3 Strategic Goals for your Cloud Migration

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3 Strategic Goals for your Cloud Migration

3 Strategic Goals for your Cloud Migration

Begin with the end in mind.
What will your organization gain by a Cloud Migration project?

Top CIO’s suggest keeping your end goals in mind as you work with your managed IT services provider on a cloud strategy. This will ensure positive outcomes for your Cloud Migration project.

Here are the top achievable business goals using a solid Cloud Strategy:

  • Modernize for competitive advantage

Scenario: Your competition is adopting new cloud technologies that you cannot implement because your technology has not been upgraded.Let’s put aside the fact that your outdated equipment is an easy target for cyber threats (click here to learn more about Cyber Security Services), and let’s discuss your infrastructure that has servers and devices not adaptable for new technology. The latest applications that can help you do your business better, faster and with business intelligence/visibility will require an upgrade. Yes, that means some investment.

We get it…it takes so much time and energy to run your business that the cloud strategy discussion you’ve been meaning to have has been shelved repeatedly.  At the same time, these new tools and technologies are out there and your competition, including new businesses entering your industry, are using those tools to take business from you.

  • Scalability – Pay for What You Use

Cloud computing sets the stage for changes in your business technology needs that would otherwise be a financial drain.  Scalability of a business using cloud services is one of the most attractive aspects of the technology. Many have analyzed and written about the cost-benefit in the short term of a cloud migration today, for those companies wasting revenue due to a lack of agility, efficiency and resources.

A prime example would be that Company A needs to easily upscale or downscale their IT requirements to allow for incremental changes that are a factor of their business model or industry.  Where changes in Company A’s business needs (data storage, workloads, etc…) would mean unpredictable spending, cloud technology is a “pay for only what you use” scenario.

  • Access and Security of Multiple Locations

Considered the ultimate business collaboration tool, cloud computing is the answer to centralized systems and applications.  This is not only one of the biggest advantages for efficiently running a growing business but the value of cloud to secure data, networks and devices begins and ends with centralized control over operations in multiple locations.

Many companies are making the decision to migrate to the cloud, either fully or using a multi-phased approach, after having a security breach due to expansion that was poorly planned. This means as the company grew, no central control or hierarchy in policies and procedure were a priority. A perfect scenario for today’s Ransomware threats.

There is so much more to Cloud Strategy and Cloud Technology for business.  Stay tuned for future stories about cloud migration, trends in Cloud Services and NexusTek’s Adaptable Cloud Solutions.

As an MSP and Cloud Service Provider for more than 20 years, NexusTek continues to provide a solid domestic IT outsource for small and midsized businesses across the county. A cloud migration today, with a partner who knows how to build the best strategy for your business, can be the best decision for your future success.

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NexusTek Acquires Zumasys Cloud Hosting, Infrastructure and Managed Services

NexusTek Acquires Zumasys Cloud Hosting, Infrastructure and Managed Services

NexusTek Acquires Zumasys Cloud Hosting, Infrastructure and Managed Services

Abry Partners’ portfolio company completes fifth M&A transaction in four years; extends ability to help small and middle-market companies migrate, deploy, manage, secure and scale enterprise workloads in the cloud

Denver, CO and Irvine, CA (July 10, 2018) NexusTek, a leading provider of IT services including help desk, cloud services, cyber security services, IT consulting, server monitoring, VoIP and Microsoft Dynamics, today announced that it has acquired the cloud hosting, infrastructure and managed services business units from Zumasys, an Orange County-based national provider of cloud computing solutions.

Today, tens-of-thousands of users rely on Zumasys Cloud, now NexusTek, to host their most critical applications 24/7/365.

“Businesses need to embrace the almost unlimited potential for technology to serve as a strategic asset and not a cost center,” said Mike Jenner, CEO, NexusTek. “Zumasys’ success reflects their shared belief in this philosophy and unique understanding of what it takes to help customers align corporate goals with technology. We are confident this transaction is a significant step forward in our mission to be the nation’s most complete service provider.”

This deal marks NexusTek’s fifth M&A transaction in four years. NexusTek is backed by Abry Partners, an experienced media, communications, business and information services-focused private equity firm with over $77 billion of leveraged transactions under its belt.

“Abry believes that strategic acquisitions NexusTek to increase its competitive advantage in the highly fragmented cloud and managed IT services market,” said James Scola, a principal with Abry. “Small and middle-market businesses can only reap the full benefits of running mission-critical applications in the cloud by working with a partner equipped to personalize services built around their specific operations. NexusTek helps clients reduce their technology spend while increasing efficiency and extracting maximum value from their investment.”

Over the last three years, NexusTek has grown at a CAGR of 34%, and currently serves more than 2,000 organizations.

“Whereas other companies struggle with M&A, Abry’s vast experience and resources eliminate funding concerns and lowers execution risk,” added Jenner. “Coupled with NexusTek’s track record of successfully integrating acquired companies, being partnered with Abry empowers NexusTek with the means for continued, aggressive nationwide expansion.”

NexusTek managed services eliminate the administrative overhead and variable cost associated with cloud and IT environments; customers receive 24/7 monitoring of their IT environments and proactive responses to issues for a fixed monthly fee. With this acquisition, NexusTek inherits a strong presence in the Western United States, extending its reach and ability to create IT solutions that combine storage, virtualization, data protection, and networking technologies from the industry’s leading vendors.

