Ken Linsteadt Architects
Case Study
Guided by principal Ken Linsteadt, the San Francisco-based firm Ken Linsteadt Architects focuses primarily on custom residential design. Ken has been practicing architecture for more than 20 years and has apprenticed with such luminaries as Philip Johnson in New York, and Skidmore Owings and Merrill in San Francisco. He opened his own practice in 1998.
Challenge
Tech Strategy Group began working with Ken Linsteadt Architects in 2009, when the company had about 18 employees and was unhappy with its day-to-day IT operations.
Antiquated servers and desktop workstations weren’t robust enough to run the sophisticated CAD programs used in the office, which resulted in frustrating constant slowdowns for staff.
Email wasn’t hosted on-site, even though the software tools to do so had been already purchased by the company.
But most importantly, the office was moving geographic locations. During the moves, Ken Linsteadt Architects needed to minimize the disruption during office hours and stay connected to clients 24/7.
Solution
Preparations for the office moves (Ken Linsteadt Architects has moved twice since TSG began working with them) were handled with military precision, despite changing deadlines.
TSG set up the internet lines and coordinated the server and workstation moves.
Disruption was minimized by conducting the entire move over a weekend, with email access for staff maintained throughout the time.
Benefits
Under TSG’s Guidance, Ken Linsteadt Architects now has design tools that operate reliably and efficiently. Complaints about day-to-day issues have dropped significantly. Hosting email on-site makes it easy to add new employees (the office team is now up to 25 employees) and set up new email aliases for clients or projects. Should another move be required, TSG will be there to help.
Our office has been working with TSG for the past three years. They managed our server upgrade during the first of our two office moves. This process was fairly seamless considering the various factors involved in moving an office. Two years later we found ourselves gearing up for another move which involved the renovation of our space. Our move in date kept changing since we were at the mercy of the construction schedule. [TSG Principal Roy Lew] and his team were very accommodating throughout this project as we worked through delays. TSG consulted with our electrician, telephone and internet providers before and during installation to ensure our downtime was kept to a minimum. They were very responsive to all of our needs and addressed all the issues that arose following our move.
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