SMART DOLPHINS IT SOLUTIONS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Virtual Chief Information Officer ( VCIO )
I started with Smart Dolphins in 2012 coming from a background providing varied IT support for a range of business and personal needs. I currently act as a Virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO), focusing primarily on our proactive approach to IT. My mission is to reduce business risk, which I accomplish through regular meetings with clients where I identify areas where we can drive alignment with our best practices. I am a knowledgeable resource and business technology advocate.
Job Titles:
- Business Technology Advisor
Having joined Smart Dolphins in 2023, I'm responsible for growing our business in Greater Vancouver as we expand as a regional player in Vancouver Island and BC's South Coast. With over 20 years of experience in small and medium business development and a former small business owner, I strive to put myself in the shoes of business owners and leaders when looking at solving their technology challenges. My experiences have spanned a variety of industries including telecommunications, digital media, print & design marketing and IT. When I'm not solving IT challenges you can find me coaching my kids' soccer teams, watching NFL football or spending time with my family!
I started my career at Smart Dolphins as an IT technician. I will mainly be based in the Vancouver area while often visiting the Victoria offices and coordinating with my fellow Dolphins. I look forward to further growing myself as an individual and team member while further supporting our clients to the best of my capabilities.
Job Titles:
- Lead Generation Specialist
Job Titles:
- Virtual IT Manager ( VITM )
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- President
I founded Smart Dolphins IT Solutions on May 1st 2000 out of the back room of my house. Initially, Smart Dolphins was created to fulfill the work experience requirement of my technology schooling, but it was clear that I had started something that was valuable to the world and so I have continued to build this value over the past two decades.
As we've grown and hired more Dolphins, I have moved away from the technology side and now focus on working on the business. For me, the cup is ALWAYS half full - I'm happy with our success and growth, but I always know we can do more and do things better. I am thirsty for business knowledge and skills and I'm always looking to borrow ideas from others who have been successful. This has driven Smart Dolphins to continuously adapt and embrace new industry best practices and ultimately led us to adopting the world class managed IT services approach that we deliver today.
President, Dave Monahan founded Smart Dolphins on May 1st, 2000. In the early years, Smart Dolphins offered a very broad range of IT products and services.
"David was great! I think it was an unusual remote access issue and he professionally and efficiently solved it. He also showed me how existing VPN access was available which I wasn't aware of. Thank you David!" -Jonathan
"David was cheerful kind and helpful at 9pm on a Saturday evening on his son's birthday no less." - Shelley
"Everything - David was a delight and most helpful". - Lori
"David is always very understanding of my problems!" - Ranj
I have been working with computers since the 3rd generation TRS-80. I began my IT career in the 1990's with a focus on securing clients machines against malware. I moved to Victoria, BC in 2005 and I love working with a positive and experienced IT team.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Coordinator
As the Administrative Coordinator for Smart Dolphins you can find me invoicing clients, managing AR, organizing company events, assisting with marketing, helping with our online training sessions, helping onboard new Dolphins, and more. I take great pride in ensuring that everything runs smoothly in the background, so our team can deliver top-notch services to our clients. I strive to be a friendly and approachable team member, who is always willing to lend a helping hand, and I am so grateful to work with such incredible Pod-lings.
Job Titles:
- Project Delivery Specialist
The bulk of my time is dedicated to ensuring that our clients' IT processes and services are up-to-date. If I am not in someone's doorway, I am usually in my office scanning through articles about the latest updates and tools that will improve Smart Dolphins' processes and protect our clients. In my spare time, I balance my geekdom with my love for nature. I am a Dungeon Master (Dungeons and Dragons), a Commander of Armies (Warhammer, Warmachine, X-Wing) and I enjoy hiking through the many trails in the Greater Victoria region.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operations Officer
- COO
I began my career with Smart Dolphins IT Solutions in 2004. Recently out of college, I was eager and confident; and those traits were magnified tenfold when I discovered Smart Dolphins. I was drawn here in a way that is difficult to describe, and began to view all other opportunities in a diminished light. This is where I wanted to be, and fortunately this is where I landed.
I am a problem solver with a talent for seeing the big picture. I am always looking for ways to improve. When I began here, I applied those traits in a technical capacity to help Smart Dolphins evolve its solutions. Nowadays, I apply my skills and vision in my COO role and work hard to improve our strategy, processes, and our people.
