In 2015, Trevor Bradford, an IT entrepreneur based in Cedar City, Utah, received a phone call from the managing partner of a CPA firm—some 400 miles away in southern Idaho.
The CPA firm was working through some software bugs and all-too-frequent internet outages, causing the entire company to go down intermittently. The accumulating IT problems were costing the firm thousands of dollars for every hour of downtime.
“Their primary concern was expertise,” Trevor recalls.
One of the CPA firm’s software vendors had suggested they contact Trevor’s company, SymTec. It had more than a decade of IT experience with CPA firms and was successfully running a similar environment for another firm.
“There were IT companies around them that could be on-site, but they didn’t know the software or their company’s remote work environment, which included three offices more than 100 miles apart,” Trevor explains.
It was the turning point that drove growth for both companies.
SymTec expanded its operations to Idaho to take care of that CPA firm and later other companies in the area.
Trevor’s team made quick improvements to the CPA firm’s environment that increased stability and performance. Today, the CPA firm has doubled its employee count, added two more offices, and continues to partner with SymTec for IT support.
That customer-first approach and dedication to an excellent customer experience is how SymTec achieves success.
The Kindergarten Computer Whiz-Kid
Trevor’s tech passion stems from his childhood.
“Thanks to my father, I started playing with computers when I was five,” he says. His father ran a painting business but frequently tinkered with other side businesses. “He instilled in me the courage to try—and be unafraid if you fail at first.”
One of his dad’s hobbies was electronics. When Trevor was in kindergarten, he brought home a new computer—the first in the neighborhood. Trevor’s dad encouraged him to play with it, and within two weeks, Trevor was teaching his dad how to play games like pool or the early ’90s classic Gorillas.
By age 14, he was building computers for friends and family and connecting networks to host computer game parties. “I learned quickly that I enjoyed putting computers and networks together,” Trevor recalls.
Another mentor of Trevor’s was his neighbor who worked as a programmer for Novell. “He constantly encouraged me to learn IT and made himself available whenever I had questions. Looking back, he and my dad gave me incredible encouragement and the foundational knowledge I needed to do what we do today.”
A BIG Lesson In What NOT To Do
During college Trevor worked full-time at a large managed IT services company. He describes it as “the best university he ever attended.” He worked shoulder to shoulder with industry titans—engineers from HP, Cisco, SonicWall, Citrix, and Intel—who mentored him and helped the company deliver incredible value to clients.
However, things changed when the company prepared to sell. “They started firing technicians—but kept the management,” Trevor explains. The company went from over 100 techs to a meager 11. The services the firm delivered declined rapidly and so did the customer experience. But customers were trapped in contracts they couldn’t cancel. “The company culture and customer service fell apart because investors wanted to make money instead of doing what was best for the customer,” he notes.
Trevor had learned how great IT services can be on one hand, and on the other, what the negative effects are that stem from a short-term mindset. Seeing how poorly clients were treated bothered Trevor. When he founded SymTec a few years later, the biggest lesson he took from this experience was what not to do! Instead, he resolved to always put his clients’ needs first.
Recognizing That IT Is A People Problem
Trevor went on to work for two other MSPs and continued to gain experience. But a pattern began to emerge: He found himself resolving all the major IT issues at each company and getting bored. After a while, he would move to the next job to keep learning.
At the same time, local businesses and friends who knew about Trevor’s abilities started asking him for IT help.
Thus, SymTec was born. Trevor continued to work full-time but hired and mentored a technician.
SymTec remained a side gig until Trevor pitched the idea to his brother, Wesley. Despite Wesley’s initial reluctance to work in IT, Trevor’s persistence paid off. Wesley was finishing a business management degree at Brigham Young University, with an entrepreneurship emphasis, and wanted to start a business.
Wesley explains, “I was avoiding IT work. In fact, IT was frustrating to me. Only when I saw IT as a people problem did I realize I was passionate about bringing better technology experiences and relief to help solve the frustrations that people experienced.”
Robert Christian joined as SymTec’s third partner. He left a lucrative position and took a pay cut to help build the client experience for a company that he knew cared about the well-being of its clients. The SymTec team isn’t afraid to try new things and has built the company on a reputation of delivering customer-centric solutions. Even customers from bigger firms or larger markets say the level of service they receive is something they haven’t experienced before.
This commitment to excellence is delivered by a strong team. They bring a wide range of backgrounds and skills, but a common commitment to SymTec’s core values: Love for All, Progress, Integrity, Achieve Expectations, and Collaboration.
How 30 Seconds Saved Thousands Of Dollars For Clients
Those values aren’t just words. Trevor can look back on countless examples of solving ambiguous problems—both technical and interpersonal—with no clear playbook. In one client situation, Trevor suggested they upgrade hard drives to improve computer speed. This client looked at the cost and said, “No thanks.” From their perspective, the upgrade would be a luxury, not a necessity.
Trevor took another approach: He demonstrated the value. “I calculated that it took each employee 2.5 minutes to start up their computers,” Trevor explains, “and the new system could reduce that to 30 seconds. I showed the leadership how they would save over an hour per employee a month. Knowing that, the cost was a no-brainer, and we moved forward with the upgrade.”
This is just one of many examples of how SymTec focuses on cost saving, speed, and productivity for their clients. This kind of customer-first service drives an excellent customer experience. It is at the heart of SymTec’s mission, building client trust and satisfaction every step of the way.
No Finger-Pointing Or Excuses – SymTec Just Takes Care Of It
One of the most frustrating experiences for any business owner is vendor finger-pointing and excuses for why THEY cannot fix something that’s broken. “We don’t put up boundaries or work in silos,” Trevor says. “If our customer has a problem with the internet provider, we call them and work together to resolve the issue.”
SymTec takes a collective responsibility approach to ensure their customer’s entire tech infrastructure works smoothly. They create an all-in-one experience by collaborating with industry experts on their client’s behalf, rather than attempting to do it all and spreading themselves thin.
“When you do the right thing, when you really care and are putting quality into something, it leads to success,” Trevor says. “It’s a long-term picture, not a short-term gain. We invest in the quality of our time and relationships with clients—ultimately resulting in a quality service.”
Guided by Trevor’s two decades of IT experience, SymTec has excelled, and continues to forge ahead. SymTec’s view is simple: Nobody should have to experience unreliable technology.
For more information about SymTec, go here.