NexusTek serves businesses across the country, providing IT solutions and professional recommendations to strengthen the customer’s IT infrastructures. By virtue of its SSAE 16 SOC II certification, NexusTek proves its adherence to rigorous, industry-accepted auditing standards for service companies.

“We are pleased to have our cloud, infrastructure and MSP team join NexusTek to further their mission of helping companies small and large increase productivity, lower costs and improve business outcomes,” said Zumasys President, Paul Giobbi. “I am confident that customers and employees alike will benefit from the increased depth, capital and engineering expertise of NexusTek and I am excited to watch the combined entity grow.”

About Zumasys

Zumasys, Inc., is one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the US.  Zumasys offers innovative software solutions that enable customers to preserve decades of investment in custom applications, including MultiValue databases, while embracing the modern features today’s users demand. Its proven cloud platform is optimized for high-performance business applications, accounting systems, and legacy ERP applications. With Zumasys, customers get access to the industry’s best technologies with in-house, personalized support from a team of experts they can trust.

About NexusTek

NexusTek, an award-winning Microsoft Gold Partner, provides small and medium-sized businesses a trusted resource to optimize and manage their IT environments, ensuring business continuity and driving productivity. From managed IT services to cloud solutions and customized business software implementations, NexusTek employs top talent, offers personalized attention, and brings nearly 22 years implementing technology best practices for companies nationwide.

About Abry Partners

Abry is an experienced and successful media, communications, and business and information services sector focused private equity investment firms in North America. Since their founding in 1989, they have completed over $77 billion of leveraged transactions (including many roll-up investment strategies) and other private equity, mezzanine or preferred equity investments.  Currently, they manage over $5.0 billion of capital in their active funds.

Because ABRY brings deep industry insight to the investment process, they are able to quickly understand key issues, accurately assess opportunity, value, and risk, and bring relevant information to bear. They partner with skilled executives and invest significant capital to help build stronger companies and industry leaders.

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2018 IT Spending Trends Predicted by Gartner and IDC

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2018 IT Spending Trends Predicted by Gartner and IDC

2018 IT Spending Trends Predicted by Gartner and IDC

Information Technology is no longer simply an added function of a business, it is now a major driving force in achieving greatness. Statistics show that the most successful businesses have the ability to adapt to new technology. In conjunction with this trend, businesses are increasingly realizing their need to utilize an IT partner to keep up with the IT growth within their organizations.

In April of this year, Gartner reports Global IT Spending in 2018 will experience the highest increase at 6.2% up from 3.8% in 2017.

John-David Lovelock, research vice president at Gartner said, “This is the highest annual growth rate that Gartner has forecast since 2007 and would be a sign of a new cycle of IT growth.”

Let’s break down the IT spending forecast this year from top technology research firm, Gartner:

  • 2017 spending on IT Services = $933 billion
  • 2018 spending on IT Services will hit a record $985 billion and continue to rise.
  • 2019 spending on IT Services should reach $1.03 trillion  according to research firm predictions.
  • Device Spending in 2018 is estimated to reach $704 billion with a leveling-off expected for 2019.
  • IT Growth Trends for 2018 reported by Gartner show the largest percentage growth will be in Enterprise Software purchasing at 9.5 percent up slightly from 8.9 percent in 2017.
  • IT Services reaches 5.5 percent growth from 4.3 percent in 2017.
  • Data Center spending drops nearly 4 percent in 2018 according to researchers.

In addition to Gartner’s IT Spending Trends report, International Data Corporation (IDC) conducts a similar semi-annual study. The 2018 IDC report focuses on “Global IT Spending for the SMB,” predicting small and mid-sized businesses will spend a collective $602 billion on IT software and services.

SMB IT spending defined by company size:

  • More than two thirds of the $602 billion in IT spending globally, will be driven by firms with 100-999 employees through 2021.
  • Within the mid-market segment, medium-sized businesses (100-499 employees) will spend $229 billion in 2018.
  • Large businesses (500-999 employees) will spend $182 billion.
  • Small businesses with fewer than 100 employees will see IT spending growth of 4.7 percent over the five-year forecast period.

The U.S. leads in SMB spending on IT in 2018. Here’s a snippet of the global IT spending for the SMB:

  • The United States is the largest market for SMB spending with this year hitting a record $186 billion on IT, according to the IDC report.
  • China comes in well below the U.S. for IT spending at $56 billion
  • Germany IT spending for SMB’s reaching $37 billion
  • The U.K. IT spending for SMB’s is projected to be slightly under Germany at $36 billion.

Statistics from the IDC report broken down even more:

  • IT spending in the SMB market is expected to expand by $84 billion dollars over the next 5 years.
  • Of the $602 billion in IT spending globally, $115 billion this year alone will be on devices (PCs, mobile phones and peripherals)
  • The second largest spend will be on software applications at $99 billion this year.

Spending on IT products and services by the SMB is at an all-time high and for good reason. The value that information technology presents to businesses of all sizes cannot be debated when considering the trends of the last decade. Budgeting for technology upgrades and developing a plan for technology investment for the future of your business used to be an afterthought. In the age of digital transformation, budgeting for technology is now the main conversation.

