Mississippi Heat Wave Sparks the Next Generation of Remote Support Technology

To help pay his college tuition, Joel Bomgar began working as a field network engineer for a Jackson, Mississippi-based systems integrator in 2002. When not in class, he could be found driving around the Jackson area in his 1979 Buick LeSabre providing IT support to local businesses. Often, the non-billable drive time in the air condition-less LeSabre took longer than the actual service calls. It didn't take long for Joel to realize "there had to be a way" to spend less time driving in the Mississippi heat and more time solving his clients' problems.

Frustration Drives Innovation

Unable to find an existing solution that would allow him to access and  manage his cu stomers' computers over the internet, Joel decided to take matters into his own hands and develop his own technology. 

Although he was still working his way through college, Joel spent many late nights  coding and eating pizza to develop a functional remote support solution. Leveraging the solution  he quickly doubled the number of customers he could support and cut his rather uncomfortable drive time in half. His new technology was paying off. The instant success led him to believe there might be a market for his creation, so he made up a product brochure, launched a static web site and waited.

Much to his surprise, his wait was short as he quickly began receiving calls and orders for the product. After making $24,000 in less than two months, Joel was convinced he had uncovered a significant market opportunity, but knew he could not capitalize on the opportunity alone. He soon enlisted the assistance of two friends and fellow Resident Assistants from school: Nathan McNeill and Patrick Norman - both of whom he knew were smart, hard working, dedicated problem solvers.

The trio knew little about starting a business but decided that they could, and would, make it work. Joel continued writing code and handling customer calls, Nathan focused on sales and support, leaving Patrick to focus on marketing. In the first six months after they graduated in 2003, these remote support pioneers used 90 lines of code, a one page web site and a simple keyword campaign to grow revenue from $0 to $100,000.

Determination and Innovation Pays-Off

Bomgar's founding trio has since successfully lead the company from a dorm room project to an industry leader. They credit the success to a discipline of focus and a set of core values based in Biblical principles. Today, Bomgar serves over 6,000 leading companies from diverse industries around the world. Bomgar is recognized by industry analysts, professional associations and industry publications for its award-winning Enterprise Remote Support Solution - a solution which has fundamentally changed how companies around the world deliver remote IT support. Bomgar customers have dramatically reduced costs and improved remote support efficiency while driving customer satisfaction to new levels.

 

Founder

JOEL BOMGAR | Founder & Chief Executive Officer
In 2003, while working as a field network engineer Joel Bomgar developed the first version of Bomgar remote support software as a way to provide remote technical support to disparate users without leaving his desk. Since the company's founding in 2003, Joel has led the company to acquire over 6,000 customers. The company's rapid growth has been recognized by numerous awards, including Deloitte's Fast 500 in 2007 and 2008, and Inc. Magazine's Inc. 500 in 2008 and 2009.

As a leading industry expert in remote support, Joel has appeared on programs such as ABC News' "Ahead of the Curve" and in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, CIO Today, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur.com, Network World, Windows IT Pro and Red Herring. His knowledge of and passion for the industry has led to a variety of awards and recognition. Most recently, he was named a finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year© 2009 Award in the Houston and Gulf Coast Area Program, and Mississippian of the Year by the Association of Information Technology Professionals. He was also accepted into the Young Presidents' Organization, the world's largest network of company Presidents and CEOs.

Joel serves on numerous technology and public policy boards.

Prior to starting Bomgar Corporation, Joel worked as a senior network engineer for Business Communications, Inc. (BCI), a systems integrator, where he was responsible for providing technical support and assistance to all of BCI's customers. Joel has nearly a decade of experience in network engineering, and served in the Mississippi Air National Guard where he honed his networking and computer skills, earning more than 16 network certifications. Joel graduated from Belhaven College with a bachelor's degree in business administration.  

Co-Founders

NATHAN MCNEILL | Co-Founder and Vice President of Product Marketing
As vice president of product marketing, Nathan McNeill is responsible for aligning product strategy and product marketing with the needs of over 6,000 Bomgar customers. McNeill functions as product evangelist, and speaks frequently at technology conferences, industry events, and customer and press engagements. He also helps establish and maintains technology partnerships and is instrumental in expanding Bomgar's customer base. McNeill joined Bomgar as a co-founder in 2003, while attending Belhaven College, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in philosophy.

PATRICK NORMAN| Co-Founder and Vice President of Commercial Pipeline Development
As vice president of commercial pipeline development, Norman leads a team of on-line marketing professionals and is responsible for demand generation, on-line marketing, the Bomgar Customer Community, web marketing, inbound marketing and commercial sales and marketing process optimization. Prior to Bomgar, Norman served as a technical support and retention supervisor for Integrity Online, where he managed and maintained the quality of customer satisfaction. Norman joined Bomgar as a co-founder in 2003. Norman graduated from Belhaven College with a bachelor's degree in computer science and mathematics.