By: Amy Bean Napier
At Partners, we work with many professional vendors and service providers that help us to better serve our clients and customers. These companies and individuals go above and beyond to ensure that we are successful in all ventures we tackle for the company and clients. We are really pleased to have Blake Dowling from Aegis Business Technologies be the first in a series of vendor interviews highlighting the products and services they help bring to our company.
Aegis Business Technologies has served as Partners’ back end technology department for nearly 10 years. They assist staff with all aspects of IT support and are our go-to support for anything technology related that can’t be handled easily and quickly in-house. So without further ado, let’s find out more about Blake and Aegis Business Technologies!
Hi Blake, I want to introduce you to our readers. Tell me about Aegis and your role at the company.
My name is Blake Dowling and I am the Chief Business Development Officer for Aegis Business Technologies. At Aegis, we provide outsourced IT support for organizations that do not have their own internal IT staff. For those companies that do have IT staff, we can be their back up support, procurement department for hardware and software, web or app developer, network cabling resource and many other functions. If it has to do with technology, we can take care of it for your business.
Tell me what new technology you’re using right now and what drove you to start utilizing this.
We have cloud services for anti-spam, email, file storage, and backup. The cloud has provided lower cost, higher functioning services in some areas.
Have many associations signed up for cloud services? How has it changed the way they do business?
Associations make up about 25% of our customer base, and I would say 100% of them have some sort of cloud service in place that we have provided for them. It could range from file storage, backup, anti-spam, or email.
You list a number of technology-related solutions on your website. What technology inspires you?
Our technical team inspires me. They walk into (or remote into) IT issues each and every day, fix the problem, and walk away the hero. That is pretty cool.
I agree. We have worked with quite a few techs at Aegis over the years, including Bill Cummings, our support lead and hero, and they have always been there with immediate solutions to whatever issues we are facing. This continued focus on quality work and great customer service is why we continue to work with Aegis!
What technology has had the most impact on your life?
Mobility. My IPad has changed the way I work, and made me a workaholic.
How have mobility and the integration of IPads, IPhones and other mobile products improved the way associations communicate with their members?
I have worked with several associations who have given their board members IPads to streamline communication with those resources. In regards to membership, there are several things to consider; associations that have been early adopters of making sure their websites are mobile friendly have been rewarded with a great way to interact with their membership from these mobile devices. Associations who have a website that is not easy to navigate have certainly missed out. But it is never too late. If you are not there now, it is time to work on a plan.
What piece of technology has most changed the way associations do business?
It depends on the group, but SAAS (software as a service) has really changed what a small association can do. In the past, you needed a 6 figure piece of software to run all facets of an association in one place, and now you can accomplish that with a low cost monthly fee.
What’s the next big technology “thing” for associations?
Mobile Apps! Collect dues, plan events, disperse news to your membership. Call me and I will build you one.
What new mobile app do you recommend that associations should look into and why?
No association is the same, so we help you develop a custom app that provides the info and services that you need to help nourish and grow your membership.
What’s up next for you and Aegis?
To continue to be the technology leader in our market and taking good care of our customers.
Anything else you want to add?
Aegis has been working in the association world since our company was founded 17 years ago. We know the technology expectations and needs of an association inside and out. If you need help with day to day IT support, mobile websites, hardware and software procurement, wireless technologies, or cloud services give us a call. That is what we do each and every day.
Once more, we’d like to thank Blake for his detailed and thoughtful answers and encourage all of you to take a look at all Aegis Business Technologies has to offer at www.aegisbiztech.com.