Contact us to discuss your IT strategic plan

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References:
https://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3845563
http://www.channelpronetwork.com/news/worldwide-smb-it-spending-top-676-billion-2021-driven-software-and-services-growth-according
https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS43565918

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Abry Partners Merges NexusTek with Breakthrough Technology Group

Abry Partners Merges NexusTek with Breakthrough Technology Group

Abry Partners Merges NexusTek with Breakthrough Technology Group

Through continued acquisitions and organic growth, the combined entity will emerge as a leading national cloud and managed service provider

Denver, CO and Morganville, NJ (May 17, 2018) Breakthrough Technology Group (BTG) and NexusTek today announced that the two companies have merged, integrating two of the nation’s top service providers. Effective April 3, 2018, the combined entity will be marketed under the NexusTek brand and bring to market an unrivaled portfolio of customizable solutions that can address the critical touchpoints in an organization’s technology environment.

Founded in 1989, Abry Partners is an experienced media, communications, business and information services-focused private equity investment firms in North America. In December 2017, the Boston-based private equity firm made a majority investment in BTG and completed a recapitalization with NexusTek.

NexusTek’s impressive growth trajectory reflects an aggressive strategy to increase marketshare through both organic and inorganic means. The company’s merger with BTG is its fourth M&A transaction in less than four years, and the first of several planned for 2018.

“Abry believes that as businesses continue struggling with their cloud migrations, there is an immediate opportunity for a service provider to distinguish itself as the single partner that can help them navigate an increasingly turbulent and complex environment,” said James Scola, a principal with Abry. “By merging BTG with NexusTek, we hope to empower organizations with a nationwide partner that allows them to increase their competitive advantage with technology. NexusTek will be unique in its ability to answer this demand and will emerge as a leading national cloud and managed service provider.”

Inclusive of the merger with BTG, NexusTek has grown at a CAGR of 34% over last three years and currently serves more than 1,200 organizations. Together, the companies will accelerate growth by delivering better service, a leading service portfolio in the industry, and faster product development which will empower customers to keep pace with the rapidly evolving cloud and cyber security environment.

“Businesses today need IT solutions that are convenient, flexible and purpose-built for their specific workflows,” said NexusTek Chief Executive Officer, Mike Jenner. “Agility is paramount in every industry, and successful companies that stay ahead of their competition are the ones that can adapt to changes in the marketplace without sacrificing productivity.”

Headquartered in Denver, NexusTek is the market leader for IT support and outsourcing including help desk, cloud services, VoIP, cyber security services, server monitoring and Microsoft Dynamics. NexusTek serves businesses across the country, providing IT solutions and professional recommendations to strengthen the customers IT infrastructures. By virtue of its SSAE 16 SOC II certification, NexusTek proves its adherence to rigorous, industry-accepted auditing standards for service companies.

BTG, headquartered in New Jersey, is a market leading, national managed private cloud service provider that supports customers’ business and compliance needs, regardless of industry, in flexible, dedicated environments. Adaptable Cloud Services, the company’s private cloud services portfolio, is hosted in geographically redundant SSAE 16-certified data centers that leverage a software-defined architecture to bring together storage, compute, and other elements into a single solution optimized for managing customized enterprise workloads in the cloud. Also setting BTG apart from ‘infrastructure-only’ service providers, is an expansive solutions portfolio layered on top of its converged infrastructure. Enhanced monitoring provides the unfettered visibility to ensure that customers’ applications perform optimally.

“Realizing that customers today want IT services that are delivered simply and suit their specific needs, allows us to help them extract true value from their technology,” said BTG Founder, Jeff Kaplan, who is now Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer for NexusTek. “Through this union, NexusTek is uniquely equipped to help companies small and large increase productivity, lower costs and improve business outcomes. Further, the ability to pivot operations is essential in regulated industries like financial services and healthcare, in which remaining compliant can be a moving target.”

About Breakthrough Technology Group, LLC.

Founded in in 2007, Breakthrough Technology Group (BTG) is an award-winning managed private cloud service provider that maintains a singular focus on supporting enterprise workloads and IT services. The company empowers its small, mid-market and enterprise customers with agile, cutting-edge technology coupled supported by a veteran team whose expertise includes cloud-based desktops and storage solutions, SaaS, IaaS, remote monitoring and end-user IT. BTG is perennially ranked as a Talkin’ Cloud Top 100 Cloud Company, has twice been honored with the Cloudys Award for the Most Innovative Cloud Provider, and is a fourtime winner of Channel Partners 360 Business Value Award. BTG has also been honored as an MSPmentor 250 managed services provider.

About NexusTek

NexusTek, an award-winning Microsoft Gold Partner, provides small and medium-sized businesses a trusted resource to optimize and manage their IT environments, ensuring business continuity and driving productivity. From managed IT services to cloud solutions and customized business software implementations, NexusTek employs top talent, offers personalized attention, and brings nearly 22 years implementing technology best practices for companies across Colorado, Arizona and the region.

