The Always-On Business Deserves an Always-On IT Partner

Article Courtesy of StoredTech's Network of Experts

By Allan Pollak

Allan has 15+ years of experience as an IT professional. He ensures that each client's unique needs are met with tailored strategies, guiding them through the complexities of technology to enhance their security, efficiency, and scalability.

From 2004 until joining StoredTech in 2022, it was my privilege to own and operate a modestly sized but successful IT services firm. Growing year over year, the firm transformed from a traditional computer support company into a full-service Managed Service Provider (MSP), building a client base ranging from federal IT contractors to local non-profit organizations. At its height, the firm’s headcount was four, with me filling multiple roles, including senior engineer, bookkeeper, customer service representative, and CEO.

MSPs saw tremendous growth from 2005 to 2010 as businesses became increasingly dependent on technology, and Internet connectivity established itself as an indispensable business tool. In 2010, Microsoft launched Microsoft 365, and the need for trusted IT support continued to grow among Small to Medium Businesses (SMBs). The number of U.S.-based MSPs skyrocketed from approximately 6,000 in 2010 to 40,000 in 2024. As talented IT professionals continued to “hang their shingle,” the needs of SMBs evolved with the always-on nature of the Internet, giving rise to the “always-on business” and the “always-on employee.” Providing gold-standard IT support quickly fell outside the capabilities of the 1-4 person IT shop.

It was within this environment that I increasingly found myself – with cybersecurity threats on the rise, businesses requiring 24/7, follow-the-sun support, and the resources of a modest MSP beginning to show signs of struggling to provide excellent support. A single large incident, such as responding to a ransomware attack or involvement in a large project, had the potential to completely overwhelm my pool of resources. How could an MSP of this size continue to provide the level of support promised to, and deserved by, its clients?

The answer to this question came slowly as I faced the reality that competing MSPs with deeper benches of engineers, administrative staff, and account representatives were better suited to provide total IT support. And so, in 2022, the MSP I had started at my kitchen table was acquired by StoredTech, and overnight the resources available to my clients increased more than twentyfold. Immediately available were dedicated Account Representatives, Customer Service Representatives, more than 60 Helpdesk Engineers, Project Engineers, and Senior technical resources. Not to mention an experienced leadership team to oversee these resources, along with a finance team and an experienced Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Multiple office locations now guarantee resilient service, and a true after-hours team provides around-the-clock support, enabling after-hours projects, patching, and incident response.

While undeniably a difficult decision, choosing the path of “if you can’t beat them, join them,” has resulted in incalculable benefits for my former clients. In today’s environment of zero-day attacks and ever-changing technology, mature, well-staffed MSPs are best suited to support today’s businesses.

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