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DATE: |
September
1, 2006 |
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TO: |
Courtesy
Computers Customers, Vendors, and Business Associates |
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SUBJECT: |
PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT – FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE |
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Insurance Agents Invest in CourtesyCare Managed IT Services |
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The Managed Network Plan is designed
to address problems before they are tangible to end-users by proactively
installing security patches, software updates, scanning/removing Spyware,
applying Anti-virus pattern updates, monitoring event logs, monitoring
firewall activity for potential attacks, and much more. This long list of services is designed to
create a “healthy” network that is both stable and secure. Each month, Courtesy Computers will provide
reports updating your staff as to the current “health” of your network. (see sample
report below) Adapting
to a new Managed Services Model Can Yield returns, reduce down-time, increase
productivity and security in the agency. While
some agencies still regard their networks as an expense, and continue to
address their network issues on a ‘pay-as-you-go approach’, the advancement
in technology and increase in security issues makes it mandatory that their
systems are continually monitored and maintained. The average agency does not
allow for this, due in part because of the perceived notion that it is too
‘expensive’ to continually manage their networks. This can be a costly
misconception, when taking into consideration the exposure an unmanaged
network is susceptible to, if left unchecked: Spyware and virus outbreaks,
external and internal attacks, loss of data, due to theft or data corruption,
network down-time, poor system performance, just to name a few. Your
network is a vital part of doing business. It is the central repository for
your data and is the primary management and communication tool for doing
business. Today’s agency must ensure
that their network infrastructure remains healthy and secure. This requires
proper network management, which many agencies lack in training or personnel. Courtesy
Computers, Inc. (Courtesy), a managed services provider (MSP), offers a flat
monthly rate for their Courtesy Care Managed Services, after sensing the
frustration from agencies who felt nickel-and-dimed on network services. Woodcock
thought it would be better to evaluate a customer’s network, and offer a flat
fee to keep it running; no matter how much time it took Courtesy Computers
technicians in a given month. They dubbed it Courtesy Care Managed IT
Services. “We want
to make IT a productivity tool—put a price on it, implement best practices,
front-load support, knock out the problems, and make it an investment that
would be beneficial to the customer over the long term of the contract,”
Woodcock says. As they
expected, Woodcock and his colleagues learned a lot about how to structure
the offering as they went on. Pricing had to be simpler, so they came up with
a ‘tiered services’ formula that featured numbers the sales team could use
during a sales call to give the customer a ballpark price. Pricing is based
on the number of seats. For many SMBs (small-medium size businesses), the
annual cost is far lower than the salary and benefits of a staff-certified
network technician. Professional services firms like insurance agents are the
most attracted to the service. For those agencies with an established IT
staff, it offers them the opportunity to ‘out-task’ many of the routine, but
critical 24/7 systems management and monitoring services required to keep the
networks secure and running tip top, without having to hire additional
internal staff. Woodcock
and his team have honed their skills in evaluating the existing network in
order to give customers a punch list of what would have to be added or
improved, in order to fit any new program. A number of customers had network
problems that were unidentified by a previous solution provider, or that the
customer had declined to address. Courtesy
supports line-of-business applications as long as the customer has a contract
with the developer; in such cases Courtesy becomes the liaison. They
moved from a limited number of support hours each month to their unlimited
‘Gold Plan’. Now customers are allotted a certain number of hours a month for
any type of IT service they want and get unlimited support for keeping the
network in normal operating condition. Customers tend to call a lot the first
two to three months; after a transition period the call volume dies down,
according to Woodcock. As the
program has matured, Courtesy has added services. Today’s roster includes
24/7 network monitoring, automated patch management and remote control of
client networks. Off site data backup and server mirroring are also sold à la carte. Given the
right client network environment, they can add security-event monitoring,
compliance services such as Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA, and are considering
adding hardware, so equipment is automatically replaced every three years. Courtesy’s managed services have become the company’s lead product, notes Woodcock. “In addition, we’ve seen great increases in performance of our customer’s networks, and a severe drop in reactionary service calls and system down-time,” adds Woodcock. Our Courtesy Care Managed Services permit us to invest more quality time with our customers on consulting, planning, and implementing proactive solutions that will help them grow and be more profitable. Courtesy Computers is a privately
owned company and is currently celebrating their 20th Anniversary. Since 1986 they have been serving the needs
of businesses across Sample
report
For additional
information on Courtesy Computers and their offered services, visit their
websites www.courtesycomputers.com
or www.ccibackup.com,
or contact them at the information listed below.
For more information, contact: About Courtesy Computers, Inc.: Courtesy Computers
is a leader in IT consulting, network solutions and Managed
Services Provider (MSP) to commercial businesses. Their network of
CourtesyCare Services provides 'best practices' management
solutions that help businesses to increase their network performance,
productivity, and profitability. Courtesy’s IT services include:
Network assessment and consulting, network planning and implementation,
remote help desk and proactive network management services, off-site data
backup services, network security assessments, and disaster recovery
planning. Click here to unsubscribe |
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Courtesy Computers,
Inc. * |
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