About Abry Partners

Abry is one of the most experienced and successful media, communications, and business and information services sector focused private equity investment firms in North America. Since their founding in 1989, they have completed over $62 billion of leveraged transactions (including many roll-up investment strategies) and other private equity, mezzanine or preferred equity investments. Currently, they manage over $5.0 billion of capital in their active funds.

Abry seeks to maximize the value of its investments by concentrating on certain industry sectors where they have substantial operating and investment experience. Because ABRY brings deep industry insight to the investment process, they are able to quickly understand key issues, accurately assess opportunity, value, and risk, and bring relevant information to bear. They partner with skilled executives and invest significant capital to help build stronger companies and industry leaders.

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The 4 Pillars of Virtualization Technology

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The 4 Pillars of Virtualization Technology

The 4 Pillars of Virtualization Technology

Virtualization technology has been a standard of practice in the IT industry for nearly two decades, but has evolved since it’s general inception. Virtualization is the creation of a virtual, software-based version of networks, servers, applications, storage, operating systems, etc… As virtualization advances, this list continues to expand.

Traditionally an enterprise play, virtualization is now considered the most effective way to reduce IT expense, boost efficiency and agility for small and mid-sized business markets. Simplistically, virtualization will minimize your hardware footprint and optimize your applications that need a dedicated operating system.

Here are a few of the ways virtualization technology continues to raise the bar in providing business benefits.

1. Flexibility of your technology

Virtualization takes multiple systems running independently on dedicated hardware to one connected software-based environment. “Virtual machines” operate in a single physical environment while running the same applications but with more flexible capabilities. This also creates the ability to expand and share resources depending on the workload within that physical environment. The virtual environment provides agility that can also significantly decrease the time it takes your IT team to deploy changes to the systems.

What does this mean for your business? As we know, time is money, and having your critical software immediately accessible and running more efficiently can dramatically affect the year-end bottom line.

2. Network virtualization

Network virtualization is a way to optimize your network for speed, flexibility and scalability. It increases security and reliability through combining resources in a shared network – parsing bandwidth, each with the ability to be assigned (and reassigned) to devices and servers and giving all users access to all resources.

What does this mean for your business? By creating an environment that is responsive to change in real-time, administrator tasks become more automated and the system can effectively handle unforeseen surges in usage without productivity issues.

3. Server virtualization and hardware consolidation

Inserting multiple virtual instances of servers into one physical server can increase efficiencies by utilizing capacity and minimizing your hardware footprint. In the world of computing, for a business that manages 20 servers, incurred costs are related to energy consumption for cooling, space to house the servers and equipment necessary to fully operate the hardware and IT support for monitoring and maintenance.

What does this mean for your business? Scaling down the number of physical servers running the same applications and operating systems will produce a dramatic reduction in long term IT hardware costs.

4. Isolating applications

Isolating applications is a way to solve issues of application incompatibility. You may have experienced this when trying to run two versions of an application at the same time on the same device. Through virtualization, each operating environment will have its own registry entries, code libraries, etc. So, application incompatibilities are a thing of the past within the virtual environment.

What does this mean for your business? Isolated environment capabilities can mitigate the risk of failures and corruption in one environment affecting other applications or data. For some, this is the primary reason for virtualization.

NexusTek’s expert staff has years of experience migrating, implementing and maintaining virtual environments.  If this is the year you are looking to widen your profit margin by tighten up any technology gaps with a virtualization project, NexusTek can help.

Connect with NexusTek today to strategize on your current and future technology objectives.

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Cost Comparison: IT Staff vs Domestic IT Outsourcing

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Cost Comparison: IT Staff vs Domestic IT Outsourcing

Cost Comparison: IT Staff vs Domestic IT Outsourcing

Providing for your business needs takes planning and consistent evaluation. Evaluating and re-evaluating IT budgets is a frequent conversation we have with our clients and we have become well-versed with what type of IT budget planning will work for specific business types. Technology is the foundation of your business and the return on investment (ROI) of your technology – like hardware, software, IT Projects, IT Consulting, business services and yes, human resources – is regularly at the mercy of the market. Here is what you must ask yourself as an SMB in today’s environment of advanced Cloud Technology and XaaS (everything as a service):

What’s the ROI on your technology resources? How does one begin to measure the return on an investment in technology for business where factors like IT Help Desk support, Server maintenance, IT security, expertise, and availability are concerned? Does your staff have access to the knowledge in order to access all the factors available to make the most informed decision?

To help make the determination of ROI, we put together the top considerations when making the decision to either hire an in-house IT Professional or partner with a Managed Services Provider.

Let’s start with the cost/benefit consideration on both sides. Company parameters: 50 employees, 3 locations within the US, 50 workstations, 1TB of critical data, 2 physical servers and basic software needs. 

