Comments on: What should my team structure look like when I get started? http://smbitpros.com/what-should-my-team-structure-look-like-when-i-get-started/ a resource for managed service providers, msp's, and other small business IT professionals Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:45:15 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Scott http://smbitpros.com/what-should-my-team-structure-look-like-when-i-get-started/comment-page-1/#comment-2149 Scott Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:48:21 +0000 http://smbitpros.com/?p=381#comment-2149 Thanks Josh! This has been VERY helpful. Thanks Josh! This has been VERY helpful.

]]> By: Josh http://smbitpros.com/what-should-my-team-structure-look-like-when-i-get-started/comment-page-1/#comment-2147 Josh Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:14:00 +0000 http://smbitpros.com/?p=381#comment-2147 Sounds like a solid overall plan in fact we use many of the same services. Quick books and hosted CW will do the trick just fine. Zenith does not offer a service where your customer can call them and request server work. You can however have they respond to alerts and do the work on the servers. You can also have your customers send server requests to help@yourcompany.com which can auto generate a ticket in CW that you assign to your Zenith NOC team to complete. Emergency tickets on servers will have to be fielded by your or an agent of your company and then handed off / called in to Zenith I would recommend interviewing a few partners to find the right fit for your field services. Use the CW network and the onforce network to interview and select one or two people to funnel this work to. Stealing business is not a major problem and you should make clear that they will be a premier or select partner of yours and eventually as your business grows they will get so much out of it it would not be worth stealing one client. A one to three person shop is what you are looking for anything bigger will lose patience as you will have low volume when you start. Make sure you put process in place that they have to follow: check in when at one of your clients (email to a specific address), check out of a client, enter notes in CW ticket before they leave the site, weekly or bi-weekly alignment calls with you or your staff, etc. Axis has no minimum requirement. Call Joe P. over there and tell him we told you he would take care of you. AV, if you use Zenith resell one of the AV solutions they offer you. Hosted email look at App River, same for hosted spam, archiving, and web filtering services Off site backup, create a product out of the Zenith BDR - you can see ours on our site www.everonit.com For situations where that does not fit look at Connected on the desktops and for light server work (flat files). I like your plan overall and look forward to hearing how it gets off the ground. Josh Sounds like a solid overall plan in fact we use many of the same services.

Quick books and hosted CW will do the trick just fine.

Zenith does not offer a service where your customer can call them and request server work. You can however have they respond to alerts and do the work on the servers. You can also have your customers send server requests to help@yourcompany.com which can auto generate a ticket in CW that you assign to your Zenith NOC team to complete. Emergency tickets on servers will have to be fielded by your or an agent of your company and then handed off / called in to Zenith

I would recommend interviewing a few partners to find the right fit for your field services. Use the CW network and the onforce network to interview and select one or two people to funnel this work to. Stealing business is not a major problem and you should make clear that they will be a premier or select partner of yours and eventually as your business grows they will get so much out of it it would not be worth stealing one client. A one to three person shop is what you are looking for anything bigger will lose patience as you will have low volume when you start. Make sure you put process in place that they have to follow: check in when at one of your clients (email to a specific address), check out of a client, enter notes in CW ticket before they leave the site, weekly or bi-weekly alignment calls with you or your staff, etc.

Axis has no minimum requirement. Call Joe P. over there and tell him we told you he would take care of you.

AV, if you use Zenith resell one of the AV solutions they offer you.

Hosted email look at App River, same for hosted spam, archiving, and web filtering services

Off site backup, create a product out of the Zenith BDR – you can see ours on our site http://www.everonit.com

For situations where that does not fit look at Connected on the desktops and for light server work (flat files).

I like your plan overall and look forward to hearing how it gets off the ground.

Josh

]]> By: mspatl http://smbitpros.com/what-should-my-team-structure-look-like-when-i-get-started/comment-page-1/#comment-2146 mspatl Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:41:23 +0000 http://smbitpros.com/?p=381#comment-2146 Josh, you must be able to read my mind because you answered my question before I even asked it. You and Mike seem to do that a lot. I am a one-man shop, just getting ready to launch a brand new pure play managed services business at the end of August. What do you think of this plan? For business management and automation, use QuickBooks and the hosted version of ConnectWise. For off-site services, use Zenith InfoTech's Remote Server Care and Virtual Server Desk for monitoring, management, and 24/7 support (for desktops only since I hear they don't offer the phone support for servers and network devices...hopefully I'm wrong about the server support). For on-site emergency services and scheduled maintenance and projects, use onforce to dispatch a local technician. Frankly, I'm a little worried about this one, because this tech could either poorly represent my business or solicit my customers. Since this is a new business with no vendor relationships, use Axis for project quotes and procurement. Not sure if they work with small MSP's or if they have a minimum or maximum project size. Do you? I'm not sure which service to use for antivirus, antispam, antispyware, hosted email, or offsite backup. Do you or any of your readers have any suggestions? What am I missing here? What part of this plan would you change? Josh, you must be able to read my mind because you answered my question before I even asked it. You and Mike seem to do that a lot.

I am a one-man shop, just getting ready to launch a brand new pure play managed services business at the end of August. What do you think of this plan?

For business management and automation, use QuickBooks and the hosted version of ConnectWise.

For off-site services, use Zenith InfoTech’s Remote Server Care and Virtual Server Desk for monitoring, management, and 24/7 support (for desktops only since I hear they don’t offer the phone support for servers and network devices…hopefully I’m wrong about the server support).

For on-site emergency services and scheduled maintenance and projects, use onforce to dispatch a local technician. Frankly, I’m a little worried about this one, because this tech could either poorly represent my business or solicit my customers.

Since this is a new business with no vendor relationships, use Axis for project quotes and procurement. Not sure if they work with small MSP’s or if they have a minimum or maximum project size. Do you?

I’m not sure which service to use for antivirus, antispam, antispyware, hosted email, or offsite backup. Do you or any of your readers have any suggestions?

What am I missing here? What part of this plan would you change?

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