Managed IT Services

Scaling Up? Leverage Managed IT Services

If you’re reading this, you’re likely the go-to person for all things tech in your small or medium-sized business. As the steward of your company's IT infrastructure, you understand better than anyone that keeping up with rapidly changing technology can be challenging. You also know that as your business grows, the need for a robust, reliable, and scalable IT infrastructure grows with it. Balancing day-to-day IT management with strategic initiatives becomes increasingly tricky, and let’s be honest, your time could be better spent on strategic growth rather than troubleshooting a network outage. That's where Managed IT Services come in. And no, this isn't just another fad or buzzword. Managed IT Services can be a game-changer for your expanding business. Let's dive into how outsourcing your IT needs can enable your business to scale smoothly and efficiently. Free Up Your Time By offloading routine IT tasks to a managed services provider, ...

2023-09-06T15:25:14+00:00

Unlock Your Company’s Potential with a Managed Service Provider

Isn’t it amazing how technology can skyrocket a business to success? Your company's growth depends on how well you harness the power of technology. Partnering with a Managed Service Provider (MSP) can be the golden ticket to streamlining operations and boosting productivity. Let’s dive into how this partnership can propel your business forward! 1. Seamless Technology Integration First things first: technology should be your friend, not a foe. How often have you faced glitches that disrupt your workflow? A Managed Service Provider takes the reins of your IT landscape. From ensuring software updates to maintaining hardware, they are your go-to experts. By ensuring your technology is running like a well-oiled machine, MSPs enable your team to focus on what truly matters - growing the business. 2. Proactive Problem Solving Picture this: it’s a Monday morning and you’re greeted by a server failure. Panic ensues. But wait – with an MSP ...

2023-07-06T17:34:45+00:00

Maximizing Productivity: 5 Benefits of Managed IT Services

As companies everywhere try to be more productive, we’ve actually become less productive! This is increasingly evident in our internal IT departments. Your internal team may have set things up to make everything run smoother, but you’re finding they aren’t. You may be spending more time battling with your internal department, which may have streamlined operations for their department but not for the rest of the company. Managed IT services is the solution.  Here are five of the best ways managed IT services can help make your business more productive: 1. Proactive Monitoring and Maintenance Managed IT services providers constantly monitor your IT systems for potential problems and address them before they can cause any damage. With proactive maintenance, you can avoid unexpected downtime and ensure your business operations run smoothly. For example, we may use remote monitoring tools to constantly monitor your business's servers, network, and devices for potential ...

2023-06-06T15:57:46+00:00

Interviewing Company Stakeholders for Managed IT Services

When engaging with any new client, managed IT services providers typically conduct a series of interviews with key company stakeholders to gain a deep understanding of the business's technology needs and risks. Getting to know and understand your business is key. Without a deep dive into your company, your solution will be generic and not help you meet your business goals. Here are a few steps that the managed IT services provider may take during the interview process: 1. Identify Key Stakeholders Red Level, for example, will typically start by identifying the key stakeholders who will be involved in the decision-making process regarding the business's IT infrastructure. This may include IT staff, business owners, department heads, and other decision-makers. 2. Conduct Needs Assessment During the interview process, the managed IT services provider will assess the business's technology needs by asking stakeholders questions about their current IT infrastructure, pain points, and ...

2023-06-06T15:53:48+00:00

10 Things to Look for in a Managed Services Provider

10 things to look for in a Managed Services Provider Availability Fast Service and Response Time Annual IT Budget Planning Disaster Recovery Planning Third-Party Vendor Partnerships Local On-Site Maintenance and Support Daily Backups and Cloud Services Security Testing & Monitoring Employee Support Proactive Maintenance As businesses start to grow, so do their technology needs. Growing businesses often find that they save time and money by contracting with the right Managed Services partner. Managed Services allow you to augment your existing IT staff and infrastructure by partnering with a dedicated IT firm to take care of your network, servers, computers, and all your technology needs. This is the perfect solution for companies who need to operate at peak efficiency but do not have the resources to manage a large on-site IT staff. Choosing the right partner for your Managed Services needs is important. Here are 10 Things to look for as you ...

2023-02-16T16:01:17+00:00

What is an IT Service Provider?

