Encino Energy is a technology-forward oil and gas company leading the way in the Utica Basin and ranked among the top producers in the US. Data is central to its operations, from ruggedized laptops in the field to self-developed, cloud-based applications built on a cloud-first philosophy. Following a major acquisition the company grew from 26 to 250 users overnight and became a $2 billion company; it now has more than 500 users and an internal IT team of 24.

Encino Energy's overnight expansion from 26 to 250 users, the result of a major acquisition, tested its operational limits. The local Managed Service Provider (MSP) that served the smaller operation could no longer handle the pace, complexity or sophistication a $2 billion company required. A subsequent MSP brought some stability but fell short of the service quality leadership expected. As Jay Ostertag, Senior Manager of IT Systems & Support, put it, the company got some of what it needed but not quite what it wanted.

The biggest problem was adoption. End users were dissatisfied with the previous provider's help desk and simply would not use it, which pushed support requests back onto the internal team as escalations and what Ostertag called shoulder taps.

Encino also needed a stronger security program and better visibility into its assets. When the company decided to move to a new MSP, it did not have the months such a transition typically takes. It had a six-week runway, and the new help desk had to be usable and trusted from day one.

The relationship started in 2022 when Encino engaged Thrive's security team for a comprehensive network assessment. That standard security scan turned into a plan for improvements, and Thrive began acting as a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) for the company. Impressed with the approach, Encino later awarded Thrive a broader managed services role through a formal RFP process, negotiating pricing to where it needed to be and expanding the existing relationship.

With a six-week runway, Thrive launched a fully functional help desk that was usable and trusted on day one. Encino ran a coordinated internal marketing effort to rebuild trust; the first email announcing the move carried the subject line "We heard you." Users gained easy access to support by phone or through a desktop icon for service requests.

Beyond support, Thrive helped Encino implement playbooks, conduct knowledge transfer and expand visibility through the ServiceNow platform. Its data-forward portal lets Encino manage tickets, assets and service delivery from a single pane of glass. Thrive also provides asset lifecycle management and a configuration database, which proved important as Encino built out its security program.

The document lists the services as Advisory Services, Cloud, End User Support, IT Automation, Managed Infrastructure, Microsoft 365 and Security. Thrive checks in regularly on what is working and what could be better, which has led to better documentation, more knowledge transfer and smarter use of tools.

• Fully functional, trusted help desk launched within a six-week runway instead of the months a transition typically takes
• Help desk adoption grew and first-call resolution rates improved, significantly reducing escalations and shoulder taps
• Support now covers more than 500 users, letting the 24-person internal IT team focus on higher-level projects
• Single-pane visibility into tickets, assets and service delivery through the ServiceNow platform
• Asset lifecycle management and a configuration database give Encino clear visibility into the equipment it owns
• Ostertag called it one of the easiest MSP-to-MSP transfers he had ever been involved with