Sponsored - ZAG provides IT cost-savings and stability to produce industry leader Index Fresh

For worldwide avocado marketer Index Fresh, a new partnership with Managed Services Provider (MSP) ZAG has resulted in a 30% reduction in IT costs and increased productivity across the organization.

The senior management team is now free to focus on core business issues rather than IT problems. Chief Financial Officer of Index Fresh, Merrill Causey says, “There’s no way I could hire a single person—or even five people—who could be experts in all the areas that ZAG is. The partnership has impacted our bottom line tremendously.”

Prior to making the switch to ZAG, Index Fresh had relied on the same MSP for over a decade. The company’s hosted infrastructure showed limitations as the business grew, including outdated systems, lack of storage and an inability to access key data. Suffering delays and downtime can result in lost sales. “If a customer calls and your system is down, they’re going to find somebody else to satisfy their order—and you’ll never recoup that sale,” says Causey.

In its new role as MSP to Index Fresh, ZAG migrated their IT infrastructure to Microsoft Azure, and the outcome was remarkable. The company’s transition to Azure resulted in greater control and access to their technology, enhanced security with backed-up data, a more user-friendly experience for employees, stable framework for reliable and secure remote working and the capability to turn complex data into useful business reports. “Azure has solved many of our problems,” says Causey. “We used to have an issue with storage, but now it’s massively scalable and secure. We used to have a problem with remote workers not able to access our files and system, and that’s solved, too.”

ZAG is very responsive to the needs of its clients, and Causey appreciates their friendly approach. “A lot of times, IT people are very tech-savvy, but they lack personal skills,” says Causey. “With ZAG, they’re not only knowledgeable…they’re warm, personable people with expertise across every discipline you need.” Another aspect of ZAG’s service Causey appreciates is the ability to support ad hoc technology projects, even at the last minute. 

Since partnering with ZAG, Index Fresh has leveraged technology to meet its ambitions and goals. Not only has the business boosted operational efficiency, but it has also saved precious time and money while becoming more secure. In terms of cost savings, Index Fresh has saved at least $100,000 by not replacing an IT consultant when they moved to ZAG. Overall IT costs have also been reduced by at least 30% compared to the previous provider. Causey adds, “They save you money because they’re on top of what’s happening in technology. They’re aware of promotions, they can consolidate systems and licenses, and they mesh things together and drive efficiencies in a smart way.” 

Causey encourages his peers in the produce industry to upgrade to a total IT solution provider like ZAG to help them achieve their goals faster. “I’m someone who expects the best out of the people and companies I work with,” he adds. “ZAG has stepped up and delivered.”

For more information about how ZAG can improve your IT capabilities, visit www.zagtech.com or call (408) 383-2000.