1. The way of business solutions
Vaco SF:
Managing, Building
and Leading
Outsourced Efforts
November 2017
www.insightssuccess.com
IT Insights
Top Queries to Ask Your IT
Provider - Before You Do
Business with Them
Industry Perspective
Advancing Moves of Managed
Service Providers
Atul Bhave
COO
1010
The

4. Editorial
rrespective of an organizations’ industry of operation, technology
Iacts as the foundation of its services, the function it performs, and
every step that it partakes.
The amalgamation of business and technology has proliferated
businesses in more than one ways and has opened a door of
opportunities to succeed in the evolving landscape. But businesses fail
to cope up with the overwhelming technology demands of the modern
tech-driven environment, making it hard to solve lagging issues in a
timely manner. On top of these, network slowness and other recurring
issues further bog down the shoulders of the organizations’ IT
department. Not to mention, the time-consumed to ensure business
operations are secure and are in accordance with governmental and
regulatory compliance practices. In this environment, IT issues cannot
be solved when they arise, rather it needs to be proactively managed to
ensure optimal efficiency.
In the midst of such a situation, small and medium sized businesses are
turning over to managed services to oversee and solve existing or
imminent IT issues. The increasing dependency over technology has
made it essential for experts to handle the regular maintenance of a
company’s IT infrastructure. However, hiring a qualified full-time IT
professional is unaffordable for small and medium sized businesses.
Managed Services enables proficient IT solutions and allows the
organization to focus on its core business operations and objectives.
Needless to say, when a business opts to use Managed Services, all the
operations across the IT infrastructure is handled, monitored, and, most
importantly, managed.
The rise of Managed Services has led them to step foot into the cloud
computing space, wherein organizations are now turning towards MSPs
for effective guidance and support as they migrate into the cloud. The
future of Managed Services will see it shift into cloud and even other
verticals, but evolution is a foregone conclusion.
The Rise in the Adoption
of Managed
Service Providers
Sourav Mukherjee

5. he need to keep pace with the evolving changes in the IT industry has increased the demands and pressure to
Trequisite and efficient IT functionality. This has, in turn, heightened organizations’ inclination to outsource
their IT activities. The increasing reliance over Managed Service Providers to fulfill IT needs is believed by
many as a replacing measure of the internal IT team, rather MSPs complement the organizations’ IT infrastructure.
They help eradicate any existing or imminent issues and enable the company to focus on more strategic projects.
Keeping in mind the distinctive advantages and offers that MSPs brings to the table and how it effectively impacts the
tech landscape, Insights Success Magazine has shortlisted “The 10 Most Valuable Managed Service Providers
2017,” which are curbing down time consumption and responsibility and ensuring optimal IT efficiency.
Featuring as the Cover of this issue, VACO SF is Silicon Valley’s premier provider of Digital Managed Services to
the top digital media companies in the world. The company helps meet business needs with its unmatched Managed
Services Solutions.
We have also shortlisted, Aegis Technology Partners, which specializes in a wide range of services, including
tailored IT services and solutions for small and medium businesses and their owners in Norwalk; ANEXIO, which is
the leading “Desktop to Data Center” infrastructure-as-a-service company; DPC Technology, which provides reliable,
stress-free IT managed services ensuring their clients’ network is always up and running and eliminating those
break-fix bills; Venture Pointe, whose mission is to provide its clients with a truly worry-free IT environment by
delivering the highest level of service and support while ensuring continuous improvement and standardization; and
VIPR, which is an award-winning and leading provider of sophisticated software solutions for the insurance market.
In addition to these, don’t forget to flip through the pages of our Editorial Articles; The Best Time to Invest in Cloud
Computing is Now — Cloud Tech; Should Innovation be Customer-driven? — Customer‘N’ovation; and Advancing
Moves of Managed Services Providers — Industry Perspective.
Also, expand your knowledge base and expertise through our CXO Standpoints; The Role of an MSP in your Cloud
Strategy — Mentors’ Role; Top Queries to Ask Your IT Provider – Before You Do Business with Them — IT Insights;
The Most Cost Effective Way to Build an “IT” Brand — Expert’s Insights; and Disrupt the Distruptest Technologies
— Tech Talk.
Happy Reading!
Managed Service Providers:
Complementing an Organizations’
IT Infrastructure

6. Vaco SF:
Managing, Building
and Leading
Outsourced Efforts
Cover Story
08
Articles
CONTENTS
22
Should Innovation be
Customer-driven?
28
The Best Time to Invest
in Cloud Computing is Now
38
The Role of an MSP
in your Cloud Strategy
24Mentors’ Role
Industry Perspective
Advancing Moves of
Managed Service Providers
Customer‘N’ovation
Cloud Tech
Disrupt the
Distruptest Technologies
Tech Talk
36
Top Queries to Ask Your
IT Provider — Before
You Do Business with Them
IT Insights
42The Most Cost Effective Way
to Build an “IT” Brand
Expert’s Insights
30

7. 16
Aegis Technology
Partners:
Helping Clients Every Step of the
Way to Grow their Business
18Trusted IT Provider for Mid-Market
Customers Everywhere
26 Helping Clients to Increase Profit
and Decrease Downtime
34A True Technology Partner
40 Providing Solutions for the
Insurance Industry
ANEXIO:
DPC Technology:
Venture Pointe:
VIPR:

8. sales@insightssuccess.com
Database Management Steve
Technology Consultant Swapnil Patil
Circulation Manager Robert
Research Analyst Jennifer
Andy, David, Peter,
Kevin, John, Brian
Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal
Ariana LawrenceSenior Editor
Co-Editors
David Smith
Art & Design Director Amol Kamble
Co-designer Alex Noel
Visualiser David King
Business Development Manager Mike Thomas
Business Development Executives
Marketing Manager William
Nick Adams
Art Editor Pranita Mane
Picture Editor Vijaykumar Dudhbhate
Kaustav Roy
Managing Editor Sourav Mukherjee
Abhijeet Parade
Piyush Rishi
Insights Success Media Tech LLC
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November 2017
Copyright © 2017 Insights Success, All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not be reproduced or transmitted in any form
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Reprint rights remain solely with Insights Success. Printed and Published by Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd.

10. Managing, Building and
Leading Outsourced EffortsVaco SF:
Jim Jhanda
Managing Partner

11. Atul Bhave
COO
COVERSTORY

12. S
ooner or later, every business
irrespective of its shape and size
are prone to face some sort of IT
issue. As these problems pile up for an
organization, IT firms need to expend
more time and resource to tackle with
the same. Managed Service Providers
(MSPs) bring about the best solution
for Fortune 500 companies and small
to medium-sized businesses, and curbs-
down any stress centered-around data-
security or other tech issues. MSP is
rd
typically a 3 party vendor company
that offers a turnkey solution (people,
process and technology) for
outsourcing. Standing tall among its
industry contemporaries, Vaco SF is
one of the premier providers of Digital
Managed Services to some of the
leading digital media companies in the
world.
Located in the mecca of technological
innovation, Silicon Valley, surrounded
by some of the most brilliant,
innovative and creative minds across
the world, Vaco SF helps meet business
needs with its unmatched Managed
Services Solutions. The company
understands the significance of being
flexible and agile, and its personalized
approach is the combined reason why
leading Silicon Valley companies
choose Vaco to manage, build and lead
outsourced efforts. Simply put, Vaco
offers Big 4 services at discounted
prices.
Consistent Actions Yielding
Consistent Results
Boasting a diverse internal team that
strives to be at their best, Vaco
consistently manages to find new ways
to improve what they do and how it is
to be done. It takes care of everyday
business operations and projects
around content support and tech, which
you don’t want to deal with, enabling
you to focus solely on your core
business proceedings. Its Managed
Services Solutions has and continues to
consistently meet the business needs of
leading global companies.
Leaders who Held on to their Vision
and Translated it into Reality
Jim Jhanda, The Managing Partner
at Vaco, is the visionary and maverick
that led the firm to what it is known as
today. Under Jim’s resolute vision,
unique management style and personal
sales production—Vaco SF—has
quickly become the elite office of Vaco.
As Managing Partner, Jim shoulders
the responsibility for day-to-day
management of sales, recruiting,
operations, client management, and the
overall strategic management of the
firm.
Additionally, Jim has developed and
managed several clients, and has been
the #1 Producer for Vaco since 2013.
He carries extensive experience with
Business Development and Leadership
within e-Commerce and Digital Media.
Atul Bhave, COO of Vaco, drives the
offshore and operational excellence at
the company. In addition, he is the
driver behind a number of key
acquisitions for Vaco SF and expansion
of the largest client. Prior to Vaco, Atul
worked with GE and Wells Fargo. With
a work style that is engaging but not
micromanaging, Atul’s past
experiences include roles in Global
Business Development and Strategy &
Operational Leader.
Gary Fenton, VP of Consulting
Services, is the man who leads all of
Vaco’s consulting engagements. He
has over 15 years of Process
Excellence and Operations Leadership
up to 190 spans of control. His past
experiences include working at
Amazon, UPS, and Pepsico.
We strive to understand
the internal business
process and philosophy
of the customer, which
allows us to deliver
unique solutions based
on each customer’s
specific need.
“
COVER STORY
“
10The Most Valuable
Providers2017
Managed Service

