Certified NETS was founded in 1996. Prior to founding Certified NETS, Robyn worked for a variety of organizations throughout the country as well as local businesses in St. Louis, including Medco Behavioral Care and Bridge Information Systems where she served as Network Manager. From her experience with Medco (which became Merck) and Bridge (which became Savvis) she learned that she was most passionate about working with small to medium sized businesses. She comes from a family of entrepreneurs and enjoys “rolling her sleeves up” and getting things done while working with other passionate entrepreneurs.
Today, Certified NETS is Robyn’s vision fulfilled.
We are acknowledged as a leader in the community and industry for our dedication to delivering the highest quality of expertise and customer service. We have built a highly skilled team of technical experts to keep IT Systems up-and-running at service levels usually seen only at Fortune 500 and Enterprise-level businesses. Our process-driven, customer-centric approach to technology is what sets us apart from other IT companies.
We look forward to continuing to expand our established 30+ year history of success in the St. Louis Metro for years to come.
CNETS takes pride in that our engineers differentiate themselves from others in the industry by communicating with customers at their level, be it the business owner, office manager or the IT staff, unlike a lot of companies in the technology & computer field that talk over your head.
Our History
1996
2001
2008
2009
2011
2020
2022 - Present Day
Robyn Howes founded Certified NETS.
CNETS originally was Robyn working out of her house. We grew through referrals to three people other than myself.
While at Bridge, I had begun to develop what became our “Guide to Network Services”. This was a three ring binder that set us apart from other vendors in the area. This was part of our innovative approach to standardized network documentation and best practices. It allowed us to implement the CNETS Way and share this information with our clients.
CNETS Merges with a Customer.
In 2001, I was approached by one of our customers about merging. They approached me to bring an engineering team to their sales team because they were happy with our competence and customer service. We moved to the St Louis Economic Development Partnership’s Chesterfield Incubator.
CNETS moves to the Olivette building.
We moved into the new Olivette building in 2008.
This move gave us financial stability in that we owned our building and were no longer renting. We had roots. The building is functional but definitely not “class A” space. This represents our “value” focus.
CNETS implements internal Leadership Plan.
I joined an industry peer group called HTG (2009) for continuous learning and benchmarking. This experience is what started our tradition of using an internal Leadership Plan and Life Plan tool we use today at the end of every year. We also started the tradition of quarterly goals to help us stay focused on making improvements and investing in our knowledge.
CNETS Transitions to Proactive IT Model
In 2011 we were selected as a founding member of TruMethods Winner’s Circle due to our success in selling Monthly Recurring Revenue. TruMethods provided more of a sales methodology focused on owner led sales and a “proactive” service model that paralleled how we serviced our customers. In 2011 we changed our business model from primary and secondary engineers to our current 5 service delivery areas. Customers now had Virtual Chief Information Officer resources dedicated to helping them move forward all their strategic initiatives.
Lessons from the Pandemic
From the pandemic, we learned that we are key to the livelihood of every employee in each of our customers. It is our job for each employee to be confident and productive. This was a time to ‘dig deep’ and really embrace and be motivated by ‘our why’.
CNETS Embraces EOS
Evolv is our most current peer group which enlightened me on the value of continual investment in a ‘coach’ and led us to a local EOS implementor (2024) – and being an EOS run organization. We take our operational maturity and continuing education seriously.
At Certified NETS we are certifiably NUTS. We are NUTS to take on the risks that we do in the name of great customer service. We are NUTS to be so passionate about doing what is right. We are NUTS to be in an industry where you can never stop learning.
We head off problems before they happen.
Our Approach
Certified NETS maintains partnerships with leading technology suppliers, but addresses each project with a vendor neutral approach. This approach combined with our years of experience and attention to detail allows our staff to evaluate the requirements of each project on its' own merits and develop a solution based on industry best practices, utilizing hardware and software from the leading technology vendors. Learn more about our proactive approach »
Our Mission
The Certified NETS mission is to provide a solution that will meet the needs of our clients now and into the future. A solution that is developed and implemented as if it were for our own company.
Certified NETS has long-standing relationships with key industry-leading manufacturers, which provides our customers access to additional resources which include demo equipment, pricing, support, and delivery.
Our President
Robyn Howes is President of Certified NETS and a driving force behind our mission to deliver exceptional IT solutions. With a deep commitment to security, innovation, and personalized client service, Robyn leads Certified NETS with a focus on building resilient, efficient technology strategies that help businesses thrive. Her leadership and industry expertise shape our approach, making us a trusted partner for our clients’ technology needs. Learn more about Robyn Howes »
