Letter From The Owner

RE: Sacramento’s Fastest Growing Companies

I am proud to announce that Precision West Technologies has been formally recognized as the #19 Fastest Growing Company in Sacramento by the Sacramento Business Journal.

I am truly honored and want to express how proud I am of our team in the work that went in to receiving this award. This is a testament to the work we put in the office and out in the field, ethical interaction with our clients, and vision put in place by our leadership team. Without all of these actions, we would not be in position to be among the leaders in our Sacramento Business community. I want to thank our team leaders and amazing staff for the outstanding foundation that has been built for Precision West Technologies – now and moving forward.

Our General Manager, Chris Krajewski, has provided unrivaled leadership and I want to recognize his efforts in steadily directing this company through his tenure. His strategic focus on growing the company coupled with his innovative guidance has put our company on track for continued growth for the foreseeable future. The strength of our leadership team is what helps facilitate the evolution of our company: the accounting accuracy from our Controller, Jason Kannady, the drive of our revenue by our Sales Manager, Ben Buker, as well as the operational efficiency from Richard Flaig, our Director of Operations.

I want to recognize everyone’s work in this accomplishment and continue driving towards being a repeat recipient of this award. Everyone who has touched a cable, picked up a phone or helped our clients is directly responsible for this achievement.

For 28 years, Precision West Technologies has evolved and advanced as a company, and will continue growth because of the continued efforts of our team.

Mark Savickas, President and Owner
Precision West Technologies

7 Ways Sound Masking Solves Office Noise Issues

Speech privacy is among the top concerns and many companies have trouble finding the right acoustic solutions for their office noise. Usually, some try out different sound absorbing panels for the wall or acoustic insulation/foam that yields varying results. Others will buy a white noise machine for the office or even just use a fan or radio for background noise! While these may partially help, these are not the most effective soundproofing methods for office noise.

Sound Masking delivers an acoustic solution that gives noise reduction in office environments and makes discussions harder to understand. In doing so, emitters are placed in the ceiling and add unobtrusive noise to help with covering up extra sound. Office noise, private management conversations in conference rooms, patient information in an operatory room, and financial conversations need to be reduced.

Here are seven reasons why it businesses need to implement it:

Loss of Productivity….

Distractions from conversations can be problematic for employees. Loud conversations that everyone can hear make it difficult to focus on work tasks. Sound masking can help improve productivity by reducing noise distractions. It also complements any other acoustic solutions in place.

…. Which Costs the Business

In a recent study, researchers found that on average employees lose 21.5 minutes per day due to distraction which is about 4% of the day. For a company that has 100 employees with a salary cost of $50,000, that 4% in loss of productivity equals to $200,000 year.

Protection of Information

Sound masking helps companies that need to protect client information. HIPAA regulations require safeguarding of Protected Health Information (PHI) and sound masking is one way to help with that. By using sound masking, healthcare companies can work towards HIPAA compliance as well as HCAHPS scores, along with protecting their client’s information. Some other regulated industries that need speech privacy include finance (GLBA), education (FERPA), and construction (LEED).

Reduces Office Noise in Open Environment

Open floor plans are trending but they can be noisy.  Also, ceilings are higher and less sound absorbing materials are being used which causes workers to face office noise challenges. To handle these noise problems, Sound Masking emitters are suspended directly from the ceiling or inserted into ceiling tiles (depending on ceiling type).

Helps Multiple Departments

Many different departments receive help from sound masking acoustic solutions. Employees can have a greater focus while on the job. Also, HR personnel can follow any regulations or compliance needed around speech privacy. Management teams can have confidential meetings in peace without others overhearing conversations.

Options, options, options….

Sound masking gives companies the choice of what areas need noise cancellation. The level of sound masking can also be adjusted for proper acoustic needs. Music can also be played from the sound masking emitters (with or without the ambient noise). Of course, as a business, you have the choice to pick how effective the sound masking is.

Effectiveness of other options

Some companies choose to use acoustic tiling which is only part of the acoustic design. Walls, sound panels and other office noise barriers can help with sound blocking but are not completely effective. Sound Masking gives a low-cost method of adding a layer to acoustic design which enhances all other elements environment. Furthermore, Sound Masking will help increase productivity, protect sensitive information and give your business options to handle speech privacy.

Schedule a free demo today by calling: 866-341-2210 or emailing: info@precision-west.com.

Products

Avigilon HP Pro

Avigilon Bullet Camera

Avigilon Domes

Precision West Technologies Needs Assessment

Peace Officers Research Association of CA (PORAC) eliminates vandalism, creates prosecutable evidence against criminals using custom Precision West Technologies Video Surveillance solution.

