The truth is, you can never really unplug from business if your IT infrastructure is not fully supported. With the holiday season right around the corner, we encourage you to unplug over the holidays and leave your technology in the hands of a capable Managed Services team. Continue reading to see what services you could count on by partnering with Five Nines throughout the holiday season and beyond.  

24 / 7 / 365  

Your company’s IT is not an 8-5 job and it never will be. Every single day of the year, it requires 24-hour monitoring so your organization can continue to drive revenue while reducing costs and risks. An on-call engineer is a great resource to keep an eye out for suspicious activity and minimize downtime for your organization. Knowing that your business' technology is being monitored for you will help you and your coworkers really unplug over the holidays.  

Controlled IT Costs  

IT spending is becoming more of a strategic move by most businesses and investing in the right technology is something you must plan ahead for. Your IT team should provide you with 1 – 3 – 5 year budgets so your organization isn’t faced with unexpected costs as you are budgeting for the next year throughout the holiday season. Long-term budgeting and planning will give you peace of mind towards the end of the year as the direction of your IT infrastructure is more controlled and defined.  

Focus on your Core Business  

As the end of the year approaches quickly, it’s essential to focus on the things that matter most before the new year – your core business. Leaving it up to the IT pros has become the common trend when it comes to specialized departments because organizations want to stay more focused on their day-to-day functions and finish the year strong. It can be extremely beneficial to have an MSP worrying about your business technology for you so you can really unplug during the holidays.  

Change is hard.

Ask any business owner and they’ll tell you that the slightest change can cause ripple effects throughout an organization if not properly administered. Changing the way you manage and maintain your IT is no different, which is why it’s important to understand the details of your new relationship with a managed service provider.

MSP’s, like Five Nines, offer a varying degree of ways they deliver services to their clients. Because of this, understanding the agreements in place will ensure there are no surprises as the relationship progresses. Here are a few different things to keep in mind when reviewing a managed service agreement.

Service Model

Generally, there is a flat monthly fee you will pay all managed service providers. The recurring amount you pay covers a differing amount of service delivery models.

1. Time & Materials (T&M): these agreements are generally a smaller (think retainer) monthly fee, with additional charges for support that isn’t considered regular maintenance or monitoring. You can expect an invoice, in addition to the monthly fee, at the end of the month for the amount of time that was spent supporting your environment.
2. Select: in a select agreement, your monthly payment covers a specified amount of time allocated per month to your business. Any time that goes into supporting your network that goes over your allotted time will be charged at an hourly rate.
3. All-You-Can-Eat: this monthly fee is determined either by the amount of employees at your business (Five Nines' model) or amount of devices that are being supported, and covers all support (both onsite and remote) with no additional fees.

What hardware do you own?

A common trend throughout the managed service industry is offering hardware-as-a-service (HaaS), which means MSP's will place hardware within the environment that offers an added benefit of security and manageability. They’ll do this charging a monthly fee for those services, which reduces the amount of capital needed up front to switch providers.

Always keep in mind what hardware is yours and what is your MSP’s. This is helpful if you ever decide to switch providers, knowing you’ll have to replace or buy that product from the provider.

Additional Monthly Services

Along with with the monthly support fee, there are some fairly common additional charges that will be on your managed service agreement:

• Backups: backups are the most critical aspect of your environment and must be properly maintained in case of a data breach. Oftentimes, there is a separate charge for backup software and offsite storage costs, which are always worth the peace of mind to ensure 100% backups.

• Additional Software: most MSP's are going to offer some variation of software that adds additional security benefits, such as antivirus and anti-spam tools. Five Nines includes both of those in their monthly support amount, but a tool like encrypted email is a service that you will be charged for.

These different pieces are generally what make up managed service agreements, but it’s always important to carefully review all charges on a proposal or invoice. Having a clear understanding of what you’re paying for will give you the peace of mind that your network has the proper tools to stay up efficient and secure.

 What does it look like when IT becomes an asset? Click below for the free Five Nines Power Hour "IT As An Asset", as we dive into IT responsibilities, service requests and security, as well as technology standards, budgeting, and IT training and knowledge.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Scott Pulverenti

Account Executive 

As an Account Executive, Scott is responsible for building relationships, solving problems, and extending the Five Nines brand into new markets.

Facts About Me

- I've recently become an avid runner. My goal is to run a full marathon!

- I'm a huge baseball fan - Go Royals!

- If I'm ever feeling down, you can usually find me chowing down on some grilled hot wings from the Watering Hole.

- In my free time I really enjoy cooking! I like my eggs over-easy, peppered, and with Louisiana hot sauce.

- I'm a bit of a history nut and have been spending a lot of my time recently reading about the American Revolution. 

There are only a few times throughout the year when it is encouraged to unplug from work. Where you should spend time with family, eat too much food, and unplug from your phone and email. I think you know where we are going with this… it's almost officially the holiday season.

How unplugged will you really be over the holidays, if you are constantly worried about your business technology? The truth is, you can never really unplug from the chaos if your IT infrastructure is not fully supported.

