Over the course of my three-decade career I’ve worked in a wide range of environments under a similarly wide range of circumstances, from a one-man operation to larger companies, and helped many who rely on business IT support in Dayton and beyond. Each has its pros and cons, and I’d like to share a story that illustrates a major advantage of joining CMIT Solutions.
Years ago, when I was a one-man show, I acquired a number of clients and did my best to give each the time and attention they deserved. But the simple truth about being small is that when two people need you at once, sometimes the result is disappointment. This story is one of those moments.
One of my clients, let’s name him Larry, was running his business on a desktop computer that was practically a museum piece. At least twelve years old, with outdated email and software that couldn’t easily be migrated, it was living on borrowed time. His secretary and I both knew it. We’d warned him more than once that failure was inevitable and that we should plan to upgrade before catastrophe struck, as it always seems to do at the worst possible time.
Larry, however, was resistant. The upgrade would mean downtime, learning new software, and an expense he was reluctant to incur. So he put it off, again and again, reassuring himself that things would be fine for one more day.
Meanwhile, I had a great working relationship with another client, let’s call them Good Company. They were forward-thinking, valued technology, and took my advice seriously. They didn’t say yes to every suggestion, but when something important needed to be done, they made it happen. It was a great partnership.
Good Company decided it was time for a full network overhaul: new firewall, switches, rack cleanup, better Wi-Fi, the works. It was exactly the kind of project I loved, and I looked forward to it. When the big day came, I was knee-deep in cables and configurations, happily rebuilding their network from the ground up when…
The phone rang. It was Larry’s secretary.
“Larry’s computer just died, it’s an emergency! We need a new one now.”
I wanted to help them but I couldn’t. I was in the middle of a planned network outage for another client. There was only one of me. Leaving would have left Good Company completely offline and risked damaging our relationship. I explained the situation to Larry’s secretary and offered options. Could I come in a day or two? Did they have another computer he could use temporarily? Could I coordinate with some other tech to get them running?
Every option was rejected. They needed me immediately. Larry’s business was at a standstill. The worst-case scenario had arrived and my limited bandwidth meant I lost a client.
Good Company’s project, on the other hand, went smoothly. They were happy, paid promptly, and our relationship continued until I eventually joined a larger venture.
This story illustrates why I’m pleased to be part of CMIT Solutions now. Your business may rely on technology more than you realize or care to admit. When something breaks, can your current tech service provider support you appropriately? If you need to make that emergency call, will someone pick up the phone and be able to assist you adequately? Are you confident you can recover from a disaster?
CMIT Solutions is quickly approaching 300 locally-owned locations and 1,000 technicians nationwide, managing over 91,000 devices and growing. That means when you need help, we’re there. When you want to plan ahead, we can guide you. And when disaster strikes, we’ll already be working on recovery before you pick up the phone.
We proactively monitor and maintain your systems to avoid those worst-case scenarios, and we meet regularly with our clients to keep them informed and prepared for what’s next.
Reliable business IT support in Dayton isn’t just about fixing what’s broken, it’s about having a team that’s ready when you need them most.
Is your current tech provider up to the task? Let’s talk about it.
