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7 Ways to find the right IT Solution for your company

            Do you know the health of your technology department? Do you know for sure your data is protected and things are running smoothly? When it comes to technology are you always putting out fires, or is everything taken care of and thought out ahead of time? If you don’t know how your company’s data is being backed up and protected, you have a huge problem! You may need to explore your options and look into an outside solution.

            Finding a computer services company has not only become a necessary trend in the business world, it saves valuable time and money. However, with something as important as your company’s data finding the right company is vital. Here are seven things to look for when selecting an IT services provider.

  1. A growing company. Look at not only how long the company has been in business, but whether or not the business been growing over time. Having many years experience is great, but what you really want to see is a growing company, even if they has less years in business.
  1. Current client satisfaction. Ask for recommendations, you will find out a lot about a company based on how their clients view them.
  1. Security Protocols. Find out what their security and backup protocols are, how are they protecting your data and keeping your information secure? A good company should have safety measures in place, and have no problems explaining how they will protect your data.
  1. Size of the company. Are they able to handle what your IT needs are, do they have enough employees/time to keep up on your needs?
  1. Pricing. Look at their price structure, is it fixed or variable. Is there something that fits well within your budget and needs?
  1. Service Plan. What kind of service plan do they provide?  Is it break fix, block of hours per month or fixed cost?  Is it tiered or one plan only?  Is there an ‘Onboarding’ process so the consultant knows your environment before making suggestions and supporting?  Is there a strategy (action plan) put in place to support you network?
  1. Integrity. The fact is you are putting a lot of trust into this company to take care of your technology needs, looking for a company with honesty and integrity as cornerstones is important. You really won’t be able to judge this without actually meeting with the company leaders and getting a feeling of how they work.

These questions may seem overwhelming, but the reality is that there is a lot that goes into keeping your IT department running smoothly, and these are all very important questions to have answered. We would be happy to help you understand and give you any advice we can. Please give us a call for a free consultation with the owner of StoneHill.

Please Contact
Stephen Lindstrom
(949) 540-7720
StephenL@stonehilltech.com

Why Outsourcing is Not a Dirty Word, especially when it comes to your IT needs…

 

out·source (Verb)

  1. Obtain (goods or a service) from an outside supplier, esp. in place of an internal source.
  2. Contract (work) out.

 

IT: Information Technology

When most people hear the word outsourcing it leaves a bad taste in their mouth. We think of jobs lost, and company’s moving parts of their business overseas. The reality of it is that outsourcing in it’s basic definition, to contract work out, makes perfect sense in any business model. Most businesses do it every day. Most outsourcing companies we use all the time are in fact local, not overseas.

Nobody is going to be good at everything and we all have strengths and weaknesses. It makes sense to make use of someones  expertise on the things that are not in our strengths. For example, most company’s don’t blink an eye when hiring an outside company to design their website, or handle their health insurance since we all agree it takes a professional to truly understand and specialize in those things. That is outsourcing.

It seems one of the big areas that outsourcing has come to be of greater importance is in the IT (Information Technology) industry. Technologies are constantly changing and evolving, and keeping up with all the latest ways it’s changing is nearly impossible, not to mention the ever-present threats to security.

This is where a good  IT outsourcing company is a huge time and money saver. With the current cost of technology, and vital data you might have, it is of absolute importance to have your computer systems running smoothly and maintained properly. Without protection, one crashed hard drive and you could lose all your company’s important information and your company could crumble. A good outsourcing company has polices and protocols set up to protect you when an emergency arises, as it will.

Proactive support and maintenance is absolutely vital to the health of your computer systems, and there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to make sure you and your information is protected.

An IT outsourcing company has built itself on the ability to be on top of technology and agile to changes in software or more efficient systems. They have the knowledge base and the ability to keep their finger on the pulse of change. Their breadth of expertise will allow them to help your businesses technologies run smother and with a fixed cost you can budget for.

Outsourcing is no longer a dirty word, but a necessary solution to a problem many companies are facing in this ever-changing business world. Finding a good IT outsourcing company can save you much more than just time and money, it can literally save your business.

Nine Lives Media Names StoneHill Technical Solutions, Inc. to the MSPmentor 501 Global Edition

Sixth-Annual Report Lists
The World’s Top 501 Managed Service Providers (MSPs)

 

MSP Mentor 501

February 19, 2013: StoneHill has landed on Nine Lives Media’s sixth-annual MSPmentor 501 Global Edition (http://www.mspmentor.net/top501), a distinguished list and report identifying the world’s top 501 managed service providers (MSPs).

“Our goal is to be the premiere managed IT service provider in Orange County, CA so this award is a great encouragement that we are delivering on that goal,” said David Bryden, CEO, of StoneHill. “we don’t plan to stop there though as we plan to deliver even more amazing solutions in the months to come”.

