Coverage Plan
IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) and Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP)
Company Background
The client is a Chicago-based accounting firm focused on losses, such as property damage and business interruptions.
Business Challenge
The client reached out to Stratosphere Networks because they did not have any IT professionals in-house and needed help handling growing support needs as their business expanded. They had one CPA/CGMA on staff who was tech-savvy and took care of internal end users' support needs. However, as the firm took on more clients, it was no longer feasible for that staff member to manage IT on top of his other professional obligations. Additionally, the client serves Fortune 100 and 500 companies and assists them in dealings with insurers, so they needed to maintain compliance and the best possible cybersecurity posture.
Stratosphere Networks Solution
After assessing the client's needs and IT environment, our team crafted a customized support plan that includes the following elements:
- Live help desk
- IT infrastructure management (servers and firewalls)
- Moves, adds and changes
- IT project work
- Vendor liaison services
- 24/7 proactive monitoring
- Break/fix services (remote)
- Virtual CIO (vCIO)
- Strategic IT planning services
Additionally, the client had built an internal database for tracking claims and opening tickets that they needed to make sure met their customers' compliance and security standards. Stratosphere's senior IT consultants worked with the client and one of our trusted partners to understand the client's requirements and ultimately recommended migrating their application to Microsoft Dynamics, which not only provides the necessary security and compliance tools but also provides the client with a platform on which to grow and manage their business.
To achieve the best possible security posture, the client has also signed up for Stratosphere's Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) offering, including the following solutions:
- Security risk assessment
- Creation of a comprehensive IT security strategy
- Compliance assistance
- Security Operations Center as a Service (SOCaaS)
- Virtual CISO (vCISO)
- Endpoint Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
Benefits
Our MSP and MSSP solutions and services benefit the client in the following ways:
- Greater appeal to customers with high-level security and compliance needs
- Lower data breach risk level and better security posture
- Lighter workload for the internal staff member who used to handle all IT support tasks. He can now spend more time focusing on his other professional priorities.
Ultimately, the client realized it was easier and more profitable to outsource IT support and cybersecurity instead of trying to take care of those tasks internally without a dedicated tech support staff.