Tell us a little about your MSP…
Network Management Solutions is located in Santa Cruz, California. We serve Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Jose and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. The business was established in 1984 by Greg and Robin Sirakides under the name ‘ComputerLand of Capitola.’ I began working for them in 1998 and offered to purchase the business from them in 2006. I renamed the business in 2009 and began migrating my clients to an all-you-can-eat monthly support model. We enjoy serving our clients and giving back to the community that we live in!
How long have you been a member of The 20?
I believe we’re close to 3 years!
Why did your MSP originally look to partner with The 20?
We wanted to augment our support staff with a 24/7 service desk that was US-based. Additionally, we were already operating a managed IT department and liked the idea of partnering with like-minded MSPs to extend our breadth and depth of skill and location.
Tell us about the biggest change in your business since joining The 20.
Joining The 20 caused me to focus on the type of deals that were win-wins for both us and the client. This meant that I needed to start saying ‘no’ to opportunities, which was one of the best things I could have ever done. Not all deal are the right deals.
What do you like most about being a member of The 20?
The community. I have been a part of other networking groups, but everyone in this group is conducting business essentially the same way — and it helps when getting and giving advice.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
Having a growth mindset. All businesses make mistakes, including myself, including the service desk — it’s what we learn from those mistakes and how we grow from them that make us better and creates a better offering for our clients.
What are your biggest business challenges?
I have had 2 significant challenges to face in the last 4 years. First: finding and keeping good talent. This business is often a platform for younger people to launch there careers. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just that the churn is hard.
The second issue is that in the course of a 2-year period, I lost my 2 biggest clients to circumstances out of my control. It made my business feel stagnant for several years even though we were still growing; the problem was replacing what we once had.
What are your areas of focus for 2019?
We are making sure to discuss with each of our clients what the current cybersecurity landscape is and ensure that they are as protected as possible.
What advice would you share with an MSP looking to scale their business?
Make sure to start working on process now. Document the way you do business. Scaling is hard when you’re attempting to reinvent the wheel each time.
What book are you currently reading?
I am currently re-reading Traction and implementing more items. I plan on reading The Checklist Manifesto next.
Favorite blogs / podcasts
Seth Godin
The Hustle
Interested in becoming a Partner? Click here for more information!
Tell us a little about your MSP…
Since 2002, VM Squared has been a leading provider of IT support and consulting, focusing on small and medium-sized businesses in the North Mississippi area. We have helped hundreds of businesses increase productivity and profitability by making IT a streamlined part of operations. We equip our clients with customized technology solutions for greater operational value and to reduce risk.
How long have you been a member of The 20?
Since April of 2019.
Why did your MSP originally look to partner with The 20?
I was at a crossroads. My Marketing Director resigned with no notice for medical reasons and our marketing/sales machine was just gaining traction. I really didn’t need help desk support but badly needed the marketing piece. I talked with Matt King to see how we could make this thing work. I discovered that I could deliver the help desk for much less than it was costing me for my team of 2, and I’d get the whole help desk. I moved forward thinking I’d transition my on-site team to field engineers. I ended up removing 1 and the other is my field engineer.
We will be starting with marketing next month.
Tell us about the biggest change in your business since joining The 20.
Re-aligning my business to work well with The 20 is the biggest change. I not only changed roles around but I also changed our sales process and size of client to seek out (larger).
What do you like most about being a member of The 20?
I enjoy the community and the staff of The 20. They are my extended team and are there to bounce ideas off of — then help you run with them.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
Process, Process, Process. You cannot scale without well-documented processes.
What are your biggest business challenges?
Sales. I have been doing all the sales and have just not been getting in front of the right people. It goes back to marketing, but I am growing my sales team.
What are your areas of focus for 2019?
Adding prospects with 500-plus endpoints. Becoming the MID for these companies. With sales, the other problems can be dealt with. We are also opening a BCDR Failover facility for enterprise clients. This will give them a physical place to conduct business when their primary facility is disrupted.
What advice would you share with an MSP looking to scale their business?
