We’re excited to announce that as of 7/29/2021 the IT services company formerly known as GeekTek will be changing our name and branding to XOverture!
Why the Name Change?
Our CEO Eric Schlissel started GeekTek while still in college in 1998. The name fit us at the time as a scrappy, upstart IT services shop/MSP.
In fact, the old name still accurately reflects certain parts of our culture, including our openness, honesty, and pride in being computer geeks (and we were proud of it back then, before it was cool!).
But we’re no longer a small upstart – we’re a mature IT services and consulting firm with the experience, expertise, and resources to support any business from 25 to 500 employees, no matter the industry. So the name “GeekTek” and the branding behind it no longer fit who we are, necessitating the change.
How Will Current Clients Be Affected?
For the most part, clients should not expect any changes beyond the shift in branding. Your services, rates, and main points of contact will stay the same. Our phone numbers will remain the same.
One change of note is that you will now be billed by our newly-formed holding company, Base8 (www.base8.io), rather than GeekTek or XOverture. So if you receive a bill from Base8, don’t be worried – it’s just your trusted IT company!
A further note about payment: as always, we prefer to receive payment from you by ACH. But if you prefer to pay by check, feel free to make your payment out to either Base8 or XOverture; the payment will be processed the same no matter which of the two names you use.
Our GeekTek email addresses – including [email protected], [email protected], and employee emails – will still work for the foreseeable future. However we will begin sending emails from the new equivalent XOverture email addresses starting 7/29/2021. These include:
Employee emails will be updated to [firstname]@xoverture.com as well.
How Is the New Name Spelled and Pronounced?
XOverture is one word with the X’s and O’s at the front capitalized. It’s pronounced “EX-OVERTURE”, as in the letter X and the word overture.
What Does the New Name Mean?
In short, the name XOverture is meant to convey how we are an “overture” to success and growth for businesses through the masterful deployment and maintenance of IT.
In general, overture means the start of something. It comes from the Latin word for opening or hole, aperatura. In music, it usually refers to the introductory part of an orchestral work. In business, it refers to the first proposal in a new negotiation or engagement.
In written communication, “XO” can mean “hugs and kisses,” in other words a general term of endearment. And the letter “X” is often associated with technology and the cutting edge, as in the Tesla X, iPhone X, and the Google X division.
On a personal level, the name appealed to us due to its association with music, and many of us are big-time music fans and part-time musicians ourselves. We’re passionate about music and try to bring the same level of artistry, dedication, and collaboration to our work that a great band/ensemble would.
Overall, the name and branding of XOverture means a lot of things to us, including:
A new beginning. Many companies are rethinking a lot of things as they emerge from the pandemic, including IT. Whether you’re just looking to lower your IT costs, need a new IT to match your entirely new business model, or something else, XOverture is here to help.
The start of something big. Our mission is to help businesses get the IT they need to achieve their goals. Just as an overture can be the start of a major orchestral work or of a mega-merger of two companies, engaging with XOverture for a free assessment can be what helps your company get on track and hit all your targets.
We care. We “XOXOXO” our clients and hate disappointing them, and always go the extra mile to ensure that our work is high-quality and meets your expectations. We respond to customer complaints immediately to get to the root of the issue and ensure it never happens again. We also understand that our clients are often stressed out with the technical issues they’re dealing with when they call us, so we always strive to be as patient and polite as possible. It’s our job to make your day better, not worse!
Professional mastery. An overture is the lead-in to something large and complex like a work of classical music or a corporate mega-deal, something performed by highly-trained professionals at the top of their game. Though we try to make IT as simple as possible for our clients, designing, building, and maintaining IT can be complex; and we’re as dedicated to and knowledgeable in our craft as a first-chair musicians or world-class M&A financier.
Cutting-edge. An overture leads to something new, and the letter “X” evokes things that are novel, complex, mysterious, and beyond our immediate understanding, like “X-Files” and an “x” in a mathematical equation. In the same vein, we’re always on top of the latest trends in tech, and ready to learn and deliver the cutting-edge solutions we’re confident will benefit you.
More than just a business. Like any good musician, our work isn’t just work to us. Technology and helping people are passions of ours. In addition to helping businesses succeed, we also want to help make the world a better place, which is why we enjoy serving organizations like charities, museums, schools, healthcare clinics, and makers of products we all love. Plus, we like to have fun at the office, not to distract ourselves from our work or because we don’t take it seriously, but because you’re at your best when work feels like play.
What Are the New Colors and General Style of the Brand?
The style of the new brand is meant to be modern and clean yet also relatively light, reflecting an experienced, dependable, high-tech services and consulting company that doesn’t take itself too seriously and is a pleasure to work with. McKinsey-level IT services and support, without the McKinsey stuffiness or price tag.
Will You Be Changing Social Media Accounts?
We’ll be updating our GeekTek social media accounts to XOverture, not creating new separate XOverture accounts. If you’re already subbed to GeekTek social media accounts you’ll be automatically subbed to the XOverture equivalent.
Not currently subbed to GeekTek on social platforms? Follow us for company news and eminently useful tech tips and guides:
What Is Cure8?
Cure8 is the cannabis IT services brand that we spun off from GeekTek in 2020. Check the Cure8 website here: www.cure8.tech.
Cannabis is a highly unique industry that we felt deserved its own entity, allowing us to better support our cannabis clients.
As of the launch of the Cure8 brand, we no longer support cannabis clients under the GeekTek or XOverture name.
What Else Is in Store for GeekTek / XOverture?
Our top priority is continuing to support our current clients as well as we can. That includes the continual refinement of our support processes, retaining and bringing on quality technical talent, and keeping up on the latest developments in tech to ensure we’re providing you with the best IT advice, management, and protection.
To give an example of one area of tech that we’re following closely and incorporating into our services based on how it’s developing, one area that we’re looking to expand in is cloud, especially the Microsoft Azure cloud, while moving away as much as possible from private cloud and on-premises offerings.
Our partners at Microsoft have put a ton of development work in on the Azure platform as well as Office 365 / Microsoft 365 over the last few years. As a result, there are increasingly less and less reasons to pursue alternatives to Azure and other Microsoft cloud solutions, though of course we will always consider the client’s unique preferences and requirements before recommending anything out of hand.
What Should Clients Do If They Have Any Additional Questions or Concerns?
We hope this blog post covered most of your questions, but if you have any additional ones please reach out to your designated customer success manager.