Job Titles:
- Technology Success Director
I moved to Victoria from Nelson in search of a job in the tech sector back in 2003. I first started with Smart Dolphins as an Onsite Technician. In this role, I performed tasks as simple as turning a computer off and on again and as complex as migrating a company's data and applications to new server hardware. After many years, I realized I enjoyed human interaction as much as technical work. This led to a natural progression into a consulting role. I now lead our Professional Service Team implementing technology solutions for our clients.
Hi, I'm Keaton, your Rapid Response Technician at Smart Dolphins! I am ready to dive into your technology with my strong grasp of computer hardware, software, and network troubleshooting! As a recent newcomer to Victoria, I offer a fresh perspective to the Pod and bring my friendly attitude to every call and meeting. I look forward to continuing to provide top-notch technology solutions to our clients and am excited to continue growing with the team! When I'm not delivering top-notch solutions for our clients, you can find me digging into the latest SMART technology or hanging with my friends and family.
Job Titles:
- Virtual IT Manager ( VITM )
I have been in the IT industry for more than 5 years now. I love helping people in resolving their technical issues. Every day is a challenge since there will be some issues that you have not encountered before and you need to be resourceful in finding the resolution.
Job Titles:
- Service Coordinator
- Support Team Specialist
I'm originally from Australia and I have been in customer service roles for many years and worked with a variety of clientele. I believe in going beyond merely communicating to ‘connecting' with people. My passion for technology drew me to Smart Dolphins IT Solutions and I plan to use the skills and experience I learn to elevate Smart Dolphins' customer experience. I currently work on the IT helpdesk.
"Awesome solutions on short notice to get me through while my workstation is being worked on. Thanks Luke!" - Sandy"Luke is awesome." - Matt "Luke, thank you for going the extra mile and asking some extra questions to help facilitate this process. Always a pleasure to work with you!" - Britt "Luke was great....timely, patient and problem solved." - Ted
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- CFO Marketing & HR Lead
I have been with Smart Dolphins since 2006. My primary focus is accounting but my passion for our team has also led me into the HR development role. My mind is in the details and my job is translating them into the big picture - so I can do my part in navigating our company towards it's intended mission and goals. You will no longer find me at the Victoria HQ, I have been working remotely since 2014. My military partner has taken me from Victoria to Colorado Springs, to now Ottawa. I am extremely fortunate to be able to say, I love what I do, but more importantly, I love where I work!
Job Titles:
- Support Team Specialist
- Support Technician
I was born and raised in Manitoba. I've always had an interest in everything computers. After nearly a decade of customer service experience, I decided to take the leap and turn my hobby into something more, pursuing a technical diploma in the summer of 2019. With a bit of experience under my belt I decided to move out to the west coast of Victoria BC, knowing IT was right for me. I've found a home on the Smart Dolphins support team assisting in a variety of ways, from onsite visits to remote work as well.
Job Titles:
- Project Delivery Specialist
My interest in technology started with a Tandy 3000, when I was 9 years old. In 2003, I completed my diploma in Windows Administration and Network Infrastructure. It took a few years after that to land my first job in the IT sector. I started working for another IT company doing government IT contracts. This involved mainly desk-side support for all the various ministries. In 2007, I joined the Pod. I started out as an Onsite Technician doing desk-side support and projects. Most of my time consisted of project work for our clients performing small business migrations, workstation deployments, and network setups. I then progressed into the Net Admin.
During my time at Smart Dolphins, I have always enjoyed the project side of IT. I am now a Project Engineer at Smart Dolphins. This role consists of a variety of work, including email migrations to Office 365, moving infrastructure to hyper visor platforms, data/application moves and implementing new hardware.
Job Titles:
- Virtual Chief Information Officer ( VCIO )
Originally from PEI and after living in many parts of BC, I decided to settle down on my second island home in Victoria. The year-round mountain biking and outdoor opportunities made it an easy decision.
With nearly a decade of experience at Smart Dolphins, I've filled a variety of roles in the company, including a service desk manager, network admin and today, as a Virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO). I translate technical needs and options into business strategy allowing business owners to "get out of the IT business" and focus on their own success. It's a great balance of technical work and working with people.