We encourage you to unplug over the holidays, and leave your IT in the hands of a capable Managed IT Services team. What services should you be able to count on this holiday season?

24/7/365

Your technology is not an 8am-5pm job and it never will be. It requires 24 hour monitoring, every single day of the year so that your organization can not only stay protected, but competitive and efficient as well. On-call engineers are also a great resource as they help to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity within your IT environment. If something were to go awry, they are there to respond. According to Ponemon Institute, only a third of organizations believe they have adequate resources to manage security effectively. That statistic is enough to keep a decision maker awake at night. Knowing that an IT team is monitoring your business technology for you will help you and your coworkers to really unplug over a holiday.

CONTROLLED IT COSTS

Your IT team should provide you with 1 - 3 - 5 year budgets so that your organization isn't faced with unexpected costs as you are budgeting for the next year throughout the holiday season. Technology is not going to slow down in the professional world, so it's best to have your IT spending for the next year determined ahead of time before the new year creeps up on you. According to a study conducted by Spiceworks, 89% of companies expect their IT budgets to grow or stay the same over the next 12 months. IT spending is becoming a strategic move by most businesses, and investing in the right technology is something that you must plan ahead for. Long-term budgeting and planning will give you peace of mind towards the end of the year as the direction of your IT environment is more controlled and defined.

Want to learn more about how to make your technology a strategic business asset? Sit back, grab some popcorn, and click below to download the FREE Five Nines webinar, "IT As An Asset".

FOCUS ON YOUR CORE BUSINESS

Time is limited, you don't want to take the extra time to worry about your IT efforts, especially as the end of the year approaches. Leaving it up to the pros has become the common trend when it comes to specialized departments as a study showed in 2017, 57% of organizations increased their use of outsourcing. There was a huge increase because organizations wanted to stay focused on their core business. This can be extremely beneficial when you have an IT team worrying about your business technology for you. No more working late nights or long hours trying to squeeze in time to prioritize the direction of your IT, it will all be handled for you, and you can have a more stress-free holiday season.

The end of the year approaches quickly, as does the craziness of the holiday season. Rather than juggling a million things at once, leave your IT to the professionals and really unplug during your time away from the office. Focus on the things that matter most before the new year.

Are you ready to unplug over the holiday season? Click below to schedule a free technical walk-through, no strings attached!

A Guide to Help Small-to-Medium-Sized Businesses Start The Conversation About Their IT Needs

We understand - having the responsibility for the management of your business technology is a large task. You are likely interested in this blog because you have been tasked with streamlining the technology that runs your business, or you have been struggling with troubleshooting your business technology on a consistent basis. 

We'd like to take some of the stress off your hands by providing you with the tools you need to learn more about positioning the need for Managed IT Services within your business, and how to communicate what you have researched to your decision makers from talking points to a presentation template. The best part is, it's all in one place. 

Take advantage of this FREE resource, and start educating yourself on how to best sell Managed IT Services to your decision makers. 

.BANK is not just another way to change up your domain name, it's a proactive and protective measure put in place to give you peace of mind that your customers are protected. Phishing in the financial industry is all too common, as it is the #1 cyberattack and starting point of most breaches. This reason alone is why .BANK domains are so important to implement.

If you'd like to skip straight to a downloadable flier that further explains how .BANK protects your customers, click here.

Not convinced yet or want more information? Here's why you should register for a .BANK domain:

VERIFICATION

Having a .BANK domain provides extra verification for your organization, as only verified members of the global banking community are approved for these domain names. These domain names make it easy for your customers to distinguish authentic emails or communications from your financial organization in comparison to a phishing attempt.

According to Kaspersky Lab, in 2017 the share of financial phishing increased from 47% to 54% of all phishing detections, which is a record-breaking high for financial phishing. You want your customers to confidently recognize and communicate with your organization, and without a .BANK domain nothing is promised. Anyone can register for a generic domain such as .COM or .NET, but only legitimate financial organizations can register for a .BANK domain name.

Related: What is Phishing?

EXTRA SECURITY MEASURES

Kaspersky Lab also found that more than every 4th attempt to load a phishing page was related to banking phishing. Financial organizations are the "big catches" when it comes to phishing, which is why extra security measures must be taken. These special domains include those extra security measures, from further authentication, to an increased level of encryption, to abuse monitoring and compliance enforcement so that only verified financial organizations can utilize .BANK domains.

Further authentication is just another road block in recognizing and stopping malicious attempts to steal personal information. If your customers see something linked to a .BANK domain, they know they can trust it. An increased level of encryption will help to drastically decrease the chance that customers are redirected to sites disguised as your own that could steal their account information. .BANK domains also come with compliance and requirements to maintain a strong level of security, so financial institutions must allocate a point of contact from their organization to help continue to verify their organization.

Related: Fight Cybercrime With User Awareness Training

.BANK domains play a huge role in preventing cybercrime in the financial industry. Phishing attempts are becoming more and more common, and financial institutions are the big catches. With the security, verification processes, and requirements of obtaining a .BANK domain, you can ensure your customers that anything from your domain name can be trusted and that their data is safe with you.