Customer Challenges

PORAC is headquartered in Sacramento, CA and at their location, experienced an influx of homeless individuals using their parking lot to sleep, urinate, dispose of trash; among other activities. They were concerned about theft and there were times when windows were broken as well as attempted break ins. There was an assortment of criminal activities taking place during that time and PORAC needed to prevent these actions from taking place while also having sufficient capabilities to prosecute anyone performing any illegal activities.

Staff members were uncomfortable leaving the building at night and the building also had an increase of people sleeping in their lot during the longer night hours of winter time. In searching for a way to combat the vandalism and crime taking place, PORAC knew a solution was needed that not only discouraged homeless from taking over the lot and surrounding areas, but also created prosecutable evidence for the criminal activities taking place.

Precision West Technologies stepped in to provide a customized video surveillance solution to help PORAC reach their desired goals. PORAC needed to have supreme accuracy, high resolution video, precise color imaging, and zoom capabilities.

These features were needed to have to the ability to view identifiable traits including face, noticeable tattoos, and attire. With the layout of the building and surrounding areas, PORAC also needed a solution that provided maximum visibility including multiple angles with the ability to cover all parking lots and surrounding corridors. As the largest law enforcement agency in California, PORAC also wanted to create a blueprint for all other agencies and associations to replicate.

PWT Solution

To determine the best layout of the new surveillance solution, Precision West Technologies performed a Needs Assessment. The purpose of the needs assessment is to find what areas need to be covered, what level of video quality is needed to get the details captured, and find what other technologies are in place to integrate properly. Budget is also considered in the needs assessment and is complemented by a site walk to determine the best solution to get all visibility required.

Precision West’s surveillance solution also consider the aesthesis of the building and needs of the user:

• Are the cameras to be seen?
• Do they need to be covert?
• If leased, what alterations to the building can be made?

These questions were answered with completion of the Precision West Technologies Needs Assessment and developed into a solution using Avigilon’s catalog of enterprise level cameras.

Installed were Avigilon HD Pro cameras with 4K Ultra HD resolution and Self Learning Analytics, 3.0 Mega pixel domes with day/night capabilities to cover entrance with reception area, and multi-sensor 12 mega pixel HD Pros to cover the parking lot. Based on the assessment, Precision West Technologies also installed a user-friendly platform include multi-screen access and a system where multiple users has accessibility to the video with proper verification.

PORAC had the ability to now pinpoint exact time stamps in the video without having to research for hours due to the self-learning analytics, which also instantly adapt to changes and movement patterns upon installation. The pricing model was also beneficial for PORAC as there were no recurring fees after installation and they owned the cameras system after purchase. All software updates and analytics are included with the purchase of the cameras as well as ongoing technical support from Avigilon.

Also, PORAC had other business technologies they utilized including Access Control and Video Intercom. One of their needs was to integrate all technologies with the video camera system. Precision West executed the surveillance solution while providing seamless processes between PORAC’s access control, cabling, and door control. As any visitors came to the door, PORAC had the ability to use the cameras, access control and door control cohesively to allow authorized entrance into the building.

Results for the Business

PORAC’s new surveillance technology provided an instant impact to the organization. The amount of homeless using the parking lot has been significantly reduced. Precision West Technologies’ video surveillance solution allowed PORAC to see where they were coming from and identify who and when someone was on the property. They had the ability to deny access to the lot and easily remove them from the area, by knowing when the area was being occupied.

Almost all crime has been eliminated and PORAC has reduced virtually all issues of theft due to the location of the cameras. In the instances where any criminal actions have taken place, PORAC knew there was clear, accurate video that provided the reliability needed to prosecute. The entire building has visibility and the recording allow for PORAC to identify people of interest immediately.

Employees and visitors of PORAC no longer had to worry about leaving the building at night. The increased coverage and reduction allowed for peace of mind in knowing that they could leave the premises safely. System administrators were also beneficiaries of the solution as they could quickly locate time stamps and use the self-learning analytics to identify the person of interest.

Precision West Technologies worked with PORAC to develop this solution to provide a safe working environment and template that the other law enforcement organizations who work with PORAC could utilize. By creating this surveillance solution, Precision West Technologies was able to provide the coverage, clarity, as well as reliability that was needed to secure the premises and ensure the safety of their team. In conjunction with the other technologies, including the access and door controls, PORAC has successfully protected their organization from ongoing as well as potential threats.

