He Built Their Systems. Now He Buys Their Services.
Why HopeHealth’s CIO chose to become a client of the MSP he once worked for – Chris Guilmette has a unique perspective on managed IT services. He’s lived on both sides of the partnership—first as a Vertikal6 Dedicated Service Engineer, then as HopeHealth’s interim IT Director, and now as their Chief Information Officer-CSO. After nearly four years, he continues to trust Vertikal6 with his organization’s technology infrastructure and patient data security. His story offers rare insight into what makes an MSP partnership truly work.
From Service Provider to Strategic Partner Chris’s relationship with HopeHealth (formerly Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island) began in 2011 when he joined Vertikal6. As a Dedicated Service Engineer, he became the expert on the HopeHealth account, providing hands-on support and building deep knowledge of their systems over the
course of five years.
When HopeHealth’s CIO and IT Director left, they turned to Vertikal6 for help. Chris stepped in as interim IT Director for a year, working directly with the new CIO for seven months. The partnership proved so valuable that HopeHealth offered him the permanent Director of IT position.
“Rick (Rick Norberg, CEO) and Harry (Harry Curran, COO) were really gracious to let me pursue this and move on in my career,” Chris recalls. “And it’s funny—I just did the same thing to them, hiring Dan Shackleton from Vertikal6 to join our team this fall.” The circular talent flow speaks volumes about the relationship’s strength and mutual respect.
The Partnership in Action
Today, Vertikal6 provides managed services for Hope Health’s network, servers, and Level 1 support. For a healthcare organization with over 500 employees, many of them field nurses—this first line of defense is critical. Vertikal6 solves around 60% of the organization’s IT issues at Level 1,” Chris explains. “Password resets, VPN access, printer configurations, new hire setups. Having those calls filtered through Vertikal6 first is a huge benefit for our smaller internal IT team. “But the value goes far deeper than ticket resolution.
Proactive Security Saves the Day
Two years ago, Vertikal6’s continuous monitoring identified and contained irregular login activity, ensuring there was no impact to systems or patient data. Their proactive response demonstrated strong preventive security in action. “Their proactive approach really protects the business and our patient data,” Chris says. “They’re our first line of defense.” – healthcare, where patient privacy is paramount and regulatory scrutiny is intense, that kind of vigilance isn’t just valuable, it’s essential.
Evolving with Technology
As HopeHealth transitions from traditional server infrastructure to cloud-based services, Vertikal6 has evolved alongside them. The recent implementation of a SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) product automates monitoring for suspicious login activity— catching potential security issues that manual reviews might miss. “The recent toolset they’ve released is definitely beneficial,” Chris notes. “It allows them to grow into the ecosystem of Microsoft 365 and Azure AD, which is where most of us are transitioning. Concurrently, Vertikal6 has been adjusting their focus to cloud-based IT services.”
The Honest Reality: Challenges and Growth
Chris doesn’t sugarcoat the partnership’s challenges—and that honesty itself demonstrates the relationship’s maturity.
Level 1 support faces ongoing struggles with Vertikal6 staff turnover, creating what Chris calls a “circle of life” where new technicians must learn HopeHealth’s unique
environment. The biggest hurdle? Communication gaps between field nurses who speak clinically and tech support who speak technically. “Our nurses don’t know all the technical terms,” Chris explains. “Level 1 needs to be patient with them and ask more specific questions. We’re working on a process tree to help bridge that disconnect.”
But here’s what matters: He keeps raising these issues, and Vertikal6 keeps listening. “Tricia King’s been great from the client management side. Rick and Harry have been supportive as well. Anytime we bring up anything, it’s usually resolved in a couple of weeks,” Chris says. “They’re always receptive. They listen carefully and gather the resources to help.”
Recent projects haven’t been as clean as Chris would like: A recent wireless implementation took longer than expected and included several complex challenges—lessons both teams used to strengthen communication and planning.
Three Words: Partnership, Receptivity, Collaboration
When asked to describe Vertikal6 in three words, Chris doesn’t hesitate: “Partnership. Receptivity and Collaboration—though that might fall into partnership.” During quarterly business reviews, they discuss HopeHealth’s organizational goals and chart the technology roadmap together. Chris is particularly excited about Vertikal6’s acquisition of Brave River, which will accelerate HopeHealth’s transition to predictive
analytics, data warehousing, and Microsoft Fabric products. “A lot of the things I want to do, they want to do as well,” Chris says. “I feel like the partnership part is where I’m
focusing this with Vertikal6. They understand, and they want to help out.”
The Giraffe Metaphor
When pressed for a creative comparison, Chris landed on an unexpected animal: the giraffe. “Giraffes look rather slow, but they’re actually some of the fastest animals in the world—top speed of 38 miles per hour,” he explains. “Vertikal6 is a partner that moves at your pace, whether that’s slow and steady or top speed.” It’s a fitting metaphor for an MSP that has proven its ability to adapt—from supporting traditional infrastructure to embracing cloud services, from providing tactical support to offering strategic guidance, from employing Chris to partnering with him.
The Ultimate Endorsement
After working inside Vertikal6 and now managing the relationship from the client side, Chris continues to recommend them to others in healthcare. He knows their strengths, he’s candid about their challenges, and he’s chosen to build HopeHealth’s technological future with them anyway. “Vertikal6 is a partner who listens and is always willing to change itself for the client,” Chris concludes. “With potential updates to HIPAA and other privacy regulations on the horizon, we’ll continue relying on Vertikal6’s expertise to help us stay compliant and ahead of change.”
When someone who’s seen behind the curtain chooses to stay in the audience, that’s the ultimate vote of confidence.
About HopeHealth
HopeHealth is one of New England’s largest and most respected nonprofit hospice and palliative care providers, nationally recognized for exceptional standards in serious illness care. For 50 years, we have supported patients and families throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island with extensive patient-focused services that offer comfort, respect and the highest quality care. In addition to hospice and palliative care services, we provide specialized care for dementia, support programs for caregivers and grief support. As a major teaching affiliate of the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, we help shape the future of hospice and palliative care.
About Vertikal6
Vertikal6 is a managed service provider specializing in healthcare IT solutions, offering managed services, cybersecurity & consulting, custom software development, website development and digital marketing in a unified
approach.