What your basic business technology needs include:

  • IT support – onsite or remote
  • Server maintenance/management – workstation protection, server monitoring and alerting, firewall management (updates and backups), managed backup and disaster recovery
  • Managed Cloud Services – fully-hosted managed solution and hosted exchange
  • Managed Cloud Backup – fully-hosted backup solution, monitored for data integrity
  • IT Consulting – providing strategic IT management, coordination of IT vendors, technology to support future growth projections and quarterly business reports (QBR’s) 

Cost considerations of in-house IT Professional:

  • Base Salary
  • Benefits (vacation/PTO/holidays/medical)
  • Knowledge gap
  • Downtime potential
  • 4% admin cost
  • 25% turnover rate
  • 20% unproductive rate

Here is a detailed assessment of ALL cost considerations of hiring IT staff – Download Our IT Employee Cost Calculator 

Cost considerations of outsourced IT (Denver market)

  • Monthly rate – Fully managed IT service and support
  • IT projects and IT consulting

Bottom-Line – Benefits of IT Outsourcing

  • 24/7/365 IT support
  • Teams of Highly-specialized IT professionals (certified)
  • No vacation days/sick or PTO days or medical benefit costs
  • Experts in upgrading Technology when applicable (IT Consulting Experts)
  • Human redundancy with multiple team members 

Bottom-Line – Benefits of hiring an in-house IT Professional

  • Human Resources control over IT staff

Last year we interviewed Mike Jenner, CEO of NexusTek, on hiring IT. As a veteran in the IT and Telecommunications space for more than 30 years, he was candid about the current environment of our industry and the factors businesses must take into consideration when deciding between in-house and outsourced information technology resources. View the article here: Interview with CEO, Mike Jenner on the Real Cost of Hiring an IT Person.

If you are interested in having a conversation with NexusTek on your IT project or Managed IT Services needs, don’t hesitate to contact us.

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NexusTek Acquires Phoenix-based CyberTrails

NexusTek Acquires Phoenix-based CyberTrails

NexusTek Acquires Phoenix-based CyberTrails

Combined Portfolio Will Provide Top Tier IT Services and IT Consulting to the Western Region

ENGLEWOOD, Colorado – June 7, 2017

NexusTek, a leading Denver-based IT services and IT consulting firm, announced today that it has acquired CyberTrails from the Republic Financial Corporation. CyberTrails’ regional footprint and technological expertise will enhance NexusTek’s ability to provide both onsite and remote IT Support and Help Desk offerings with Network Operations Centers (NOC) in both Denver and Phoenix.

NexusTek and CyberTrails have already demonstrated the strength of their combined offering by partnering to provide critical services to customers. “When our previous MSP suddenly went AWOL,” said Kevin Yamane, President and COO of Catalyst Lending, “NexusTek and CyberTrails partnered to immediately assess and mitigate any potential issues. In the short time we have been with them, they have been attentive, responsive and very professional. Very impressed so far!”

In today’s economy, small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) depend increasingly on IT to enable optimal business outcomes.  NexusTek and CyberTrails are confident their combined offering will provide the IT support and services SMBs need to effectively address and achieve their business objectives.

This transaction expands NexusTek to more than 100 employees nationally and establishes NexusTek as one of the region’s prominent IT firms serving over 1,000 SMB clients. NexusTek, an SSAE 16 SOC II certified provider, will retain CyberTrails’ office in Phoenix.

About NexusTek

NexusTek, an award-winning Microsoft Gold Partner, provides small and medium-sized businesses a trusted resource to optimize and manage their IT environments, ensuring business continuity and driving productivity. From managed IT services to cloud solutions and customized business software implementations, NexusTek employs top talent, offers personalized attention, and brings nearly 22 years implementing technology best practices for companies across Colorado and the region. 

About Republic Financial

Founded in 1971, Republic Financial Corporation is a private investor with a diverse portfolio of operating companies and assets. The company has three core business disciplines: Special Assets, Portfolio Companies and Commercial Aviation. Special Assets invests in distressed commercial debt, and distressed companies and projects. Portfolio Companies include mid-market investments and growth opportunities in a wide range of industries. Commercial Aviation acquires, leases, and manages commercial aircraft assets. Republic is committed to providing the capital, expertise, and resources necessary to close each and every transaction in a timely manner.

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Interview with CEO, Mike Jenner on the Real Cost of Hiring an IT Person

READ TIME: 4 MIN

Interview with CEO, Mike Jenner on the Real Cost of Hiring an IT Person

Interview with CEO, Mike Jenner on the Real Cost of Hiring an IT Person

Is it time to hire an IT person for your growing business?

We work with thousands of small and midsize business owners, managers and staff in several metro areas. As one of the top IT managed services providers, we know the business needs of our clients where IT and business solutions are concerned.

With more than 25 years’ experience in the IT industry, no one knows our business better than NexusTek’s CEO, Mike Jenner. So, we decided to get his thoughts on hiring IT staff in today’s competitive market.

Interview with Mike Jenner

TekBlog: What are the most important things to consider when hiring in the IT market today?

Mike J: What we are seeing in the market is a high demand for IT talent  — be prepared to look beyond your local area to find the right talent. Because demand is high for these employees, understanding what is important to them is a critical component to attracting and retaining them long-term. Turnover can be very expensive and can put your business at risk.

TekBlog: In your experience, what are today’s IT industry candidates looking for?

Mike J: For companies in the SMB space looking to hire support in-house for IT, they have some real challenges ahead for not only finding but hiring and managing this new hire in the local market. Today, given the fact that there is a shortage of candidates and the demand is high, you have to be able to offer something more to compete for the skilled job seekers that will stay with you long-term.

