2. Your Network Vulnerability is 24 x 7
It's 5:00 pm. Your last customer has walked out, your office staff has switched out the lights, and
your business is closed for another day. Or is it?
Network vulnerabilities and computing threats don't shut down when the office does. In fact,
break-ins and cyber-hacking incidents are just as prevalent during off hours, as during business
hours. Server crashes, weather-related incidents, virus or malware outbreaks, can often shut down
entire company systems overnight, with management teams only alerted to the issue upon arrival of
the first staff into the office, in the morning.
That's why the hottest trend in IT support today is the use of a Managed Service Provider (MSP),
offering 24 x 7 monitoring and technical support.
Even the best small business, in-house IT departments have a hard time competing – in terms of cost
or capabilities – with dedicated 24 x 7 real-time outsourced monitoring and alert services. And the
specialized technical support that a good MSP will also offer. MSPs will maintain 24 x 7 monitoring
visibility and views into all networks, servers, client workstations, and – depending on the level of
support contracted for – can even monitor user behavior and security risks.
Real-time reporting to company management, pre- and post- incident, help companies to avoid
damage, security breaches, data loss; and identify and act against potential ongoing threats,
intentional or unintentional.
3. MSP vs. In-House or Traditional IT Support: Doing the Math...
Let's say a small business decides to go it alone, in terms of computer support and network
maintenance. Management decides to start small, either hiring a single IT support staffer; or
decides to outsource to small local IT support provider. Here's how these two scenarios compare,
cost-wise, to the average MSP service scenario:
SCENARIO 1: Hiring In-House IT Staff for Computer & Network Support
$70,000 Average annual salary, 1 (quality) IT Sys Administrator
$24,500 Average company cost of benefits, taxes, other associated HR costs
$ 2,500 Average cost of standard IT Sys Admin work station & monitoring set-up
$ 5,000 Average cost of entry-level monitoring & support software
$ 1,200 Average annual cost of pagers & mobile call-out devices
$103,200 Total Bare-Bones Cost, 1 IT Sys Admin Staff*
$ 8,600 Monthly Cost of (Minimal) In-House IT Support
*This does not include training, or other ongoing support, to keep your in-house IT
department current with latest vulnerabilities, computing & monitoring trends
SCENARIO 2: Out-Sourcing IT Support and Network Monitoring to Small Local Vendor
$ 300 Average min. cost of one on-site visit, technical support
$ 125 Average hourly cost for on-site IT support
$ 425 Typical fee, on-site technical support visit (2-3 hours, basic sys administration)
4. This scenario might work fine, assuming there are few changes to a company's computer
infrastructure, few staff added – hence additional IP nodes, more sys administration duties –
and no virus outbreaks, malware attacks, or other network outages. Now let's run this same
scenario, assuming an unforseen network outage, unknown nature:
SCENARIO 2-With “Issues”: Out-Sourcing IT Support to Small Local Vendor
$ 300 Call fee, on-site support
$ 750 6 hours, network trouble shooting
$ 7,500 Daily lost business revenue/impact, on small business annual sales of $400,000
$ 8,550 Total cost, local small IT out-sourced support*
*This assumes the local vendor is able to repair a standard network outage, re-run
thorough network and work station checks, clean all infected malware, virus or other
issues, repair – reload – reinstall – reconfigure any damaged software or lan issues – a
herculean task for one individual, in only 6 hrs. It's not unusual to see small
independent contractors struggling, against fatigue, to work 20+ hours straight, to
repair network damage to get a small business client up and running again.
The primary gap in the use of a small local IT vendor, is “monitoring.” Or the “managed” adverb, in
the standard MSP equation. Most small IT vendors do not have the time, sophistication, or abilities
to aggressively monitor a network 24 x 7, and hence, to anticipate and mitigate IT problems BEFORE
they arise. Or AS they arise.
Few system administrators have the time – or even the training and ability – to monitor all ports in
and out of a company. Whereas one MSP technician can simultaneously monitor hundreds of
networks, utilizing software and advanced monitoring techniques.
SCENARIO 3: Using an MSP Contracted Provider
$ 700 Average monthly cost of MSP contract, small business
$ 1,500 Average monthly cost of MSP contract, mid-sized business
$ 60 Average hourly MSP help-desk or tech support call assistance
$ 880 Total (average) monthly service contract cost, MSP (small business)
$ 1,680 Total (average) monthly service contract cost, MSP (mid-sized business)
Because most MSP contracts provide for aggressive real-time, 24 x 7 monitoring of networks and
computer infrastructure, they are able to identify problems BEFORE, or AS, they arise. (Make sure a
24 x 7 monitoring clause and Help Desk Support clause are included in your MSP contract.)
A good MSP is staffed 24 x 7, offers the latest in technical monitoring sophistication, and is staffed
with highly trained IT personnel. And MSPs are able to afford the investment of ongoing staff
training and software advances, to keep abreast of the lastest IT trends. Something few
independent IT vendors, or small in-house IT staff, can afford. Because an MSP business succeeds
when your business succeeds, MSPs have a vested interest in being proactive, quick, and responsive.
5. Built on a Foundation Rated #1 for Customer Support & Help Desk
In an extensive review, CRN magazine rated N-central the #1 IT automation and managed services
software. Now you can see the features that convinced CRN's Test Center engineers that N-central is
the best remote monitoring and management solution available.
Price List and Specs
Imaging Network Technology is a Washington DC-based Managed Service Provider, offering 24 x 7
remote network monitoring and technical support solutions. Details may be found on our website,
at http://www.imagingnetworktech.com. Our tiered support plans and 24 x 7 Help Desk let us
manage your networks, so you can manage your business.
For further details or inquiries, or to sign up for Network Monitoring services, please contact our
Help Desk, or Live On-Line Chat, 24 x 7, at: 1-800-719-6545.