An IT Service Provider (sometimes called a Managed Service Provider, or MSP) is a proactive IT firm that anticipates the needs of its clients and delivers a wide array of technology services. The primary roles of an IT Service Provider include streamlining the day-to-day technical operations of a company and providing the cost benefits of bundled services. Services from an IT Service Provider include: Network and Cloud Security On-Demand Data Backups 24/7 IT Help Desk Support Office 365 Installation, Training, and Maintenance On-Site and Virtual Technicians Cloud Services and Storage Consultation, Strategy, and Roadmaps Disaster Recovery Services Application Development and Hosting Business Process Automation Data Analytics Digital Transformation Why do companies prefer IT Service Providers? SAVINGS. Companies save considerable amounts of money on technology, maintenance, repairs, security, and data recovery by purchasing bundled services DISASTER RECOVERY. The country has been facing more natural disasters than in past decades. Natural disasters ...

2023-02-16T16:01:18+00:00

How to Choose the Right Managed IT Company

When looking for an IT company to manage your firm's technology, reading reviews is an excellent first step. We often choose our lawyers, healthcare providers, and even phone carriers based on word of mouth or reviews. Choosing an IT provider is no different. Start with reviews. Just don't stop with reviews. A company may have dozens of 5-star reviews yet be unable to service your firm. Some IT companies are specialized, while others may lack the necessary experience in your industry. We've compiled a list of IT-specific questions for you. These aren't questions you will get answers to out of a Google review. Some of them may not apply to your situation, but most will. You should be familiar with these before deciding on a provider. Experience in our industry Some newer IT startups will try to use their "new company vibe" to entice clients. However, think about the ...

2023-02-16T16:01:20+00:00

Emergency Time Block of Helpdesk Services

Our work lives changed so quickly in the last 30 days. The speed of change has left many businesses looking for help. Does your company have the right tools, technologies, and talent to survive and thrive as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic? The Good News: Red Level is here to help. For a limited time, Red Level is offering NEW clients an EMERGENCY TIME BLOCK of 25 or 50 hours of Helpdesk Services to set-up, secure, and maintain these critical technologies for your company and your remote workforce. This one time, no long-term commitment, discounted block of time is simple and easy to use with full access to our helpdesk team. The entire Red Level team is working to keep businesses in business. We're securing data, connections, and operations while helping companies transition their employees to work-from-home. How are we doing this? Through: Virtual Private Networks (VPN) to protect sensitive ...

2023-02-16T16:01:23+00:00

Wind River VxWorks and URGENT/11: PATCH NOW!

Notice: SonicWall physical firewall appliances running certain versions of SonicOS utilize third-party TCP/IP code for remote management that contain vulnerabilities named URGENT/11. At this time, there is no indication that the discovered vulnerabilities are being exploited in the wild, however: SonicWall STRONGLY advises applying the SonicOS patch immediately. Patches are available for all recent SonicOS versions. Detailed instructions are provided in the Security Advisory. SonicWall provides the patched versions of SonicOS at no charge, including for customers not currently covered by an active support contract. SonicWall also recommends updating to the latest SonicOS release (6.5.4.4), which provides firewall capabilities to help protect other devices vulnerable to URGENT/11. Wind River VxWorks and URGENT/11 vulnerabilities Security researchers at Armis have discovered and responsibly disclosed 11 vulnerabilities in the TCP/IP stack of Wind River’s VxWorks real-time operating system, which is utilized by millions of devices around the world, as well as in space, ...

2023-02-16T16:01:27+00:00

Red Letter IT Newsletter – June 2018

There's nothing like jumping right into a summer heat wave!  With sunblock, beaches, parks, and vacations, let's take a look at these 5 quick but important IT stories you should know about: MICROSOFT 365 BUSINESS - BETTER WORKFLOWS & PROCESSES: Detroit Wallpaper Engaged with Red Level to Implement Powerful Tools to Consolidate and Simplify Everything from Finanical Data to Sales Presentations "I would say that we have probably reclaimed at least 10–15 percent of our budget by preventing waste through timely collaboration." (Andi Kubacki, Co-Founder, Detroit Wallpaper) TECH NEWS: Save Money & Time in Your Journey to The Cloud Learn how reserve instances, automation, auto shut down features, and more can give you smart strategies for better security, performance, and cost savings. BLOG: Red Level Expands Datacenter Presence = More Flexibility, Choices, Power, & Protection Datacenter capacity doubled in Grand Rapids for expanded services and advanced solutions like added redundancy and data security. ...

2023-02-16T16:01:37+00:00