Our vision of the IT landscape is shaped by nearly 30 years of global perspective and more than 2,000 members and 1,000 business partners.
Educate the IT channel: Our educational resources, comprising online guides, webinars, market research, business mentoring, open forums and networking events, help our members grow their businesses and become the "best in class".
Advocate on behalf of the IT industry: In Washington, D.C., we bring the power of small- and medium-sized IT businesses to bear as a united voice.
Our vision of the IT landscape is informed by more than 25 years of global perspective and more than 2,700 members and 1,000 business partners that span the entire IT channel. We are driven by our members and led by an elected board of industry professionals.
All proceeds are directly reinvested in programs that benefit our valued members and the industry as a whole. Headquartered outside of Chicago, we have offices across the United States and in Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Japan, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
So much of the discussion around gender diversity in IT is about how tech companies need to reverse the discrimination against women in hiring, compensation, and promotion. It’s championed as the socially responsible thing to do. And, it certainly is that, but evidence is mounting that it’s also the financially responsible thing to do for your IT company.
One of the things I like most about running an IT solution and managed services practice is that after nearly 18 years, I’m still learning new things about technology — and making the business run better. When it comes to the latter, I’ve learned it’s often the little things that keep us from reaching our full potential.
Millennials are transforming the workplace. Although often regarded as entitled and self-centered, this generation is actually more energetic, motivated, and goal-oriented than it gets credit for. It’s just that millennials like to do things differently.
Using the cloud for business is still an unknown frontier for many businesses. Regardless of their size or the markets they operate in, very few organizations understand the cloud well enough to leverage it to their advantage. That may also explain why IT providers run into so many objections relating to its security. People don’t trust what they can’t see, especially with data breaches jumping onto the priority list of most managers and owners.
In the IT business today if all you do is sell product, you’re at a severe disadvantage. Customers would rather do business with a trusted advisor that can tailor IT services to their needs and help with strategic business decisions, not just a product supplier.
Launching a managed services practice takes more than just knowing the technology and understanding the recurring revenue model. To stay successful, managed services providers (MSPs) must have an executable growth plan and a strong foundation that includes the right leadership, the right salespeople, the right services, and of course the right legal structures and documentation to build and protect the business.
To completely secure a customer’s computing environment, managed services providers (MSPs) must first secure their own. It sounds obvious, but for many MSPs, practicing what they preach isn’t a high priority.
Successful business owners are constantly assessing and reassessing their business. What are we doing right? What can we do better? How can we grow? It’s this continual evaluation of their business that keeps them on the cutting edge and in position to win new clients.
“Work smarter, not harder,” is a refrain most everyone has heard, but unless there’s someone telling the how, or a manual showing them how to accomplish that goal, many will keep repeating their usual activities with little deviation. Process improvements should be a continual process with every business, though change often takes place only when a company or its employees encounter problems or respond to outside forces.
Can You Answer Your IT Clients’ Questions About BC/DR?