Pennsylvania-based Simon Lever Business Advisors & CPAs serves clients across a wide range of industries, from early-startups to fourth-generation family businesses. Andy Hirschmann, a partner at the firm, handles audit work and small business services, in addition to his strategic oversight of the firm’s technology and processes. In 2015, he set out to find the firm a new IT solution.
The Challenge
Simon Lever’s on-premise IT system, supported by four vendors and in-house oversight, was meeting the firm’s needs, though not exceeding them. Nor was it a system that could support growth. With the firm spending more on payroll and support than on hardware, Andy sought a more robust and cost-efficient IT solution – one that could scale as the company pursued expansion plans.
The Solution
Andy quickly saw the benefits of an outsourced IT solution tailored to the needs of accounting professionals and since 2015 Simon Lever has been working with Rightworks. “We can all work anytime-anywhere and that’s a tremendous benefit to our team and our clients,” said Andy. This was particularly beneficial as the team transitioned to a larger office space, as there was little to no downtime experienced during the two-day move. “We didn’t miss a beat,” says Andy.
The Results
Rightworks has fulfilled the vison of having an IT solution that can grow with the firm. In addition to moving to a larger headquarters, Simon Lever has also opened two additional offices in Pennsylvania and increased its staff size from 40 to 65 employees. “I can’t see how we could have handled our growth any other way. We’ve come to rely on the fact that no matter where we are, at the firm, at a client, or working remotely elsewhere, the system and the experience is the same. Working in the cloud with Rightworks has given us stability, continuity and reliability.”
Andy also acknowledges the advantages of working with an accounting-focused IT solution, noting that Rightworks has given the firm a new level of access to Thompson Reuters enabling them to get deeper access to Thompson Reuters’ support side. “The Rightworks team understands the unique issues facing CPAs and we’ve benefited from their resources and know-how.”
Rightworks’ ability to scale and support a robust expansion plan, along with its accounting industry acumen, has made it a valuable IT partner for Simon Lever: a partnership that is well-positioned to sustain future growth.