13. More than Just a Name
Vaco (va – cō) in Latin means to free
oneself from a master.
To the customers it caters to, Vaco is
more than just a name. Incepting out of
the minds of three rebellious veterans
of “Big 4” firms, Vaco went on to
become a one of a kind managed
service company. A company where
the best and the brightest are free to
reach their optimum potential, where
freedom is not aimed for, rather
preached, and where the most brilliant
minds and passionate individuals
would happily spend their entire
work-life.
Summed up perfectly by Atul, “Vaco is
the go-to firm if you want to incubate a
new workflow and build process
around chaos.”
Turning the Initial Challenge into a
Stepping Stone
For Vaco, the biggest challenge for
them initially was to get its brand out
there in the cluttered marketplace. As
with any other company, making sure
that it had the right programs and
benefits in place to keep everyone
happy, while at the same time enabling
them to perform at their best was a
vivid challenge for Vaco.
“We had to stand out from the rest but
knew balancing business needs and
employee needs was important,” Jim
recalls.
Vaco realized that there are things that
are beyond its control, but it was
imperative for the company to make
sure that it builds a culture which
would be successful for the company.
The realization that it starts from the
inside-out helped the company to
create a winning recipe, one which
eventually helped Vaco to stand out
among the crowd.
Providing Solutions of Highest Value
Vaco is an expert in Content
Review/Curation, Localization,
Support, Data Management and
Machine Learning. It provides project
management solutions, quality
management solutions, software
development and testing outsourcing to
ultimately curb-down the cost and
delivery time of software and IT
projects.
Vaco works with you to develop a
customized, flexible solution that
addresses your IT project, saves
money, and allows you to free yourself
to focus on the core business processes,
which are key to attain business
success. Providing IT solutions, to
ultimately help reduce the cost and
delivery time of software and IT
projects is what Vaco does best.
With the help of its Managed Services
offering, the company helps define the
specific solution that best meets your
needs in areas, such as Technology &
IT Operations, HR Operations, Project
Management, and Software
Development Life Cycles. Vaco’s
Managed Services include Rebadging
and Knowledge transfer, SLA
Management, tools automation,
Vaco, where
your goals
guide our efforts.
We see you,
we hear you,
and we’re here
to help.

14. business analytics, incubation, product
launch support, instructional design,
training and documentation, QA
Framework, Coaching and
development, staffing validation, hiring
and recruiting, Business reviews, and
more.
No Cookie Cutter Methodologies
Vaco does not offer any cookie cutter
methodologies – it builds customized
solutions that might be different for
each customer. The company works
closely with clients to develop a
customized and flexible solution,
thereby addressing their project
initiatives. It provides projects that
range from help desk support to
software development, to strategic
project management.
Vaco provides project management
solutions, quality management
solutions, software development and
testing outsourcing, to ultimately
reduce the cost and delivery time of
software and IT projects.
Ÿ Vaco is not a BPO Company
looking to offshore all work – It
operates under tight margins onsite.
Ÿ Vaco is not a “hidden cost” provider
– Its pricing and invoicing process
is transparent.
Ÿ Vaco is not competitor focused – It
primarily focuses on its clients and
their OKRs.
Ÿ Vaco is not self-serving – It flexes
its muscles to changing business
requirements.
Ÿ Vaco is not hesitant – It listens to
both its employees and clients.
Ÿ Vaco is not chaotic – It moves fast
but with an unyielding focus on
quality.
Ÿ Vaco is not unwilling – It is willing
to take on any project; of any size,
scope, state of maturity and any
value to the client.
Rising above the Competition
Vaco’s core value proposition is its
unique business model, allowing the
company to provide managed services
at price points 30% lower than its “Big
4” competition. Vaco SF comprises
over 30 years of dedicated leaders with
60-plus years of combined MSP
leadership experience, with an
established culture dedicated to process
improvement.
Vaco provides highly engaged
employees—weekly, monthly
get-togethers, quarterly all hands
meetings, peer bonuses—for full-time
employees. It holds a proven track
record of top-tier talent for a minimal
cost. Vaco SF provides a fast-moving
environment, with no bureaucracy and
locally dedicated support including 100
shared delivery/staffing coordinators.
Additionally, the company provides
on-site HR and Mental wellness
support and is able to support 45
languages in the US, presently.
Adopting to Changing IT Landscape
with Ease
“We are a thought leader. We have
seasoned pros, deep local networks,
and we are informed opinion leaders
making us the go-to firm for Managed
Service. Because we are located smack
dab in Silicon Valley, the mecca of
technology, we inspire and are
surrounded by people who inspire
innovative ideas. Staying relevant and
being aware of the changing IT
landscape comes naturally to us. We
are workforce management experts and
maintain business continuity and make
real-time adjustments to overcome
shrinkage and changing business
needs,” asserts Jim.
We don’t
strive simply
to be good.
We want to
be the best
that you’ve
ever worked
with. And
the bottom
line: We want
you to be
the best, too.

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17. Management BriefCompany Name
Aegis Technology
Partners, LLC
aegistp.com
Tim Reynolds
Partner,
Jay Parisi
Partner & Senior Engineer
Aegis Technology Partners specializes in a wide range of
services, including tailored IT services and solutions for small
and medium businesses and their owners in Norwalk.
ANEXIO
anexio.com
Tony Pompliano
President & CEO
ANEXIO is the leading “Desktop to Data Center”
infrastructure-as- a-service company.
DPC Technology
dentalpc.com
Clay Archer
Founder & CEO
eMazzanti Technoligies Inc.
emazzanti.net
Carl Mazzanti
Co-founder & President
eMazzanti Technologies provides comprehensive, scalable,
cost-effective cloud, IT and network services
Intivix
intivix.com
Rod Schenk
Co-founder
Intivix is your trusted partner for managed IT support, security,
cloud services, and strategic guidance in San Francisco and the
Bay Area.
Marco Technologies LLC
marconet.com
Jeff Gau
CEO
Marco puts the power of top-notch technology expertise to work
for your business. It specialize in business IT services,
copier/printer solutions and managed and cloud services.
Vaco San Francisco, LLC
vaco.com
Jim Jhanda
Managing Partner,
Atul Bhave
COO,
Gary Fenton
VP of Consulting Services
Vaco SF is Silicon Valley’s premier provider of Digital
Managed Services to the top digital media companies in the
world.
Venture Pointe, Inc.
venturepointe.com
Jim Satterwhite
President & CEO,
Nick Revels
Co-Founder & Director
of Managed Services,
Joshua Lee
Co-Founder & Business
Technology Officer
VIPR Ltd
viprsolutions.com
Richard Brown
Director & Co-founder
VIPR is an award-winning and leading provider of sophisticated
software solutions for the insurance market. Driven by its clients –
insurance companies, managing agents, MGA’s
and brokers – VIPR’s products address data management requirements
and regulatory burdens faced by the industry.
DPC Technology provides reliable, stress-free IT managed
services ensuring their clients’ network is always up and
running and eliminating those break-fix bills.
Venture Pointes’ mission is to provide its clients with a truly
worry-free IT environment by delivering the highest level of
service and support while ensuring continuous improvement
and standardization.
Genesis Network Group
gng-llc.com
Mark Drizing
CFO
Genesis Network Group, LLC is a leading IT consulting Firm
which caters to all New Jersey Bergen Passaic county business’s
and surrounding tristate area at a reasonable rate and with
superior excellence.

