EMBER IT LLC (“EMBER”)

 

United States

 

Fintech, Biopharma, Legal, Engineering

Squadcast has been instrumental in facilitating EMBER's swift response to critical client issues, minimizing the potential impact of downtime on their business operations. With Squadcast, our technicians are promptly alerted to any critical issues our users encounter, enabling us to respond promptly and effectively.

Robert Crozier

Manager,

In This Post

• About EMBER & their Search for a Reliable Tool
• Mission-Critical Alerting
• Intuitive Scheduling for Structured On-Call
• Escalations for Streamlined Incident Handling
• Mobile Incident Management
• Benefits of Using Squadcast for IT Services & MSPs
• Conclusion

EMBER is a hybrid IT services and managed security firm based in Pennsylvania. Their 24/7 SOC and bespoke cybersecurity services appeal to large and small enterprises with complex technical environments, custom service requirements, and compliance/regulatory concerns.

Before transitioning to Squadcast, EMBER  was in search of a reliable incident management solution since their day-to-day operations involved users logging tickets via various channels such as calls, emails, web, and chat portals. A structured approach to ticket handling was essential to ensure timely and efficient resolution. With their business model heavily reliant on maintaining optimal uptime, finding the right tool was paramount as they have three distinct SLAs promised to their customers: 

• Mean Time to Acknowledge (MTTA)
• Time to Plan
• Time to Resolution

EMBER, driven by the imperative of meeting stringent SLAs for its clientele, turned to Squadcast for managing its mission-critical alerts. Within their operational framework, customer tickets are stratified into four tiers based on their urgency:

• Tier 1: Emergency: These tickets represent client emergencies such as widespread outages or critical servers offline.
• Tier 2: Critical: These tickets represent important, but not widespread, incidents with significant downtime implications. Additionally, this tier consists of tickets submitted by high-profile, executive-level personnel which require rapid attention due to the impact on business operations.
• Tier 3: Standard: These tickets represent routine, day-to-day tickets. Alerting is utilized for clients who opt for support outside normal business hours.
• Tier 4: Low: These tickets represent routine, day-to-day, proactive tickets. 

Service Desk incidents in both tiers undergo a structured escalation process:

• L1 Technicians: Serving as the initial escalation point, this layer handles incoming incidents promptly
• L2 Technicians and Specialists: Should an issue persist beyond the purview of L1 technicians, it is escalated to the L2 team for further investigation and resolution

Utilizing Squadcast's capabilities, EMBER  seamlessly integrates its incident management workflow. Incident tickets, especially those categorized as critical or stoppages, are channeled into Squadcast via an email connector, originating from EMBER's primary ITSM tool, ConnectWise PSA.

We rely on Squadcast for handling stoppages and critical tickets efficiently, especially with its ability to alert additional people based on how long the alert has been active. This helps us tackle incidents swiftly and keep our operations running smoothly. Plus, organizing our teams into different Squads under each primary team adds a nice touch to our workflow.

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EMBER relies on Squadcast's Schedules On-Call Management offering, crucial for their round-the-clock IT services. These schedules not only accommodate various time zones across the US but also handle after-hours shifts as EMBER  has a team spread across the country.

Choosing Squadcast was a no-brainer for us due to its intuitive scheduling system. The new feature is a breeze to navigate compared to the complex options out there. We are able to be confident that we have 24/7 coverage and that any coverage gaps can be noticed and filled rapidly.

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Without Squadcast, managing ticket responsibilities across different time zones would've been daunting, especially during after-hours. Schedules with overrides ensure no critical incidents slip through the cracks, maintaining all SLAs without fail.

EMBER  employs a tiered Escalation Policy, beginning with L1 responders who address initial incidents, followed by L2 if L1 is unable to resolve the issue promptly. This structured approach ensures timely incident resolution.

Escalation Policies act as a safety measure, especially crucial for Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs), guaranteeing adherence to Service Level Agreements (SLAs). In scenarios where incidents remain unacknowledged, Escalation Policies trigger interventions from L2 or managers, preventing any lingering issues.

EMBER's communication infrastructure supports email, SMS, and push notifications, it employs a multi-step notification process, starting with push notifications and escalating to SMS and calls, facilitating swift action during critical incidents.

The Squadcast mobile app empowers EMBER's On-Call Engineers to address incidents promptly, regardless of their location. Customizable notifications ensure that urgent alerts reach the appropriate personnel promptly.

Our On-Call Engineers have found the Squadcast mobile app invaluable, enabling them to stay responsive and manage incidents on the go.

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• Structured On-Call Management: EMBER  adopted an intuitive On-Call experience with Schedules & Escalation Policies, ensuring that On-Call Alerts are never missed by any team
• Smart & Efficient Incident Handling: Escalation Policies help ensure that only the most important alerts are routed to the right people, and the Incident List View provides EMBER  with a comprehensive overview of all incidents 
• Seamless Team Management: EMBER  effectively uses teams and Squads to manage multiple teams and sub-teams
• Customized Notification Management: There is a lot of flexibility in how On-Call engineers should be notified, ensuring that critical alerts are never missed 
• Flexible Pricing: EMBER  has leveraged Squadcast’s flexible pricing options offering discounting on the go depending on their requirements at the moment.

With Squadcast, EMBER has streamlined their incident management processes, ensuring timely resolution of issues and minimal disruption to their clients' operations. The platform's flexibility, automation capabilities, and mobile responsiveness have made it an indispensable tool for delivering exceptional IT services.