From Strength to Strength: Appalachia Technologies Celebrates 2024

Reflection is a part of growth – applauding successes, acknowledging missteps, and mapping out a plan forward.  For Appalachia Technologies, 2024 was filled with some significant achievements, lessons learned, and continued work in alignment with our core values.  Join us as we walk through 2024 and how it plays into our plans for 2025.

An Anniversary

Where do we begin when there are so many highlights to share?  One of the greatest achievements is the 20^th anniversary of Appalachia Technologies.  When Brian Stone and Mike Romano came together in October 2004, the goal was to provide managed IT services and support area businesses with their IT needs.  Over the years, the focus has grown to include cybersecurity, and the company has grown in staff, customers, and revenue.  All the highlights that follow for 2024 tie back to two men who came together with an idea and the courage to go for it.  We cannot continue without thanking our clients and staff, both past and present, for their mark on the 20-year achievement. 

A Move

Instead of celebrating the 20^th anniversary with a new set of china, Appalachia moved into a new office space!  The new office location provides a more cohesive space by bringing the team to one level, in a space better suited for the post-COVID hybrid workforce.  The space also offers meeting spaces of various sizes and the convenience of nearby restaurants and hotels for those visiting from out of town.  Our staff are enjoying the new digs – the TAC team has held monthly team trainings after work, and we have had company-wide lunch events as well.  We look forward to hosting clients in our space for meetings and small functions as well.

Appalachia Advance

In November, we held our 3^rd annual Appalachia Advance conference at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York, PA.  This year’s event had the largest attendance in both size and geographical-reach to date.   We had the most speakers, including representatives from global companies and well-known industry experts.  The feedback we received from attendees and presenters was overwhelmingly positive, and some even put it on the same level as much larger, national conferences.  However, what continues to differentiate Appalachia Advance is the focus on interaction and collaboration.  The format of the event encourages conversation, and the feedback confirms that attendees appreciate the opportunity to share with peers and learn from others’ experiences. 

Mindful Growth

In 2024, Appalachia continued on the path of mindful growth.  While growth – more clients, more revenue, more staff - is positive, we aren’t looking to grow in just any way possible.  Mindful growth means remaining true to the tenants of our business and growing in ways that support and align with who we are.  As Terri Black-Bendl explains it, “It’s growth through the approaches that fit and maintain our culture and the way we’re presenting ourselves in the community.”  We continue to grow in depth with our core competencies while thoughtfully investigating new opportunities.  In 2024, our business grew by 10%, exceeding the average US economic growth.  Not only was it a successful year but we did it in alignment with our core competencies.

While we approach growth intentionally, we have and will continue to look into new services in order to meet the needs of our clients.  It may include new services that address the latest technologies, new ways to counter attacks and further protect our clients, or a regular theme (or request) we hear directly from our customers.  If we can help our clients by adding a service that aligns with our core competencies, this is the kind of growth that is sustainable.

TAC Excellence

Last year, our Technical Assistance Center (TAC) had one of the best years on record with incredible response times, resolution times, and survey scores.  When it comes to resolution times and survey scores, the 2024 average exceeded industry Best in Class averages, and the response time was just 2 minutes shy.  This is a phenomenal achievement and can be attributed to a few factors.  We have to start by acknowledging and applauding the team as being key to the success.  The team is motivated to grow and learn, taking control of their professional development, as well as working together to support this development.  There is also a pride and commitment to do right by our clients.  TAC is on the front lines with the most regular contact with clients, and the survey responses (4.95/5 average!) tell a story.  There has been a consistent effort to streamline processes and improve documentation which has directly impacted ticket resolutions.  Additionally, TAC has committed to monthly trainings as a team to further develop personally and professionally, alternating between technical topics and soft skills.

Related to the success of the TAC team, we continued to see growth with co-managed client environments with mid-market companies.  Clients with IT teams that receive our managed services have the additional support of TAC which has allowed their teams to focus on more strategic projects while we handle support tickets.  These clients also have access to our engineering team for escalation of issues that may be more challenging or specific.  Co-managed relationships are a beautiful balance that allows the client to take on as much or as little as they wish based on their business goals.

Awards

When it comes to awards, it is always an honor to be recognized alongside our peers for the efforts of our team.  Appalachia prioritizes applying to awards that are highly regarded in our industry and those that are not simply paying for placement on a list.  This year, we are proud to have been included in the CRN MSP 500 – Pioneer 250 list, the MSSP Alert Top 250 (168 out of 253), and the Best Places to Work in PA at #20 among Small Businesses.  The MSP 500 and MSSP Top 250 showcase the dedication to our managed services and managed security clients to provide best in class services and protection.  The Best Places to Work in PA award is an annual favorite as we not only find out placement against similar-sized organizations in PA, but we also receive staff feedback on what is working and where we can improve.  This data is reviewed and shared company-wide.  Historically, several business improvements have come straight from staff feedback. 

Thought-Leadership/Speaking Engagements

Appalachia has a team loaded with talent and knowledge, shared regularly with our clients.  It is exciting when our staff has the opportunity to share with those outside the organizations through speaking engagements, podcasts, webinars, and interviews.  This year kept our team busy and on the road, in PA and beyond.  A few events included TribalHub’s 4^th Annual Cybersecurity Summit, Bsides Harrisburg, Kinbercon, Springfield Tech Council’s STC Squared Conference, and McKonly & Asbury’s Collaborate!  Our partnership with Harrisburg University and the Tech Council of Central PA brought us to several events including the Cybersecurity Summit and TechCon, and there were several live and virtual events with the County Commissioners Association of PA.  It is a testament to the staff at Appalachia when we are asked to be involved in events like these.

While our organization was busy with all of these things, our staff grew personally and professionally.  Some nailed new certifications that required hours and hours of studying.  Some saw promotions.  There were challenging projects that found successful resolution, and many lessons learned along the way.  There were personal wins and losses, and there was support from within throughout these times.

Appalachia Technologies’ has had a year for the books in 2024 – milestones, achievements, and many reasons to celebrate.  We are energized to find new levels of accomplishment, push toward new goals, and continue to build on the past 20 years of hard work and dedication.