18. 16 November 2017
Aegis Technology
Partners:
Helping Clients Every Step
of the Way to Grow
their Business
10The Most Valuable
Providers2017
Managed Service
Technology is helping
organizations from every
industry, irrespective of their
shape and size, to achieve their
business objectives. From retailers
using beacons for personalize
marketing communication to
individual clients, to airlines using
applications to streamline check-in,
or hospitals using tech software to
track patients and their past
experiences; technology has become
the campfire around which we tell
our stories.
But with the significant advantages
of technology, it also brings-forward
complex challenges. This leads to
significant expenses, cantered-around
the cost of recruiting and training of
the workforce, the purchase of new
infrastructure that ably supports
emerging technologies and keeping
the systems up-to-date and safe.
Instead of struggling to keep pace
with the advancing technologies,
organizations turn to managed
services for help. One such Managed
Service Provider in Norwalk, CT,
who specializes in a wide-range of
services, including tailored IT
services and solutions for both small
and medium businesses, is Aegis
Technology Partners. Committed in
catering each of its clients with high
quality service and support, Aegis
helps them in every step of the way
to grow their business.
Delivering a Perfect Fit of
Solutions
Aegis boasts a unique IT team, one
which is extremely friendly in
approach and extremely efficient in
terms of productivity. The company
expertly combines its services to
provide its clients with customized
help and support, thereby ensuring
each client to get what they need and
want. This approach stems through
rigorous investigation of what a
company needs to succeed, enabling
a perfect bridge between the solution
and the requirement.
A Committed Individual
Jay Parisi is the Partner and Senior
Engineer at Aegis, who shoulders
the responsibility for day to day
operations, marketing, sales and
company direction. He has been in
the small business IT field for almost
30 years, and has been an active
member of several advisory boards
related to the IT industry and has
spoken at several public events. Jay’s
primary focus revolves around
developing relationships with clients
and vendors that work with Aegis.
A Leader in the MSP Landscape
With an experience portfolio of over
thirty years in small business IT
systems, Aegis primarily focuses on
small to medium businesses that are
not large enough to have full time
internal IT staff. The company’s MSP
model allows it to act as the
“outsourced IT department” for its
clients. In addition to IT support, it
offers a vast variety of other services,
including Office 365, VoIP phone
systems, Cloud servers, and disaster
recovery.
Whenever the need arises for
managed services in Norwalk that
Tim Reynolds
Partner

19. maintains peak operation in the IT
network of your business, Aegis
Technology Partners’ NetShield
Managed Services is the primal
choice of clients. “We’ll manage all
of your IT services for a flat-rate fee
so you can focus your efforts on
spurring your revenues to grow. Let
us give you the peace of mind you
deserve with your small business
today with Aegis Technology
Partners’managed services”
mentions Jay.
Some of the unparalleled benefits of
integrating NetShield Managed
Services:
Ÿ As businesses of different
industries and size differ from
each other, Aegis offers a 100%
customized package, which keeps
individual business needs, size
and budget in mind.
Ÿ Network failures have been a
prevalent issue faced by
organizations, which with the
help of NetShield can be curbed
down significantly. Its round-the-
clock monitoring of computer and
related devices and the network,
keeps problems at bay before they
even occur.
Ÿ One of the major areas in which
NetShield Managed Services
excels in is its availability,
irrespective of the time or
holiday.
Enabling Customers to Focus on
their Business
Partnering with Aegis benefits clients
immensely, as it enables them to
invest more time and energy on their
business while it handles their IT
needs. This ensures productivity and
happiness from the employee
perspective. “We help you open the
doors to more technology so you can
rest easy that your network will
always perform to your standards
and that your company will be able
to outperform its competitors with
ease,” asserts Jay.
Rising Above the Challenges and
Competition
As an MSP, Aegis provides an
“outsourced IT department” solution
to small businesses that otherwise
cannot afford internal IT staff. The
biggest difference between the
company and its competitors is that
Aegis provides a true “all you can
eat” services, wherein clients are not
billed for extra projects for new
server upgrades or after hour support.
As with any growing business, the
biggest challenge Aegis faced
concerned scaling as and when new
clients came on board. For them,
both finding and bringing new
employees up to speed has been the
biggest challenge.
You can rest easy when you
put your IT support needs in
our hands
““
Jay Parisi
Partner & Senior Engineer
17November 2017

20. ANEXIO:
Trusted IT Provider for
Mid-Market Customers
Everywhere
10The Most Valuable
Providers2017
Managed Service
S
triving to be the leading provider
of mission critical Managed IT
services, ANEXIO offers a
complete “Desktop to Data Center”
product portfolio to mid-market
customers around the corner or around
the world. The company is the
preferred IT Provider for organizations
seeking to optimize their information
security, operational resiliency and
disaster recovery footing via reliable
Cloud services built on the bedrock of
world-class infrastructure.
Bottom line, the company has the
mission critical infrastructure that
customers trust including: eight highly
secure data centers, a super-fast IP
network with speeds up to 100 gigabits
per second and an IT control center
that proactively monitors customer
solutions. ANEXIO has established an
IT platform niche, which fills the
business gap between small, mom and
pop shops and large, multi-national IT
firms.
“Every day, we show up to work
determined to help customers make a
smooth transition from their legacy IT
environments to a more efficient
Hybrid Cloud infrastructure,”
mentions Tony Pompliano, the
ANEXIO President and CEO. The
company is operating in a large market
and is finding success by listening to
their customers and then designing
custom IT solutions for each
opportunity. Wrapped around its
compliance-driven IT solutions
portfolio are ANEXIO’s proprietary
customer support bundles with
industry-leading operating procedures
and US-based customer service that
separates ANEXIO from the
competition.
Seizing the Opportunity to Translate
a Vision into Reality
The idea behind the inception of
ANEXIO stemmed from the mind of
Tony Pompliano and is a direct result
of his rigorous research on how to
better serve the thousands and
thousands of mid-market customers.
Almost five years ago, he witnessed a
technology transformation occurring,
wherein mid-market companies were
migrating from premise-based
solutions to cloud-based or data center
solutions. Tony saw an opportunity to
acquire several regionally-focused IT
firms, and consolidate them to create
scale, both in terms of the size of the
company, and in terms of the size of
the service portfolio.
The visionary leader always had an
inherent belief about himself and didn’t
mind working tirelessly to attain
18 November 2017

21. success. He exclaims, “I’ve learned
how to establish and reinforce culture,
hire the right people at the right time,
measure everything, celebrate the wins
and learn from the losses and through
it all stay very focused on delivering
relentless customer support.”
A Leader with Unrivaled Industry
Experience
Having more than three decades of
experience as an executive in the IT
industry, Tony Pompliano has led the
company to where it stands today. He
is an expert in cloud and data center
technology management, mergers and
acquisitions and ramping revenue at
early stage companies. Fueled by the
satisfaction of his customers, Tony has
a proven track record of increasing
revenue faster than the industry rate,
expanding EBITDA and growing
market share. It should come as no
surprise that under his able leadership,
ANEXIO’s compounded annual
growth rate over the last three years
has been 972 percent!
But the road hasn’t always been a bed
of roses; speed bumps and struggles
have been a constant presence. As with
any enterprise, whether it be a new
start-up or 100-year old company,
every one of them has their own hill to
climb. Tony advises early stage
companies to sell what the customer
wants to buy. “Invest all of your time
in understanding your customer’s pain
points and then quickly create
solutions to help them.”
Customer-Driven Success
ANEXIO follows a simple route to
stay ahead of its competition – stay
close to the customer, understand their
challenges and provide them with the
products and services that they require.
Another differentiator that makes the
company stand out among the crowd is
its dedicated workforce. The resolute
professionals of ANEXIO are
committed to providing managed
services that customers can trust.
At ANEXIO, the employees go the
extra mile to leverage the company’s
assets and differentiate the offerings in
a way that creates value beyond what
might generally be available in the
market place. In today’s ever-changing
world of technology, customers
appreciate the fact that ANEXIO cares
enough to think about and anticipate
their future needs.
A Future of Continual Progress
Riding high on its wave of success,
ANEXIO will continue to grow
through a combination of acquisitions
and organic revenue. Acquisitions of
regionally-focused companies will
bring additional scale in terms of
customer base, service offerings and
technical expertise. While channel
sales and direct sales will continue to
increase organic revenue by selling the
company’s expanding set of
well-defined products and services.
Tony concludes by mentioning, “More
wins, more acquisitions and more
momentum are in ANEXIO’s future.
ANEXIO is just getting warmed up.
We’re only in chapter one of our
customer-driven success story.”
Your business challenges are
always changing. ANEXIO’s
commitment to you never will.
““
Tony Pompliano
President & CEO
19November 2017

