No Worries IT: How Dewayne Chappell And His Team At Divergys Have Helped David Rowe And His Team At WDM Take Their Technology To The Next Level With A Comprehensive IT Strategy

When you’re in the business of providing water utility services to your local community, you have enough to handle without the addition of technology headaches. You don’t have time to deal with malfunctioning printers, equipment updates, or worse, cybersecurity threats. No, you need a team that’s dedicated to not only meeting but anticipating and exceeding your technology needs, which is precisely what David Rowe and his team at Water District Management (WDM) found by partnering with Dewayne Chappell and his team at Divergys. Thanks to this partnership, Divergys has been able to support WDM with all their IT requirements, freeing the team up to focus on meeting the operational needs of their community.

“COULD BE BETTER”

David has been a part of the WDM family since June of 1983. “I first started at the organization with a shovel in my hand as a backhoe operator,” David says. “I also went to night school during this time and worked through every opportunity I could until I became a licensed operator.” He continues, “Eventually, I became the vice president of the corporation in 2009 and held this position until I was given the opportunity to buy WDM. I ended up purchasing the company and became the president in 2014.” With so much knowledge and expertise in the business, David was the perfect candidate to take the company over.

In terms of the business’s technology, David admits, “I never really paid much attention to our technology needs until I became vice president. However, it had become clear that our previous IT support was not where it needed to be in order to drive us to that next level of business.” What were the main issues holding the organization back from reaching the “third chapter of WDM” (as their team likes to call it)? Mostly just unresponsiveness and a lack of forward- looking technology strategies from their previous provider. “A big thing that we realized is that we needed more cybersecurity protocols,” says David. “Our organization has a lot of sensitive data—both internally and externally—that we need to keep secure, and we believed that Divergys could help us adapt to these standards.” David adds, “It was obvious that our technology solutions could be better.”

BOLSTERING WDM’S TECHNOLOGY

However, the WDM team didn’t realize the extent of their vulnerability until they did a local search and met with Dewayne and the Divergys team. “They had a great reputation in the community, and upon doing our research, we felt they would be our best choice moving forward,” David explains. “To be completely honest, I still don’t understand exactly everything that they do to keep us secure, but that’s kind of the point—to take the concern of our IT completely off my mind.” And Divergys has certainly kept this promise while also ensuring the company stays protected. “I think in all our 15-plus years of working with them, we’ve only had one instance where they had to jump into action to stop a cyber threat,” David recalls. “One of our employees had clicked on something they shouldn’t have, and previously, this could have spelled major disaster. But, thanks to Divergys, they resolved the issue quickly with very little impact to our business.”

Beyond ensuring that WDM has strong cybersecurity procedures, Divergys also assists them with all their varying technology needs. “With the advent of new technologies coming on board—such as the remote workforce, data entry and communications, and whatnot— we needed the guidance that they’ve been able to provide for us,” states David. “For instance, if we need help with a program addition or something that we want to modify in our business profile or operation, we can contact them, and they’re always willing to provide their perspective to ensure we have a solid system in place.”

A TRUE TECH TRIUMPH

Regarding the peace of mind that Divergys provides, David simply says, “When I say I don’t worry about my IT, I really mean it. It makes no difference when we need them. We can call on them, and they will do everything they can, even after hours—it doesn’t matter. They’ve made it clear that they are here to help us and our business, and they’ve done an outstanding job.”

When asked what he would tell other business owners who know they need to improve their IT game but maybe don’t know where to begin, David says, “I would say Divergys is the one IT firm they should seriously consider. We’ve certainly been very satisfied since the beginning of our partnership and know that they’re as dedicated to the success of our organization as we are.”

Ultimately, by taking the technology piece off of David’s plate, Divergys ensures that David and his team can focus on doing what they do best—providing convenient water services for those residing primarily in municipal utility districts located within Montgomery and Northern Harris Counties. So, if you’ve been searching for an IT firm that will come in, review your current protocols, and help you formulate a completely comprehensive technology strategy tailored to your business and its needs, look no further than Dewayne Chappell and his team at Divergys!