Get the right people in the right seat on the right bus. Then, get your processes documented and stick to them. Get in front of prospects that match your core values and mirror your best clients.
What book are you currently reading?
I’m always reading or listening to books on Audible. My current books are The Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick, Clockwork by Mike Michalowicz, and Social Engineering by Paul Wilson.
Favorite blogs / podcasts
I listen to Leo Laporte and read Brian Krebs.
Interested in becoming a Partner? Click here for more information!
Tell us a little about your MSP…
Carefree Technology was started in California in 2001. In 2014 we moved to Utah to be closer to family, so we now have offices in California and Utah, and thanks to The 20, we have clients in Washington, Oregon, California, Utah and Colorado!
How long have you been a member of The 20?
We joined The 20 in November of 2018.
Why did your MSP originally look to partner with The 20?
We joined The 20 because it was time to grow our business. In 2001, when I quit the best job I ever had, it was so I could reclaim my time and be an active, present influence in raising our 4 kids. As our company grew, I noticed that the more employees we had, the less time I could spend with my family. Somewhere along the way, I made a conscious decision to have a “lifestyle business” so I could maintain my desired quality of life.
In a space of 4 months in 2018, 2 of our kids got married and another left for college. Now that our kids are leaving, it is time to change our focus from maintaining a lifestyle, to preparing for retirement by building a strong, profitable business and The 20 was perfectly positioned to provide the leverage we desired so we wouldn’t have to build and manage our own internal support desk.
Tell us about the biggest change in your business since joining The 20.
Our biggest change since joining The 20 is largely psychological and emotional. We no longer look at a large opportunity and think, “That’s too big for us.” Now we look at those larger environments with a hopeful expectation that we can provide what others cannot.
What do you like most about being a member of The 20?
It’s a toss-up between the Support Desk and the community. I love reviewing ticket notes and activities provided by the Support Desk that I didn’t have to be involved with. However, The 20’s partner community is really unique. I have developed many close relationships over the years with “friendly competitors,” but the level of camaraderie in The 20’s partner community is truly special.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
To be successful, you need to know what has lasting value and importance to you and your family and then work towards that goal every day. As long as you are working towards a meaningful end, you are successful regardless of how long it takes. The moment you identify what is important and move in that direction, you are a success.
What are your biggest business challenges?
With all the demands on our time, our largest challenge is always maintaining a consistent focus on sales and marketing activities.
What are your areas of focus for 2019?
Working with The 20 has opened the door to much larger clients. Our focus for 2019 is learning how to work with these larger, more complex environments so we can continue to add more of them.
What advice would you share with an MSP looking to scale their business?
Be honest about your shortcomings and find people or organizations who are strong where you need help. For us, that was joining The 20. It has been an absolute game-changer!
What book are you currently reading?
My ADD makes reading quite a challenge; too many shiny things around. However, I love audiobooks on 2x or even 3x speed. This month I have listened to the following titles: The Road Less Stupid: Advice from the Chairman of the Board by Keith J. Cunningham, The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey and Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World by Max Lucado.
Favorite blogs / podcasts
If I’m not listening to audiobooks, I enjoy listening to comedians like Jim Gaffigan or watching Good Mythical Morning with my daughter.
Interested in becoming a Partner? Click here for more information!
Tell us a little about your MSP…
Managed IT Systems is located in Athens, GA, and our field engineers cover about a 100 mile radius from there. We have been providing top-notch IT support services since 2005.
How long have you been a member of The 20?
Managed IT Systems has been a member of The 20 for just under 2 years.
Why did your MSP originally look to partner with The 20?
We initially partnered with The 20 because of the potential to grow our MID model and be able to offer more features, products, and services than we could alone.
Tell us about the biggest change in your business since joining The 20.
We have increased our annual revenue by over 35% in only one year. This was possible due to added benefits, especially the help desk. Our prospects see us as a much more complete, larger organization, which means we are able to be more competitive when bidding for services.
What do you like most about being a member of The 20?