24. of
t’s almost the end of the year, and hopefully you have
Iplayed the right cards in the industry of MSP solutions.
As we can see, the market for cloud services is
escalating the digits in huge numbers. Studying the overall
engagements in the industry, we can surely predict that the
global market for managed services is expected to grow by
almost $230 billion within 2020.
The competition is stiff in the industry, only when the
market is going crazily wide. In today’s time, MSPs are
entering the market and coming up with new routes to
attract more customers in an extraordinary pool of benefits
in the industry. In the coming year, we can surely assure
that all those resellers will be putting on their extra efforts
to learn about the latest MSP trends and initiate the smart
executions within the industry. So, this is the best time to
plan out your moves and be a game changer in MSP
industry.
Let’s have an in-depth read towards the trends that are
going to take place soon in the market.
Hybrid Cloud is Real and it isn’t Going Away
Hybrid cloud is initiated with a file server, unadorned
except for a sticker and a logo badge. Indeed, if 2015 and
2016 where known as the years of pure cloud, then 2017 is
the year of the hybrid. We see this sort of messaging around
product lines all around us. For years it has been only cloud
and nothing else, but as reality has started to sink in, a more
balanced approach seems to be taking shape.
MSPs Establishing in the Channel Partners
The clients will take a keen interest in knowing all kinds of
products and services only when the cloud market continues
to grow, and you just can’t share the information with them.
Rather than trying to stretch your limited resources, you
might find it a lot easier and more profitable to join forces
with a trusted cloud provider. There are few partner
programs who offer free cloud support and migration
services to their resellers.
Think Data Security
The global market for managed cloud services is growing at a
high pace and we can see some unexpected enhancement on
this that is stretching the market widely. A report by 451
Research has predicted that the Compound Annual Growth
Rate for managed services will reach 25.6 percent by 2018.
Thisfruitfultakehasopenedupthewindow ofopportunityfor
Advancing Moves
anaged
ervice
roviders
M
S
P
22 November 2017

25. more MSPs and puts pressure on all resellers to explore
new ways to drive business.
Your clients need to find the data they want, when they want.
If they are unaware of an access to vital email messages and
file attachments at the right time, it may cost your clients a lot
of money in penalties or fines. MSPs should compulsorily
look for solutions that will help their clients comply with
government mandates, industry regulations and corporate
policies.
MakeaSmartMovewith MonthlyRecurringRevenue
Can you think of a better way to do business? You increase
your profits without spending more money on extra resources.
Alot of MSPs have followed this route and it’s sure to become
more popular in 2017. Again, all roads lead to your partners’
program. To create easy opportunities of Monthly Recurring
Revenue (MRR) you should go for joining forces with a well-
established cloud provider. Some resellers have reported
profit increases of up to 50 percent just by switching part of
theirbusiness modeltoincludecloudservices.
Customer Satisfaction,BuildingRapport
It goes without saying, if you can offer your clients good
solutions they’ll keep coming back for more.After all, they’re
looking for a trusted IT advisor who can help them deal with
all their technical problems. If you lack any resource to set up
and manage your own support and migration services, white
label services through your CSP provider is the best way to
continue your business. Customer relationship and building a
rapport with them is the good news coming on your desk to
controlthepricing,billing,provisioning,andmanagement.
Keepan Eyeon CustomerNeeds
If you don’t offer the cutting-edge services your clients need
to stay competitive, they’ll simply go somewhere else. Hence,
talk to with your customers. Find out what their concerns are
and which products they want! By taking the time to survey
your customers’needs, you may find out that there is potential
forotherservicesthatyouhaven’tevenconsidered.
Now that you’ve had a look at some of the ITservice trends for
2017, it’s time to ask yourself an important question:Are you
still interested in going solo, or is it time you chewed the bullet
andjoinedforceswithatrustedcloudprovider?
23November 2017
Industry PerspectiveIndustry PerspectiveIndustry Perspective

26. The Role of an in your
MSP
In my experience, when businesses
are looking to fundamentally
transform the way they work, they
have to take a serious look at their
cloud strategy and make sure it’s
aligned to their business goals.
Whether these goals are to increase
operational efficiency, drive new
revenue streams, improve customer
service or disrupt the market, there are
key principles I advise businesses to
follow.
The approach you take will depend on
what stage your business is at. A cloud
first strategy is appropriate if you have
the flexibility to move your core
business applications to the cloud
because you’re a new business or
you’re not encumbered by legacy
infrastructure.
A hybrid approach works if you have a
clear plan on which applications you
feel comfortable moving to the cloud,
versus those you’d prefer to keep
within your own private network or at
a data centre.
If you’re at an early stage in your cloud
strategy and are still getting to grips
with the options available, it can help
to work with a managed service
provider who will map out the most
appropriate migration path based on
what you’re trying to achieve.
Irrespective of what stage you’re at,
there are challenges that most
businesses face as they journey to the
cloud.
Firstly, upskilling your internal IT team
to manage the migration can be a real
challenge when the skills required are
fundamentally different to those of a
traditional IT team. Furthermore, it can
be risky to divert your team away from
managing business critical IT
infrastructure to plan and implement a
cloud migration strategy. This can be a
very significant undertaking, and one
that often makes sense to outsource to
an MSP with the specialist skills you
don’t have in-house.
Many businesses will need to redesign
their legacy networks and
infrastructure to support this migration,
which can be complex. For example,
data that was previously routed via a
private network to head office, may
now be serviced via the internet, which
creates a big shift in data and
networking requirements.
Another big decision is which
technology provider to go with. With
so many options available it can be
challenging to decide which one is
right for your business. For example,
do you go with Microsoft Azure,
Amazon Web Services (AWS) or a mix
of the two? It’s easy to get distracted
by service features, so it’s important to
keep focused on the business outcomes
you’re trying to achieve when going
through the vendor selection process.
With all the benefits that the cloud
offers in terms of cost savings, agility
and innovation, it can also expose your
business to increased security threats.
Working with a Managed Service
Provider with strong credentials in
security can help you to lock down any
potential vulnerabilities in your
network.
If you decide that working with a
Managed Service Provider is right for
your business, look for a partner with
demonstrable expertise in architecting,
implementing and managing
cloud-based network infrastructures
and applications that can flex with your
business. They should also offer a
security portfolio that supports both
public internet and private networking
environments.
Many IT decision makers come
unstuck when they select service
providers who don’t invest enough in
cutting-edge technology. Even though
IT services are often viewed as a
commodity, working with a partner
who can predict where the market is
going can really help to transform your
business.
There’s nothing worse than investing
time and money in technology that
becomes obsolete. Work with someone
who has a strong reputation in
delivering market leading technology
in data centres, data security and cloud
based services.
The right MSP will be much more than
a supplier. They’ll be an extension to
your IT team; a true partner who’s
committed to delivering outcomes and
is happy to share the risk of the
Cloud Stratergy
24 November 2017
Mentors’ Role

27. About The Author
As the CEO of Enablis Pty Ltd, Jon leads a
passionate and focused team delivering
Managed IT Communication and Cloud Services
to mid-sized organizations in Australia and New
Zealand.
A 25-year industry ICT veteran, in 2006 Jon
founded the Australian business for Sirocom Ltd,
a leading UK Managed Virtual network operator
(MVNO) that later became Azzurri
Communications Pty Ltd.
Eleven years on, John has grown Enablis, the
Australian division of Azzurri Communications,
from one employee to over 50 employees with
offices in Sydney and Melbourne.
His zeal and vision to deliver smarter ways for
organizations to procure and operate complex
communication estates coupled with his
experience in leading and driving a strong
business culture focused on doing “right by the
customer” have resulted in Enablis winning
multiple industry awards for growth and service
quality every year for the past six years.
Prior to Enablis, Jon held Senior Partner roles at
major carriers such as Verizon and Optus where
he helped develop and grow key integrator
relationships in Europe, and later on, in Australia.
Before that, he worked at Cabletron and 3Com.
Jon has sat on and assisted in technology
steering panels at St Vincent de Paul. He has a
passion for helping and getting involved in raising
awareness and donations for a number of
charities focused on homelessness and under
privileged youth.
Working with an MSP who speaks your language is vital.
This means that they should know your industry and
ideally, already have customers in your sector. Even though
every business is unique, there’s a lot to be said for working
with service providers who understand your business
objectives and the risk profile you’re trying to manage.
In my experience, IT budgets are generally flat or falling,
whereas demand for high priority strategic projects such as
migrating to the cloud, is only increasing. This means that
IT decision makers are often under increasing pressure to
achieve more with less.
Work with an MSP who can help you deploy your budget
and resources more effectively; who can build a business
case for you and back it up with hard numbers. Ultimately,
they need to convince you and the rest of the business that a
cloud strategy is going to deliver measurable improvements
to your business before you bring them on board.
technology deployment. Much like any relationship, a good
partnership is based on chemistry, transparency, shared
goals and mutual respect. Most importantly, you need to be
certain they’ve got your back.
Jon Evans
CEO
25November 2017

