I am writing to recount the experience of GAR Foundation in working with CyGem as our IT provider. GAR Foundation established a relationship with CyGem in the summer of 2006. At that time, we were preparing to break off from another organization and establish our own independent IT system. David Wyzynski and Geoff Moore of CyGem assisted us from day one in the design and implementation of our own stand-alone system. Our staff is small-ten professionals-but our IT needs are not insignificant. We demanded a network system in which all users from any location at any time could access all applications. CyGem delivered a remote access system in which access from home or other venues outside the workplace is totally indistinguishable from and equivalent to the level and speed of access we have in the workplace. This has been a major boon to our staff's productivity and effectiveness.

Additionally, CyGem has brought a creative and aggressive approach to a number of other IT challenges our foundation has experienced. We simply tell David and the CyGem team what we need and they find a way to get it done.

Like any IT system, ours occasionally has problems. Most of the problems we have experienced are unique to our company and our hardware situation. We are currently subletting office space and "piggybacking" on the Internet capacity of our "host." As the host has reduced its capacity, our system has been affected. This is not a CyGem problem; however, CyGem has been very helpful to us in attempting to design work-arounds and to function within the conditions we have. Aside from our capacity issue, we experience the usual and customary technical difficulties, many of which can ultimately be attributed to "user error"! Whenever we have an issue, no matter how big or small, the CyGem team is extremely responsive and proactive in solving it. In fact, with our emphasis on remote functionality, the CyGem team has visited a number of our staffers' homes to troubleshoot issues and ensure smooth operations. Frequently, service is provided remotely-over the telephone-with a CyGem representative controlling the user's computer system through an online help desk feature. This not only ensures a very quick turnaround on calls, it also has the added benefit of teaching the user the steps required to troubleshoot the problem independently in the future when possible. Remote tools notwithstanding, we can always get a CyGem representative on site in person when we need one.

Lastly, we have been impressed with CyGem's creativity and practicality in helping us to design our IT systems for our new office space. CyGem is fully capable of assessing the client's wants and needs, exploring all of the hardware and software solutions to meet those needs, and delivering a menu of feasible options. With our new office space project, CyGem has handled negotiations with hardware and software vendors to ensure that GAR Foundation is receiving the most competitive pricing.

Christine Amer Mayer - Chief Operating Officer and Legal Counsel
GAR Foundation