The openness of communication between formerly-competing companies is astounding. On any given day, you can count multiple on-going conversations between companies from across the country that are geared toward helping solve a problem, offer a solution, or providing hands-on assistance.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
Perseverance. You have to be willing to put forth the same effort day in and day out, regardless of the outcome.
What are your biggest business challenges?
Getting more leads in the door has to be the number 1 challenge for us. Outside of that, struggling with client education – whether it is differentiating our services, explaining why we recommend a specific solution or service, or why they need to change their password regularly – is a challenge that we face each and every day.
What are your areas of focus for 2019?
Managed IT Systems is going to continue to focus on selling our MID service, but we are also going to push harder on managed security solutions as well as improve our cloud-focused offerings.
What advice would you share with an MSP looking to scale their business?
Take the leap and commit to becoming an Elite member so that you can take advantage of the help desk. The amount of time your company will gain back will allow you to focus more on new growth, better reporting, and perfecting your services.
What book are you currently reading?
‘How to Secure Office 365’ by Matt Katzer
Favorite blogs / podcasts
Linus Tech Tips – YouTube, MSP Insights
Tell us a little about your MSP…
I started Tech Junkies in January of 2007 in Hays, KS (I’ll wait for you to Google Maps that). I was working full time for a local ISP and fixing computers on the side. I started making more money from my side gig than my full-time job, so I decided to venture out on my own. I used my older brother’s four wheeler as collateral, got a loan for $8,100, signed a lease on a retail space, quit my job, cashed out what little I had in my company retirement, then went home and told my wife what I had done (I strongly recommend you put that last item first)! She was a bit shocked, but supportive. We were doing retail computer repair initially, but quickly started to transition into managed services for local businesses. Seeing need in our area for both residential and business IT solutions, we continue to offer both, utilizing a MSP service model.
How long have you been a member of The 20?
I was in The 20 before it was really ‘The 20.’ I was on the first call with Tim that started to form the concept of The 20. Since that time, I have been all in with The 20 model. I have seen it grow from just a concept to what it has become today. I guess I’d be considered the OG of The 20.
Why did your MSP originally look to partner with The 20?
After hearing the concept, I was on board right away. My goal with Tech Junkies was to scale on a massive level. I saw partnering with Tim and The 20 as my best option to do so.
Tell us about the biggest change in your business since joining The 20.
Starting day 1 we could handle almost any client that walked in the door. Coming back from the first meeting in Dallas I closed my biggest deal up to that point. Before The 20 I would have been gun shy to take on such a large client. However, with The 20 on my side it was an easy process to onboard and support.
What do you like most about being a member of The 20?
The community. We have all become such a tight community between the partners, The 20 Leadership, and even The 20 staff. I have forged business relationships and friendships that will last a lifetime.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
The ability to execute. I think some people just lack the ability to execute on ideas. Talk it great but it’s the walk that will make you money.
What are your biggest business challenges?
Lead generation. I don’t think I’ll ever be happy with the leads we are getting, I’ll always want more.
What are your areas of focus for 2019?
We are focusing on adding a comprehensive Cybersecurity Solution for all of our current clients and prospects. We handle managed IT services one way… the right way. We now offer a layered approached to cybersecurity defense based on the relationships that we have built through The 20.
What advice would you share with an MSP looking to scale their business?
Join The 20! Don’t re-invent the wheel. Let The 20 bring their expertise to the table on the operations and service delivery. You as a business owner should be focusing on marketing and sales.
What book are you currently reading?
Scaling Up byVern Harnish (I’m always re-reading / listening to it).
Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss.
Favorite blogs / podcasts
GaryVee – I usually have GaryVee or some other audio playing in the background all day.
Tell us a little about your MSP…
Cirrus Technologies is located just north of Dayton, OH, and service the greater Dayton region, Cincinnati, and Columbus. We support clients and technology in 16 states and 2 countries. We were founded in 2015.
How long have you been a member of The 20?
We’ve been a member of The 20 from day 1 of our business.
Why did your MSP originally look to partner with The 20?
I wanted the ability to scale and grow quickly, and this meant having the team and resources of The 20 behind me vs. going alone as a “one-man-band.”
