SOS has formally launched its Managed IT Services Division to provide a one-stop shop for clients’ IT needs, help-desk questions, IT troubleshooting, health and management of their servers, managing critical updates, and managing backups.

 

“It’s like an all-you-can-eat offering for a set price,” said Lawrence McNutt, SOS co-founder and chief technology officer. “SOS now provides emergency services with a four-hour service level agreement, remote monitoring, patch management, a dedicated consultant to guide IT direction and tactics over the long term, and management of vendor relationships.”

 

“It’s not just the Internet, not just the switches, not just the servers, not just the PCs. We do it all, including mobile devices that sync back to data services,” McNutt said.

 

“SOS has been providing IT management for years to a large client with 250 locations. The new division formalizes the offering and brings it within the reach of small businesses as well.”

 

Rob Thornton, previously the business practice manager for Cisco products, manages the new division. “In order to make sure we can maintain client systems, SOS works with clients to make sure they have a solid ‘sustainability factor.’ For example, companies under SOS managed services contracts must have 30 minutes of backup power to deal with brownouts, updated software and secure firewalls. A disaster recovery plan is another essential,” said Thornton.

 

“If a company has neglected technology for a long time, they need to invest to meet the criteria for this offering,” Thornton added. “For those willing to make the investment, however, when they go fully managed, SOS will guarantee uptime and quick response.”

 

One of the first clients for the new division is Kodiak Roofing & Waterproofing Co, a specialist in commercial roofing and waterproofing throughout the Western United States. The company has about 40 people on its network at its Lincoln, Calif. headquarters, plus another nine people at a Reno, Nev., branch office.

 

“Until contracting with SOS, Kodiak had been designating various staff members to handle IT issues. Most recently it was me,” said Matt Ludlow, Kodiak’s Special Projects Manager. “But the amount of time it was taking me to troubleshoot IT issues made it difficult to focus on my primary work with the company.”

 

“After meeting with eight or nine different IT firms, we chose SOS for managed IT services,” said Ludlow. “Some other companies promised a lot, but when we saw them working they were throwing rank amateurs at our network,” Ludlow said. “Putting our network in SOS’ hands has meant roughly 20 percent savings in annual IT costs, plus more time for staff to concentrate on the roofing business.”

 

“Before SOS stepped in there were two of us spending a considerable amount of time, probably 10 to 15 hours a week working on IT issues. The other individual was one of our primary estimators.” Ludlow said. “Now the estimator is free to land new contracts for Kodiak, I can focus on my workload, and we have a network that can handle whatever we throw at it.”

 

“Unless you have an experienced managed services provider like SOS working proactively on your IT, small problems pile up and will eventually bring the network down,” Ludlow said. “In my mind, the issue is whether or not you want a ticking time bomb.”

 

 

 

Kodiak Roofing & Waterproofing Co. specializes in commercial roofing and waterproofing throughout the Western United States. Kodiak has over fifteen years of experience providing roofing, waterproofing, and maintenance services to small business owners, education and healthcare facilities, convention centers, airports, casinos, hotels, and warehouses. Clients include Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, Kohl's, Mervyn's, the State of Nevada, and the State of California. For more information on its roofing solutions, contact Kodiak at (866) 530-BEAR or e-mail at info@kodiakroofing.com. Visit them online at www.kodiakroofing.com 

 

 

 

SOS helps organizations choose and use advanced communications technology to serve customers better, work smarter, and increase profits. SOS is a nationwide expert in voice and data solutions for business, including Voice over IP (VoIP). Since 1992, hundreds of businesses have chosen the SOS team for IP communications, call center technology, and managed IT services solutions. Clients can experience 100% return on investment in 6 to 36 months from SOS’s simple, smart, secure technology solutions. SOS is located near Sacramento in Loomis, CA. For more information call 888-336-7671, email etips@team-sos.com or visit www.team-sos.com