Managed IT and Vertical Software Expertise Built for an Independent Collision Repair Shop
How Class Acts Auto Body modernized its Microsoft 365 environment, hardened its server and power infrastructure, and turned an industry-specific software stack into a fully documented, supportable system — all under a single managed IT agreement.
Managed by Soaring Towers
Hear it from Joe Nevins at Class Acts Auto Body
“Once it’s up and running, if we do have a little headache, it’s resolved. One phone call, 15 minutes, done.”
An independent collision repair shop running a deeply vertical software stack — with the IT footprint of a much larger business.
Class Acts Auto Body is a family-run collision repair shop in Beaumont, California, serving consumers and insurance carriers across the Inland Empire. The shop handles everything from estimates and structural collision repair to ADAS (advanced driver-assistance system) calibration — and runs the kind of industry-specific software stack a generalist IT provider rarely touches: CCC ONE, Mitchell Connect, OPSTrax, ColorNet (Axalta), Revv ADAS, and QuickBooks Enterprise.
Owner Joe Nevins came to Soaring Towers in April 2023 looking for a managed IT partner that could handle the day-to-day — Microsoft 365, servers, monitoring — and also speak the language of collision repair software. Three years later, the shop runs on a fully documented, monitored, and resilient environment that Joe can phone into and have resolved in fifteen minutes.
A working shop running on consumer software, undocumented procedures, and battery backup that wasn’t actually backing up.
Consumer-grade Microsoft licensing, undocumented vertical software, recurring CCC ONE → QuickBooks export failures, and a UPS plugged into the wrong outlet — the same pattern we see across most small-shop environments before they engage a managed IT partner.
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Consumer Office instead of M365 BusinessSome staff were running Office Home — no admin center, no Entra ID, no conditional access, no centralized identity. A small business with the security posture of a home setup.
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Power & server resilience gapsVMs didn’t auto-start after outages, the UPS was plugged into a non-critical outlet, and the battery had silently drained — leading to recurring overnight server-off events with no early warning.
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Fragile CCC ONE → QuickBooks exportThe export path between collision estimating (CCC ONE) and accounting (QuickBooks Enterprise) broke repeatedly — five separate reactive tickets over two years, each one a fresh fire to put out.
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Zero IT documentationAll shop knowledge — how to install CCC ONE, how to onboard a new employee, how to fix the QuickBooks reboot loop — lived in the owner’s head. Any new hire or new technician was starting from scratch.
A modernized Microsoft 365 environment, hardened infrastructure, and a documented library that covers every shop-floor application.
Soaring Towers designed and implemented a managed IT foundation built specifically for the way an independent collision repair shop operates day to day. The four pillars below replaced the consumer-tier setup, undocumented procedures, and silent infrastructure risks that were holding the shop back.
Today’s collision repair shops need more than a desktop PC and a paper job board.
A modern body shop runs on industry-specific software — estimating, parts procurement, paint matching, ADAS calibration, accounting — all stitched together with integrations that have to work, every day, on every job.
At Soaring Towers, we specialize in managed IT for small businesses with deeply vertical software stacks — the kind most generalist MSPs would call "the vendor's problem." We don’t.
Four foundations of a modernized collision repair shop.
Every layer below was selected and configured specifically for the realities of an independent body shop — a deeply vertical software stack, an on-prem Dell server hosting two VMs, and an owner who needs to phone in once and have it handled.
Microsoft 365 Business Apps
The entire staff migrated from consumer Office Home to centrally managed Microsoft 365 Business Apps — proper admin center, Entra ID identity, and the foundation for everything downstream.
- All staff licensed under one tenant
- Centralized admin & identity
- Adobe Acrobat for key roles
SentinelOne EDR + ConnectWise RMM
Enterprise-grade endpoint detection paired with around-the-clock remote monitoring on both Windows Server VMs — patches, services, AD health, and hardware all watched in real time.
- SentinelOne endpoint detection & response
- Automated patching across both VMs
- AD, DHCP, DFSR, VSS health alerting
VMware ESXi + Windows Server 2022 + UPS visibility
An on-prem Dell PowerEdge T440 running ESXi 7, hosting a domain controller VM and a dedicated CCC ONE application server — with VM auto-start, RAID SMART monitoring, and UPS health all surfaced through software the shop never had before.
