running, First Mortgage relied on a local IT freelance technician, a person working alone who specialized in “break-fix” solutions and was often slow in responding to requests for service.

The Problem

Jim Hartman, one of First Mortgage’s three founding partners, knew that a change had to be made. The urgent issue was an aging, slow-running Windows NT server that had recently developed a habit of crashing. “It was in such bad shape we were considering hospice care,” Jim jokes.“ But we also realized that we needed to start thinking differently about our network. Whenever it went down, things came to pretty much of a standstill. Rather than living in fear of the next problem, we had to find ways to build in reliability and security; ways to plan for higher levels of productivity.”

The Choice

With these goals in mind, Jim discussed his needs with All Covered. Attracted to All Covered’s comprehensive, strategic, and proactive approach to IT management and increasingly frustrated with his IT service provider, the choice was obvious.

Enter All Covered

All Covered’s first task was to perform a comprehensive network assessment, which included an evaluation of all First Mortgage’s software applications and how they inter-related. One obvious finding was the need for a new, more reliable, higher-performance server. All Covered addressed this immediately, recommending and then installing a server that ran Windows 2000.

All Covered has also helped First Mortgage improve its network in a variety of other ways:

• Installing a new firewall to strengthen security;
• Putting in a virtual private network (VPN) so employees can access the system when they’re at home or on the road;
• Rooting out major viruses that had infected the network;
• Planning for future enhancements and investments.

In addition, All Covered delivers All Covered Care (ACC), a suite of regularly scheduled services from virus protection to long-range network planning that assures network security and stability, and addresses potential problems before they become real ones. Recognizing the value of ACC, First Mortgage has used this service since May 2003.

The Results

Since All Covered first came in to assess First Mortgage’s network, Jim and his staff have seen dramatic improvements on virtually every IT front.

“For me,” notes Jim,“the biggest benefit is that All Covered has taken ownership for the network. They’ve identified problems we hadn’t noticed and opened our eyes to possibilities we hadn’t considered. And they’ve done it with great competence and professionalism. Add to that, they’re very responsive. When we phone, someone is always here within 24 hours. That’s a big difference from the way things used to be. All Covered has effectively relieved me from my IT management duties, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Staying Focused on the Core Business

In a recent study, National Small Business United reported that:

• 46 percent of small business owners surveyed agreed that managing changes and upgrades to their IT systems is a major business challenge.
• 40 percent expressed a desire for support and guidance in anticipating and planning for business technology investments.

With IT systems growing in complexity and the need for small businesses such as First Mortgage Solutions to concentrate on what they do best, it’s no wonder that a strategic IT service provider such as All Covered is a natural solution.

For First Mortgage Solutions, All Covered turned a troublesome IT network into a transparent one.

“All Covered has transformed the way we manage our IT network. Instead of dealing with problems as they come up and then worrying about what will happen next, we rely on All Covered’s expertise, prompt response, and recommendations for enhancements. Now, the weight is off our shoulders. Instead of being distracted by our network, we can give our undivided attention to servicing our customer’s loans.”
-Jim Hartman, Vice President, First Mortgage Solutions