COVER STORY | LOCAL PROFILE
Velocity Network is headquartered at 121 West 10th Street, site of the former Rothrock building, in Erie, Pennsylvania. Called the “showcase of technology,” the new location features office space, Data Center and training facilities.
Diversified Technology Firm Marks 30 Years of Connecting Clients With Advanced Service, Support It’s been three decades since Joel Deuterman founded Velocity Network (VNET), then known as SOFTEK, by selling custom computers out of his home in Erie, Pennsylvania. Yet, looking back, it was a pivotal moment for the future of information technology services in northwest Pennsylvania. It was the creation of the region’s leading Internet, business technologies and voice services provider. “At that time, I was the only employee, so there was no one else to manage, and no one else to be responsible for,” says Deuterman, VNET’s president and chief executive officer. “It’s been a huge accomplishment to mark 30 years. Today, we have 75 employees and a robust line of IT services; and it’s all due to our clients’ trust in us.”
Joel Deuterman, VNET President and CEO
That trust was certainly put to the test during the COVID-19 pandemic when VNET’s professional support teams, hardware solutions and IT services were all vital in keeping VNET clients operational. “Erie is unique to have a VNET in their midst,” says Deuterman. “Over the past few weeks, we’ve been spinning up hundreds of remote clients, and we’ll probably continue to do that for quite some time.”
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MAY 2020 • mbabizmag.com
According to VNET’s Chief Operating Officer Brad Wiertel, at the height of the pandemic crisis, the company, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, had its support ticket volume increase by nearly 60 percent. Most of those were organizations seeking remote support for home computers and laptops to connect to work devices. “Over the years, we’ve had numerous employees remote in from home. That’s how we provide a lot of our technical support,” says Wiertel. “It’s now essential in every industry, and no one’s immune. From education, medical and legal to manufacturing, everyone has gone remote. We’ve been keeping these businesses running because if they can’t get logged in, they can’t print checks, they can’t run payroll, they can’t provide products and services. In short, they are effectively shut down.” “Our team always does whatever is needed to rally around our clients and make sure that their business has as little impact as possible, thus ensuring the client can operate the business as normal,” adds Matt Wiertel, VNET’s director of Sales and Marketing. “We’re kind of that invisible hand in the background making sure everything is working.”
The VNET Difference
Whether it is desktop or server infrastructure, virtual private network licenses for remote work, advanced cybersecurity offerings, Office 365 and Teams solutions, VoIP business phone systems or fiber optic bandwidth, VNET has a proud history of always responding to its clients’ ever evolving IT needs. From starting out as a one-man operation to today’s 75-person firm, VNET has taken strategic steps to ensure its reliability and viability for the long term. This began with its initial home-based business on East 6th Street, evolving into its first storefront
