Milestone Technologies, Inc. is a Fremont, California-based Managed IT Services Provider. Since its inception in 1997, Milestone has experienced rapid growth and expansion, and now has over 200 clients internationally – many of them Fortune 1000 companies – and some 1,700 employees.
Milestone describes itself as "a turnkey Managed Services Provider [which] helps clients create and operate their critical IT infrastructures." Essentially, Milestone aims to reduce the workload on clients' on-site IT staff by managing all aspects of their clients' IT systems, assets, protocols, data centers, and operations.
Services
editManaged IT services
editAs a Managed Services Provider, Milestone aims to coordinate all aspects of clients' IT-related needs.
For example, Milestone provides Asset Lifecycle Management (ALM) Services, such as:
- Maintaining inventories of clients' IT assets
- Obtaining new IT assets, installing them, and replacing them as needed
- Creating IT-related Standard Operating Procedures for clients
Milestone also offers an IT Service Desk which is customized to each client. The service desk program:
- Monitors IT systems for potential problems to enable proactive fixes
- Fixes errors when they do occur, while also identifying each error's root cause so it can be fixed
- Provides weekly system health checks
- Offers round-the-clock tech support
- Uses a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) to streamline all IT-related activities into one recording system
Aiming to reduce the workload on their clients' on-site IT staff, Milestone offers its clients several different tech support options, both remotely and on a walk-up basis. Milestone's tech support staff resolve IT-related problems as well as addressing routine issues (like completing system upgrades).
Milestone also offers AV/VC (audiovisual/videoconferencing) services, which enable virtual face-to-face interactions between employees in different locations. By cutting down on travel costs, Milestone claims, its AV/VC services boost productivity and improve collaboration.
Data Center Services
editMilestone provides Data Center Services designed to optimize clients' data centers. These services include:
- Evaluation of existing data centers' design and efficiency
- Preemptive measures to minimize service downtime
- Installing, upgrading, and providing tech support for clients' data centers
- Tracking data centers' efficiency and operational effectiveness
Network Services
editMilestone also offers Network Services, including Network Engineering Services and Network Operation Center services. These services include:
- Ensuring a functional, efficient network with minimal outages
- Utilizing data analytics to maximize efficiency
- Automated monitoring of network health
- Development of IT operations strategies to meet client goals
Professional Services
editMilestone's Professional Services are aimed at maximizing the efficiency and usefulness of clients' on-site IT staff and infrastructure. They include:
- Analyzing the client's existing IT environment, and assessing existing IT-related protocols
- Implementing customized plans to reach client goals and to make IT processes more reliable and efficient
- Formulating more efficient protocols, IT assets, and infrastructure
- Monitoring Key Performance Indicators which assist clients with resource allocation
- Connecting all IT hardware, software, and services into one integrated system
IT Office Services
editMilestone offers project-based IT Office Services to help clients build, relocate, or transform their workspaces. These services include:
- Obtaining, building, and configuring all IT assets for companies building new workplaces
- Moving and re-connecting IT assets for relocating companies
- Disposing of old or outdated IT equipment – including erasure of data, recycling, and physical removal of IT equipment
Contact Center services
editMilestone operates several Contact Centers which provide round-the-clock IT support by phone. The company tracks the success of its Contact Centers through various metrics, including customer satisfaction statistics, productivity, and the rate at which Contact Center technicians can resolve problems. Clients can also purchase items and obtain warranty information from the Contact Centers.
History
editMilestone was founded in 1997 by now-President and CEO Prem Chand and co-founder Joe Turpin. With Milestone, they aimed to fill a growing niche in Silicon Valley: to provide IT relocation services to growing Silicon Valley businesses. To fund Milestone, Chand contributed $100,000, and received a loan from the Small Business Administration. Chand also had to sign a non-compete clause with his former company, High Technology Logistics, before founding Milestone.
During its first five months of existence, Milestone recorded no revenues. However, the company then secured a contract with Blue Shield of California, which served as a major turning point. By the end of its first year, the young company had managed to turn a profit.
Growth
editMilestone grew quickly. In 2000, the company reported a 927% year-to-year growth in revenue, and ranked third on the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal's list of the fastest-growing private companies in the Silicon Valley. By 2000, the Fremont-based business had also grown from its original two employees to 500, with 140 full-time staff.
During the economic decline of the early 2000s, Milestone was forced to cut its workforce significantly. However, by 2004 the company had recovered, grossing $6.27 million in 2003. A 2004 Business Journal feature ranked Milestone 12th on their list of minority-owned businesses in the United States, and described it as "a strong IT service provider in the Bay Area offering relocation, deployment, integration and technical support services."
A decade after its inception, Milestone employed 148 staff and reported a total annual revenue of $10.5 million, with a 68% growth rate over the prior three years. Based on its growth in revenues between 2005 and 2007, Milestone was again on Business Journal's list of the Silicon Valley's fastest-growing companies, ranking in the top 50. Between 2006 and 2008, Milestone's growth rate continued to improve, rising to 101.30% and ranking the company 35th among the top 70 fastest-growing Silicon Valley companies.
Milestone suffered in the 2008 financial crisis, and had to downsize its workforce.
Milestone's client base has grown significantly since its foundation as well. It now serves primarily Fortune 1000 companies, particularly tech companies. As of 2014, Milestone reported having 200 clients in 18 different countries, including Facebook, eBay, and Google, and enjoyed annual sales in excess of $100 million.
Expansion
editIn 2012, Milestone opened a second office, called a "resolution center," in Chico, California, with the purpose of providing tech support by phone. That same year, Milestone expanded to Lulea, Sweden, to help Facebook expand its data center, bringing its total workforce to some 1,350 individuals internationally.
Also in 2012, Milestone founder Prem Chand was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" at the North State Innovation Awards in honor of "[h]is entrepreneurial journey ... [which] provides a compelling example for many other young entrepreneurs to emulate," according to Jon Gregory, Managing Director of Innovate North State.
By 2014, Milestone had opened an international office in Dublin, Ireland. Also in 2014, the company partnered with Sumo Logic and ServiceNow to develop strategies to identify IT infrastructure issues proactively, thus enabling preventative repairs.
Having previously focused on large tech companies, in 2014, Milestone also expanded to offer IT services to small-to-medium businesses seeking to eliminate the need for on-site IT staff.
The following year, Milestone partnered with Google to create a live video chat service which enables users to connect with Google Device Experts, ask questions about various Google products, and make purchases.
Also in 2015, H.I.G. Capital became Milestone's first investor. H.I.G.'s Managing Director, Elliot Maluth, said the company was "exited to partner with Prem [Chand] and the entire Milestone team to continue the Company's strong growth trajectory. We look forward to working together to expand Milestone's suite of services and continuing to provide best-in-class solutions to Milestone's customers."
Community impact
editMilestone has had a significant impact on the local community in Chico, California, thanks to the addition of Milestone's Chico-based resolution center in 2012. By then, Milestone had become a popular IT company in the Bay Area, and a job fair seeking 250 employees to staff the new office attracted over 1,000 applicants. Ultimately, Milestone hired some 400 new workers for its new location, becoming one of the top 5 largest private employers in Chico and significantly decreasing local unemployment rates.