Satisying Clients is our business

“TSG’s extraordinary response to my business emergency, both in terms of speed and capability, saved us from certain disaster.”
- Robert Sasaki, K&S Real Estate

• Business Clients
• Non-Profit Clients
• Case Studies

Case Study: Barons Jewelers

The Company

Barons Jewelers is a family owned and operated retail jewelry chain that has been serving the San Francisco East Bay area since 1967. The staff at Barons is committed to providing the finest high quality jewelry, from some of the most famous designers and watch manufacturers at affordable prices.

The Situation

Barons absolute commitment to exceptional service, quality and affordable prices has served them well, and over the years, they expanded from a single store into a multiple store operation, located in major shopping malls. While 25 years ago Bart Heller, Barons beloved founder, succeeded handily by conducting much of his business with a smile and a handshake, his son Ronnie recognized the evolving need for efficiency, communications, speed and above all, security. Ronnie knew he had to invest in greater technology to continue to drive his company’s growth and protect his staff and clientele.

The Challenge

Barons was running their network operations on an old and increasingly unreliable VAX system. Their vertical applications software vendor was no longer supporting the operating system. Changing software was not an option: as a busy seven day a week retail store chain, they have mandatory requirements such as point-of-sale, bar code, communications between the stores and government mandated customer information security issues.

The Choice

In June of 2007 Ronnie met one of TSG’s owners at a professional event. Ronnie was immediately intrigued with the notion of “outsourcing” his technology and the inherent headaches managing IT entails. An outgoing, friendly and ambitious business owner, he wants to work with his clients, not figure out why the backup didn’t run again last night or whether he has enough licenses to add a user.

The Response

Barons time-line was short—they needed a solution quickly as the old systems were failing more and more frequently.  They needed iron-clad security for credit card processing and client information. And because such a large over-haul was required, they needed a cost-effective solution that did not require a huge capital outlay at one time, on top of the major cost of upgrading their main application.

The Result

In September of 2007, TSG “on-boarded” Barons into their state-of-the-art data center, providing all brand new, scalable high-end equipment, all of which runs transparent to the company. Now they connect through the internet via Citrix, the premiere virtualization and remote access software for delivering applications over a network and the Internet. Citrix allows users to connect from anywhere there is internet access, whether it be from home, while traveling, or an international internet cafe.

Instead of purchasing PCs when the existing point-of-sale and accounting workstations need refreshing, Barons now buys “thin Client” workstations, for about half the cost of a PC. Thin clients have an optimized operating system and graphical user interface with no applications installed locally. This server-based computing alternative requires nearly zero administration at the desktop, which significantly reduces the cost of managing IT infrastructure.

Sure, things happen. The internet goes down, cabling needs upgrading, weather knocks out phone lines--these are now momentary bleeps for Barons instead of constant daily worries. In these turbulent economic times, Barons has assured itself the best possible opportunity to continue to grow and prosper with confidence in their processes, fixed monthly costs, current and up-to-date licensing, and top-notch security.

Best of all, Barons now has an owner who is free to grow his business.