…there's got to be another way. – The Who (“Who Are You?,” 1978)

I have a few observations about the person that first coined the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” First of all, this person obviously wasn’t an English major, however, neither am I, so that is quickly forgiven (by me, at least…probably not by an English professor). More importantly, I’m also betting this phrase wasn’t first typed using a PC or Mac, nor distributed via email, or shared via any other network-based technology.  If it had been, the phrase most likely would have read, “If it ain’t broke, prepare for it to break…and at the worst possible time.”

Now it’s not that I’m a pessimist, it’s just that I’m amazed by the way technology has taken over our lives (especially in the business world) and how quickly our day falls apart when these technologies fail us. Even those employees who claim to be “old school” or “technophobes” simply can’t function once their email isn’t working or they can’t access the server.

This reliance on technology by businesses today has even changed the way technology geeks (and wannabe geeks) behave. As little as five years ago, IT support companies simply sold their customers a “block” of time (usually 5 or ten hours to a block) and waited for the client to call when something went wrong. In today’s technology-reliant offices, this “break/fix” business model just simply doesn’t cut it.  Minutes must seem like hours to the business owner watching staff sitting idle because they can’t access email or applications and files on the server.

As you might have guessed, I have a solution for this dilemma: Managed Services. And I can sum up the differences between managed services and the “break/fix” support model of yesterday with two words: “proactive” and “preemptive”. As a New Frontiers Managed Services client, you can expect our team of engineers to treat your network as if it were our own. We're constantly evaluating your network to assure it remains reliable and secure. Our software is monitoring your network 24x7x365, searching for issues and alerting our engineers before these issues become work-stopping problems. This same software also allows our technicians to offer immediate remote help desk support to end users on your network, as well as scheduling after-hours application of patch releases and security updates. And on the rare instance that a service technician needs to come on-site to deal with an issue…well, that’s covered, too.

So if the fear of finding out exactly what an hour of downtime will cost your business isn’t enough to make you seriously consider managed services, I hope you’ll consider this: How much would it benefit your business to know exactly what your IT expenses will be each month? At New Frontiers, we simply manage your network for a flat monthly fee, and in many cases the total cost of this service can be less than you are currently paying for the break/fix support you’ve come to accept as the norm. And doesn't it just make sense to budget for a team of engineers and technicians with a wide array of specialized skills to manage your network for less than the cost of a single IT employee or contractor?

I’m pretty adamant in my belief that this is the best way to assure your network remains healthy and secure, but if you’re not yet a believer, I hope you’ll contact me and let me know what I’ve missed.

I'm hoping to hear from you soon.

Brian
bmerson@centricbiz.com