Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit

  Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit  
"It's the quality of their people and the level of support they offer. These outstanding aspects make Questeq more than a typical vendor, they make Questeq our partner." – Eric Rosendale, Ed.D, Assistant Executive Director
The Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit (BVIU) provides quality and progressive educational services to support the schools and communities that comprise Beaver County. This effective administration of 23,250 students across 14 public school districts and three charter schools requires effective technology.

As BVIU's Assistant Executive Director, Eric Rosendale, Ed.D., wears many hats, one of which is technology oversight. Though the Intermediate Unit (IU) is not directly responsible for each individual district's technology strategy, they are careful to keep their own infrastructure healthy so that they can serve without delay. They are also responsible for the technology services at the IU's vocational school, the Beaver County Career and Technical Center, as well as the New Horizon School, a facility and program engineered specifically for special needs individuals.

Currently responsible for a total of 17 servers and more than 550 endpoint devices, a number that grows daily due to the constant addition of mobile devices, the administrators recognized the need for additional support.

"My expertise is in the instructional side of technology," says Rosendale. "I can do some quick fixes, but I'm not trained to manage day-to-day infrastructure functions or major repairs. We needed to call on someone that could handle the 'making it work' aspect of the job."

Calling on Questeq

BVIU began contracting with Questeq more than 10 years ago, first purchasing blocks of hours that could be used whenever Rosendale needed assistance with a project or issue. As their districts continued to grow alongside the rapid pace of technology, however, BVIU realized the importance of constant network upkeep.

Over the years, the partnership has morphed into a more permanent solution. BVIU now outsources a permanent Questeq Desktop Engineer who works between their three buildings to ensure functional system operation five days a week. IU employees can submit electronic tickets through Questeq's Help Desk service, alerting the Desktop Engineer as soon a problem is detected and enabling a swift resolution. A Network Technician also visits the administration building two days a week to assess server and network operation.

"Questeq's service is simply fantastic," says Rosendale. "They provided us with a scalability framework that we've been able to grow into over the years, working with us to adapt when budgets were tight. Their connections throughout the industry have allowed us to do group purchasing for our districts. We chat regularly, and it’s always a very valuable dialogue."

In addition to the work Questeq does in the Intermediate Unit building, they also have a presence at monthly technology council meetings. This committee, co-chaired by Rosendale, is comprised of at least one representative from each district. Since more than half of the districts that comprise BVIU similarly contract with Questeq to manage their internal infrastructures, Questeq employees contribute significantly to this information dissemination discussion.

"They bring such a wealth of knowledge to the table for our technology coordinators," says Rosendale. "They never hesitate to share information and their expertise, even when it's not required. That's what makes it a unique and outstanding partnership."

Not Your Typical Vendor

Since starting to work with Questeq, BVIU has recognized a difference.

"It's a whole new level of support," says Rosendale. If you hire one individual, you get what he knows. But when you hire a company of professionals like Questeq, you don't just get your rep’s expertise, you get that whole network of people and knowledge that he can tap into."

Questeq support members have become an integral part of BVIU team, fitting seamlessly into the IU's daily operations, working to produce innovative solutions to technical issues.

"John Sanderbeck (BVIU's Network Technician) is so knowledgeable, but he can't know everything, no one can. But if he doesn't know the answers, he knows how to get them because he has a great network of people to follow up with. And that wealth of information, that continuous dialogue, is what Questeq really brings to the table at BVIU."


















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