Founded in 2003, KACE is a developer of software that helps organizations automate a wide range of IT functions in order to improve efficiency, meet compliance requirements, and improve network security. Products in its KBOX™ IT Management Suite simplify time-consuming tasks such as policy and scripting, network help desk management, and security auditing and enforcement. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, the company also has offices in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Chicago, Illinois. It is a portfolio company of Sigma Partners.
KACE CEO Rob Meinhardt was a big believer in the appliance model for software delivery, where the software is bundled with dedicated hardware and a hardened operating system in order to provide customers with a complete package. He particularly thought this model appropriate for a company that is offering to simplify network management, because appliances relieve organizations of a lot of the work involved in deploying and managing new software.
Rob's first choice for a partner to develop the hardware/operating system portion of the appliance on which KACE's software would reside was one of the multinational system providers. He felt their high volume resources and large client base would help KACE launch its products more quickly. As they moved forward, however, he found that the opposite was true. The multinational provider managed the new KACE relationship according to standard operating procedures rather than through a flexible process, which is what he felt his young, growing company needed.
"Appliances are more complex than you might think," Meinhardt says. "They require a lot of back-and-forth interaction and tweaking in every phase, from initial design and manufacturing schedules to managing inventory and shipping. We really wanted to get it right for our customers the first time, and our original supplier wasn't helping us achieve that goal. Although we're a mid-size company, we were just too small and unimportant to them." At that point in early 2004, he made a decision to look for another supplier – one, he says, that "understood what we needed and was really interested in helping us achieve our vision."
After reviewing several potential partners, KACE selected MBX. The KACE team was immediately pleased with their choice. "MBX gave us a high level of flexibility and service," Meinhardt says. "And they continue to evolve their process and service to make it even better."
MBX was brought in while the appliances were still in the design stage. Based on their extensive experience engineering appliances for a number of software companies, MBX helped in the design stage by specifying many of the hardware components. They also helped with creating the distinctive look and feel that established the KBOX brand quickly in the minds of KACE customers.
When the KBOX actually went to market in December of 2004, MBX really began to shine. Product acceptance and popularity quickly exceeded KACE's most optimistic projections, creating what Meinhardt calls a "high class worry" – satisfying strong customer demand. "MBX worked with us to streamline logistics and inventory management to make sure we would continue to ship appliances in a timely manner," he says. "We were able to fulfill every order promptly, while still maintaining the high level of quality that contributes so much to customer satisfaction and repeat sales. That says a lot for MBX's responsiveness and attitude toward customer service. They really know what they're doing when it comes to appliances."
Meinhardt adds that MBX "does all the little things right. If there's a problem, MBX jumps on it right away to make sure it's corrected quickly. And they do all of this at a very competitive price. It's an unbeatable combination."
Customer acceptance of the appliance model for KACE's products has been outstanding. The company is growing, and the future looks even brighter.
The bottom line for KACE is that they know MBX values their business, which is what they wanted when they made the decision to change suppliers. "I don't think there’s anyone who can provide better, or even an equal level of service," Meinhardt says.
KACE™ is a privately-held technology company that's Rethinking IT through its KBOX™ product line which delivers easy-to-use, comprehensive IT automation solutions that are affordable and really work. KACE is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has offices in Charlotte, North Carolina and Chicago, Illinois. To learn more about KACE and its product offerings, please visit www.kace.com or call 1-888-522-3638.
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