At first glance, it might be surprising that a nonprofit retirement housing group has a near-zero tolerance for technology outages. However, with its dependence on technology to provide nursing and other healthcare support to residents, Heath Village sees IT as an essential utility. The organization’s long-standing partnership with MSP Exigent Technologies ensures that when tech is needed, it’s reliably available.
“We can’t operate without technology these days, so we need tech that works,” explains Anthony Puccio, CFO for Heath Village, a senior retirement housing organization in New Jersey. “With Exigent, we have technology that works, a network designed and engineered correctly, and we are well-protected security-wise. As our MSP, Exigent is proactive and steers us in the right direction. We see them as business partners – trusted business partners – instead of being like so many other MSPs that want to sell you stuff all the time.”
Together, Heath Village and Exigent have navigated the shifting technology landscape for nearly 20 years. The two connected after another business partner, Infinity Communications, recommended to Puccio that he might find the reliable, collaborative MSP he was looking for in Exigent. While Puccio was leery at first – Heath Village had already worked through several failed attempts with managed services providers who overpromised and under-delivered – he soon found that the new MSP was true to its word.
“We were with an MSP we loved, but they disbanded. We went through a few firms before we found Eric and Frank (Information Architects),” explains Puccio. “We got real people who cared, and it was refreshing. That more personal relationship made me feel I was in good hands.”
When Information Architects merged with Exigent in 2015, Puccio admits it was a bit nerve-racking, but after meeting Exigent’s leadership and talking through the transition, the relationship continued seamlessly. “The biggest difference was we suddenly had access to more resources, to more people and we still have that same personal relationship as before. It was the best of both worlds,” says Puccio, who adds that to date, he’s not once met an Exigent employee he didn’t like. “We have our favorites, but everyone on the team is there to help and they really are about getting to know us as people.”
As Heath Village has grown, its technological challenges have become more complex and widespread. “In those early days, we had email and a server, tape backup … it is what people used and it was simple,” recalls Puccio, who was responsible for making IT decisions in the early days. “Over the years, Frank and Exigent have guided us through transitions to solutions as a service, spam filtering, all that—it is much more complicated but having someone else who evaluates the vendors and follows all the moving pieces is a big advantage to us.”
Puccio says that he depends on the Exigent team to move Heath Village in the right direction using third-party solutions such as advanced cybersecurity monitoring solutions from Arctic Wolf and by providing security awareness training for the staff to stay ahead of cybersecurity trends.
“I feel like our technology is well-designed and well-managed. Because we must be on 24×7, we need redundancy and have high uptime demands, plus there is cybersecurity and HIPAA. It’s a lot. Downtime used to be inconvenient – now it is critical.” Puccio explained that as a retirement housing organization with independent living and supported care levels, the staff needs technology to comply with HIPAA requirements. Additionally, the nursing team leverages IT for tasks such as validating medication with digital medical cards. All those needs, paired with a team of more than 165 users, mandate reliable technology and a trusted and engaged partner.
Finding that in a partner, says Puccio, is the biggest win for Heath Village. “Exigent isn’t just IT people, they are trusted business partners. I trust them as I would if they were part of our staff. It also reflects well – Exigent has so many long-term people on your team, that longevity is reassuring. Not only is it nice to talk to the same people, but they know us and our system. We are a large campus, so continuity with Exigent is refreshing and a definite advantage for us.
“If I were talking to someone as a reference, I’d tell them that I never feel like I am talking to a robot. Everyone is people-oriented; the help desk system is easy to work with; and the follow-up is exceptional. If you are looking for a trusted partner, that is what you’ll get with Exigent.”
As a nonprofit charged with the well-being of its senior residents, Heath Village requires a mix of affordable but effective solutions that protect their data, employees, and clients from potential cyber attacks while also meeting myriad compliance regulations, including stringent HIPAA standards. A combination of managed IT services, advanced cybersecurity, and security awareness training for the staff safeguards the entire campus.