Fluid 3.0… Why Now?

When I started, it was called "Fluid Consulting," and our tagline was “…because business is Fluid.” Twenty years later, there have been many changes, but one constant — business really is fluid.

Fluid IT has always strived to be nimble and adaptable to the changes in both business and technology. We have continually iterated through many small changes while taking on more profound pivots in our business.

From Consulting to Services

It was meaningful when we changed from “Fluid Consulting” to “Fluid IT Services,” as it encompassed a significant change in our fundamental business model, affecting products, services, staffing, and pricing. That change involved a shift from a project-based consulting model, primarily focused around a hardware and software resale model that also happened to do some monthly recurring service plans, to a true managed IT Service based business.

With our client’s needs changing, Fluid’s strategy changed accordingly, including a purposeful decommissioning and shedding of products, services, and clients that did not align with our new direction. This strategic change led us to focus on three primary services:

1. Managed services to meet day-to-day IT needs.
2. Cloud services using our private cloud.
3. Security-as-a-service to address the increasing need for more advanced cyber security capabilities.

The Fluid Cloud Era

In the beginning, we offered our own private cloud service because Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) were not mature enough or understood well enough to meet the needs of our small- to mid-market (SMB) clients. The days of purchasing servers and hosting them in the office or at a data center were declining. It was becoming evident SMB’s were looking for a more flexible, monthly recurring service that had the capacity to scale and expand to meet additional business needs.

Over the years, we have witnessed the growth and maturation of Microsoft Azure. We planned for the decommissioning of our private Fluid Cloud to make the move to Microsoft Azure — a significant change to our business model. We initially planned to complete the transition at the end of 2019, but worldwide events caused us to pause.

Responding to Remote Work and Shifting Business Models

Major unplanned global events like the pandemic and the Ukraine crisis led to pronounced seismic shifts in both the business world and technology. We could never have predicted the magnitude of change these events would have on businesses, staffing models, working environments, and mindsets.

We postponed the shutting down of the Fluid Cloud for another year to allow our clients and ourselves time to assess and deal with all the pandemic brought. Thankfully, since most of our clients were already in our Fluid Cloud, the move to remote work was not a significant technology undertaking. But the shift in business models, employee satisfaction, the great resignation, etc., was not something we could have predicted.

We quickly followed our namesake and listened to what our clients and the world at large were saying. It was time to hunker down and do all we could to keep our clients in business with the least disruption possible. We not only pulled through a very tumultuous 2020 with all our clients intact, but we also grew. Looking back at those ‘lost years’ of 2020 and 2021, I’m amazed and in awe of what our staff and clients accomplished in that timeframe.

Planning for Growth

Our annual strategic planning sessions in December of 2021 had a different outlook than in previous years. We sensed we needed to do more than tweak the dial. We needed to:

• Add brand new dials to meet the upcoming demands of our current and future clients.
• Double our efforts in keeping our clients secure.
• Have better options for our clients supporting working anywhere, at any time, from any place.
• Embrace new technologies that seemed improbable only a few years prior.

Much of this is nothing new; we have always looked to the future to serve as our clients’ eyes and ears and test bed for bleeding-edge technology. The difference was in the scope of change and its intent.

It was time for a significant pivot, with thoughtful intent behind our decisions. As the magnitude of what we wanted to accomplish surfaced, we realized it was time for another big change, although not as drastic as the change from “Fluid Consulting” to “Fluid IT Services.”

New Branding, Website, Tagline

This time, we determined we needed to refresh our brand, website, and social media. We have also refined our catalog of products and services. The change is purposeful but not dramatic.

We decided to drop ‘services’ from our name because everyone calls us simply Fluid IT. We added a new tagline – Service With Integrity. Why? Because, at the end of the day, that is what we are all about; and we are very excited to launch a new website as part of our transformation.

The process of refreshing our services, brand, and messaging has had noticeable positive side effects. It has resulted in a more focused strategy and direction with a greater focus on future solutions and services our clients need. We have changed our staffing organizational model to better align with our new direction, all the while injecting excitement and optimism in all our employees.

However, the trail has not been paved with roses. There have been many stressful and even heated discussions along the way. Most people are uncomfortable with change, so it was only expected that some react with gnashing of teeth and doubt when in the throes of significant change. We had to take our time and be thoughtful with many team and individual discussions. Every employee had and will continue to have input.

This rebranding and website update is not a one-and-done exercise but the beginning of a never-ending culture of continual improvement. I am re-energized and very excited for Fluid IT, our employees, and the additional value we will bring to our current and future clients.