A Refreshing Solution:
IT Managed Services Elevates Sparkling Water Innovator

How Reliable IT Solutions Support a Modern Beverage Business

The beverage industry is a surprisingly complex and competitive one, and any organization hoping to make a name for themselves needs every advantage they can get.

One such company, a first-of-its-kind sparkling water innovator, needed to lay the technology groundwork that would power future growth. That’s where Live Oak IT Solutions came in.

The Client

A creative, independently owned sparkling beverage company, the client is passionate about creating a multi-sensorial experience for consumers. Moving with purpose and speed in a highly competitive environment, the company has built an expert operations team and supply chain network.

They continue to focus on new flavor launches and distribution expansion in order to bring unique, sparkling moments to everyone who enjoys their products.

The Challenge

The relationship between this client and Live Oak was established in 2017, when the company was an innovative start-up looking to differentiate in a crowded market. Live Oak helped business leaders to set up a strong foundation for future growth.

The client originally needed assistance with everything from email management to storage to choosing cohesive platforms for a uniform experience for all employees. They leaned on Live Oak for common IT challenges such as setting up cyber-security tools, monitoring and managing workstations, and deploying Microsoft InTune throughout the organization.

As the company grew, executives knew that they needed more day-to-day IT support so that their technology leaders could focus on strategic, value-adding initiatives. According to the Director of IT, “Live Oak handled all the things that any organization needs to handle as they mature. With their team managing things like daily monitoring and support tickets, I had time to focus on business processes and vendor management that would not only help us to scale, but to achieve sustainable growth over the long term.”

The Work

In addition to the initial work of setting up or migrating the company’s various platforms, they also managed all of the daily tickets so that the internal tech team could focus on business value.

For example, with a 60% remote workforce, the business was spending a significant amount of time ordering hardware, installing programs, and then shipping to each individual. Live Oak helped them to fully migrate to Microsoft InTune, where they can do all of this work from the cloud. They now ship machines directly to new employees, and all of their tools and security apps are installed remotely. It’s been a game-changer for the organization as they operate in a majority remote environment.

Live Oak also assisted with cyber-security tactics that have made the environment more secure. “They helped us roll out some additional tools and protections which have improved our security. That work, combined with better policies and standardization, has created an environment I feel confident is safe,” says the Director of IT.

The Results

The IT Director shares that the biggest benefit of collaboration with Live Oak is that he has been able to expand his efforts beyond standard IT management. With Live Oak managing day-to-day items and employee tickets, he can turn his attention to policies, processes, and protections.

“When I am not interrupted with tickets throughout the day, I can spend my time on strategic things that set our business apart. I was able to bring on a Systems Manager to focus on ERP, and together we have streamlined processes for getting invoices out and setting up more robust workflows.”

He says that generally speaking, Live Oak focuses on the technology infrastructure that most companies have, leaving his team to focus on things that enhance and improve this particular company. “We spend time on things that are relevant to our organization and market, like streamlining internal business processes. We know that Live Oak has the general IT items managed.”

He also mentioned accessibility and responsiveness specifically. “The Live Oak team is really easy to work with and we collaborate well together. We’ve brought on a few more specialized vendors as well, and as a comprehensive group, everything is running smoothly and we are seeing great results.”

The Future

Dooley tells us that Live Oak is continuing their excellent managed services, while also helping with an exciting new project. 

Texas Legal Services is in the process of setting up self-service kiosks in certain public locations, so that more people can access their support where they need it. Users will be able to access hardware like computers and printers, as well as the important legal resources that can be found online, to work through legal issues without having to travel. They’ll even set up some private areas where people can meet with an attorney or work on confidential documents. 

Live Oak is helping to architect that program, including researching and obtaining computers, setting up systems, purchasing necessary components, etc. According to Dooley, this will allow them to help even more people in meaningful ways. “We hope to continue to grow this essential program, and Live Oak will be our partner every step of the way.”