Pzena Investment Management Relies Upon
Eze Castle Integration Technology Services
“Eze Castle Integration ensures that all IT projects are done correctly and fit within the overall strategy
of our business. Eze Castle is a true business partner, an extension of our firm, and its team is
extremely helpful and responsive.” – Keith Komar, chief administrative officer, Pzena Investment
Management
Overview
Pzena Investment Management (Pzena) (NYSE: PZN) is an investment management firm that
employs a classic investment approach. The firm has a solid return record and a reputation for
business integrity, research excellence and devotion. As of August 31, 2012, the 16-year-old firm
managed $16.4 billion in assets for leading corporate, public and individual clients. With close to 70
employees between the New York headquarters and a representative office in Melbourne, Australia,
the company relies upon its IT department and technology consultants to oversee its 80 computers
and 30 virtualized servers running on the Windows platform. As a public company, Pzena must be
assured that its portfolio accounting system, INDATA, is operating properly 24x7. The same is
expected of Pzena’s email service, Microsoft Office applications, Swift Connections, and other
applications, to ensure client needs are addressed promptly.
Pzena began working with Eze Castle Integration in 2009 when the firm wanted to replace its existing
technology consulting company. In its search for a new partner to handle day-to-day technology
operations, Pzena reviewed the qualifications of several firms and gathered referrals from other
companies in the investment management market. Based on this research and feedback, the firm
chose Eze Castle Integration for its deep technology knowledge across various topics, its global
support and the ability to leverage Eze Castle personnel as on-site system administrators. Since the
relationship began, Pzena has expanded its work with Eze Castle to move its disaster recovery (DR)
services from its previous IT consultant to Eze Disaster Recovery (Eze DR).
Outsourced IT operations
Pzena’s IT staff consists of three individuals, and the firm outsources much of its technology
responsibilities. When Pzena’s system administrator resigned from his position, the firm seriously
considered hiring another individual. However, to increase IT efficiency and realize cost savings,
Pzena chose to leverage the Eze Castle technology team. An Eze Castle engineer spends several
hours each day on site handling IT administration tasks and employee tech support.
In addition, the Eze Castle engineer assists with larger projects – 15 projects in 2012 – which include
implementing a new voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phone system, video services and backup
tape machines, revamping servers and organizing data center cabling. Additionally, Pzena is subject
to numerous investor audits, including those related to SSAE 16 technology, operational and security
procedures. Eze Castle engineers are integral in completing these audits and ensuring the firm
remains compliant.
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Disaster recovery services and testing
Pzena engaged with Eze Castle to handle its disaster recovery (DR) services, a natural progression
in expanding the relationship. Data for critical systems is replicated in real-time to an off-site DR
facility in Massachusetts, ensuring that the information is available should an incident occur.
Although Eze Castle works with Pzena to test the DR plan quarterly, the company recently assisted
Pzena with an in-depth DR service test that was requested by a Pzena client. Eze Castle engineers,
along with Pzena executives, shut down the entire production system and switched to a live DR
environment and then back to the normal production environment. Pzena’s IT department predicted
that the fail over and fail back of the data and applications would take close to 12 hours, but Eze
Castle was able to complete the process within a few hours, showcasing the firm’s DR services,
successfully testing the DR plan and fulfilling the client’s requirement.
Global support and services
Pzena benefits from Eze Castle’s 24x7x365 Global Support Desk, which continuously monitors the
Pzena data center and solves IT issues for employees who work overseas outside of New York
business hours. Since Pzena’s Australian employees work when the New York office is closed and
vice versa, if an issue arises when either office is closed, Eze Castle’s support desk can step in to
quickly resolve any problems. The responsive support for the Australian office or employees who are
traveling overseas is extremely helpful and has ended middle-of-the-night calls to the Pzena IT staff.
Additionally, the Eze Castle team proactively monitors the Pzena data center and quickly informs
Pzena’s IT staff if an issue arises such as a short in the APC or elevating temperatures in the server
room. Pzena views the quick responsiveness of the Eze Castle team as an advantage to its
operations.
Conclusion
Pzena’s relationship with Eze Castle Integration has afforded the firm numerous benefits and has
helped improve its overall operational efficiency. Eze Castle provides Pzena with proven, highquality IT services on a 24x7x365 basis to ensure peace of mind for Keith Komar and his team.
In developing this strong relationship with Eze Castle’s engineers and administrators, Pzena also
benefits from the ability to leverage the Eze Castle IT staff as an extension of its IT department and a
trusted partner for the long term. As Mr. Komar states, “Everyone at Eze Castle has been extremely
professional and has gone out of their way to ensure all of our projects are completed in an effective
and efficient manner. We view the Eze Castle team as a true business partner. We look to them to
help us make sound decisions regarding which systems are most appropriate for our business
strategy. Everyone we have worked with at Eze Castle has been great; we know that we can call
them anytime and trust that they will provide good suggestions and honest feedback. We look
forward to continuing this long and mutually beneficial relationship.”
800-752-1382

www.eci.com