Ponting Fitzgerald Architects: Long term relationship means carefree technology

About Ponting Fitzgerald Architects

There’s plenty that professional services firms should worry about…and then there’s all the other stuff. While essential for getting the job done, IT falls firmly into the second category, which is why Ponting Fitzgerald Architects (PFA) has trusted Lancom Technology with its technology support requirements since 2008. It’s a relationship which just works, says PFA Senior Associate Jason Van Huenen, which means he and the other members of the team spend more time on architecture – and less time keeping their systems running.

Ponting Fitzgerald Architects is a boutique architectural practice based in the fashionable Auckland suburb of Ponsonby. Built on the founders’ understanding of the inherent value of timeless architecture and with the aim to conceive buildings that delight and inspire for generations to come, PFA specialises in the design of homes that connect people with place, a poetic embrace of location and lifestyle.

"We’ve always seen Lancom willing to go the extra mile, nothing is too much trouble, and we’re getting the support we need, when we need it."

Jason van Huenen / Senior Associate

Going back in time

Himself with PFA since the early days, van Huenen says some form of Lancom Technology has always been part of the company, keeping the technology ticking over. “We mostly do high end residential projects, so many of our clients are affluent and we must respect their time,” he says. “That means our technology must be reliable and dependable – time is money, and if our IT systems aren’t working, nor are we.”

van Huenen says a lot of change has happened over the duration of the engagement. “Alongside, we’ve grown and moved office twice. The first time was pretty tricky, because back then the cloud didn’t exist. The second move was far easier, as it was just a case of shifting a few personal computers, plugging in, and away we went.”

From a pretty basic setup which included ‘some old hard copy servers and backup drives that we took home every Friday in case the office burnt down’, PFA’s technology requirements have steadily evolved. “Today, the office is quite heavy with cloud infrastructure and services which include Microsoft 365 and a couple of architecture-specific applications. While things are simpler in terms of flexible working and easier-to-use software, the online back end is far beyond what I or any of our team can handle.”

It is here that Lancom Technology shines, van Huenen explains. “If you want to be efficient at everything else, you can’t stuff around with the IT. You need a trusted support partner looking out for you, taking care of configurations and security, and there to fix anything that might go wrong.”

Growing with business needs

van Huenen says the experience as Lancom Technology has expanded, has remained consistent. “We’ve been really impressed. At no point did we feel like we were just becoming a number, and we’ve had instant access to real people if we need it. Most of the time though, the support we require is as simple as filling in a form, and it gets sorted out. We’ve gotten used to that convenience!”

Respect, they say, is earned. “For a while, we kind of resisted letting someone have their hands on the entire IT side of the business. But we’ve gradually accepted that not only does Lancom do a better job, but they tailor the services they provide. That’s meant we’ve been able to access as little support as we’ve wanted – when that’s what we wanted – and then as the complexity has gone up, we’ve put more in their hands. Of course, we still have full access to the back end of our systems should be need it, but there’s a good trust system in place.”

That trust system extends across the Pacific, to Colorado. One of the company founders has worked remotely from the United States for more than 12 years – and van Huenen says modern technology and Lancom’s support makes this viable and seamless. “Rob Fitzgerald works while we sleep, but gets the same tech help if he needs it.”

Remote, fast - and convenient

He adds that most issues come down to a few minutes for a fix. “That makes remote support fantastic. While it’s nice to have someone call round if needed, we don’t want someone fighting through traffic unless absolutely necessary, and I’d say over the past 15 years, we’ve maybe had someone in 6 or 7 times. And two of those visits were for the office moves.”

Over the years, van Huenen says many have sought PFA’s partnership. “We’ve been approached by plenty of IT companies that have said they could do our support better – but we’ve built a rapport with a trusted provider, which has essentially been therefore us since we were a toddler, through our adolescence, and into a grown-up company. We’ve always seen Lancom willing to go the extra mile, nothing is too much trouble, and we’re getting the support we need, when we need it.”

Services used

Managed Services

IT Managed Services
Cloud Computing
Cloud Managed Services

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