30 January 2020
The Dirty Secrets Your ITProvider Isn’t Telling You
Spoiler Alert: If your company’s technology budget is going exclusively to IT and MSP services, you’re wasting money. But we’ll come back to that.
Managed Services Demystified
What is an MSP? Simply put, a Managed Service Provider (MSP) is responsible for maintaining and improving your business operations through the strategic application of software technologies. From your email to your backups, to your wireless Internet: many things can fall under the umbrella of “managed services”.
The bigger question: Does your MSP really want to help you transform your business or are their recommendations actually holding you back?
Dirty Secrets From The IT World
Secret No. 1: MSPs are selling you the wrong software.
Let’s be real: You’re not a technology expert. Unfortunately, many MSPs recognize this and are taking advantage of that fact. Let’s look at a quick list of software and services. Do any of these look familiar?
- ConnectWise
- Webroot
- ShadowProtect
What we’ve listed out above are a remote device manager, an antivirus, and backup software. Pretty innocuous, right? Not so much.
These services and many others, offer MSP incentives (also known as kickbacks) for your IT provider to use them. What that means is that your trusted technology partner is putting together a plan that leads to higher bills and poorly executed solutions.
When building out your technology plan, the focus for many MSPs is more on their bottom line than your needs.
Secret No. 2: MSPs are selling you dangerous software.
Cost isn’t even the primary concern here. Even more alarming: many of these technologies are downright dangerous! (Go ahead and click on some of those links. It’s scary out there!)
Did you notice an uptick in strange, potentially worrisome communication from your MSP in 2019? Perhaps long rambling emails, discussing cybersecurity. Were you subjected to surprise “security audits” without any context or followup? Or worse, were you the victim of a data breach?
In 2019 alone, ConnectWise (a device management software used by many MSPs) was subject to at least three separate cybersecurity attacks. These attacks compromised thousands of businesses, large and small, leading to spikes in data leaks and ransomware.
The average cost of a ransomware attack is $84,000. What damage could this mass-market device management software be doing to your business?
Secret No. 3: MSPs are inflating your bill with unnecessary hardware.
Let us ask a sensitive question: Why do you own a server? Seriously, what purpose does your server fulfill? Your firewall? That rat’s nest of USBs and cords?
Chances are, you didn’t ask for all that equipment. Many MSPs are keen to recommend hardware that a) you’ll purchase from them at a nice markup, and b) you’ll pay them monthly to maintain.
The secret they don’t want you to know? There’s a better solution.
We Do Technology Smarter
Stickboy® started its life as a software development company, driving innovation within each business it touched. We’re bringing that same mindset to IT.
We don’t believe in funneling your technology budget and dollars into more and more hardware. You won’t catch us selling you lackluster services just because it puts a few more pennies in our pocket. That’s a gross way to run your business.
Instead, here at Stickboy® we strive to downsize your IT and hardware needs. Fewer hardware costs means you can put those savings towards smarter technology investments, including software and cloud-based infrastructure. That expensive dark web monitoring package your MSP tried to sell you? We include that free of charge. Cybersecurity? We have it on lockdown, with artificial-intelligence powered protection software keeping you safer.
At Stickboy®, we’re crazy about making your business run smarter.
So What Now?
The world of IT and managed services can be a confusing one, but Stickboy® specializes in emerging technologies that focus on taking businesses to the next level. It’s easier than ever to take action and innovate for your business and your team.
First, ask yourself whether you are paying too much for outdated technology.
Then, bring in the bill from your current IT provider and let’s see how much money you could save every month!
Contact us today.