The Essentials Agreement
We Make IT Better.
We Make Your TEAM Better
Thanks for meeting with us. I hope the time had value and helped you better determine the issues, pains and a solution to help you address them.
Our mission is to be a world class IT relationship provider.
Key points from our meeting:
What is SUCCESS from the “IT Department”?
Fewer issues
Key Performance Indicators:
Number of issues
Severity/impact of issues
Hours of technical resolution time divided by the number of endpoints (PC’s and Servers)
Less risk
Key Performance Indicators:
Regulatory Standards/Gaps/% of alignment
General Cybersecurity Standards/Gaps/% of alignment
Advanced Cybersecurity Standards/Gaps/% of alignment
Business & Budget Alignment
Key Performance Indicators:
IT Operational Expense % of Budget
IT Capital Expense % of Budget
Operational Boosts
Key Performance Indicators:
General IT Standards/Gaps/% of alignment
Quarterly IT Objectives % Completed
(Scope, budget, schedule, satisfaction score)
Annual IT Objectives % Completed
Happy End Users
Key Performance Indicators:
IT Support Client Satisfaction Score
IT Project (end user facing) Client Satisfaction Score
Why do we have tech and security STANDARDS?
Why do we have tech and security standards?
We can’t manage to the 7 things without quality standards in place and compliance around them.
Why do we align customers to them?
Employee productivity
Risk Management
Optimal spending (opex/capex)
Are your tech standards based on major manufacturers?
Yes – we leverage technologies from major, publicly traded American companies.
We have on staff a small number of very skilled people who’s job it is to continually evaluate things like antivirus and firewalls, so you don’t have to.
They judiciously choose not only based on features but also on price. Example there are many security awareness training programs that meet the needs but some sare 3x more expensive than others.
Are there areas where you are flexible?
Yes.
User Device Hardware, Printers, Server Hardware are good examples where we care less about the manufacturer and more about hardware performance standards.
Another example would be low risk/low impact infrastructure such as racks, or Category 5e versus 6 cabling.
Maybe you prefer M365 or Google Workplace § But backups, firewall, the tools we use to manage and secure your endpoints, your network infrastructure (wireless and wired), your server configurations, M365 Security Configurations. Those are all non-negotiables.
How fast do we need to comply with these standards?
That depends on how quickly you want to improve employee productivity, manage risks, and optimize spending.
To determine the timeline for achieving compliance, First Call will first evaluate your environment. Based on this evaluation, we can provide a detailed plan and associated costs to align with the required standards. Additionally, we will make recommendations for longer-term improvements to be implemented within the first 90 days.
To make the transition to compliance more affordable, we offer a leasing option that shifts the expense from capital to operational costs.
What are the distinct ROLES of IT
What is included within an ESSENTIALS agreement?
Managed Security - Hardware, Software and Services
Anti-Virus Software
Endpoint Protection Software
Remote Monitoring & Alerting
Firewall Hardware
Firewall Security Services
Dark Web Monitoring
Security Awareness Training
Phish Testing
Patch Management
3rd Party General Application Updates
IT Admin Account Password Management
Backups Encryption
Central Services
Enhanced Defenses
- Microsoft Tenant
Backups/Business Continuity – Hardware, Software and Services
Onsite Server Backup Software
Onsite Server Backup Hardware
Offsite Server Cloud Backup
File Recovery
File System, Operating System or System Failure Recovery
IT Support (please discuss with me your options here as we have different structures available)
Help Desk
Field Support
Active Directory / Google Apps / Office365 Accounts Management
Mobile Device Email Set up
Account Management
Onboarding
Annual Review
Annual Technology Steering Meeting
Other advice, budgeting, solution quotes
Customer issue resolution
How do the FEES work?
Onboarding
First Call charges an onboarding fee equal to 2x the recurring monthly fee. This is charged upfront and must be paid before work begins.
Recurring
The agreement is billed monthly at the beginning of the month. Credit card, e-check or ACH payment is required.
Agreement TERMS
Super simple with very little teeth – agreement is month to month for the first 12 months (no penalty to exit) after your first 12 months the agreement extends by another 24 months (2-month penalty to exit during that time).
The importance of a vCIO (virtual Chief Information Officer)
It’s a fancy title. We didn’t invent it. A vCIO is a smart technology professional with business experience. They create relationships with the key people in your organization to understand your business, operations, objectives, challenges and opportunities. When they understand you, your team and the needs they can help steer your IT over time to better serve the organization. They understand the technology and the operational challenges organizations face.
In an Essentials agreement you meet with them formally once a year for a Technology Steering Meeting. You also have their direct line, email address and can engage them informally throughout the year as needs for solutions and advice arise.
The importance of a TAM (Technology Alignment Manager)
Think of a TAM like an IT auditor. Once a year they are coming onsite, doing an “Essential” review of your technology against our Essential set of IT and cybersecurity standards. Finding the gaps, improving documentation, proactively reviewing the environment to reduce issues, improve standards alignment and improve the documentation for all parties involved.
The TAM and the vCIO work closely to raise issues up that need attention from the organization, so that good decisions and investments are consistently made.
Choosing an IT Partner
We hope the time spent and information provided has been helpful so far. We want a successful long term relationship, not to be a faceless remote IT vendor. Please provide us feedback on how else we can make the journey of finding a good fit better.
ARE WE THE IT PARTNER YOU ARE LOOKING FOR?
Schedule a time to have us evaluate your current IT frustrations and show you how our Better Way can solve them.
NEED SUPPORT
FOR SALES
Sales@firstsolution.com | 406.721.6462
FOR SERVICE
HelpDesk@firstsolution.com | 406.540.1969
FOR WEB SERVICES
WebHelp@firstsolution.com | 406.540.1969
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