When a small employee benefits and HR services firm’s email, calendaring, and cloud storage systems went awry, Cole Informatics applied the long-term care to cure what ailed

Benefits First, LLC, is a Tennessee-based, full-service employee benefits and human resources brokerage firm specializing in partnering with companies to provide cost-effective services including health and wellness benefits, payroll, and human resources information systems.

A small firm with only eight full-time employees, Benefits First was grappling with its IT infrastructure and was experiencing problems with its Internet service provider’s (ISP) email, and cloud-based storage systems.

“We don’t have our own in-house IT team or person to diagnose and fix problems as they arise,” said Allison Jones, Office Manager at Benefits First. “It’s required by law for our firm to be HIPAA-compliant. That means health insurance providers like Benefits First have to ensure we have secure, private electronic healthcare systems in place. We needed someone with the expertise to come in and assess what was going on with our systems, tell us what kind of equipment we needed, and to bring our technology infrastructure up to acceptable standards.”

The situation: Benefits First’s ISP-hosted email exchange service, cloud-based storage, and domain name system was not performing optimally.

“We met with Cole Informatics’ Terry Cole and we hit it off. He’s very knowledgeable, he knew right away what we needed to do to be HIPAA-compliant, and to resolve our technology problems,” she said. “He and his team keep us inline with where we need to be.”

The Cole Informatics solution: Established cloud-based email and calendaring using PartnerWorks Hosted Exchange and email security, as well as encryption and archiving. PartnerSAFE Files was deployed for offsite backup protection.

“We needed the ability to encrypt our emails given the nature of our clients’ sensitive information we deal with on a daily basis,” she continued. “With the programs Cole Informatics implemented for us, we don’t have any email-related problems anymore, and we don’t have any concerns whatsoever about the security and integrity of our clients’ private healthcare information.”

Now, Cole Informatics is Benefits First’s IT support team, providing ongoing cloud services management, reactive break/fix support on-demand, and consultative services for Benefits First’s line-of-sight business applications.

“The Cole Informatics team is always very prompt responding to our inquiries. We have an excellent rapport with them, their response times are excellent, and if we have an immediate need they’re on our doorstep right away,” she added. “I would recommend Cole Informatics to any company. The depth of their collective IT knowledge is truly impressive.”

Is your business plagued by IT challenges? We can help. Cole Informatics is West Tennessee’s premier IT services and support team. Tell us how we can help you. Call us now at 731-249-5700 or email us directly at info@coleinformatics.com.

Contact Us Today!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

What Our Clients Say

I appreciate how much they can do remotely. Their office is 60 miles away from me, so when I have a problem and an office full of patients, I can call or email him and tell him I need the problem addressed immediately. His team gets on remotely, and 95% of the time, they fix it remotely!

Gail Morris Office Administrator
Harrison Eye Clinic

Before working with Terry, my business’s computer system had been a complete disaster. If it weren’t for him, I would have had to shut down my practice. Terry frequently does more than he’s asked for businesses, including working all hours when a problem arises. He has even tried to learn my software to help me out. I went through 3 different support people and none of them could help like Terry has helped me. Terry is trustworthy and reliable. I would highly recommend Terry and Cole Informatics to anyone facing challenges with their business IT.”

Christie Patterson-King Nurse Practitioner & Owner

Terry has an innate sense of integrity that governs everything he does, from his personal life to his professional career. Terry’s passion for delivering the right solution engenders a loyalty among his clients that is rarely seen these days. I was impressed with the ease of which Terry is able to talk technology to people from all walks of life, from those with no computer skills to the techno-geeks. He is a natural leader, and people respond very well to his engaging personality and quiet confidence.

Brian Holly Assistant VP of IT, Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU)

It’s just something I feel very strongly about. They have the knowledge and expertise to handle anything within our organization, and of course, as our program develops, the systems develop more and more. I’d recommend Cole Informatics to anyone!

Linda Dycus Executive Director
James Developmental Center

Terry Cole operates his business honestly, and we trust him and his team. I can’t say enough good things about them!

Alicia Scott Accounting and Payrolls Administrator
Reeves Bros. Trucking

Cole Informatics designed the network based on our operational requirements, ordered the equipment and licensing for us and delivered exactly what we needed. They provided our remote offices with access to the main server, which we had before, but not in the capacity they were able to provide. As far as designing the network and meeting our needs, they came through on that!

Tom Noland Procurement Officer
Biloxi Housing Authority

The Cole Informatics team is simply outstanding. They’re friendly, provide excellent service, and they know the ins and outs of our IT infrastructure. We highly recommend Cole Informatics to any business. They work efficiently and are a cost-effective IT support team. They never ‘nickel and dime’ us.

David Paschall Head Administrator
Camden Animal Clinic.

The Cole Informatics team is always very prompt responding to our inquiries. We have an excellent rapport with them, their response times are excellent, and if we have an immediate need they’re on our doorstep right away. I would recommend Cole Informatics to any company. The depth of their collective IT knowledge is truly impressive.

Allison Jones Office Manager
Benefits First

If I have to call them with an issue, they treat it seriously and respond quickly. We definitely are getting a good return on our investment with Cole. I can’t praise them enough.

Jimmy Montgomery Owner and Operations Director
CCC Medical Equipment