Category Archives: Awards

Eleventh Year Earning Cisco Channel Customer Satisfaction Excellence

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Cisco Systems has announced that ABS Technology Architects has achieved, for the eleventh consecutive year, Channel Customer Satisfaction Excellence. ABS has achieved this customer satisfaction rating since 2002.

Customer Satisfaction Excellence is the highest distinction a partner can achieve within the Cisco Channel Partner Program. It is one of the highest priorities of Cisco and is an integral part of establishing customer loyalty, giving partners a method to assess customer-to-partner relationships and actively address customer concerns. Customer satisfaction is a quantitative measure of both pre- and post-sales support that an end customer experiences while purchasing Cisco products or services from a partner. Each measurement period, Cisco acknowledges partners that have the highest customer satisfaction distinction within each geographic region.

40 Years: ABS Technology Architects

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Two-thousand and twelve was a mile-marker year for ABS as we celebrated our 40th anniversary. Inside Business, Hampton Roads business publication, produces and year-end recap of organizations that marked significant anniversaries during the year.

Enjoy reading the article by Bill Cresenzo as appeared in the December 21, 2012 issue of Inside Business highlighting this major milestone.

Shown at the 2004 Christmas party, left to right, are Walker Dorroh, Chris Zettervall, longest-serving employee Zoraida Samaniego, Duane Brennon and Hunter Dorroh.

Growing up, Walker Dorroh and his brother, Hunter, the owners of ABS Technology Architects, spent a lot of time with their father, who founded the business in 1972 as American Business Systems

“It’s been in our blood our whole lives,” Dorroh said. “We pretty much worked there every summer and on the weekends. I was officially on the payroll when I was 12.”

Back then, the brothers made copies, pulled weeds, helped with bookkeeping, put together training manuals and just helped around the office. Now, after having taken the business over from their father, they oversee a staff of 97 people.

And things have certainly changed, but they’ve stayed the same. The company’s goal is to equip small and large businesses with the latest in office technology. Back then, that consisted of electronic calculators, typewriters and word processors.

By the 1990s, the business was dealing in scanners and digital imaging, and by the end of that decade it turned its focus to Cisco wireless systems.

Today, that consists of a new name – ABS Technology Architects – and equipping business with the latest in Cisco IP-based video and computer communications. The company was the first Virginia firm to get Cisco IP Telephony certification and is the longest continuously certified Cisco voice dealer in the commonwealth.

The company has received several accolades, including being named to Inc.’s 5000 fastest-growing companies list and Inside Business’ Roaring 20.

“We stay ahead of the curve to identify technology solutions for our customers,” Dorroh said.

ABS Honored As One Of Hampton Road’s Fastest Growing Companies

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The Roaring 20 award from Inside Business honors Hampton Road’s most dynamic businesses based on revenue and employee growth. It recognizes the region’s fastest growing companies that are making significant contributions to the local economy.

For a company to be eligible it must be headquartered in Hampton Roads and established prior to 2009, realized gross revenues of at least $2 million in 2011 and experienced three years of growth. Nominees were interviewed and finally selected by an advisory panel.

ABS’ Hunter Dorroh accepted the award on November 1 at the Westin Virginia Beach Town Center.

The write-up for ABS from Inside Business appears below. To view the entire section on all companies click here.

ABS Technology Architects

Founded 1972

Business type Information technology

Based Virginia Beach

Website www.absnt.com

Revenue $21.6 million in 2009; $28.9 million in 2010; $35.4 million in 2011

Employees 65 in 2009; 80 in 2010; 93 in 2011

When brothers Walker and Hunter Dorroh were children, they probably didn’t comprehend their father was starting a business that would soon be essential to the way the business world operates.

Now Walker serves as chief executive officer and Hunter chief technology officer at ABS Technology Architects in Virginia Beach, which was started in 1972 when computers were considered state-of-the-art technology. Their long-term success is due to providing innovative technology solutions that meet business and organizational needs, they say. The brothers took over the business in 1999.

They provide network security, wireless networking, IP unified communications, virtualization, structured cabling, information technology outsources and data center solutions, said Chief Operating Officer Chris Zettervall.

The reason for their long-term success, according to Zettervall, is the “great job they do of taking care of the customer and customer loyalty.”

“Technology is always evolving for business and the public, and to be able to offer solutions is important,” he said.

Commitment to change is a reason they have weathered the long-term technology evolution, Zettervall said.

“And we have good, smart people who can relate to our customers,” he added.

“Our people are able to relate and understand what the customer is trying to accomplish,” Zettervall said.

“We consider ourselves a partner in the equation as opposed to just a part of it. It is more an art than a science in the way we relate to the customer,” he said.

While they consider their customer important, Zettervall said they understand their limits.

“We have not tried to be all things to all people,” he said. “We are very focused with a couple of major product lines.”

One of those was Cisco. ABS Technology was the first Virginia-based firm to receive Cisco’s IP Telephony certification.