For more information on how .BANK protects your customers through verification, domain name integrity/domain name system security extensions, and strong encryption, click below.

An IT environment without a clear direction can easily get lost in the constant twists and turns of tech traffic that is constantly evolving and adapting. When it comes to business technology, feeling lost and behind can quickly turn into a loss of productivity, something many businesses can't afford to lose. Avoid getting lost on the tech map and be sure to watch for the warning signs that will tell you when it's time your organization gets an IT assessment.

Here's what to look for:

LACK OF EFFICIENCY

Does it sometimes feel as though your IT issues are running your business more than anything else? When IT issues run your business, you may notice that your processes begin to lack, leading to inefficiencies when trying to complete a task or a project. Often, these inefficiencies derive from your organization's IT structure not being well rounded enough to efficiently support all of the technical aspects needed to run a business. Not only does this impact efficiency, but security as well. If you are having any rising doubt about your organization's IT security, it might be time to take a deeper look at it. According to Cybint Solutions, 43% of cyber-attacks target small businesses first.

Technology efficiency can be achieved if it is conducted the right way. Make sure your IT efficiency is up to par with the speed of your organization.

BUDGETING PROBLEMS

Are your payments constantly going over the projected IT budget for the quarter, or even the year? Not sure when to invest in what types of technology to continue to progress your IT infrastructure? As unforeseen IT issues arise, money is spent in areas that weren't previously budgeted for. A lot of times, these issues come about because of a lack of preparation and resources. When organizations have to spend extra money to solve tech issues, other IT questions, updates, and unfinished projects get put on the back burner because there is no room in the remaining IT budget to fix, update, or replace them.

IT budgeting should only be one piece of your technical wheel, and it shouldn't be something that holds your organization back from improving an IT infrastructure. According to Customer Think, 59% of businesses end up hiring a managed IT services organization because it's a cost cutting tool. If you feel as though you don't know where a majority of your IT budget is going, it may be time to consider assessing your IT environment.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

Can you think of a time where a technical support question simply went unanswered? If you and your team must resort to simply "dealing" with a tech problem because you've found that requesting support is too frustrating, the level of your IT support may need to be reevaluated. Your IT infrastructure must have the ability to operate the technology needed to power your organization. There should be enough knowledge and resources available dedicated to providing staff support, consistently analyzing the success of the environment, and implementing IT projects when necessary. The value of your IT shouldn't be a question.

Don't get lost in the twists and turns of the everchanging tech world. Become a presence on the tech map, and make sure your technology supports your organization in the most efficient way possible.

Did one or more of these sections cause you to think twice? Take our free IT assessment quiz to test the strength of your organization's IT environment. Want to skip straight to the proactive approach? Click below to schedule a free IT assessment with the Five Nines team, no strings attached.

Five Nines is partnered with a 22-bed critical access hospital in rural Nebraska that supports up to 125 employees working between a hospital, clinic, and remote clinic. The entire business is operated on computers, and the organization relies on these computers to provide high-quality patient care. 

THE CHALLENGE

1. Before Five Nines there was a lack of efficiency and support from a previous IT provider.
2. Their team was unable to find talented IT engineers in rural Nebraska.
3. The hospital needed assistance with high-level server, storage, and networking needs.

THE RESULTS

Five Nines proposed a partnership to be an escalation point for this organization. This 2.5 year partnership has become a story worth telling, as the solutions provided helped with the management of their IT environment, as well as increased engagement and a stronger work/life balance for employees of the hospital.                                                                                                                                            

Who are we talking about, and why is it important? Click below to learn more about this case, and discover how Five Nines has been able to provide 24-hour support, improve the IT infrastructure of the hospital, and find the right solutions for unforeseen issues that arise for over 2 years.

The entire Five Nines team is excited to announce Five Nines’ consecutive placement on CRN’s 2018 Tech Elite 250 list. This annual list honors elite North American IT organizations who have distinguished themselves in the technology industry by obtaining high-levels of technical certifications scaled to their company size. Five Nines is honored to be recognized as an IT solution provider with deep technical expertise that acquires a high number of certifications.

“Investing in the training and development of our staff is a top priority at Five Nines so our team is equipped with the cutting-edge knowledge needed to support our clients,” said Marshall Ford, Training and Development Manager at Five Nines. “It is an honor to see our focus on development pay off through consecutive placements on this list, and it would not have been possible without the dedication of our entire team.”

Founded on an intense desire to solve problems and build long-term relationships with clients, Five Nines leverages technology to drive business success. With offices in Lincoln, Omaha & Kearney, Five Nines advises the best IT solutions for Nebraska based businesses, offering Managed IT Services. Through its unique service model, Five Nines’ clients experience reduced costs, accelerated growth, and increased productivity. Learn more at: www.gonines.com

Coverage of the Tech Elite 250 will be featured in the April issue of CRN, and online at www.crn.com/techelite250.

To learn more about the service model that sets Five Nines apart, click below.