The PennZone

WAYNE, Pa. - PennZone -- Johnson Investment Counsel, one of the largest independent investment firms in the Midwest, and Evolve IP^®, the world's leading provider of Work Anywhere™ cloud solutions, today announced that a successful business continuity and pandemic planning test in October of 2019 has enabled the firm's employees to seamlessly serve clients via remote work operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Johnson Investment Counsel provides and manages approximately $13 billion of investment plans, including wealth portfolios, mutual funds, 401(k), IRAs and more. During the 4^th quarter of 2019 the company undertook an intense business continuity test to ensure that in the event of a pandemic its employees could all work at home with the same capabilities they had in the office. Additionally, the organization tested situations where key personnel were impacted by a virus and unable to work; forcing others to pick up their key internal functions and workload.

The test was nearly flawless, and while no one in the firm expected a situation like a pandemic to arise, they were confident that they could handle an emergency that forced everyone in the firm to work remotely. Fast forward to March of 2020 and like the majority of businesses around the world, the company was forced to close its doors temporarily. However, unlike most of those businesses, Johnson Investment Counsel could rely on the technologies and strategic plans it had tested months ago with Evolve IP, a global provider of analyst-acclaimed solutions that let employees work anywhere.

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The key technologies leveraged by Johnson Investment Counsel employees while working from home include fully integrated:

• Collaboration – Employees are able to share files and video conference with clients enabling advisors to maintain a personal presence. Internal conversations are enhanced with one-on-one and group chats, desktop sharing and meeting functions.
• Communications / Voice Services – Calls made to employees' office phones are immediately re-routed to mobile or home phones and voice mails are made available in email.
• Virtual Workspaces – Access to critical applications is provided via cloud desktops enabling advisors to respond quickly to investor demands and changes in the market. Key business services are made available on home PCs, tablets and other devices.

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"These are some of the most challenging times our investors have ever been through and the need for consistent, reliable communication has been critical in maintaining confidence and calm," said Ryan Easter, Director of IT and Principal of Johnson Investment Counsel. "At the same time, our ability to execute quickly has never been more critical. Thanks to the business continuity and pandemic test we ran, and the technologies we have in place, it's been a seamless experience moving from our work offices to our home offices and we haven't missed a beat."

"First and foremost, we are happy that all of the employees of Johnson Investment Counsel are safe and healthy," said Guy Fardone, CEO and Founding Partner of Evolve IP. "Their proactive, strategic approach to enable employees to work anywhere has positioned them to successfully navigate these unprecedented times and also has set them up for growth when normal business resumes. We've spoken to hundreds of businesses and unfortunately, too many were caught flat-footed without a business continuity plan. We applaud Johnson Investment Counsel for their foresight and the fantastic execution of their work from home strategy and Evolve IP is glad to be helping them continue with their success."

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About Johnson Investment Counsel

Johnson Investment Counsel is an employee-owned firm, offering a full range of fee-based, integrated wealth management services, including: investment portfolios, education and retirement planning, cash management, estate planning, trust services, charitable giving, mutual funds, 401(k) plans, IRAs, and more. With the help of highly-credentialed, experienced professionals, and a knowledgeable staff, we have become one of the largest independent wealth management firms in the Midwest.

WHY CLIENTS CHOOSE EVOLVE IP

Businesses can Work Anywhere™ with Evolve IP. We take the tools you'd typically use at the office, like a phone and the apps on your desktop, and deliver them from a single portal that users can access on any device. Employers are increasingly aware of the importance of a 'work anywhere' mindset where employees want to be more productive and collaborate in meaningful ways no matter where they are, or what time it is. Evolve IP enables employees to contribute to the business in ways that fit their lifestyles while their company's IT becomes more secure, more dependable and much easier to manage.

Don Mennig
610.230.0198