SUMMARY

McKinney-based Matador Networks has built a successful business founded on providing outstanding customer service and delivering the technology alignment process, setting it apart from the competition. NETGEAR Insight has taken that service and process to another level, enabling this managed service provider to compete with much bigger players while reducing the time and effort involved in handling customers’ networks. Those customers also benefit from more flexible systems, with fast deployment, rapid remote troubleshooting and easy configuration changes, delivered at an SMB-friendly price. Texas-based AC Horn Manufacturing, a worldwide leader in food-processing equipment, is one example of a business Matador Networks has successfully aligned and continues to service.

BACKGROUND

Established by President Matt Maupin in 2012, Matador Networks initially focused on providing networks and security solutions to community banks in the Dallas / Fort Worth area. Given the nature of the banking business, it was essential to provide systems compliant with strict state and federal requirements. That experience led the Matador Networks team to expand into supporting businesses in healthcare, another equally compliance-driven market. Today, Matador Networks has customers in a variety of verticals.

THE CHALLENGE

Regardless of the type of business, all Matador Networks customers have one thing in common: expectations of reliable, high-performing and secure networking across a wide variety of increasingly demanding applications and a growing volume of connected end-points. Says Matt Maupin, “There is an MSP on every street corner, and the only way to stand out is to align the customer’s technology with their business goals. Our service-centric staff delivers the technology alignment process with support from our strategic partnerships. We rely on partners such as NETGEAR to deliver products designed to fit both the client’s needs and budget”.

Maupin adds: “Being able to partner with a company like NETGEAR enables us to compete with much larger organizations because it gives our customers access to a wide range of products that are designed for enterprise solutions at SMB prices. Plus, if we run into any problems our technical team needs to escalate, we have confidence in NETGEAR providing the support we need”.

Prior to implementing the NETGEAR Insight platform in 2018, Matador Networks had the same challenge that many MSPs face today. In order to service the on-premises WiFi equipment, a VPN connection was required or a technician would be sent on site. Not all customers had infrastructure available to support VPN and a dispatch consumes high value resources. Matador Networks has now overcome this challenge by using Insight, NETGEAR’s cloud-based network management service, with one-touch installation and monitoring, configuration and diagnostics of multiple devices and sites from a single pane of glass.

THE SOLUTION

Matt Maupin comments “What sets Insight apart is the delivery of enterprise features from an intuitive management portal at a price point that SMBs can afford. I remember being shocked by how easy it was to install. Insight managed devices such as our WiFi access points together with other NETGEAR equipment give our customers the performance we would expect from a more expensive and complex solution”.

Customers benefit from easily monitoring the status of a network and carrying out simple configurations and problemsolving. When the customer needs extra help, Insight enables Matador Networks to provide instant and remote support without involving a site visit or VPN connection. Matt Maupin explains, “Our customers maintain varying business hours, and Insight improves our response to service requests. The Insight app allows our technical staff to easily inspect infrastructure during or outside production hours from any mobile device or browser”.

HELP AT HAND

Matt Maupin also calls out NETGEAR support. Matt explains that “The NETGEAR range does not require manufacturerspecific certification, which is an important cost and time benefit for a small company like ours. Instead, the products are easy for my team to work with, and if we require assistance, we have 24/7 access to NETGEAR’s partner support. My NETGEAR team also provides an invaluable service with design assistance. For example, when engaging customers with new construction, I submit the drawings to my channel team for site analysis. The wireless engineers create a heat map for the site which yields optimal AP placement, coverage, and performance. This process improves our service success levels”.

THE RESULTS

Maupin also states “We have customers using Insight for many purposes such as guest WiFi networks, internal or private WiFi networks, and networks designed to support IoT devices. A customer in the manufacturing space issues laptops to staff, and these employees will dock the laptop in the office, roam to a conference room, or roam to the plant floor. Access to network resources such as file shares and the ERP platform must always be available from either medium. Other customer applications and devices utilizing Insight include facility security systems, door entry or presence management systems, televisions, and conferencing equipment”.

The security features within Insight and the WiFi devices mean that it is simple to segment VLANs into different SSIDs. As an example, guests can enjoy WiFi without the risk of compromising the security of confidential back-office systems connected to the same physical infrastructure.

HELPING AC HORN MANUFACTURING

Matt Maupin continues, “One of our Insight success stories would be AC Horn Manufacturing. We replaced legacy access points and an on-premises controller with Insight equipment deployed to the shop floor and corporate office. Multiple SSIDs & VLANs were configured to support bar code scanners, guest WiFi, audio/video equipment and internal network access. This has allowed AC Horn to track work in progress, from raw materials to the customized final component or complete equipment assembly”.

Michael Horn, President and CEO of AC Horn Manufacturing, adds, “We began partnering with Matador Networks in 2019 after five years of working with a larger DFW-based MSP. A targeted and detailed analysis of our needs was immediately completed after making the switch. In 2020, Matador Networks completely reconfigured our on-premise IT infrastructure. Key components of this upgrade included updating our switches to NETGEAR’s newest products and increased the number of access points, especially across the shop where we require fast and reliable WiFi at all times and in all locations. My company is much more efficient due to the many recommendations made by Matador Networks, resulting in an intelligent and highly effective upgrade of our entire system. I am grateful to work with such a well-qualified and effective company”.

MATT MAUPIN CONCLUDES

“Working with a partner like NETGEAR means we can offer enterprise-grade solutions, combined with our own personalized customer service focus and team. Insight has become an integral part of our business, helping us to compete with much larger companies while giving our customers flexible, cost-effective and high-performing solutions tailored to their exact requirements”.