Winxnet Maine's Premier IT Department

Founded in 1999, Winxnet is a Portland-based company that has earned its place among the nation’s top information technology companies. Co-founders Chris Claudio and Michael Williams (one of the first certified Microsoft engineers in Maine) were established IT professionals who recognized a need for Fortune 500 level IT support in Maine. Jason Lenardson, COO, sums it up: “My partners and I came from large corporate backgrounds, and were accustomed to strategically architecting large infrastructures. Our initial mission was simple – provide that same level of services to the growing technology needs of small and medium sized businesses.

Williams remembers when Winxnet started. “We actually brainstormed our business on the back of a napkin in a booth at the Brunswick Diner. I still have that napkin. About 5 years ago, we were a reasonably successful 10 person company. One night we sat down on the carpet next to our ping pong table, lots of time for ping pong back then, and decided that we needed to focus on a core set of technology – we chose Microsoft. That one decision cleared the way for lots of other decisions. We are now 1 of 6 Managed Microsoft partners in the Northeast and have more than 35 employees.”

“Like most Maine businesses in 2009, we were very concerned about the recession, but our business continues to grow. In the last six months, we have added 6 new staff members to keep pace with incoming work. That’s a 20% increase.“ While their direct competitors have been downsizing, Winxnet has been growing, and keeping the majority of that growth at the Maine headquarters. And Winxnet does its part to give back to its community through charitable work with local non-profits. The company has built a particularly close relationship with Big Brothers Big Sisters, sharing IT skills that help other companies grow.

As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and Voice Certified Partner, Winxnet is a leader in implementing Microsoft’s Unified Communications technology throughout New England – at organizations such as Stanley Works, Harvard Vanguard, Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, Aetna, Boston Medical Center and Children’s Hospital Boston. In additional to supporting such complex technology, Winxnet also has a dedicated team focused on day to day needs of their core customers. Lenardson describes Winxnet as “Maine’s IT department – We help businesses by providing technical expertise when you need it.” Other services Winxnet provides include: Managed Services, .NET application development, MS SharePoint, MS SQL, MS Exchange, Citrix, MS Hyper-V virtualization, and Content Management & Ecommerce development and hosting.

When asked what the key to their success is, Claudio responds, “Our team - we have the best engineers in Maine, and not just in Maine, but in the country. Recently one of our engineers was invited by Microsoft to develop the certification exam for Unified Communications – one of only eight worldwide experts on the panel. And our engineers actively participate in MS product development.“ This commitment to excellence forms the core of Winxnet culture, and the formula for its growth.

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