packetTrap Blog

As we all sit down to fill out our brackets in preparation for the big dance, it’s important to remember that there might be more at stake than winning the office pool. With the proliferation of personal device use within organizations and accessibility of online streaming, live content, events such as March Madness can result in productivity loss, poor network performance and even downtime for customers. Managed Service Providers can be a key player in helping customers navigate this issue as consultants with the experience, know-how and tools to get the job done.

Storms such as Sandy and Nemo serve as key reminders of what can happen when Mother Nature decides to throw a curve ball. While some people are more worried about shoveling the driveway and the inability to stream Netflix while stuck at home, others are contemplating more serious implications. Various types of companies, for instance, could face major, extended shut downs if employees don’t have access to the technology and applications they need. So, how can managed service providers (MSPs) prepare for severe weather to help ensure their customers remain connected? Here are three best practices:   

Today’s Managed Service Providers (MSPs) must navigate an ever changing and disparate IT landscape.  In-order to remain viable and necessary to the business owner, the MSP must not only be able to scale his operations but they must simultaneously possess the ability to respond in a timely manner that will provide the greatest net benefit to the end user and customer they are supporting.  With so many solutions available on the market, it is nearly impossible and extremely time consuming to locate a solution that has the right blend of features, ease of use and capabilities that will facilitate an MSP to meet and exceed their customer’s requirements while easily adapting to any changes to the IT infrastructure.

Starting with a foundation of robust schedule making software is a necessity for a successful PSA implementation, but pay close attention to how you introduce new software to the whole company. Without applying the right training and allocation of tasks in the user adoption process, you’ll create a chaotic environment where no tech knows what the other is doing. A much better way to handle this kind of transition is to have a defined rollout plan. A pre-defined plan that keeps things running smoothly, keeps employees on track and gets you the business performance benefits more quickly.

We have found that, similar to MSPs, owners of field service companies often struggle to streamline business processes. This is not surprising as field service professionals (FSPs), as well as MSPs, focus first on customer service and addressing immediate client issues. A laser-focus on customers leaves less time for the business of running a business. Without efficient business functions in place, challenges can interrupt the high-quality service those companies work to deliver.

Located in San Francisco, CA, NS. Baumsteiger Consulting works with an array of clients from independent PC-owners to financial companies. When they were ready to expand their capabilities and become a full-fledged managed service provider (MSP), Nate Baumsteiger, Principal, realized that they needed additional visibility into clients’ networks and deployed packetTrap RMM. Its proactive monitoring capabilities allow the company to solve issues before they become critical problems, saving clients time and money caused by down time.

It’s a safe bet that MSPs, whether they are mom-and-pop businesses or a burgeoning SMB, would like to find ways to increase billings this year. In our experience, one of the obstacles to increasing revenues is a dependence on the break-fix model. In the break-fix model, you wait for something to go wrong, go out to the customer to fix it, and then, send out an invoice. This may be doing both the MSP and the client a disservice. First, revenues fluctuate and are not predictable, thus creating cash flow problems. Second, the cause of that fluctuating revenue, maybe a customers’ network going on down, causes lots of stress as well as lost productivity for your client.

By Mike Byrne
Did you know that YouTube is the second most popular search engine, led only by Google? According to YouTube’s official blog, “Broadcasting Ourselves,” users are now uploading one hour of video to the site every second. Check out this video on the blog that highlights YouTube’s massive growth of video content.

The staggering among of content , digital content aside, we found that what is really interesting is how YouTube and other streaming video channels, including online news sites, are in some cases becoming the de facto outlet to view video content often for the first time. We’ve seen major events, such as President Obama’s inaugurations, the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2011 “Royal Wedding,” viewed exclusively online. And while most consumers will likely tune to their big screen, high def. TVs to watch the Ravens take on the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, YouTube and other online sites have already seen a significant uptick in traffic all related to Super Bowl commercials. 

It’s easy for managers to get used to an employee scheduling program, but force of habit can be a poor excuse for just keeping something around. Newer, more efficient, automated systems are available that can save a company valuable time and resources. Here are four reasons IT managers should upgrade their scheduling software to an automated system today.