28. DPC
Technology:
Helping Clients to Increase
Profit and Decrease Downtime
10The Most Valuable
Providers2017
Managed Service
For more than twenty years,
DPC Technology has been
providing computer support,
outsourced IT, and network
implementation solutions to businesses
throughout southeastern United States.
DPC Technology’s management team
holds a combined experience of over
100 years in the field and has extensive
knowledge when it comes to helping
companies find the right fit from an IT
perspective.
The integrated solutions at DPC
Technology ensure their clients are
provided with the latest technology for
their offices. DPC Technology’s
“Complete” offerings include much
more than IT Support. With Cloud
Computing, Encrypted Email, Backup
and Disaster Recovery, Hardware and
Products, VoIP Phone Systems and
more, client gets one comprehensive
solution all under one roof.
The team at DPC Technology take a
proactive approach to their clients IT
network, identifying strengths and
weaknesses and putting a plan in place
to maximize their technology budget,
while ensuring clients have all facets of
their network optimized and secure.
Thanks to DPC Technology’s
comprehensive Complete Cloud
solution, clients can now easily access
to their data anytime, from anywhere.
Accessible from any device, Complete
Cloud computing integrates seamlessly
with a client’s existing I.T.
infrastructure creating a single
database available to multiple office
locations.
A Leader in the IT Industry
Clay Archer is the Founder, and
CEO of DPC Technology. He
graduated from the University of
Florida with a Bachelor of Science in
Economics and received a Master in
Business Administration from the
University of North Florida College of
Business. Clay is a member of the
Dental Integrators Association (DIA),
which is a network of leading
independent dental technology
integration firms from across the
country. It was formed to create and
deliver a higher standard of quality and
care for dental practice technology
integration.
Although a large portion of DPC
Technology’s charitable donations is
given to the Florida Mission of Mercy
Foundation through financial donations
with its computers, machines and
workstations, the DPC team also
volunteers their time. DPC plays a vital
role as the presenting benefactor for
The Florida Mission of Mercy (FLA-
26 November 2017

29. MOM), a two-day clinic which
provides free dental care to the
underserved and uninsured in Florida –
those that would otherwise go without
dental care. The Florida Mission of
Mercy (is a first-come, first-serve event
with a goal of treating 2,000 patients in
two days).
Helping Clients to Grow
DPC Technology takes pride in
creating long lasting relationships with
their clients and making sure their
clients are satisfied with their service.
That’s because the team at DPC
Technology want their clients to think
of the them as their long-term business
partner. Focusing on client’s growth,
productivity and optimizing their
inefficiencies.
“Thank you all so much for ALL of
your help. When a system goes down in
veterinary medicine, the hospital is
usually down 6-8 hours. You guys got
everything operational within 2 hours.
In 14 years of veterinary medicine, I
have never seen such a quick response
and permanent fix to an IT problem.”
- Dr. Howard Bouchelle III,
Intracoastal West Veterinary Hospital.
“DPC has been an instrumental
component of my dental practice’s
success. They have been with me since
the first day I opened my doors and, 13
years later, I can’t imagine working
with any other team. Their knowledge
of the dental industry keeps me in
compliance with the ever-changing
laws. Their vast understanding of how
dental offices run helps me to sleep at
night… knowing that I have an entire
team of experts on my side to ensure
not only my patients’privacy, but the
future of my practice. It is without
hesitation that I would recommend
DPC to any dental practice.”
- Traci Lewis, Office Manager/Sleep
Coordinator, Bartram Dental Center.
“DPC helped to make a smooth
transition from paper charts to
electronic records after I bought my
practice. They installed the best
equipment and secured my network. I
can sleep soundly knowing my records
are easily accessible from the cloud in
case of emergency. The Complete Care
Program settles technical issues swiftly
allowing minimal office interruptions.
You cannot put a price on that!”
- Dr. Ross Fishman, Fishman Pediatric
Dentistry.
Tackling Initial Challenges and
Future Roadmap
The initial challenges faced by DPC
Technology included scaling passed
three to four employees. Initially, the
organization needed to find the right
people in order to add value to its DPC
team, so the organization could
continue to grow and service its clients
with the same level of care.
Moving ahead, DPC Technology will
continue to integrate more technology
and expand beyond its Jacksonville
and Orlando offices in the future. DPC
Technology offers Technology
Assessments to businesses that are
interested in learning if they are the
right fit for their Complete Care
Program.
Making Computers
Work
for Businesses Since 1995
““
Clay Archer
Founder & CEO
27November 2017

30. SHOULD
CUSTOMER-
If Henry Ford had questioned people what they wanted,
would they really have said ‘faster horses’?
In the realms of business and innovation, Henry Ford was
one of the world’s greatest innovators and a quotable
aristocrat. Perhaps the most famous quote credited to Ford
goes: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would
have said faster horses.”
Though there are no such real evidences which could prove
that Ford ever stated this, but words
applied to him still portray that true
innovation is done without customer
input. Though one of the most
successful capitalists in American
history had said it, it wouldn’t make
the proverb any more appropriate.
In fact, there is a possibility, that
customers might have told Ford
exactly what they wanted --
explicitly, a faster mode
of transportation.
They might not have
talked about the need for
a combustion engine, but
that’s the part of art and
science of understanding
customer feedback.
The customers do not always know the form
factors that are available to them, and that’s exactly
where your opportunity lies to innovate and cash out your
innovation as a businessman. Clients often understand their
problems and communicate enough information that you
can use to grow your business. Here are some insights on
how to get optimized customer feedback.
Customer‘N’ovation
28 November 2017

31. INNOVATIONBE
DRIVEN?Enquire Thoroughly
Most of the times, customers know what they want but are
unable to articulate it properly. So, you have to ask precise
questions that would allow you to collect perceptions to
be used for your innovation. Studies show that giving a
client too many choices often nets you poor and
disorganized feedback, but it’s also important to give
them the opportunity to bring up something that you
haven’t anticipated.
You should also ask about their personal or business
problems. Never ask feature-based questions, if you are
selling and innovating with technology for small
businesses. Because, they aren’t thinking about
technology features, they are more focused on making
money and saving time. So, always ask questions around
their problem statement and then bridge the gap with your
talent and innovation.
Statistical Analysis of Numbers and Behaviors
A trick to get more reliable feedback indicators is to study
the numbers and behavior pattern of the client. If your
clients keep saying they love a product in green, but
instead, each time they intent to buy blue, then always
stick with blue. Study your data and behaviors persistently
to make sure that the customers’ words match their
actions.
Distinguish between Destructive Critics and
Constructive Critics
While it’s vital to consider all the feedback, including the
one from online critics and also customer services, you
need to explore more into who is giving that feedback. For
example, if you are receiving posts about a problem, take
a deep dig into it and find out if it’s a real problem. If it
doesn’t exist, disregard it.
The same insight goes for wants. A handful of individuals
may go whiny wheels for a personal want, but that doesn’t
signify that the broader base of clienteles wants the same,
so do more research.
Also, keep a check on minions. These are the same group of
gofers that keep probing for something or complaining
together. If such a thing is happening, they might be just a
co-dependent group of trolls you need not worry about. If
you are observing different patrons giving concerned
response and inputs around the same issues, that would be
considered more reliable than many posts or inquiries from
the same group of people. The exception to this could be
when the group is well-thought-out influential among your
customer base.
It’s always beneficial to solicit your feedback through
private surveys instead of public ones so the vocal minority
doesn’t sway your community.
Always Segregate the Relevant Group
To get a broader scope of responses and valuable
feedbacks, reach out to your best existing and desired target
customers. If you aren’t sure what and how your customers
think, select an evocative number of people and ask them.
Surprisingly, customers are more likely to provide you
feedbacks if you actually ask them. But, first assure that
they are true buyers of your product -- if the responders
aren’t going to buy your product, their responses would
neither help you nor them.
Conclusively, innovation could be customer driven most of
the times, but we need to play safe and keep our visions
clear. Bag in all the constructive criticism since without
criticism there’s no success and innovation.
29November 2017

32. In today’s data-driven tech world, it appears the priority is all about the speed of innovation and how we move data safely,
effectively, efficientlyandsecurely. Butifno oneknows aboutyour solution,how willtheypurchaseanduseit?
For those of you who wish to grow in this broad-based ITmarket, and can strategically plan, there is simply no more cost-effective
investmentthanPR tohelpestablishanorganizationanditsinnovationsintheverynoisy marketplaceinwhichwe allcompete.
In such a world of amazing tech innovation, if we don’t control the story of what we do and what we make, the story will control us.
ThinkabouttheFAKE NEWS rippingthroughour socialmediaeveryday.
THE
MOST COST EFFECTIVE WAY
TO BUILD AN “IT” BRAND
Bob Gold
Founder, President & CEO
Bob Gold & Associates
Expert’s Insights
30 November 2017