As for needs: The IT pro is a problem solver. They have a deep desire (and need) to find solutions to technical problems. Today’s IT industry pro is looking for more than just a paycheck and benefits. They want an opportunity for advancement, the tools to do their job efficiently and effectively, projects that will offer the experience they need to build on their skills, and a chance to learn more given the ever-changing field of technology.

TekBlog: You say that the SMB has some real challenges in managing that resource. Can you elaborate on that?

Mike J: We see the SMB’s struggle with more than simply finding and hiring. For many SMB’s, information technology is the backbone of the companies operations.

Your network environment must be up-and-running 24/7/365. Today, downtime can cost you more than just short-term revenue loss. It can also have a long-term impact on customer satisfaction. We are seeing breaches critically impact the reputation of a business and in a customer-centric market, this can be devastating.

Your IT manager is on-call and if you are a one-man show, you’re talking “sweatshop” environment because that individual will often have to fix something after hours to avoid affecting operations. They are responsible for your company’s operations any time of the day or night. This is one of the most difficult issues for an SMB to manage — meeting the needs of the business without burning out their employees.

It’s also a challenge for managers with little or no technical background to effectively manage and develop technical employees. It can be almost like a language barrier – understanding what they need to be successful in their career and in supporting your business without speaking their language is tough.

TekBlog: That brings up a good point. If a company hires a consultant, wouldn’t that consultant have a plan in place for backup in the case of vacation or sick days?

Mike J: They may or they may not. An outsourced provider will have a team of engineers and investment in the tools to automate infrastructure management as much as possible. This is something an independent or SMB simply cannot afford to have. This is another misconception – that this “investment” is costly for the SMB. That is not the case. When you factor in all the costs to hiring, we offer more in monitoring services and we have the flexibility to fit the needs of our target market.

This investment also gives NexusTek the foundation to find the best in the business, the tools to support their work, and a career path by making training available for our tech pros. This is a differentiator for NexusTek and a critical component in managing an IT employee today that most SMB hiring managers miss. We have the flexibility to address this need in the market.

We regularly have to educate our target market of the misconception that outsourcing costs more than an in-house resource. When you gather all of the factors that often get overlooked, it typically not the case. NexusTek considers all of the costs of hiring and retaining IT talent.

Being in the business for twenty years has taught us to listen to our clients, understand the market and provide the viable solutions that enable businesses to grow profitably.

TekBlog: We thank Mike for taking the time to share his experience and for making NexusTek’s Employee Cost Calculator available to our readers!

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Top 17 Tech Companies in Colorado

READ TIME: 6 MIN

Top 17 Tech Companies in Colorado

Top 17 Tech Companies in Colorado

Mainstream media’s fascination with Colorado has placed our culture, lifestyle, and legislation in the limelight. From progressive laws to our real estate and construction boom and the expanding economy into new markets, Colorado’s brand is growing on a grand scale.

As an IT company founded more than 22 years ago, NexusTek has seen many changes in Colorado, including the slow and steady expansion of small and medium-sized businesses. In recent years, reports have cited an influx of entrepreneurs and investors placing their bets on Colorado innovation. This reputation has also led to big brands and large corporations looking to bring their operations to the Rocky Mountain State.

Although Colorado did not achieve the 2015 top ranking state for high-tech jobs, Colorado continues to attract big names in technology.

NOTE: NexusTek is a technology company that focuses on managed IT services for cloud, cyber security, ERP and CRM (Microsoft Dynamics 365), business continuity and disaster planning/backup, VoIP and serving small and mid-sized businesses in 6 markets across the U.S. Contact us here if you are interested in IT services and solutions for your small or mid-sized business.

Here is our list of the top national/global tech companies that are either headquartered or have a substantial presence in Colorado:

1. Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin is a national leader in the aerospace, defense and security space with their headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. But in Littleton, Colorado they have Autonomous Systems where they work on robotic airborne and ground systems, vehicles, and surveillance. Robotics technology and development has a strong presence in Colorado and Lockheed is a big player here. For those passionate about robotics, here are 15 unmanned technology facts courtesy of Lockheed Martin.

2. IBM Corporation

While headquartered in Armonk, NY, IBM chose Boulder to house more than 2,800 employees because of its climate, surrounding areas, and for the lower risk for natural disasters. The tech giant’s Boulder campus is dedicated to IBM Resiliency Services division. IBM (originally, International Business Machines) is more than 100 years old and was founded in 1911 in Endicott, NY.

3. Oracle

Once the largest tech employer in Colorado in 2010, Oracle has made its mark in the mountain region with offices in Denver, Monument, and Broomfield. Their main office is in Redwood City, California, but these field offices in Colorado house nearly 2,000 of the company’s reported 120,000 employees worldwide. In 1998, Oracle Founder, Larry Ellison said, “If the Internet turns out not to be the future of computing, we are toast. But if it is, we are golden.”

4. Avaya

Highlands Ranch and Colorado Springs are the two location of Avaya’s offices in Colorado. Their headquarters are in California, where they deal with multi-channel business communications with customer and team productivity solutions. Avaya has 5,400 patents and pending patent applications, including foreign counterparts.

