IT Management

ThrottleNet Named on Channel Futures MSP 501 List for Sixth Year in a Row

July 28, 2020—For the sixth year in a row, ThrottleNet is excited to announce that it has been named in the annual Channel Futures MSP 501 Rankings.

Each year, Channel Futures selects the top 501 Managed Service Providers across the globe based on a variety of criteria, including best-in-class service, operational efficiency, and a higher rate of return on investments for their customers.

Kris Blackmon, Content Director and Editor of the MSP 501, says, “Our winners represent the health and progressivity of the managed services market. They’re growing their revenue, expanding their customer influence and exploring new technology that will propel them for years to come.”

The accomplished MSPs who make the list work tirelessly to develop creative solutions for their customers that improve the industry as a whole. By making the list, MSPs mark their reputation as top industry leaders in IT managed services.

Becoming a Top-Ranked Managed Service Provider

Our team’s goal at ThrottleNet is to continually develop innovative technology solutions that give businesses in our community a cutting digital edge. We are constantly evolving our services to ensure our customers are supported on every technological front.

George Rosenthal, President and Founder of ThrottleNet, says, “We are honored to be listed on the MSP 501 list for another year. This prestigious recognition pushes our team to seek increased opportunities to hone our skills and provide the best solutions for our customers. Our clients’ valuable feedback and trust in us over the years has allowed us to prove ourselves not only as a top MSP in St. Louis but as one of the top MSPs in the world.”

How Channel Futures MSP 501 Companies Are Selected

Channel Futures compiled its 2020 MSP 501 list based on data including factors such as growth rates, service offerings, business and pricing models, and total and recurring revenues.

This data also contributes to an annual study of IT industry trends, which will be released at the Channel Partners Evolution Conference. The full MSP 501 Report includes interviews with IT experts, valuable statistics, and more.

You can view the complete 2020 MSP 501 list at Channel Futures.

Learn About ThrottleNet’s Managed Network Services

Two Big Reasons to Move to the Cloud

Most of the decisions made in business are to protect or increase the bottom-line. Cloud services are reported to boost profits and spur growth. By using cloud hosting, your company can scale and reduce data without the additional cost and physical space taken up by servers. The cloud is also convenient with easy file sharing capabilities, ensuring that teams can coordinate and work on projects from anywhere at any time.

In light of the COVID-19 lockdowns, the cloud is keeping many companies open, allowing workers to communicate, collaborate, and keep operations moving. Zoom, OneDrive, and other cloud-based applications provide greater workforce mobility. Migrating your business to the cloud will allow more customers to be served and workers to stay productive with a secure job to support their families. Additionally, it will allow employees to have more creativity and control in their day, thereby increasing their job satisfaction.

Make a Plan

As Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to plan, you are preparing to fail.”

Set a clear plan with objectives and goals, perhaps with a mix of on-premise and cloud solutions. This could be referred to as an implementation road map.

Build in “Off-Ramps”

Businesses should create milestones to pause the migration from an on-premise to a cloud solution. Think of it as using the off-ramp on a highway to get gas and check your map before continuing your road trip. It’s an opportunity to check and evaluate your progress.

Create a Data Storage Strategy

Carefully analyze each benefit when making a complicated transition. Moving some data to the cloud may impact the user experience. Certain hosts can make it difficult for a business to work with the data. Some pieces of data need local copies or caches of data to be used while maintaining a backup of that data in the cloud. Find the solutions that work best for your business.

Benefits of cloud servers include:

Performance
Security
Around-the-clock support

Control
Scalability

Outsource Your Business IT to Cloud Computing Experts

At Throttlenet, we understand that not all businesses have their own IT department to implement large and complicated transitions. Our business engineers will help you migrate and expand your services as your company grows. Click here to learn about our managed cloud software. After all, business happens around-the-clock, and your employees need to be able to access systems, software, emails, and documents at any time.

Businesses could benefit from allowing their employees to work remotely. Employees could be more productive and creative at home, work in an environment free of distractions, and maintain a positive work-life balance, making them a more engaged employee. To make sure businesses run smoothly, they can prepare for remote work.

Here are some need to know tips for managing a remote workforce.

Create a Series of How to Guides

Once everyone starts to work remotely, they may have the same questions and not realize it. The person in charge could receive emails from different co-workers with the same question, and their inbox would fill up. So that they don’t have to answer each email individually, it’s recommended to create how-to guides for the most used applications.

To prepare everyone for working remotely, have a group meeting either in person, over the phone, or through video chat to set guidelines. By going over this information once in the beginning, everyone will be on the right track and not waste time. Make sure users know how to login to their network on their PC or Mac computer and are familiar with the remote access solutions they’ll use at home, such as VPN or RDP networks.

Mobile Device Management, or MDM, software can be set up to give devices a standard configuration. The aim is to improve productivity for employees. Check out our IT solutions for secure remote access.

Mobile Device Management

Ensure proper management of mobile devices. Mobile devices are more likely to be lost or stolen when they are away from the home or office. Make sure that your team understands the risk of leaving devices unattended, especially in public places, and the importance of keeping their software and devices up-to-date. Encourage staff members to keep their devices in a safe location when they are not in use. One prevalent scam that is on the rise is sim card swapping.

In case this were to happen, use encryption to protect data. While most modern devices have encryption built-in, it may need to be turned on and configured. Fortunately, most devices have tools to remotely lock the device, erase the data stored on it, or retrieve a backup of its data. At the same time, if your organization allows for Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD, make sure your team backs up their photos and music. These items would be wiped from the device in the event that it was reported stolen.

Create a policy outlining what will happen if a device is lost or stolen, as well as the expectations. For instance, make note of who employees should report to, and encourage them in a positive, blame-free manner to report losses as soon as possible. Early reporting may help to minimize risk to the data, and staff members who aren’t fearful of reprisals are more likely to report promptly.

Avoid USB Drives and Removable Media

USB drives and removable media contain sensitive information and are easily misplaced. As they are openly shared, it becomes hard to track what they contain, where they’ve been, and who has used them. Hackers could also use USB drives to infect IT systems with malware. Reduce the likelihood of viruses by only allowing products supplied by the organization to be used. Another method is by using alternative means, such as corporate storage or collaborative tools such as OneDrive, FTP sites, or email.

Provide an Internal Who to Call List

Our last tip for working remotely is to make sure staff members know how to report any problems. This is especially important for security issues. If you work with a company like ThrottleNet, give them a call. If not, direct users to the appropriate support channels.

A Reliable Employee Who Can Work From Home

As a bonus tip, you need employees who can work remotely without supervision. Here are some interview questions that you can ask candidates looking to work for a remote position.

“How do you schedule your day?” looks for how a person schedules their time, perhaps by first checking emails, then having any meetings, and then working on daily tasks.
“How would you manage a project with a lot of people?” looks for how they work together on a project. This could be done through a document sharing service like Google Drive, where everyone can view and edit the same document.
“Why do you want to work remotely?” is a question that everyone answers differently. For example, some may want to stay at home with pets. Animal lovers will like to work with their furry friends by their side.

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