33. Today we communicate in a virtual three-dimensional level of game-like complexity -- we do more and more on mobile, while
managing larger and larger databases of friends and associates on multiple platforms, while multitasking in simultaneous
discussions. Inotherwords, it’s noisy outthere! Worse still,we usuallycan’trememberthesourceof informationwe share.
How noisy is it, you may ask?
Ÿ By some counts, the number of marketing technology solutions has doubled since 2015 and will soon surpass 4,000.
Ÿ Today’s executives are overwhelmed by the amount of technology choices and confused by vendor claims that their
platform can do it all. Before investing in more technology, they want to optimize what they already own.
This brings us back to the role of PR in technology. Technology can’t speak for itself. If we want folks to adapt and use our
innovations, they must be educated about the benefits they bring.
The process of storytelling requires a specialized PR discipline to break beyond the noise buzzing with clichés: “We have an end-
to-end solution” (isn’t that what you get when you mix salt with water and stir?); “We are Best-of-Class” (which rarely comes with
adegreeorgradepointaverage);oroneof myfavorites--thepromisetobeabletomonetizetechnologyinvestments.
Just consider:
Ÿ Security – Everybody is hacking everyone else – if it can be made, it can be broken. How can you tell the market, with
specificity, that your security system addresses this issue?
Ÿ Lack of Policies - Exploding quantities of data zapped into hidden clouds, without access and use policies means we have
a big problem. Big Data and real-time analytics are super sexy in 2017, (thanks Alexa!) and for an on-demand world
where all content is supposed to be available anytime, this will be big! How will you take advantage of this building trend?
Ÿ Content Protection – This takes us to a world where everything is on-demand and connected. How will “autonomous
everything” work? In a world facing more confusion than certainty, there is an “opportunity ahead” street sign in your path
to address this overwhelming and often confusing situation.
So following are some key dos, don’ts and cautions. Caveat emptor – reader beware! There is no one-size-fits-all for every
situation,buttherearesomegeneralrulesof thumbthatwhen followedwillgeneratesuccess:
1) START WITH A CLEAR MESSAGE: PR is all about your core message, positioned as a story with a beginning, middle
and end – that's just good construction. Good storytelling starts with a clear message.
2) DO SAY WHAT ELSE MAKES YOUR COMPANY DIFFERENT Can you answer these questions about your
company and about your product?
Ÿ What are the three core messages about your company?
1. You might think about your founders and executive leadership
2. Are you the most complete (Gulp! I’m gonna say it) solution? Serving which market areas?
3. What problems do you solve for today? Are you visionary and future proof?
3) DO VALIDATE YOUR STORY WITH NUMBERS: What are the most profound messages about your
product/service?
31November 2017

34. Canyoudescribeyourproductmoresuccinctlythan,“it’s non-disruptivetoinstall?” Stateyour bigcustomer
benefit -- for example is it 50% better than anything else on the market? – Does it consume 50% less bandwidth?
Or … think about describing your product validated by numbers and in measurable scope.
This brings us back to PR.All connections start with sharing good stories. Breaking through isn’t as simple as sending an email
to a reporter, calling a friend or telling one colleague who has 2,000 followers onTwitter. It takes diligence and the ability to find
new ways totellyourstory overandoveragain.
The case for storytelling has never been more powerful. Your space has never been more competitive and the noise about other
companies’techoptionsisdeafening.
PR is the secret sauce that re-interprets the science in human and business benefits that can drive change. Sure, one-on-one
word of mouth is powerful, but for businesses, nothing beats engaging, resonant, pervasive, quotable stories, as presented by
your experienced PR professional. And PR will beat any other investment as the most cost effective tool in your sales and
marketingarsenal.
32 November 2017
Expert’s Insights

36. Venture
Pointe:A True Technology Partner
10The Most Valuable
Providers2017
Managed Service
Based in Jacksonville FL.
Venture Pointe is a Managed
service provider, providing IT
solutions for businesses of all sizes.
With a leadership that consists a
massive fifty years of combined
experience, the organization is staffed
with technical experts who are trained
to all levels of technological needs. By
staffing the most qualified people
possible and maintaining a stringent in-
house training program, Venture
Pointes’ team has seen and fixed nearly
every IT problem that can arise since
its inception. Each member of the
support team is dedicated to providing
the best customer service and
represents themselves professionally in
both their appearance and in the way,
they approach each individual
customer.
Venture Pointes’ IT service company
works closely with its clients to
analyze their network and business
structure so that it can create a custom-
fit, vendor-agnostic solution that meets
all security & connectivity
requirements. In fact, in recent surveys,
most of Venture Pointes’ customers
agree that Venture Pointe not only
understands their needs but also feels
that it is capable of growing with them
as an organization.
Being a Different Entity in the
Crowded Market
Venture Pointe prides itself on some
pretty basic principles that a lot of
MSPs seem to overlook. The
organization always listen to its
customers and tries to deliver
accordingly, and constantly provides
clear non-technical communication to
its clients regarding their networks,
business relationships and technical
needs. By proving its commitment to
the clients’ success every day, Venture
Pointe quickly becomes their go to
source for all technology and
communication based services or
needs. Each of its clients understands
that Venture Pointe truly lives by its tag
line “A True Technology Partner” who
is genuinely interested in their success
as a business.
Leaders who Took the Charge
Venture Pointe was founded in late
2012 initially by two friends, Josh Lee
and Nick Revels, later in 2013 was
then joined by Jim Satterwhite, who
had worked with and also a friend for
several years.
Josh having the enterprise level
technical experience, Nick with the
operations level technical experience
combined with a proven track record
for client/customer management and
development, and Jim who brought
large operation process management
and development combined with
financial oversight, provided a base for
success and company development.
Jim Satterwhite
President & CEO
Nick Revels
Co-founder & Director of Managed Services
34 November 2017

37. Providing Vetted Level of Service
and Technology
All the customers of Venture Pointe
know that the organization is providing
a truly vetted level of service and
technology. The organization actually
speaks with most of its clients on
seemingly a daily basis. While this is
something most MSP’s try to move
away from and automate processes to
the extent that their customers hardly
know they are there. Venture Pointe
becomes so ingrained in the day-to-day
activity and planning as a reliable
resource, the company in most cases
can anticipate issues and direction for a
very broad range of customers.
Later on, by supporting that deep level
of involvement with well-trained
technical staff, operation execution,
and with no issues around invoiced
expense, i.e. Venture Pointe doesn’t
provide any surprises with unforeseen
expenses like its competitors, the
organization rates very high in all
levels of client satisfaction. In fact, for
the previous two years 100 percent of
the clients think:
Ÿ Venture Pointe understands their
needs as a business.
Ÿ The organization is capable of
helping their business grow.
Ÿ All the clients would recommend
Venture Pointe to a colleague or
friend.
Ÿ Each of the clients are more than
satisfied with the services from
Venture Pointe.
Ÿ When it comes to communications,
all the customers have rated the
organization very well.
Ÿ Additionally, customers are very
satisfied with Venture Pointe as
their IT partner & the speed and
efficiency at which the
organization.
All the above are reasons Venture
Pointe has NEVER lost a customer as a
result of performance or to any
competitor. Also, those are some of the
reasons why Venture Pointe has been
selected in the MSP Mentor 501 rating
of the top managed service providers
worldwide the past two years and
receiving recognition by the TechServe
Alliance being named in their small
enterprise category for the 2017
Excellence Award.
Tackling Rough Patches and
Drawing the Future Roadmap
Just like any other startup, Venture
Pointe took a lot of time in order to
ensure it had solid operation processes
and rock solid technical environments
prior to building the customer base.
However, the organization has never
said it that it hasn’t changed some
processes while growing up. But at
first it grew operationally and
technically, then began to grow its
client base strictly organically and
methodically. Only once it reached the
point where Venture Pointe felt ready
for the next level of growth, it then
began all its active marketing and
proactive sales based growth.
When it comes to the future, Venture
Pointe hopes to see an increase in staff
levels for all groups; tech support,
enterprise management, operations,
and finance. Additional corporate
structure definition in preparation for
several large client deployments and
Venture Pointes’ continued movement
into more states with its support model.
Venture Pointe currently supports
operations throughout the state of
Florida, and extension of Florida-based
clients in other states reaching into
nine states and one off-shore operation.
Currently expansion of the
infrastructure is a high priority for the
organization especially in 2018.
Presently, Venture Pointe utilize three
data centers, among those two are in
USA and one in Canada. The
organization manages its own Cloud
Environment, choosing to not be
dependent on external services and
someone else’s up time.
Put an end to your IT nightmares
with our managed IT services!
““
Joshua Lee
Co-founder & Business Technology Officer
35November 2017