5. Level 3

Headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, Level 3 Communications works with enterprise businesses as well as the government with their communications services. Level 3’s services reach over 500 markets and more than 60 countries anchored by extensive fiber networks on three continents and connected by undersea facilities. Level 3 is the largest competitive local exchange carrier, and the 2nd largest provider of fiber optic internet access (based on coverage area) in the United States.

6. Tempus Nova

With their main office located in Denver, Tempus Nova is proudly a Google Apps Premier Partner, where they concentrate their work in Google Apps implementation, cloud services, app development, as well as Google Enterprise Solutions. In business for 14 years, Tempus Nova is a women-owned minority small business.

7. MapQuest

Acquired by AOL in 2000, MapQuest headquarters is located in Denver. A name and brand that, unless you have been living on Mars, you would recognize and know exactly what they do. Just for grins — they are a free online map and direction service with mobile apps for every device. What some may not know is that they have enterprise solutions for businesses that can easily optimize their routes and add map integrations to their websites. Brian McMahon, MapQuest’s top executive says the question they get asked a lot: “Does MapQuest still exist?” They do still exist and have always been profitable.

8. Zayo Group

Formerly known as Latisys, the company changed management and their name to Zayo Group in 2015. Their two data center facilities are located just outside of downtown Denver in Englewood. They provide hybrid infastructure-as-a-service for enterprise cloud and managed hosting solutions. The founder of Zayo Group, Dan Caruso, was a former top executive with Level 3 Communications. His company has grown from a startup less than a decade ago, to one of the largest providers of bandwidth infrastructure services in the United States and Europe.

9. MCAD Technologies

MCAD, for the past decade, has been providing 3D printing and rapid phototyping solutions to the engineering community. With five offices from the Midwest to the West Coast, MCAD has two of them in Colorado — Denver and Boulder. They also provide services of tech documentation, webinars, tech support as well as staffing services.

10. SendGrid

Based in Boulder, SendGrid has expanded operations and now has offices in Denver, California and London. They are an e-mail marketing and STMP relay service that allows you to send bulk e-mail to your subscribers. Some of their biggest clients include Airbnb, Foursquare, Spotify and Uber.

11. iTriage

With the first mobile app to make our list and headquartered in Denver, iTriage has a healthcare app boasting more than 13 million downloads across Google’s and Apple’s app stores. The app helps the user with answers to medical questions and practical advice on how to take action in your everyday life to be healthier. The story of iTriage began with a need identified by two triage doctors.

12. Sphero

Boulder is housing one of the smartest toys out there. Sphero developers Ian Bernstein and Adam Wilson were passionate robotics engineers who both attended Colorado universities and met through their shared love of robotics. Introduced to the thriving Techstar community in 2010, their work progressed and the result is a line of robots and connected toys to help educate kids. Sphero’s design is intended to inspire young minds through robot play.

13. Zen Planner

Littleton, Colorado is the home to Zen Planner and their all-in-one fitness business software for studios, trainers, and gyms. Taking the fitness industry digital, Zen Planner has made their mark with applications available for tablets and smartphones that, at a minimum, helps users with fitness scheduling, attendance tracking, automatic billing and more. No better place than Colorado to marry the fitness industry and digital!

14. ReadyTalk

Located in Denver, ReadyTalk is one of the top providers for web and audio conferences, as well as hosting webinars online. Placing sixth in the top ten video conferencing companies worldwide, just ahead of the well-known WebEx, some of ReadyTalk’s biggest clients include Marketo, Workfront, and Profiles International. The company has been going strong since 2000.

15. SolidFire

Boulder-based SolidFire is revolutionizing the data center with their next generation “all-flash” storage systems. With one of the largest cloud infrastructures in the world, they are a leader in cloud computing. Since launching in 2010, the company has raised $150 million in venture capital funds. In 2014, SolidFire was recognized by the Denver Post as one of the Top Workplaces in Colorado.

16. FullContact

FullContact is another leading tech software company based in Denver that has won consistent equity investment. In March of 2015, the company announced another $10 million in their latest funding round bringing the total equity investment in the company to $20 million. FullContact helps sales reps and marketers find contact information and social profiles by email for prospecting. It also integrates with Salesforce and Pardot so users can get information automatically from their CRM just by submitting an email address.

17. Google

You read correctly! The tech giant, Google, has begun work on their campus in Boulder, Colorado! The Internet search trailblazer broke ground on their new 330,000-square-foot Boulder site in 2015. Expected to house up to 1,500 employees, the first of two phases is targeted for completion January of 2017. Currently, 300 employees are spread among four buildings in Boulder. Certainly, the Google culture will fit perfectly with the Boulderite, something we’ve come to know and love as Coloradans!

This list could include many more tech companies in the SMB and enterprise market as examples of growth, innovation and entrepreneurialism in Colorado.

With Colorado’s amazing views and culture, it’s no surprise to us why more and more companies are choosing the Rocky Mountain region to call home for their businesses and their families. Like many others, we just feel fortunate to be one of the largest IT managed services companies in a growing market in the great state of Colorado!