Products

Dell Server

Webroot Antivirus

Carbonite Backup

Microsoft Office 365

Site to Site VPN

Cisco Switches

Precision West Technologies Network Shield Assessment

Foothill Fire increases productivity and overall end user experience by switching to Precision West Technologies’ Managed Services IT solution.

Customer Challenges

Foothill Fire and Protection was operating under a break-fix IT relationship with an outsourced IT vendor, meaning if something was broken or needed repair, the company would come out and fix the problem. There was no proactive management or direct relationship with the IT vendor to ensure the network was maintained correctly. Foothill Fire was constantly needing to engage with their vendor anytime they had issues, which led to more downtime for the company and additional costs with loss of productivity. Foothill Fire was not receiving the help they needed to use their IT network as leverage for their business. Instead, they were receiving cheap solutions as temporary fixes to make things easier for the vendor.

This resulted in Foothill Fire paying for more frequently for services than needed and added frustration. They were offered temporary fixes to their problems on outdated technologies instead of utilizing a best practice approach to ensure the company was not burning their budget on items that would need replacement. Foothill Fire was the perfect fit for Precision West Managed Services because they understood the importance of having a reliable and available network, and were tired just making decisions based on lowest cost.

Precision West introduced the idea of proactive approach using our Managed Services platform. With Managed Services, Foothill Fire would no longer have to call in when there were IT issues with their network. Precision West would remotely monitor and access their devices and proactively ensure that their network was secure.

PWT Solution

Using Webroot security solutions and Carbonite Backup offerings, Precision West created an environment where Foothill Fire was more productive with their IT investments and did not experience any downtime with their business. The solution was based on three key factors:

• Superior preparation prior to starting
• Transparency with the recommended solutions along with costs
• Solid execution of the designed plan.

Part of the onboarding process includes completion of a Precision West Network Shield Assessment, which not only completes a holistic evaluation of their environment, but also ensures that PWT clients are on the correct hardware. Using best practices, PWT ensured that Foothill Fire upgraded their outdated hardware on their infrastructure, including their server which was over eight years old.

Even though this was an added cost to the business at the time, it allowed for increased productivity, better efficiency and improved the overall speed of their network. Instead of losing money from downtime, salary lost during those hours, and business lost during those hours, Precision West helped Foothill Fire’s IT network improve their production and reduce any risks that could hurt the business.

When IT issues or security threats were detected, Precision West reached out to Foothill Fire to proactively let them know what issues were at hand and that the problems were being addressed. This was not at an added cost to Foothill Fire because the Managed Services platform from Precision West offers an all-inclusive, fixed monthly cost. The Managed Services program also includes seamless processes for adding new users and Foothill Fire benefited from this as their company added two new locations, one in Redding and one in the Bay Area.

To improve their systems, the technical team upgraded the switches to enterprise level Cisco switches, and replaced outdated servers to one new Dell Server, which had their previous three virtualized onto it. This helped Foothill Fire reduce the overall amount of hardware and equipment they needed as well as increasing the overall user experience by improved performance and speeds. Accessibility of their email was also an issue, so the PWT Technical Team migrated Foothill Fire from their hosted exchange to Microsoft Office 365. This allowed their employees to access their email from any location and moved their email to the cloud.

With the ease of access and new found productivity, Foothill Fire was interested in how the expanding their company would be affected. The company added additional locations and Precision West created site to site VPNs, which allowed Foothill Fire to have domain authentication at all sites. Many of their systems were outdated and their previous vendor had provided them refurbished products that were out of warranty while underperforming, so any old PC were upgraded to create uniformity among their offices.

Results for the Business

Prior to working with the Precision West Technical Team, Foothill Fire experienced:

• Increased Downtime
• Inconsistency across their systems
• Reduced Productivity
• Variable, excess costs for IT services performed
• Outdated technologies

The vendor Foothill Fire was utilizing caused IT to be a liability for the company instead of an asset. In switching to the Precision West Managed Services platform for their IT needs, Foothill Fire made their IT costs consistent, consolidated their processes and IT equipment, and significantly reduced their downtime with regular IT issues.

Foothill Fire also benefited from PWT’s technical expertise and knowledge, showing that necessary care about their business and defined goals, and the knowledge of how to position their IT into an investment and business asset. By understanding the needs of the business including faster processes and consolidation of the equipment, Precision West created a customized solution for Foothill Fire. Incorporating unified communications and uniformity among all locations helped Foothill Fire improve their production and finish tasks at much faster speeds. Using Precision West Technologies Managed Services, Foothill Fire has been more productive with their IT while the company has benefited internally and with their customers in response.