Manufacturing IT as a Service

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We’ve taken a complete suite of IT solutions and services and turned it into a single offering—one that’s custom-tailored to meet the unique needs of manufacturing firms.

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Benefits of  Manufacturing IT as a Service

Most manufacturers don’t have the desire or capacity to make all the technology decisions, figure out the intricate details of getting solutions to work together, or test and maintain the dizzying array of systems and components that you need in order to keep a business running in this era.  We have decades of experience supporting manufacturers, so we created a single service offering that includes everything a manufacturing firm needs to support its ongoing productivity and growth. 

Our MITaaS packages include

  • firewalls,
  • switches,
  • redundant Internet connectivity,
  • enterprise-grade print solutions,
  • servers,
  • storage,
  • antivirus software,
  • backup services,
  • security policies,
  • endpoints suitable to the task at hand,
  • remote access solutions that include two-factor authentication,
  • a highly available help desk,
  • on-premise technicians,
  • third-party penetration testing,
  • and hardware and software licensing for all of the above.

Through our service, we provide all the right equipment for you and provide 24/7 monitoring of all hardware and software products. By putting all these offerings into one bundle, you pay by user, rather than having overhead capital on your technology investments.

We have taken into account the needs of office workers, executives, designers, plant floor workers, mobile or fork truck operators, sales team members, and users of conference rooms and HR information stations.  Does this sound like your manufacturing business? This solution was designed just for you.

The solution is tailored to your specific business and office needs. Pricing and services are based on user type and quantity. That way, you get exactly what you need and not pay for anything more.

The benefit of our offering is that it’s comprehensive, tested, reliable and affordable. It simplifies life for our customers, allowing them to keep the focus on their core business. You’ll never need to worry about IT again.

Manufacturing IT as a Service Engagements

We include all the components a manufacturing firm needs, from a redundant Internet connection and a firewall to PCs or PC replacements—nothing is left out. We’ve designed our solution to be comprehensive so that manufacturers can keep their attention on their businesses and not have to worry about technical matters. At the same time, with MITaaS, you’ll tackle the biggest technical challenges firms in your industry face and you’ll do so affordably. When it comes to delivering the most reliable solution available from any provider anywhere, we cut no corners.

We know manufacturing. But we start every engagement by listening to you. We want to hear what your concerns are, what your goals are, and what would make you our happiest customer. Then we’ll present you with a proposal outlining how we will not only meet but exceed your expectations.

Manufacturing IT as a Service Data Sheet Download

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Manufacturing IT as a Service FAQS

Question: Is this a cloud solution?

Cloud means different things to different people. If by “cloud,” you mean “would your data be stored in a data center?” then, yes, cloud services are included our offering. We take advantage of the cloud only in ways that are secure for your business. We do not put your data in the hands of people outside the US or Canada, or whose names you won’t know if you’re working with us. We make only limited use of public cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, or Google because the services we provide are purpose-built for manufacturing businesses. By placing your servers and data in our private cloud, we can not only ensure the security of your infrastructure but also deliver the best server, desktop, printing, and security services for your business needs.

My business has poor or unreliable Internet access. How can you ensure we will have the same level of service that we have today with our in-house network? Can you provide something better?

This problem is common throughout the US. First, we do whatever we can to ensure you have or can get a reliable connection. Second, in our engagements, we back up every primary Internet connection with a secondary Verizon 4G/LTE Internet connection, and if cell coverage in your area is poor we can boost it with an additional antenna. If no Verizon 4G coverage is available, we’ll identify an alternative so that you’ll never have to go without a secondary Internet connection.



Would you consider providing your services with on-site hardware instead of using the data center?

While we do have some hardware on-site for every one of our clients, if reliable Internet connectivity is nearly impossible to achieve—or if it’s economically unfeasible—then our Help Desk solution will also not be a good fit. However, we have found this to be the case in less than once in every thousand situations. The reason we provide our customers with data center-hosted services so frequently is that they enjoy an extreme economy of scale. Another benefit is that we can ensure that in case of a major disaster, such as a ransomware attack, we can roll the systems back to the state they were in prior to the attack within minutes.  This requires a data storage device that costs more than $60,000 to keep on-premises. This cost is typically not feasible for individual small and midsized businesses. With all that said, if there are unique individual circumstances that require that hardware be solely on-premises, we’ll work together with you to find solutions that are supportable and effective.

Can we use any of our existing hardware?

Yes. We can work with you so that we’re only replacing hardware that is outdated or no longer supported. The costs of the hardware we offer, however, typically add only a few percentage points to the total costs of supporting a user or site. Because we’ve standardized our hardware and solutions, we have comprehensively tested how everything works together. That’s why we strongly prefer to stick with what we know works. In many cases, though, we can add a new operating system to old PCs in a way that transforms them into powerful thin client devices. That way you no longer face the security risks posed by Windows 7, and you can still save money by keeping the hardware you have.

Do you have engineers or technicians local to me?

Yes! We do. We maintain highly qualified technicians on our team near each customer’s location. We publish a “run book” internally so that our processes and configurations can easily be understood by all of our team members, including the newest ones. You will work with the same technician during onboarding and for ongoing support, if at all possible. He or she will not be the same person you’ll turn to for Help Desk support, but will perform most of your on-site work.

For the services you outlined, do costs vary depending on how often we need support or call you?

No! Our pricing is flat-rate, based on the number of users and the types of users. Within the scope of what we outline in the MITaaS(™) agreement, there will be no price changes within the contract period. We do offer additional services besides what’s outlined in MITaaS(™), such as installing structured data cabling, wireless networks, or printers, adding new email solutions, or providing extra training.

I like my current IT person or provider. Is there space for him or her?

Quite possibly. Let’s discuss what his or her strengths are. Often we find service-sharing arrangements that work well. For instance, they may be able to focus on your business applications while we take over the help desk. This is an issue that needs to be examined on a case-by-case basis.

I see you offer hardware for fork truck operators. Can we buy just that setup from you?

Unfortunately, no. We offer mobile solutions as a convenience for MITaaS™ customers only. We find that when we offer highly reliable, best-of-breed services, we are putting our money where our mouth is. If the product ends up being less than optimal, we’ll pay for it in support costs. Therefore, these types of solutions are only offered in our complete service packages. towards our complete solution.

How does technology affect manufacturing? How does information technology affect productivity?

In this day and age, technology is a key component to most businesses. Besides the heavy equipment involved in manufacturing like printers, presses, and power tools, you need IT infrastructure to connect the equipment to the network and keep it up and running smoothly. It’s no surprise that most manufacturing is now done via computers, as opposed to manually. In order for this to work, the equipment needs to be able to connect to the computer with the correct software. It also needs to be able to connect to the engineers’ and designers’ computers to access the CAD and template plans. It should also be able to connect to customer service to know how many products need to be made. For this connection to work and flow in an efficient manner, you need a strong IT network and infrastructure.

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