Aventiv Research

Aventiv Research is a private clinical research organization that operates in Ohio and Arizona with seven research sites.

Founded in 2007, Aventiv Research has conducted nearly 500 clinical trials for mid to large-sized pharmaceutical sponsors. The staff of over 155 full-time employees and additional contractors provides vital research and information for developing Phase 1-4 pharmaceuticals and medical devices across a range of therapeutic areas.

With organic growth and a distributed team, Aventiv needed an efficient and proactive IT Managed Service Provider (MSP).

BACKGROUND

The teams at Aventiv communicate across sites daily. Aventiv faced persistent challenges with communication and ensuring the safety and security of sensitive information and protected health information (PHI). Dealing with both the medical provider and clinical trial volunteer data, the need to ensure that security and compliance are up to date is imperative. As the entire industry grows, Aventiv understands that its focus should be on staying competitive with other research companies, not technology and security.

Aventiv identified a weakness with their existing managed services provider. The previous vendor left much to be desired in communicating with Aventiv and ensuring all services are up to date.

Dr. Samir Arora, Aventiv’s CEO, directed his team to find and evaluate a managed services provider that would provide better, more proactive service, transparency, and enable compliance with evolving requirements.

As a result, Aventiv began looking for a new managed IT service provider that could provide managed IT services and security to stay competitive with other research companies while always maintaining their company's core values and goals.

Blueteam Networks' Managed Services

The transition from one service provider to another is often full of challenges for both parties. There are new systems to learn, new people, and new ways of doing things, but Blueteam was prepared for this transition with Aventiv. Speaking with Meg Rood, Aventiv's Director of Operations and Consulting, she noted that the 2016 transition was "very smooth and easy." With a dedicated service team, Blueteam quickly established this relationship and developed standards for future expansion. Rood highlighted that "Blueteam helps us a lot when we have to start new offices to ensure we're staying compliant and all on the same page."

Blueteam 360

With Blueteam 360, Aventiv received a comprehensive service package with flat-fee pricing that allows them to save money by not having an internal IT team while staying up to date and secure. Blueteam 360 includes help desk support to firewalls, anti-virus, web filtering, security awareness training, a future roadmap, and more. The level of service effectively provides Aventiv with peace of mind and flexibility in its business operations. 

Measured improvements in productivity and safety

“We have definitely become more productive since implementing Blueteam's services, with our onboarding process for new staff being easy and smooth. Blueteam also implemented a backup disaster and recovery plan.” Said, Rood. “With the data collected and the nature of our work, it was necessary to have. Going forward, the team at Aventiv doesn’t worry about data loss.”

Part of the challenge of a growing company is providing adequate training to new employees. Industry regulations are typically well understood, but company-specific policies and procedures vary greatly. This is an area that Blueteam support can quickly provide value to new and existing team members. "We have definitely become more productive since implementing Blueteam's services with our onboarding process for new staff," said Rood.

Security Awareness Training

The Security Awareness Training… "has helped us stay compliant, keep staff vigilant of spam emails, and know when not to open emails," said Rood. "The result of this is not only time saving but monetary savings as well." Blueteam's Cybersecurity AwarenessTraining provides ongoing education and training for employees to prevent complacency quickly and effectively. With Blueteam's help, Aventiv's staff became more aware of cybersecurity issues and developed an understanding of the best practices to protect their data. 

Compliance and Reporting

Being in a heavily regulated industry, Aventiv is subject to frequent compliance checks and security audits. By allowing Blueteam to manage its technology services and documentation, the process remains simple for Aventiv. When information is requested, the dedicated support team provides accurate and timely information. This frees up time for the Aventiv team as their subject matter expertise lies outside of IT.

Proactive Solutions

Blueteam Connect yielded positive results during the pandemic as teams were able to adapt quickly to a remote workstyle. Aventiv employees utilized Blueteam Connect, the VOIP service, with their personal cell phones. Rood highlights that the ease and efficiency of the Blueteam VOIP services made it extremely easy to transition to remote work and continue operations.

Outcome

"It's been wonderful working with Jason, Mark, and their team these last several years; we know we are in safe hands, and our business is staying up to date with security and compliance. And if ever further changes are needed, Blueteam is always there to assist and help us," Rood said.

As they continue to grow and manage sensitive information across a distributed workforce, Aventiv needs to ensure compliance and security are expertly managed without concern. The transition to Blueteam Networks Managed IT Services has proved to be a favorable business decision. 

With over five years of dedicated service from Blueteam Networks, Rood boasts that,"The Aventiv team recommends Blueteam’s service whenever they have the opportunity."

Update: Due to exceptional growth and its ability to scale, Aventiv was recently acquired by Centricity Research. "Blueteam Networks is proud to be a key part of their success," said Jason Adams, CEO of Blueteam Networks.