38. oday we are surrounded with many buzzwords: AI,
TVR, AR, Blockchain, Bitcoin, Machine learning,
etc. That may be very stressful, especially if you
lead a company and choose which way to turn the wheel.
CEOs and top managers are under big pressure and afraid to
make mistakes. No one knows which is the best direction or
whether you should make a raise on a flop or 3-bet on a turn
hoping to catch a full-house.
In “From Good to Great” Jim Collins states that
technologies can’t the only key to build a Great company,
sametime technologies accelerate growth or failure.
Here, at VironIT we believe, that companies should focus
on 3 key points:
Ÿ Your passion. What you really take care of.
Ÿ What you believe you can be the best at.
Ÿ The appropriate business model you live on.
Many companies, who failed had many CEOs with
“outstanding innovations programs” which were
inconsistent with the previous steps the company had made.
So, consistency and perseverance often wins (as Chinese
turture). By the way, my college-mate was trying to make a
pass at the most beautiful girl at our class and got many
denials, but in the end, after 5 years of attempts they got
married.
Let’s come closer to the point:
If you already have a viable product which brings profit,
you should think which new technology can enrich your
software or business to make “learning curve” higher for
your competition.
For instance, if you have software which teaches how to
drive tractors or excavators, you should definitely apply VR
to your existent software.
If you are in the middle and want to make a pivot: I
advise you to make an experiment and allocate the amount
of budget you can for a side research. One of the key
success of Israel startups is that the country invests heavily
in R&D (4.25% of GDP ).
- I get your point, I don’t have the right people on
board.
Technical talent is a big issue everywhere. As Collin says in
his “Good to Great”, “a company can grow as fast as its
ability to hire the right people”.
What do we hear about looking for technical talent?
Ÿ Hire a good HR agency
Ÿ Ask among friends
Ÿ Do LinkedIN research
Ÿ Try outsourcing to India, get burned and try to outsource
Eastern Europe
I will share our VironIT’s secret (we never published it
online) on hiring savvy technical talent. “It is plain and
evident, repeatable anywhere in the world.” We hire
developers, who took part in programming contests:
topcoder, international competitions, Olympiads, etc.
Why does it work?
As you don’t know the plot of your tomorrow’s day, you
don’t know which tasks you have to cope with.
Programming contests have non-trivial tasks to be solved
within a short period of time. Programmers who are the best
at such competitions can easily crack 95% of other “real-
world” programming. They are usually smarter than
average developer, used to work under stressful conditions,
fast-learners and self-confident.
For such developers, even if they are still undergraduates,
within 1-2 weeks of diving into technology they outperform
those who had been several years in the industry. Ofc, if
you want to build a next MSQRD (the app created at
hackathon and sold to Facebook within 3 months after its
creation) that approach won’t work. MSQRD’s success
story was based on 10 years of experience of one team
members in facial recognition.
So, hiring some undergraduates with appropriate minds is:
Ÿ faster
Ÿ cheaper
Ÿ doable
We used that approach several times and never missed the
target.
Tech Talk
36 November 2017

39. If you just have a raw unique idea: Where should you
go? AI, VR, AR, Blockchain, Bitcoin, Machine learning, or
maybe IOT? As Jobs said, “Do what you love”. As Collins
says: “Do what you are passionate with”. I think all that
buzz will bring your ship to some shore. You have to make
the right answer to yourself: “Can you be the best at
XXX”? where XXX is not only technology, it is more
about market industry or vertical market.
This year I attended Nassim Taleb’s
speech, where he shared his thoughts on
antifragile world. I liked the thought
“making a bet on unknown”. You never
know 100% percent the shore your reach
with that flow. Making a bet on unknown
can bring you either to positive “Black
Swan” or you get nothing. A good try is
better than regretting passing by on a
deathbed.
But here is a trick.
The step you take should be
consistent with the “core” of your
business (unless you choose to
open a new branch). It is quite
easy to lose focus. “Great”
companies also had “non-todo”
lists and “immediately-stop-
doing” lists. That is very
important to say “no” to many
good ideas to choose one “great”
idea.
So, AI, VR, AR, Blockchain,
Bitcoin, Machine learning
what’s next big thing?
I think the next Big Thing is the right
combination of well-known things in the
right order, implemented by right people at
the right time backed by right investors at
the right market.
TECHNOLOGIES
Author: Alexey Grakov
Co-owner & Chief Marketing Ofcer
VironIT
37November 2017

40. Cloud
Computing
loud computing, which is often referred to as simply “Cloud” is basically the practice of using a network
Cwhich is hosted by remote servers on the internet and is widely used to store, access, manage, exchange
and process data on the Internet itself instead of using a local server or a personal computer. It is
something without which life would have been much more difficult regardless of one’s lifestyle, economic status,
profession and educational background. In today’s world, if one has data then cloud computing must be in his or
her practice.
The tech giant IBM referred to cloud computing as “Cloud computing is the delivery of on-demand computing
resources — everything from applications to data centers — over the internet on a pay-for-use basis.” IBM also
mentioned that with the cloud, the resources are much more elastic as it’s faster to meet the demands of the clients,
payments are made only for the space that is being used, and nothing extra and cloud offers self-service facilities
so that the clients can take the necessary items from the cloud.
The tech giant clearly mentioned the benefits of the cloud-based applications or as popularly called software as a
service (SaaS), and the most interesting feature of this is that even if the computer breaks down or loses all data,
cloud stores them all, and it can be accessed from anywhere around the world from any remote locations. Another
38 November 2017
Cloud Tech

41. important feature of SaaS is that the creating an account is made free of cost and fast.
Experts and tech giants divide cloud into three types as public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud.
Public Cloud
Public Clouds are defined to be owned and operated by companies that offer rapid access to an affordable
computing resource over a public network. The interesting feature of public cloud services is that the users don’t
need to invest much in purchasing hardware, software or supporting infrastructure and the providers themselves
manage it. .
Private Cloud
Experts define private cloud as an infrastructure which is operated totally by a single organization, and it can be
managed both by a third party as well as internally. This type of cloud is hosted either internally or externally.
This system is more automated type of management function where there is a resource pool for everything from
computing, the capability to storage, analytics, and middleware. It offers an interface which is self-service and is
employed in controlling services allowing its staff to quickly provision, allocate and deliver on-demand IT
resources. Private cloud computing is designed for the specific need of a company, giving it much-secured
governance.
Hybrid Cloud
As the name suggests, a hybrid cloud is a form of cloud which uses private cloud foundation combined with the
strategic integration and uses public cloud services. Experts informed that the private cloud cannot exist in
isolation from the rest of the company’s IT resources and the public cloud and therefore most companies created
hybrid clouds. The hybrid cloud offers some amazing benefits which offer the companies to keep their sensitive
data in the traditional data center or private clouds, or anyone they prefer. This system allows the companies to
take advantage as laaS for the elastic virtual resources and public cloud resources like SaaS for the latest
applications and facilitates more deployment models and more portability options. Global statistics suggested that
the adoption of this type of cloud grew three times in the last years.
Security is a major concern in Cloud computing
For any company, cloud data security should be the top priority irrespective of what kind of cloud it is. Some of
the common threats that cloud computing faces are; data breaches, data loss, insecure interfaces or APIs, account
or service traffic hijacking, denial of service, malicious insiders, abuse of cloud services, insufficient due
diligence and shared technology vulnerabilities. The nature of the cloud remains dynamic and more the dynamic,
more is the increase in the need for automated, agile and elastic approach than the traditional security measures.
Whatever the type of cloud is, the security of cloud is an extremely important thing, and the most well known
companies which provide cloud and cloud-based security services are IBM Dynamic Cloud Securities,
CipherCloud, Bitium, McAfee Cloud Security, MyPermissions, Netskope, Skyhigh Networks, SafeNet, and
Snoopwall.
As stated in a report, 60% of engineering professionals and organizations confirm that the main reason behind
slowing down in cloud adoption plans is the lack of security skills. The countries like Japan, Gulf Coast Council
(GCC) which includes Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates and Mexico are the ones who are in need of cloud
security specialists. These are the countries where IT solution provider companies should focus the most and
make new investments to start their ventures of cloud computing.
An official survey indicated that the Australia and Canada are leading the world in public cloud adoption whereas
the Gulf Coast Council is leading the globe in private cloud adoption. Yet, GCC is in urgent need of security
skills. So GCC must be on the top most priority list where investments can be made by IT solution provider
companies.
39November 2017

