Startup hedge fund Tahoma Capital incorporated in October 2005, with a goal of opening its new offices February 1, 2006. That gave the firm less than four months to locate and build out office space and get its IT infrastructure operational. Tahoma Capital turned to isoutsource.com for help with the design and implementation of its network.

Joe Wilson, Director of IT for Tahoma Capital, says he chose isoutsource.com based upon the firm's qualifications, size and reputation in the industry. It proved to be a wise choice. Thanks to careful upfront planning, hard work and a flexible, can-do attitude, isoutsource.com was able to meet Tahoma Capital's deadline despite construction delays and other obstacles.

Wilson joined Tahoma Capital to oversee the build-out of the firm's technology infrastructure. New to the Seattle area, he began searching for a technology provider with the expertise and capacity to handle the project, with high levels of customer service. He soon found isoutsource.com.

Tahoma Capital's IT needs included extensive networking, T1 lines to multiple telecommunications providers, security, and a half dozen Windows 2003 servers running Domain Controller, Active Directory and Exchange. isoutsource.com had the right combination of skills and experience to come up with a robust data center design as well as handle implementation.

"I've been involved in IT management and development for more than eight years, but I'm not a Cisco engineer or a Microsoft Exchange expert. I needed someone who understands Cisco and Microsoft Server Systems," Wilson said. "isoutsource.com helped develop a network design that meets our needs today and provides a platform for growth. I gave them the requirements and they set it up in a redundant, fault-tolerant way. We went through just two iterations in the design and planning phase — they got it nailed quickly."

Because of delays in the construction of Tahoma Capital’s offices, the isoutsource.com team performed much of the planning and server configuration work in its own office space.

"They spent about four to six weeks planning and prepping in their office," Wilson said. "I asked them if we could ship all the gear to their space where their guys could work on it, then move it to our space once it was ready. They were very accommodating."

Once the design and configuration phase was complete, isoutsource.com worked around the construction crew to install the network and data center equipment.

"isoutsource.com had planned well enough ahead that they were able to come in during the construction," Wilson said. "They were stepping over floor tiles and bumping into the construction workers, but they were very accommodating. They were willing to work in a very chaotic environment."

Creative sourcing and strong vendor relationships enabled isoutsource.com to procure needed equipment — even through the holiday season.

"They did an excellent job of finding solid prices on equipment and getting it here quickly," Wilson said.

isoutsource.com overcame all the obstacles and enabled Tahoma Capital to move into its offices on February 1st. In addition to their expertise and strong customer service, Wilson was impressed with their ability to take initiative without overstepping boundaries.

"Their engineers bent over backward to get us up and running as quickly as possible," Wilson said. "For example, Mike Cook came in on a Friday night and worked until midnight or later to finish the network because we had some potential investors coming in on Saturday. I didn’t even have to ask. They just stepped up and did things like that.

"They had the autonomy to make decisions and get things done without confirming everything with me. But they also knew when to ask what we wanted to do."

As a testament to the relationship forged between the two firms, isoutsource.com continues to handle networking equipment maintenance and support and upgrades, as well as consulting services.

"We've been very pleased with isoutsource.com. They understood that it was vital that we move into our offices on schedule — after all, we wouldn't have been able to make money without being operational," Wilson said. "We're looking forward to a long, ongoing relationship with them."