Tell us about the biggest change in your business since joining The 20…
We’ve had triple digit growth, and achieved an annual revenue that puts us at the top 4% of the industry!
What do you like most about being a member of The 20?
The community, collaboration and sharing of best practices and collective knowledge.
What do you think is the most important quality necessary for success?
Tenacity. The going will get tough, but it’s those who persevere and don’t give up who succeed.
What are your biggest business challenges?
Continuing to build reliable lead generation oil wells to grow at the same pace we have been.
What are your areas of focus for 2019?
Sales operations and marketing.
What advice would you share with an MSP looking to scale their business?
2 things:
1. Find someone else successful and model their success; it’s foolish to try and re-invent the wheel.
2. This is a very unforgiving business to those who try to go it alone. Join a community and peer groups; join The 20 – you cannot be successful living on your own island!
What book are you currently reading?
Traction by Gino Wickman, Blue Ocean Strategy by Chan Kim, High Probability Selling by Jacques Werth, and Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself by Mike Michalowicz are all on my short term reading list.
Favorite blogs / podcasts?
EntreLeadership, Lead to Win by Michael Hyatt, and The Brendan Show by Brendan Burchard.
So, who should be held responsible when a company’s data system gets breached? Historically, the CIO, the CISO, or both have shouldered the lion’s share of data breach responsibility; well over half of security decision-makers expect to lose their jobs if a hack happens at their organizations. However, breaches don’t happen in vacuums, and CIOs and CISOs don’t operate in them, either. Many CIOs report directly to the CEO, and some security experts feel that CISOs should be elevated to the same reporting level.
Whatever an organization’s reporting structure, the bottom line is the same: the responsibility for everything that happens within the organization, positive or negative, ultimately falls on the CEO and the board of directors. This includes data breach responsibility. This has been reflected in the numerous CEO firings (or resignations) that have followed bad breaches over the past few years, including those at Target, Sony Pictures, and the Democratic National Committee.
Apparently, Yahoo didn’t get the memo about this a couple of years ago. After years of poor cybersecurity practices caught up with them, resulting in multiple breaches affecting over a billion user accounts, putting its acquisition by Verizon into question, and making the Yahoo brand name synonymous with the phrase “data breach,” the company decided to fire its General Counsel, Ron Bell. Shockingly, CEO Marissa Mayer remained in place, albeit with a pay cut (she then went on to leave Yahoo after the Verizon acquisition, however, but it was of her own choosing).
In Yahoo’s case, the CISO and the rest of the security staff couldn’t be fired. Fearing that a major security incident would eventually happen, they’d already run for the hills. The New York Times reported that former CISO Alex Stamos and his team had spent years warning Mayer of potential security issues, but Mayer insisted on putting “the user experience” ahead of cybersecurity and even cut the team’s budget.
Preventing Breaches Is Everyone’s Responsibility
Cybersecurity isn’t just an IT issue. It impacts every individual and department in an organization — from the board of directors all the way down to minimum-wage clerical and retail employees. The overwhelming majority of data breaches originate inside an organization, either because a negligent or untrained employee makes a mistake or a malicious insider decides to strike back against the company. No cybersecurity policy is complete unless it addresses the human factor behind data breaches by promoting a culture of cybersecurity awareness. This culture must start at the top of the organization; if the board, the CEO, and the rest of the C-suite do not take security seriously, front-line employees certainly won’t.
Yahoo’s firing of Ron Bell certainly shook up the legal community and caused much debate over where data breach responsibility ultimately lies. While this may have served to light a fire under organizations with questionable cybersecurity practices, the focus should not have been on whose heads would roll if a breach happened; it should have been on implementing proactive cybersecurity and compliance measures to prevent hacks from happening in the first place.
As for Yahoo, they settled in September a worldwide class-action lawsuit that alleged security issues dating back as far as 2003. Yahoo’s attorney and lead plaintiffs’ counsel told the U.S. District Judge in federal court that both sides had reached an “agreement in principle” — $47 million to be exact.