42. VIPR:Providing Solutions for the
Insurance Industry
10The Most Valuable
Providers2017
Managed Service
Data is an ongoing challenge
for the insurance industry as
the amount of data received is
vast. Thousands of spreadsheets are
being presented each month,
containing information on premiums
written, premiums paid and claims
made. Each spreadsheet can contain
thousands of rows of data with
multiple columns, so a single
document could contain millions of
individual cells of data. Technology is
essential to allow organizations to get
to grips with data to understand their
business as well as comply with
industry regulations.
VIPR is one company that has
developed innovative software
solutions in response to the needs of
the insurance market. By listening to
its customers and taking on board what
the market has to offer, the company
has created products that enable
insurers to standardize, cleanse and
validate incoming data – quickly and
easily. This also gives them a better
understanding of their data and back
office processes. Currently, VIPR has
five products in its portfolio, including;
Active Underwriter; a quote and bind
solution, Intrali; a data management
product, Intarga; an online workflow
tool, Active Reports; a reporting tool,
and Consensus; the company’s latest
product targeting group life insurers
allowing them to standarize
membership data.
The Farsighted Leader
Richard Brown, Director of VIPR,
co-founded the company alongside his
brother Bob Brown back in 2009. Prior
to VIPR, the entrepreneurs successfully
launched and subsequently sold
Moneynet.co.uk – the first personal
finance comparison site in the UK. At
VIPR, Richard looks after the
management of business and is fully
involved in client relations, as well as
product strategy and development.
“In order for us to provide the latest
technology and stay ahead of the
marketplace, we are constantly
reviewing other products on the
market, but above all we listen. We
listen to the regulators, we listen to the
industry and we listen to our clients.
We often hear clients complaining
about competitor products that don’t
really do what they are supposed to do
or what is expected of them. We believe
in building products that are the very
best, simple to understand and use and
do ‘as it says on the tin’. We don’t
overcomplicate things for the sake of it
and we avoid anything that cannot be
done quickly and easily explained,”
asserts Brown while talking about their
market understandings and uniqueness.
Catering to customer needs
According to VIPR, getting traction in
a market where it was relatively
40 November 2017

43. unknown was a massive challenge to
start with. Although it took a while for
the company to get its first few
customers on board, they were crucial
to the organization’s success and the
development of the VIPR brand.
Today, VIPR prides itself on being
dedicated and committed to its
customers, maintaining excellent
customer relationships and going the
extra mile to keep clients happy. One
way VIPR does this is by hosting
regular user group meetings which
brings together its clients to share their
needs and challenges. These events
provide much needed insights that
often determine product and service
development.
VIPR recently became alerted to an
issue that was raised amongst the
industry and its customers, who found
that even with modern systems in
place, there is still a need for some
human intervention. “Even when
clients have products in place we often
hear that they are not maximizing the
benefits of their software,” states
Brown. He explains “It’s not
uncommon to find that companies
don’t always have time or the
resources to get the best from their
systems. If staff move on new starters
often do not get the trained effectively
due to time constraints, and therefore
creating a knowledge gap and
inconsistencies when using software.”
Because of this VIPR launched VIPR
Managed Service (VMS). In
conjunction with London consultants
JDX they now offer a fully managed
service, operated by trained staff to
take the pressure off clients who don’t
have the internal resource or expertise
to manage their mission-critical
systems. VIPR’s clients can be
confident that all VMS staff are
vigorously trained in VIPR’s products
so they know what they are doing.
They receive one-to-one training over
a week long intensive course, where
they have hands-on training with VIPR
systems followed by both a practical
and theory exam certifying each VMS
trainee. Training provides them with a
wide breadth of experience and skills
allowing them to fully understand and
address issues raised by clients.
Most importantly and as with all
VIPR’s service and products, its
offerings to the industry are the very
best, yet simple to understand. VIPR
doesn’t overcomplicate things for the
sake of it and avoids anything that
cannot be done quickly and easily
explained.
Drawing the Future Path
When it comes to its future, VIPR will
continue to invest in its products to
evolve and adapt to current market
circumstances and future challenges,
but the company will also be active in
other business sectors as well as other
territories across the US and Europe.
On top of this VIPR is also starting on
a new offering, partnering with a third
party. This offering will allow the
industry to manage and process data in
an efficient, accurate and secure data
exchange.
We thoroughly believe in the
value of our clients; we know
that by meeting their needs we
meet the needs of the market
““
Richard Brown
Director & Co-founder
41November 2017

44. Top Queries to Ask Your Provider —
Before You Do with ThemBusiness
IT
Anyone can say that they offer IT services. But are
they providing the right kind of service for your
business? It’s important to ask the right questions
when making your decision. We have compiled a list of
queries for you to ensure you have the tools to identify if
the IT provider of your choice can truly fulfill your needs.
You need to make sure that the IT provider is competent
and experienced in serving your organization, puts your
needs above all else, and has the tools and resources to get
the job done securely and efficiently.
How Long They Have Been in the Business
According to the US Small Business Administration,
roughly 50% of small businesses fail within the first 5
years. It’s important to be able to trust and rely on the
company of your choice. It’s important to know how long
they’ve been in business as well as how successful they
have been over that time as it will give you a better
assessment of their ability to fulfill your needs.
The Type of Insurance They Have
If the company doesn’t have insurance and something goes
wrong or someone gets hurt, they may not have the finances
on their own to salvage everything.
Prior Experience in the Vertical
If they’ve only focused on companies entirely unrelated to
how you handle your business, they may not have as much
expertise or insight as an IT provider that has had many
different clients in a variety of industries.
If They Provide Onsite Support or Outsourced Support
The best IT providers staff their own helpdesk support
onsite, at their office, so they can train them, keep their
certifications updated, and make sure they have good
people working for them. It should be important to them
that their staff has intimate knowledge of what your
business does and their client base in order to provide the
best assistance and customer service possible.
What Their Support Hours Are
You want to make sure there is always someone there to
help if something goes wrong, no matter when.
Emergencies don’t wait until the weekend or holiday is
over. The best IT providers have ability to help you 24
hours a day, 365 days a year.
Measure Customer Satisfaction
A quality IT provider should be calling clients and
performing surveys. The clients chosen should be random
(not just their happy clients.), and should rate their
customer service experience on: reliability, performance,
security, problem resolution, friendliness, professionalism,
and timeliness.
If They Have an Out Clause
After signing the contract with an IT provider, you may find
after some time that they are not a good fit for you. What
happens then? Are you stuck in a long-term contract with
them anyway? Or do they have any sort of Out Clause in
their contract that will allow termination if your needs are
left unfulfilled.
42 November 2017
IT Insights

45. About The Author
Christopher Coluccio is the CEO & Co-Founder
ofTechworks Consulting, Inc. From his early
years, Chris had a love of computers, coding his
first program at the age of 8. He went on to
study Computer Science at Dowling College.
During that time, he worked on projects such as
the “Big Dig” in Boston and large construction
projects in Manhattan. He went on to become
the IT Administrator of one of the largest print
manufacturers on Long Island. It was around
that time that he met his business partner,
Keith, and the building blocks ofTechworks
began. Incepting in 2002, he was able to make
their dream a reality.
Chris is widely-recognized for his vigorous
advocacy of technological innovations and high
standards for quality support and services.
Having over 20 years of experience in the IT
industry, Chris has worked with numerous
companies spanning various industries
providing services to keep their organizations
running smoothly and securely. Chris is also the
co-chair of the HIA-LITechnology for Business
Committee.
Usage of Up to Date Technology
If your IT provider uses outdated technology and aren’t
always keeping their eyes open for new technologies, they
may not have the capability to do the job right. And don’t
just take their word for it – make sure they can prove it.
Guaranteed Response Time
It’s important to have a good idea of how long it takes the
provider to tackle whatever issues your technology may
come across and make sure it’s within a reasonable time
frame. The right IT provider should offer you a Service
Level Agreement (SLA). The SLA indicates the response
time that their team guarantees.
Use Two-Factor Authentication
You want to ensure your IT provider is using the most
advanced methods possible to keep your data secure. Two-
Factor Authentication is an extra layer of security that
requires not only a password and username but also
something the user has on them, such as a pin, fingerprint,
ID card, etc.
Secure Storage of Important Data and Passwords
A capable IT provider has the latest security features to
ensure your personal information is kept safe. If you can’t
trust an IT provider to keep their systems secure, can you
trust them to protect yours? The right IT provider will store
all passwords in a password repository system which
requires 2-factor authentication. They should also have
procedures in place in case of an employee termination to
ensure there is no risk of unauthorized access.
rd
3 Party Penetration Testing of Their Business
Many IT providers may offer business penetration and
security tests, but have they been tested themselves? Many
IT providers have not had their own systems tested by a 3rd
party. Others who have been tested have found that they are
not as secure as they advertise themselves to be.
Choosing the right IT provider is not an easy decision.
There are numerous factors that need to be considered that
should not be taken lightly. Using the questions above will
be very helpful in the vetting process to separate the strong
contenders from the rest and assist you in making a final
decision with confidence.
43November 2017

48. Light your
Own way