- Client Success Story
The Firefly Group
Keeping Creative Workflow Running With Secure, Fully Managed IT
How C&W Technologies helps a leading public relations and marketing firm centralize IT, secure remote work, and keep large creative projects moving without disruption.
At a Glance
INDUSTRY
Public Relations & Marketing
Company Size
10–20 staff and contractors
Location
Palm City / Martin County, Florida
Services Delivered
- Managed IT Services and help desk support
- Cloud and Microsoft 365 / SharePoint enablement
- Network, workstation, and device management
- Cybersecurity monitoring and data protection
TIMELINE
Ongoing Partnership
- KEY RESULTS
Centralized IT management, secure remote work capabilities, reliable performance for large creative files, and leadership peace of mind around data security and uptime.
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Business Challenge
The Firefly Group is a woman‑owned public relations and marketing firm that produces strategy, design, websites, and campaigns for clients across Florida’s Treasure Coast. As a creative agency, they work with large design assets, multimedia content, and document‑heavy campaigns that all move primarily through email and shared digital storage.
They did not have internal IT staff, so all infrastructure, cybersecurity, and day‑to‑day support had to be handled by outside experts. Stacy Ranieri (chief illuminator) explains that reliable computers, internet, storage, and email are critical; if systems go down, the team cannot deliver work to clients and “time is money” for the business. Firefly also needed to support staff working from multiple locations and to modernize how they stored and accessed client files.
Key challenges before working with C&W Technologies:
- Multiple computers and systems without centralized IT management.
- No internal IT department, leaving leadership to manage issues themselves.
- Large data files and email‑centric workflows that strained storage and performance.
- Need for secure, reliable remote access so staff could work from anywhere.
- Growing concern about data safety, cybersecurity, and workstation health.
- IMMEDIATE NEED
Because of these gaps, technology problems directly threatened productivity, client satisfaction, and the firm’s ability to keep growing.
Risk Exposure
As a communications firm, Firefly manages sensitive client information, strategic plans, and pre‑release marketing materials that must stay confidential. Their work also involves financial and contractual data tied to campaigns and long‑term client relationships.
Without a mature IT program or in‑house expertise, Firefly faced several risks:
Phishing attacks
Phishing and social‑engineering attacks targeting busy staff over email.
Data Loss
Data loss or corruption of large creative and project files.
Unauthorized Access
Unauthorized access to shared documents or email accounts.
Inconsistent security
Inconsistent security settings and patching across user devices.
Potential Downtime
Downtime during office changes or internet / workstation failures.
- As the firm grew and projects became more complex, the impact of any outage or security incident would grow exponentially, making IT risk an urgent leadership concern.
Strategic Approach
C&W Technologies engaged Firefly as a long‑term managed IT partner, not a one‑off fix‑it vendor. The goal was to stabilize day‑to‑day operations, enable secure remote work, and give leadership confidence that their technology foundation could support growth.
STEP 1
Assess the existing environment:
- Review workstations, network connectivity, email configuration, and storage usage.
- Identify pain points around large file handling, latency, and reliability.
STEP 2
Standardize systems and security controls
- Align devices with consistent security policies, patch management, and monitoring.
- Implement best‑practice configurations for email, backups, and user access.
STEP 3
Centralize IT management
- Move Firefly onto C&W’s managed IT platform for continuous monitoring, updates, and help desk support.
- Establish clear processes for submitting and tracking IT requests.
STEP 4
Enable secure cloud and remote work
- Migrate data and collaboration to SharePoint and Microsoft 365 so staff can securely work “from anywhere in the world.”
- Configure permissions and structure so large files remain accessible yet protected.
STEP 5
Provide responsive, ongoing support
- Deliver fast response times for issues of any size, with priority handling for urgent problems.
- Communicate regularly with leadership through workstation and security reports, reinforcing transparency and trust.
- The focus was not only to fix issues reactively, but to build a durable IT foundation that supports creative work, office moves, and evolving client demands.
Solution Implemented
C&W Technologies delivered a comprehensive managed IT solution tailored to a fast‑moving PR and marketing agency.
Network management and monitoring
- Ensured reliable connectivity for cloud services, email, and large file transfers.
- Monitored network health to prevent outages and performance bottlenecks.
Endpoint protection and cybersecurity oversight
- Deployed advanced endpoint security on workstations and laptops.
- Implemented ongoing threat monitoring and patch management.
Secure configuration of user devices
- Standardized configurations across staff machines to improve stability and security.
- Applied policies for access control, updates, and data protection.
Cloud and SharePoint migration
- Guided Firefly through moving core files and collaboration into SharePoint, enabling secure remote access for all staff.
- Structured cloud storage to support large creative assets and versioning.
Ongoing help desk and technical support
- Provided an easy, well‑defined process for submitting tickets for any issue—large or small.
- Delivered consistently fast response times, especially when urgent problems threatened client work.
Proactive maintenance and reporting
- Conducted routine maintenance to minimize disruptions and extend device life.
- Sent leadership regular reports on workstation health and security status, giving visibility into the IT environment.
- By consolidating IT management under one accountable partner, Firefly gained operational consistency, stronger security, and a clear path for future technology improvements.
Measurable Outcomes
While the engagement focuses on long‑term stability rather than a single project, Firefly has seen clear business outcomes from its partnership with C&W Technologies.
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Why It Worked
This partnership succeeded because of several reinforcing factors.
C&W Technologies provided both strategic guidance and day‑to‑day IT support, acting as Firefly’s outsourced IT department.
Security and data protection were prioritized from the beginning, aligning with the sensitivity of client work and email‑driven communication.
Systems were standardized and centralized, reducing variability and making issues faster to diagnose and resolve.
Firefly leadership had a single accountable IT partner that understood their business model and urgency, strengthening trust and collaboration.
- For growing professional‑services firms without internal IT, this combination of structure, responsiveness, and security turns technology into a competitive advantage.
Next Steps
Firefly continues to rely on C&W Technologies as its long‑term IT partner, confident that their infrastructure, cloud environment, and security will scale with future growth. As the agency takes on new clients and campaigns, C&W’s proactive monitoring and strategic input keep technology aligned with business goals.
If your organization is expanding, managing large digital workloads, or operating without dedicated IT leadership, now is the time to put structure and security in place. C&W Technologies offers a complimentary IT assessment to identify risks, modernize your environment, and build the same kind of reliable, responsive foundation that Firefly enjoys.
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If your organization is growing, merging, or expanding without dedicated IT leadership, now is the time to put structure and security in place.
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