Year in Review and 2020 Preview

After a wonderful year of growth and client success, let’s take a minute to look at the challenges that lay ahead in 2020

2019 is now behind us, which makes it a perfect time to review all the things that we accomplished together over the year. It’s also a good time to start anticipating the challenges small businesses in Albany and Charlotte are likely to face in 2020, and how the Complete Network team is prepared to help them deal with those challenges.

First, the good news!

Complete Network Continued to Grow and Develop in 2019

Complete Network is growing — quickly. We again placed on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest growing companies in 2019, an achievement that we’ve earned four years in a row. Sustaining that award-winning growth for so many years puts us in a very select group of companies nationally.

What Does That Mean for You and Your Company?

We’re not just bragging; our growth provides our clients with direct benefit. Through the acquisition of smaller MSPs, we continued to add even more world-class talent to the Complete Network team, including:

• An expanded engineering roster to help businesses address complex networking challenges
• A larger help desk team to provide a more rapid response to client support tickets

In addition to recognition on the Inc. 5000 list, we’re also pleased to announce that we’ve been recognized by the technology media. Channel Futures, a news source that focuses on the IT services industry, recognized us as one of the country’s top MSPs, as we earned a spot on their prestigious Pioneer 250 list!

Cybersecurity Will Remain a Top Priority

One of the persistent issues that we as a managed IT service provider faced in 2019 was the rapid uptick in attacks on small and midsized businesses. There was also a noticeable outbreak of cyberattacks that targeted IT services firms.

Once an MSP has been infiltrated, hackers can use their systems and privileged access to launch devastating attacks on the MSP’s clients. In 2019, this resulted in millions of dollars of wasted productivity and stress, demonstrating the importance of strong, holistic security in 2020.

What cybersecurity challenges will 2020 present?

There are several threats that we’re prioritizing in the new year, including:

• Targeted social engineering and business email compromise attacks
• Cybersecurity and data privacy laws that are converging and becoming stricter
• Cloud security, including virtual machines and container security
• BYOD and mobile device security will demand even more attention and vigilance

Internal Security Clients Can Trust

Complete Network remains deeply committed to holistic internal security, knowing full well that our own stability is a prerequisite for the safe operations of our clients’ networks. If you’d like to learn more about how we protect our systems, providing businesses a level of confidence that less-experienced MSPs can’t, we invite you to read our recent blog post on the topic here.

Stable Cloud Solutions Will Remain Vital to Business Growth

Another trend that we’re certain to see in the new year is the increased relevance of cloud computing. In fact, industry analysts predict a time when the term “cloud computing” becomes synonymous with the term “computing” itself, blurring the line between the two completely.

Despite what some businesses may think, cloud infrastructure and applications must be properly maintained and supported in just the same way that on-premise services are managed. Disaster recovery solutions, CRM and ERP solutions, SaaS applications — each of these categories has unique maintenance needs. Neglecting those needs can quickly lead to reduced efficiency or security issues.

This maintenance work must also include planning for a serious cloud service disruption. We have a documented process for keeping businesses running properly after a cloud service has gone down. You can read our article on that topic here.

More Flexible Outsourcing Option

Another trend that we anticipate in 2020 is the increased need for the outsourcing of select IT services, as opposed to comprehensive network support like C360 Fully Managed. This need will be especially urgent at midsized organizations, who often want both the immediacy of in-house IT staff and the consistency and scalability that an MSP can provide.

C360 Flex is designed specifically to give midsized organizations with internal IT staff all the benefits of MSP partnership.

• IT help desk overflow support
• Server and infrastructure management
• Proactive system patching and updates
• Vigilant cybersecurity consulting and outsourcing

These outsourced arrangements require the assistance of an experienced MSP who can manage the technical and operational complexities involved. Complete Network has been a trusted provider of co-managed IT services for over 20 years. During that time, we’ve designed a clear process for management of select IT services.

C360 Flex provides midsized firms with a dependable network services partner.

• Two decades of experience working within specific parameters
• Documented processes for partnership with midsized organizations
• Clear lines of communication to Complete Network decision makers
• Refined program and change management processes

Partner with Complete Network and Make the Most of 2020

After 20 years of network service excellence, the Complete Network team remains as committed as ever to helping businesses in Albany, New York or Charlotte, North Carolina realize the greatest possible benefit from their technology.

Are you making the most of your current technology and IT budget? Perhaps you’re unhappy with your current IT partner? The Complete Network team is eager to answer your questions and help keep your business on the cutting edge in 2020.

Contact our friendly team any time at 877.877.1840 or email us at [email protected]