- VMware ESXi 7 on Dell PowerEdge T440
- Predictive RAID failure detection
- CyberPower UPS monitoring software
A complete Hudu knowledge base
From zero documentation to a full library in a single sprint — every shop-floor application captured with step-by-step procedures, screenshots, and Loom video walkthroughs the team can actually follow.
- 8 KB articles for every major app
- 7 per-employee onboarding SOPs
- Loom video walkthroughs included
Ready to modernize your shop’s technology?
If your business is wrestling with consumer-grade software, undocumented vertical applications, fragile integrations, aging infrastructure, or IT support that can’t speak your industry — we can help.
Get practical guidance for evaluating your Microsoft 365, security, server, and line-of-business software stack. No commitment, no sales pressure.
Measurable outcomes for Class Acts Auto Body.
A predictive RAID failure caught before any data loss. A recurring server-down pattern diagnosed and ended. An entire vertical software stack documented from scratch. Three years of steady, low-friction operation — and zero open tickets in the queue.
A working shop running on a quiet, well-documented IT environment.
After partnering with Soaring Towers, Class Acts Auto Body went from an undocumented, consumer-tier setup to a managed environment where infrastructure issues get caught before they hurt — and when something does come up, it’s one phone call and fifteen minutes.
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Predictive hardware failure avertedSMART monitoring caught a failing RAID drive before any data loss — Dell dispatched onsite, drive swapped, firmware updated, zero downtime on the production CCC ONE server.
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Power & server resilience hardenedRecurring overnight outages diagnosed via UPS logs, outlet misconnection corrected, new UPS guided in remotely, and VM auto-start configured — the pattern of server-off mornings ended.
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Vertical software stack documentedCCC ONE, Mitchell Connect, OPSTrax, ColorNet, Revv ADAS, Intermedia Unite, QuickBooks — every shop-floor application now has a documented install procedure and troubleshooting playbook.
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CCC → QuickBooks export stabilizedA recurring fire for two years, now a documented step-by-step procedure with screenshots — repeat reactive calls eliminated.
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Modernized productivity & security baselineConsumer Office replaced with Microsoft 365 Business Apps, SentinelOne EDR layered on top, and centralized identity and admin in place — the foundation for everything that came after.
Once it’s up and running, if we do have a little headache, it’s resolved. One phone call, 15 minutes, done.
The Small-Business IT & Infrastructure Checklist
Before making your next technology decision, evaluate whether your Microsoft 365, server, and line-of-business stack can keep up with the shop. Our free checklist surfaces:
- Consumer-grade licensing risks
- Security & EDR gaps
- Server & UPS resilience
- LOB integration weaknesses
- Documentation & knowledge gaps
- Monitoring & patch coverage
- 40+ technology review checkpoints
- Microsoft 365 best practices for small business
- Endpoint protection & EDR recommendations
- Server, RAID, & UPS resilience guidance
- Line-of-business software documentation
- RMM monitoring & patch management
A partner that speaks your software, not just generic IT.
Small businesses with deeply vertical software stacks need more than a generalist help desk. Our business-first approach learns the tools you actually use — and documents them so the whole team can work from the same playbook.
Answers for shop owners and small-business leaders.
Don’t see your question? Reach out for a discovery call.
It includes Microsoft 365 setup and management, SentinelOne EDR, RMM monitoring and patching on servers and workstations, hardware health alerting (RAID, UPS, network), industry software install and troubleshooting (CCC ONE, Mitchell, OPSTrax, etc.), a managed helpdesk, and a documented knowledge base for every shop-floor application.
Yes. We work with CCC ONE, Mitchell Connect, OPSTrax, ColorNet (Axalta), Revv ADAS, Intermedia Unite, and QuickBooks Enterprise — including the common integration pain points like the CCC ONE → QuickBooks export. Every supported application gets documented with install procedures, vendor contacts, and troubleshooting playbooks.
Consumer Office has no admin center, no Entra ID, no conditional access, and no centralized identity — which means no way to enforce MFA, manage user lifecycle, or protect company data. M365 Business Apps gives you a managed tenant, the foundation for modern security, and the same familiar Office apps the team already knows.
Willingness to learn your line-of-business software, proactive monitoring (not just break-fix), a real documentation library, fast response times, and a track record of long-term partnerships — not just a generic help desk repurposed for whichever industry walks in.
The stack we deployed for Class Acts Auto Body.
