The Doneger Group: Zero Fire Drills

The Doneger Group is a trusted advisory firm serving retailers and brands in the fashion industry, founded in 1946 and now in its second generation of family leadership. Nearly a decade ago, the firm replaced its in-house IT department with Xperteks. Today Xperteks owns all IT infrastructure, support, and security across the company's New York and Los Angeles teams, giving CEO Abbey Doneger always-on responsiveness, proactive cybersecurity, and one less thing to worry about.

About the Client

The Doneger Group is a trusted advisory firm serving retailers and brands in the fashion industry. Founded in 1946 by Abbey Doneger's father, the company is now in its second generation of family leadership, with Abbey serving as CEO and President. The firm provides high-touch services across buying, merchandising, product development, design, and consumer insights, operating as a strategic partner to fashion industry decision-makers across the country.

With a team spanning New York and Los Angeles, The Doneger Group operates as a lean, specialized consultancy where the quality of information, relationships, and execution is everything. Technology reliability is not optional. It is foundational.

The Challenge: From In-House IT to an Always-On Partnership

At its peak, The Doneger Group had three full-time internal IT staff supporting a team of approximately 100 to 120 employees. Managing an internal IT function of that scale carried real operational risks: coverage gaps during vacations, sick days, and personal situations created moments of vulnerability for a firm that runs on information and connectivity.

As the business evolved, including a period of right-sizing through and after COVID, leadership recognized an opportunity to replace the limitations of in-house IT with something better: a true managed service partner that could provide broader coverage, deeper expertise, and consistent availability regardless of circumstances.

The transition began organically. A departing internal IT team member, on his way out, introduced Abbey to Xperteks, and made the case directly.

Abbey, I know that you may think that you need an internal person, but I think that if you go externally and work with a company like Xperteks, you'll even have more coverage, more service, more accessibility, 24/7.

Departing IT Staff Member, The Doneger Group

The Xperteks Solution: Managed IT Across Two Coasts

That introduction, made roughly a decade ago, began a partnership that has only deepened over time. Xperteks stepped in as The Doneger Group's full IT partner, supporting both the New York headquarters and the Los Angeles team with seamlessly connected infrastructure. The geographic coordination, ensuring that both offices were appropriately linked and supported, was handled without friction.

Today, The Doneger Group retains one in-house staff member focused on coding and day-to-day digital needs, while Xperteks owns all IT infrastructure, support, and security, giving the firm access to a full team rather than a single point of failure.

Always-On Responsiveness

For Abbey as CEO, the defining measure of IT success is simple: when something goes wrong, how fast does it get fixed? Xperteks has made that a non-issue. He shared a recent example. His business partner was in Florida, away from the office, when their computer stopped working. One call to Xperteks, and within an hour, everything was resolved.

That responsiveness extends across the board. Whether an issue arises during business hours, after hours, or during an external event like a power outage, Xperteks is there to restore operations quickly and completely.

We called our person at Xperteks, and within an hour everything's happy, everything's working, and my wife is happy, and I'm happy.

Abbey Doneger, CEO & President, The Doneger Group

Proactive Cybersecurity Education

One of the most valued aspects of the Xperteks relationship, one that goes beyond traditional IT support, is their proactive stance on cybersecurity. Rather than waiting for clients to ask questions, Xperteks actively educates The Doneger Group's leadership and team on emerging threats, required protective measures, and evolving best practices.

This posture, where Xperteks treats security education as an inherent part of the engagement rather than an upsell, has given The Doneger Group a level of cyber confidence that many firms its size struggle to achieve.

It's not even that I rely on them, they view it as part of their responsibility. They push us. They educate us on things we need to do to protect the integrity of our information. It's not me reaching out to them. They are proactive.

Abbey Doneger, CEO & President, The Doneger Group

A Decade of Partnership Through Business Evolution

The Doneger Group's business has changed significantly over the ten years of the Xperteks relationship, growing, adapting, and navigating the disruptions of COVID. Through every phase, Xperteks has been a constant: scaling support up or down as needed, and never wavering in quality or responsiveness.

They've been by my side as our business has evolved, as our business has contracted. They're hardworking, they're knowledgeable, they have a high level of integrity. What they say, they do.

Abbey Doneger, CEO & President, The Doneger Group

Why The Doneger Group Chose and Kept Xperteks

The relationship began with a trusted internal referral, but it has lasted a decade because of what Xperteks consistently delivers. Abbey's assessment, as a self-described fair but demanding CEO, comes down to a few non-negotiables.

• Integrity: Xperteks does what it says it will do, every time.
• Responsiveness: Issues are resolved fast, regardless of when or where they occur.
• Proactivity: Xperteks doesn't wait to be asked. They push, educate, and protect without prompting.
• Consistency: The same people, the same standards, the same quality, across a decade of business ups and downs.
• High-touch service: In a world where genuine customer care has become rare, Xperteks treats every client as if they are the only client.

The Referral Signal

Perhaps the most powerful measure of the Xperteks relationship is this: Abbey Doneger has personally referred other businesses to Xperteks, multiple times, over many years. When peers in his network describe technology struggles, his answer is immediate.

I can't help you, but I can tell you who we use, what we do, and I'm happy to make the introduction.

Abbey Doneger, CEO & President, The Doneger Group

Looking Ahead

For a CEO who describes himself as a fair but demanding evaluator, one who would know within minutes if IT was not performing, that referral behavior is the definitive endorsement. Xperteks has earned not just a long-term client, but an active advocate.

The Doneger Group's business continues to evolve, and Xperteks will evolve alongside it. With a foundation of nearly ten years of deep partnership, Xperteks is not a vendor to The Doneger Group. They are the IT department, the security team, and a trusted business ally rolled into one.

In an industry as fast-moving and relationship-driven as fashion advisory, having technology that simply works, invisibly, reliably, and securely, is a competitive advantage. For The Doneger Group, that advantage has a name: Xperteks.