Case Study

Background

Davis Farrell Technology provides real estate technology services to REALTORS, including property search (IDX) and valuation. They provide services in several markets: Charlotte, NC, Tucson, AZ, and Gainesville/Ocala, FL. After about a decade with a "big box" provider, Davis Farrell switch to iWF in late 2015. Davis Farrell’s motto is "real I.T. people" and that’s what they sought in a new provider when the "big box" company decided they no longer wanted to provide unmanaged dedicated services to small businesses.

Challenge:

Davis Farrell writes all their own code, mostly in perl. It’s an "old school" Linux/Apache/mysql operation and due to the volume of data they handle, they need a responsive technology partner who can address both evolving hardware needs and occasional outages which can occur with resource-intensive applications. After 10 yrs with the "big box" hosting company, they researched smaller providers that would have fewer layers between the client & the "tech guy." It is that principle that has guided Davis Farrell in their own business (REAL I.T. people clients can reach without jumping through hoops) and they wanted the same thing from a technology partner.

Successful Results:

iWF recommended a setup that has worked very well, and in the past 18 months has helped tweak that setup to address needs. In one instance, they took a hard drive from an underperforming box and put in a beefier machine, which instantly alleviated issues. Even more than the hardware though has been the responsiveness & flexibility related to assigning IPs to different machines. This is something their previous provider couldn’t/wouldn’t do. The ability to quickly swap IPs between machines has made a huge difference.