Even though it’s had long-term success, the firm is challenged with being a private company. No outside equity makes it tough to grow with little capital – it makes them run a tight ship, Zettervall said.

And as with any company involved in IT, keeping up with the rapid changes is an everyday challenge, he said.

Another challenge is finding good people.

“That is our single biggest factor,” Zettervall said.

Many people leave the company for management positions with other companies. Zettervall said they are only able to offer so many management positions.

“We can only have so managers. We do not discourage those who are talented and have management skills to leave if we do not have a position for them.”

The goal for the next few years is to have 20 percent growth each year in a manageable way with respect to cloud technology.

There is also growth with WiFi in the United States and Latin America, he said.

- Susan Smigielski Acker

Adding Another CCIE

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Email and Facebook went crazy last week when ABS learned that Stephen Lynch passed his CCIE lab. What does it take to obtain a CCIE distinction? Well if you ask Stephen Lynch, a lot of study and perhaps a little luck.

A CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert) is the highest level of technical networking certification offered by Cisco. Perhaps the most prestigious networking certification in the industry. There is a rigorous written exam and a performance-based lab that an individual must pass. Cisco states “CCIE certification holders represent less than 3% of all certified Cisco professionals and less than 1% of the networking professionals worldwide.”

Stephen recalls the journey of achieving the CCIE saying, “There were times when I just wanted to give up. I never really shared this with anyone throughout the process; but it really is a battle within. It’s difficult to achieve the CCIE, not just because of its required in-depth technical knowledge, but the endurance and dedication required to not give up. I just had to tell myself one day it would be over and on August 2 I passed the CCIE on my second attempt, shortly thereafter receiving my number – CCIE #36243.”

Stephen began his walk in the world in technology in high school where he was part of the Virginia Beach Public Schools Cisco Academy. That is where he met Cisco Network Consulting Engineer, Cory Gray. Cory recalls meeting a young Stephen, “I knew he was special but I had no idea how much he would accomplish so soon.”

Before Stephen graduated high school he was already a CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) that validates the ability to plan, implement, verify and troubleshoot local and wide-area enterprise networks and work collaboratively with specialists on advanced security, voice, wireless and video solutions. Cory goes on to say “Now he is a CCIE at the age of 21 while being a full-time student at George Mason University and a part-time employee at one of our Gold Partners ABS Technology Architects.”

Every year ABS through the work of Trent Dorroh has participated in Cisco Academy by hiring part-time employs, providing summer internships and full-time work. Cory complimented Trent saying “His dedication to the Cisco Academy and the strategy of mentorship and growth of our students while contributing to his business simultaneously has not been matched by anyone I know.”

It was a very exciting time for all parties involved. If you are interested in the Cisco Academy? Find out more here.

ABS Named as One of North America’s Top 500 Technology Integrators

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ABS Technology Architects today announced it has been recognized by UBM Channel as a part of CRN’s 2012 Solution Provider 500 list, which ranks the top technology integrators in North America. Formerly known as the “VAR 500”, the Solution Provider 500 ranks the highest producing solution provider organizations in the IT channel from hardware sales, software sales, and managed IT services. ABS placed 374 in the annual ranking, a much higher placement from 440 spot in 2011.

The Solution Provider 500 ranking is based on revenue size, and considers each company’s forward-thinking approach to the channel. In particular, the Solution Provider 500 selection panel sought to recognize companies that are building out practices around the data center and virtualization while offering software integration and application development skills. Revenue size is determined by the amount of annual products and services sold over the course of 2011. Companies with no public documentation were required to submit a notarized affidavit attesting to their 2010 and 2011 revenues.

“ABS’ placement in this year’s list is a reflection of us putting our client’s needs first,” said Walker Dorroh, CEO of ABS Technology Architects. “Our success only comes after our clients are successful in their technology and business goals.”

“The organizations listed in this year’s Solution Provider 500 list are today’s true integration innovators who generate high revenues by putting their customers’ needs first,” said Kelley Damore, Vice President and Editorial Director at UBM Channel. “Their primary role is to engineer ways to leverage technology solutions that help customers exceed their sales goals, drive client satisfaction, expand internationally or accelerate new product development. In essence, they are today’s IT integration leaders for middle market and enterprise customers.  We congratulate ABS Technology Architects for making this year’s list and look forward to covering their continued success.”

A sample of the SP500 list will be published in print and online at CRN.com on June 25, 2012.

About UBM Channel
UBM Channel is the premier provider of IT channel-focused events, media, research, consulting, and sales and marketing services. With more than 30 years of experience and engagement, UBM Channel has the unmatched channel expertise to execute integrated solutions for technology executives, managing partner recruitment, enablement and go-to-market strategy in order to accelerate technology sales. UBM Channel is a UBM company. To learn more about UBM Channel, visit ubmchannel.com.

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UBM plc is a leading global business media company. We inform markets and bring the world’s buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print and provide them with the information they need to do business successfully. We focus on serving professional commercial communities, from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewelry traders, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. Our 6,000 staff in more than 30 countries is organized into specialist teams that serve these communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.