The MSPmentor 501 report is based on data from MSPmentor’s global online survey conducted October-December 2012. The MSPmentor 501 report recognizes top managed service providers based on a range of metrics, including annual managed services revenue growth, revenue per employee, managed services offered and customer devices managed.

“MSPmentor congratulates StoneHill on this honor,” said Amy Katz, president of Nine Lives Media, a division of Penton Media. “Qualifying for our MSPmentor 501 Global Edition puts StoneHill in rare company.”

MSPmentor, produced by Nine Lives Media, is the ultimate guide to managed services. MSPmentor features the industry’s top-ranked blog, research, Channel Expert Hour Webcasts and FastChat videos. It is the number one online media destination for managed service providers in the world.

StoneHill is a Computer Services and Support company for small businesses geared toward customer service in Orange County, CA. This growing company specializes in leveraging technology by offering Fixed Fee Unlimited Support for small businesses ranging from 20-200 employees. StoneHill Technical Solutions, Inc. creates a proactive approach to supporting small business infrastructures that saves thousands every month without giving up support or leaving their network vulnerable. StoneHill Technical Solutions, Inc. is headquartered in Laguna Hills, California and houses over 75 years of combined experience. To learn more about StoneHill Technical Solutions, Inc. or our services, please visit www.StoneHillTech.com or use the contact info below.

CONTACT:
Stephen Lindstrom
StoneHill Technical Solutions, Inc.
(949) 540-7720
23382 Mill Creek Dr. Suite 220
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
www.StoneHillTech.com

Please welcome Brock Landes our newest family member

Here at Stonehill we hired another one!! Please welcome Brock Landes, our newest family member. Brock has actually been here for 6 months as an intern, and did such a great job we decided to keep him!

His official role is Triage- for those of us who don’t speak geek, he will be making sure the customer experience is a good one.. providing faster service, and making sure there is follow up and clear communication.

Brock grew up in Arkansas, and has a degree in Information Systems from the University of Central Arkansas. (A business degree with an emphasis in technology) When his parents retired and decided to move to sunny Orange County Brock decided to follow along, and we are glad he did!

Brock says his favorite thing about Orange County is the weather and amazing scenery. His free time includes mountain biking, reading, spending time with friends, and even building computers for fun! He says he hasn’t tried surfing yet, he isn’t ready to brave being eaten by a shark. Can’t really blame him for that.

We are glad to add Brock to our Stonehill family, and I am sure all our customers will appreciate the extra support he will provide!

6 Ways CFO’s are spending too much on IT


As a CFO, you spend your time trying to make sure your company is using its resources as wisely and effectively as possible. However, you may not have considered some of the ways your company is spending too much on
IT.

money1. Unpredictable Budget. IT is notorious for causing budget overruns. It is difficult to know what your costs will be year to year, and you don’t have predictable results that are easily measurable. A professional IT services company can provide a fixed fee and a way to measure results.

2. Liability and Security. You are putting your entire company’s computer system into the hands of one person. What happens if they have a bad day and get mad, receive a better offer, or decide to quit and leave you stranded? Then there is always the “get hit by a bus” test. If your employee died tomorrow, how much would it cost in replacing them? Think of the cost incurred when an IT emergency happens and that person can’t handle it, or even caused it. In IT, it’s when, not if. Think big picture. In the event of a disaster, man-made or otherwise, a professional IT services company has a protocol, a plan, a way to pick up the pieces.  Life will happen, and you need to be prepared!

3. Vendor Costs.  As an individual buyer, you will most likely end up paying more for your IT purchases. You don’t have the negotiating power behind you, nor the time to invest in research that an IT services company does. Not only that, but because of the number of clients and variety of software and hardware they see on a daily basis, they are able to provide better recommendations on what will work best for your company.

4. Inefficiency. When you hire someone in-house they have a limited view of the IT industry as a whole. One person simply cannot be an expert in all areas and keep up to date with ever-changing emerging technologies. An IT services company maintains a wide range of expertise that can drive efficiency and lower cost.

5. An in-house IT employee. Think of the costs involved with having a full time employee. There are salary, taxes, insurance, vacation time – even the cost of the office space and the computer hardware and software they need to operate. Bringing in a professional IT services company can alleviate the need to hire a full time employee, saving those costs.

6. Wasted Time. Take a real look at the amount of time you spend on managing your IT employee(s) and add up the cost. As the CFO your time is very valuable, and time spent on managing is wasted cost. A professional IT services company will do the managing for you, saving you the time, money, and energy worrying if it is being done right.

With the current pace of technology changes companies are having to re-look at how they keep up. A professional IT services company can provide an effective way to lower costs and increase efficiency.

Click to download:  10 Questions You Need To Ask Before Hiring An IT Person

 

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