How EMBER Optimizes Incident Management for Seamless IT Operations with Squadcast

EMBER IT LLC (“EMBER”), a hybrid IT services and managed security firm, leverages Squadcast to streamline its incident management processes, guaranteeing prompt issue resolution and minimizing disruption for its clients.

Addressing Challenges in Incident Management

Prior to implementing Squadcast, EMBER grappled with managing tickets submitted via various channels, including phone calls, emails, web forms, and chat portals. This necessitated a structured ticketing system to ensure timely and efficient resolution. Finding the ideal solution was paramount as their business model hinges on upholding optimal uptime and fulfilling three distinct service level agreements (SLAs) for clients:

• Mean Time to Acknowledge (MTTA)
• Time to Plan
• Time to Resolution

Squadcast: Streamlining Mission-Critical Alerting

Squadcast empowers EMBER to effectively manage mission-critical alerts, a cornerstone of meeting stringent SLAs for their clientele. Their operational framework categorizes customer tickets into four tiers based on urgency:

• Tier 1: Emergency (Widespread outages, critical servers offline)
• Tier 2: Critical (Significant downtime potential, high-profile client issues)
• Tier 3: Standard (Routine tickets requiring after-hours support)
• Tier 4: Low (Routine, proactive tickets)

Service desk incidents undergo a structured escalation process involving two technician tiers:

• Tier 1 Technicians (Initial point of contact, addressing incoming incidents promptly)
• Tier 2 Technicians and Specialists (Investigate and resolve issues beyond the purview of Tier 1)

Squadcast facilitates a seamless integration of EMBER’s incident management workflow. Critical tickets and those categorized as stoppages are channeled into Squadcast via an email connector originating from their primary ITSM tool, ConnectWise PSA.

“Squadcast is instrumental in handling critical tickets and stoppages efficiently,” remarks Robert Crozier, Manager at EMBER.
“Its ability to alert additional personnel based on alert duration is invaluable. This expedites incident resolution and maintains smooth operations. Additionally, organizing our teams into distinct Squads within each primary team enhances our workflow.”

Intuitive Scheduling for Structured On-Call Management

Squadcast’s On-Call Management Scheduling is integral to EMBER’s round-the-clock IT services, accommodating various time zones across the US and after-hours shifts for their geographically dispersed team.

“Squadcast’s intuitive scheduling system was a deciding factor,” says Crozier. “It’s effortless to navigate compared to complex alternatives. We have the confidence of possessing 24/7 coverage, with the ability to swiftly identify and address any coverage gaps.”

Squadcast’s scheduling with overrides ensures no critical incidents fall through the cracks, upholding all SLAs unfailingly.

Escalations for Streamlined Incident Handling

EMBER implements a tiered escalation policy, with L1 responders addressing initial incidents, followed by L2 escalation if L1 is unable to achieve prompt resolution. This structured approach guarantees timely resolution.

Escalation policies function as a safety measure, particularly crucial for Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) to ensure adherence to Service Level Agreements (SLAs). In instances where incidents remain unacknowledged, escalation policies trigger intervention from L2 or managers, preventing lingering issues.

Squadcast integrates with EMBER’s communication infrastructure supporting email, SMS, and push notifications. The platform employs a multi-step notification process, commencing with push notifications and escalating to SMS and calls to facilitate swift action during critical incidents.

Mobile Incident Management

The Squadcast mobile app empowers EMBER’s on-call engineers to address incidents promptly, irrespective of location. Customizable notifications guarantee that urgent alerts reach the appropriate personnel expeditiously.

“Our on-call engineers find the Squadcast mobile app immensely valuable,” says Crozier. “It enables them to stay responsive and manage incidents while on the go.”

Benefits of Squadcast for IT Services & MSPs

• Structured On-Call Management: Intuitive on-call experience with schedules and escalation policies ensures that no team member misses on-call alerts.
• Smart & Efficient Incident Handling: Escalation policies guarantee that only the most critical alerts are directed to the appropriate personnel, and the incident list view provides EMBER with a comprehensive overview of all incidents.
• Seamless Team Management: EMBER effectively manages multiple teams and sub-teams using teams and squads.
• Customized Notification Management: High flexibility in how on-call engineers are notified ensures that critical alerts are never missed.
• Flexible Pricing: EMBER has leveraged Squadcast’s adaptable pricing options offering on-demand discounts based on their evolving requirements.

Conclusion

Squadcast has bolstered EMBER’s incident management processes, guaranteeing timely resolution of issues and minimizing disruption for its clients. The platform’s flexibility, automation capabilities, and mobile responsiveness have made it an indispensable tool for delivering exceptional IT services.

P.S: Read the complete Case Study here

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