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People of 3nom: Avrohom Liberman, CTO

Choosing the right IT service provider is like starting a new relationship: for the synergy to happen, there needs to be a personality match. Today, we are launching a series introducing the real people behind 3nom’s customized IT solutions. Join us for a chat with 3nom’s co-founder and CTO, Avrohom Liberman, where we discuss what motivates him every day, the best lessons clients taught him, and what makes the best managed IT service provider.  

Hi Avrohom! Let’s start with a little bit of background: what did you do before 3nom?

I started my first IT company almost 20 years ago. At the time, I had a great interest in the aerospace industry and commercial aviation, so that was the main focus of the company. We were preparing for a big launch at a conference… on September 9th, 2001. 

The launch happened, but nothing else did—this was an example of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. The tragedy of 9/11 put a break on everything. I was forced to reposition, started doing IT consulting, then went to law school as a change of career. Keeping up my consulting projects while wrestling with the law was challenging. Fortunately, one of my clients at the time, Junior Sportswear company, needed a developer. I moved in-house and promptly took on the entire operations flow. After the company shut down, I founded 3nom with my partner Abe Sasson. 

Why did you decide to start a business like 3nom?

I’ve always been interested in providing low-cost, high-value creative solutions for customers to help them automate their business processes. I enjoy the challenge of building custom workflows for businesses at a low cost. 

Low-cost customized IT solutions are an essential need for small and medium-sized businesses. There is a lot of redundancy in the IT infrastructure and software offerings from the big players. A cost-conscious business shouldn’t have to pay for the features and services they don’t need. It’s not only about IT. Customized automation can often rescue marketing budgets and improve the bottom line.  

An example of this is FrenchToast, a school uniform company. At the time, I was automating their internal cost allocation and commissions. They wanted to create custom uniform catalogs for schools since not every school approves every type of uniform. While custom catalogs showed better sales, a graphic designer quoted them $50-$100 per page, making the total price for 300+ pages entirely unattainable. The challenge tempted me, so I built a system that automatically created customized pages. Eighteen years later, FrenchToast is still using this tool, saving tens of thousands of dollars every season. 

What do you like the most about your job?

I enjoy creative problem-solving. Devising innovative solutions for specific problems, be it through automation or custom software development, is what gets me out of bed every morning. My goal is to cut out mundane tasks for small and medium businesses, so their employees’ time is used for more impactful tasks. 

What sets 3nom apart from other IT service providers?

3nom’s biggest asset is our people. Every partner and each of our twenty-three employees brings to the table the expertise, attitude, and integrity that allowed us to build a business on trust and mutual value with our clients. With IT, you always face new problems. We’ve been in business for fifteen years, so we know the specific issues, and the right tested ways to solve them. Everyone I work with sincerely cares for providing the best product, understanding what clients genuinely need, and problem-solving in the most cost-effective way possible. 

What is the biggest benefit of managed IT for businesses?

The main reason businesses should consider switching to a managed IT service is the ability to get the right blend of services to scale up and succeed for the right price. At 3nom, we grow services with our clients as their business expands so that they can avoid unnecessary investments early on. 

Another reason managed IT may work better for a business is access to expertise. Instead of a single person jack-of-all-trading every IT issue, you get access to a team of experts with decades of multidisciplinary experience, who work in parallel to solve any problems as fast as possible, and with guaranteed results. 

How can business owners ensure they are choosing the right IT service provider?

There are some standard services that any IT provider has to provide. A right partner will be proactive and offer remote management, which means they will identify issues before the customer experiences them and fix them before they notice. This is the approach we practice at 3nom: to make sure our clients are always up and running. 

Of course, responsiveness is essential, as is the greatest care to safeguard and recover the data. And you can’t discard the chemistry, meshing of personalities. At 3nom, we care deeply about your business and want you to succeed. 

Finally, I would personally stay away from providers who bill hourly unless you enjoy sticker shock. All 3nom services are available for a flat monthly fee that covers everything. So, if you get a virus, we take care of it and don’t send you a separate bill. Think of it as an IT warranty for your business without co-pays. We understand how vital price predictability is for a business today, and we stand by it.

Could you give an example of a recent project that spotlights 3nom’s approach to business?

Our client Snow Joe, manufacturer of eco-friendly power equipment, was facing some performance issues and wanted to scale up their infrastructure for the holidays. We assessed how many resources they were actually using, and it turned out there the performance issues could be resolved without scaling up the infrastructure. Instead of upselling him, we went in, optimized databases and configurations accordingly, and cleaned everything up on a single call. He didn’t have to pay extra, and all performance issues were resolved.   

What is the best lesson one of your clients taught you?

At 3nom, we are 100% dedicated to the security of our clients’ businesses. One of the biggest lessons for me was when it backfired. A few years ago, we lost a customer when we put our foot down on security and added extra identification steps for employees. Some of them complained, so they changed the IT provider. This taught me the importance of balancing the security of our client’s enterprise with the user experience for internal stakeholders. 

What is your biggest personal goal right now?

I have recently ran a half marathon and lost some weight. So now, I’ve rolled my sleeves and focusing on growing 3nom by providing the best possible IT solutions to businesses who need it. I try to not take any relationships for granted and be grateful for my family, every customer, and every employee I have the honor of working with. 

Have a creative IT problem for Avrohom and 3nom team to solve? Set up a free consultation with our expert today!