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The Top 7 Benefits of Outsourcing Your IT Department

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The Top 7 Benefits of Outsourcing Your IT Department

The Top 7 Benefits of Outsourcing Your IT Department

First and foremost, the number one reason small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) choose to outsource their information technology needs is so that they experience fewer headaches. Of course, this is an oversimplified and distilled encapsulation of a complex issue. And to make a qualified business decision regarding whether or not to outsource your organization’s IT, you need to back it up with supporting evidence.

An IT department is made up of a complex environment of hardware, software, and computer networks that allow you to perform important business functions and work flows such as accounting and financial processes (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), email, and document creation.

Your company’s success depends on it being able to use these functions reliably and efficiently. For example, it is imperative for organizations to send and receive emails to communicate with clients, employees, partners and vendors – to fulfill product and service orders. How long can your business operate without such an important function? Additionally, you must be able to access customer information and financial data to run your business. And to protect these processes, there are many back-end functions that need to be performed including security, anti-virus protection, data backup & recovery, and server monitoring.

With this large and vital undertaking, is it feasible for an SMB to totally take on the tasks and responsibilities necessary to run its own IT department? Not without a sizeable commitment and investment in IT talent, infrastructure, money and time. Training IT staff, maintaining IT devices and keeping technology up-to-date are huge burdens for most SMBs

Here is a list of the top seven benefits of outsourcing your IT department to an experienced and credentialed Managed Services Provider (MSP):

1. Control and Reduce Costs

When you outsource your organization’s IT functions to an MSP, you are able to control costs by paying a set monthly fee, so you know what your expenditures are and they do not fluctuate month to month. You are also able to take advantage of their economies of scale, lower cost structures, and learned efficiencies and expertise. When you have your own IT department to fund and run, it can be extremely expensive. Qualified IT professionals must maintain their level of expertise as well as be adequately compensated.

Additionally, MSPs offer cloud-hosted services where you can rent hardware such as servers, and even have them located offsite and monitored on a continual basis, which substantially lowers your total IT investment. All hardware has an “end-of-life” expiration for when its performance deteriorates, then fails and needs to be replaced. Cloud-hosted services allow you to control and predict these costs.

2. Focus on Your Business

Your organization may be a law, engineering, accounting, or construction firm, and these are your core competencies, not information technology. Every company has limits to its resources, and an MSP will let you redirect them from non-core activities toward activities that provide a greater return. By allowing a qualified MSP to take care of your IT, this frees up your resources to concentrate on the areas that make you successful and grow.

3. Access to the Most Current Technology

Qualified MSPs bring world-class knowledge and experience to your organization on a continual basis. With an MSP, you will receive access to new technologies and know-how that you may not have considered previously, as well as techniques and tools that you currently do not possess. These tools include tried-and-true procedures and processes; documentation; and more structured methodologies.

Additionally, a qualified MSP company tests the engineers they hire, and maintains their training and examinations on a continual basis to keep them up-to-date with the latest technologies.

Also, MSPs bring a wide variety of IT professionals with different skills sets to take care of a number of situations. If you have your own IT staff, their skill set would be limited to their expertise.

4. 24/7/365 Monitoring of Your IT Environment

Even if you do have knowledgeable and qualified IT professionals on staff, with a limited number of staff, it would not be reasonable to have them monitor your IT environment every hour of the day, and every day of the year. Qualified MSPs have the tools and staff to do this, and can foresee serious issues with your IT environment and can fix them before downtime occurs. And they would be able to advise you on necessary future upgrades to avoid any future downtime. Are your servers more than three years old? Are you using an operating system that is no longer supported?

MSPs can also take care of day-to-day tasks such as software updates and patches, anti-virus updates, data backups, and inventory auditing and control.

5. Minimize Risk

MSPs will keep your day-to-day IT environment up-to-date easily and effortlessly by automating the process using specialized tools. MSPs are responsible for verifying that backups are working, pushing out patches, and auditing inventory to minimize the risk of catastrophic occurrences.

They also take on the responsibility of being alerted of unpredictable circumstances such as backup and hardware failures, database corruptions, software crashes, and virus and spyware intrusions, acting quickly to prevent downtime. A limited in-house IT staff may not be able to respond and take care of the problem as quickly, leading to extended downtime, putting productivity at risk.

And with the MSP’s expertise, you reduce the risk of making a wrong decision because of any lack of technical experience.

6. Strategic Consulting and Future IT Roadmap Planning

With years of experience working with different client companies and industries, as well as keeping current with the latest technology, qualified MSPs will advise companies on their future IT requirements. This is done by evaluating the company’s growth and accompanying IT needs, whether the company plans to move or expand, or enter into new markets.

Technology is constantly changing, and it is difficult to ascertain what a company will need in the future and how those needs will translate into dollars. By partnering with an MSP, uncertainties become more predictable.

7. Increased Productivity

Because of all of the above benefits, your organization will be able to lower its costs and focus on its core competencies. A qualified MSP can predict, prevent and quickly respond to serious issues that lead to catastrophic failures and extended downtime. Moreover, you will be using the most current technology that enhances your success and makes you more competitive. With first-class technology, you can streamline processes and make them more efficient and productive, and your company will also be able to take advantage of opportunities more quickly.

If you are considering partnering with an MSP to take care of your IT needs, Contact the experts at NexusTek. We provide managed IT services to hundreds of companies in the Greater Denver Metro region and beyond.

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