Alvaka: Managed IT for your non-stop business

We are in an era where IT is an integral part of every enterprise in some capacity. While smaller companies look to IT service providers for solutions, bigger companies tend to have dedicated IT teams which take care of their IT related issues. But even these companies sometimes rely on a company like Alvaka, for some special problems based around IT. Alvaka has been one of the leading managed service providers of IT and network solutions since 1982.

Alvaka, with its experience, has the right mix of people and processes that are tried and tested. We had a conversation with Len Tateyama, who is the Director of IT and has been a talisman for the company since he joined them in 2017.

In a few words tell us what motivated you to join the Alvaka’s team.

I had known the executive team of Alvaka for many years as a customer. During this time, I had come to understand and respect the organization for what they do. So, when the opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance to join the team.

What services does Alvaka offer? And how does that change the entire scenario of the company’s excellence?

We are a managed service provider of IT and network solutions and thought leaders within the space. We have been providing enterprise class service since 1982, and are uniquely positioned to ensure our client’s mission critical business excels in this non-stop era of the 21st Century. We offer 24×7 guaranteed live support by US-based experts, providing:

• Proactive network management to provide the best running system
• Monitoring and remediation to maximize performance, reliability, and security
• Strategic consulting to ensure IT investments are valuably aligned with business objectives
• Repairing software vulnerabilities to limit threats and instability
• Improved internet and email security for peace-of-mind
• Reliable backup and disaster recovery to keep business running
• Guidance from prominent cybersecurity and regulatory compliance experts

We support and augment technology departments based on our clients’ unique needs.

Tell us about the company culture. What role does it play in interactions with your clients?

We are committed to an intense process of growth, improvement and realignment of our company. As part of our journey together, we continually take a hard look at who we are, where we came from, and where we want to go next. Without understanding our history, laying out our future, putting people in the right places, or doing the right things, we understand we cannot be the best. While our roles may change and our responsibilities may differ, as we grow and change, our core values are what make us a successful organization.

Our cultural values and behavior define our brand, and our brand is a reflection of how clients see us. Our core values are lived by all of us, and considered first in all of what we do—not just as afterthoughts or feel good end notes.

How do you motivate your staff to enhance productivity?

We like to set tangible goals and measure success. We celebrate our wins when the goals have been achieved; and when they haven’t, we discuss and learn why. We tend to come away from these post action reviews with a commitment to change, whether that be through modifying a process, training, or requesting behavior changes. Also, always being open to feedback and new ideas is important. Nothing can be more soul-crushing than to take feedback, agree with its content, and not follow through with any changes.

I am the team’s advocate and must therefore ensure that these items are addressed and not pushed down the priority list when competing with customer requests.

What has been your most memorable moment during your career at Alvaka?

So, over the first few months after joining Alvaka, as I learned what is important to us, I was also learning what data we were capturing. I assembled this data and began creating real-time reports that provided multi-dimensional views of our work, creating measures for success, predicting outcomes, volume—different types of reports that I felt would provide insight into our company that we may not have known before.

My first presentation to the team happened at a meeting that we hold twice a month. Immediately, I saw everyone lean in, and some in the back of the room move towards the front of the room. The excitement and interest was immediate and palpable. Conversations spontaneously started not on what the data meant, but rather what actions or changes we should do based on the data being displayed. At that moment, I knew I had the team hooked on data. Since then, dashboards with a multitude of different visualizations have multiplied and we have not looked back.

How does it feel to have played such an integral role in Alvaka receiving this prestigious award?

I am extremely honored to have received this award but it truly belongs to the entire Alvaka Team. I am just one of many who have made Alvaka successful.

Alvaka Pioneer

Len Tateyama, Director of IT

Mr. Tateyama joined Alvaka in 2017. He leads the company’s Network Operations Center and Field  Services teams. He is responsible for the developing and maintaining Alvaka’s technical infrastructure and the delivery of managed and consulting services to its customers. Prior to Alvaka, he has held various executive positions in the highly regulated environments of financial management and banking sectors.

“Alvaka is 100% committed to helping clients work more efficiently and cost effectively, so they can focus on growing their business, not their budget and staff.”

"Alvaka offers a suite of technologies which ensure the integrity of your network, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year."