The Route to Small Business Success

How one local firm keeps computer networks running at top speed

For years, former IT manager Mike Sutton listened to friends and business associates detail the problems they encountered with tech support vendors.

They took forever to respond. They offered one type of service, but not another. They caused significant downtime. They were costly.
He noticed a trend: Small businesses without a dedicated IT department struggled to keep their computers running. When their systems did work, they ran slowly, often due to multiple virus infections. Sutton knew that maintaining a complex computer network wasn’t out of reach for small- to mid-size companies, but it depended on the careful integration of upgrades and system protection, something office managers didn’t have time to do.

This led Sutton to start Mobilitechs, a firm catering to businesses with 10 to 75 computers.

“You wouldn’t drive your car month after month or year after year without taking it in for oil and belt changes,” Sutton says. “But fixing computer problems and avoiding long-term problems gets complicated, so businesses often forego essential maintenance. This puts their bottom line and data at serious risk.”

To stop problems before they start, Mobilitechs uses extensive diagnostic tools to protect client systems from hard drive failure, spyware, spam, and data loss. Every day, Mobilitechs monitors client computers, checking for available memory, network problems, or pending data failures.

The business acts like an IT department for its clients, offering one-stop shopping for technical support and protection.

“If you’re having a computer problem, you shouldn’t have to call a computer company, software manufacturer, and ISP to get it fixed. That wastes your valuable time,” Sutton says.

Before Mobilitechs works with potential clients, Sutton asks a few key questions: How important is personalized service and quick response time to your business? How important is up-to-date technology to your future growth? Clients who say that service and technology are critical would benefit from Mobilitechs, Sutton says.

Berman Freightliner, a trucking parts and repair company in Leesport, Pennsylvania, switched to Mobilitechs in 2007 after disappointing results with other firms, says Ryke Martin, Berman’s service manager.

He says that the comprehensive network and software support offered by Mobilitechs is the gold standard.

“We had a lot of viruses and spyware. We had general network issues that had to be worked out, as well as integration problems with manufacturer’s software,” Martin says. “Prior to Mobilitechs handling these issues I was the internal go-to person and quite a bit of my time was consumed with repairing minor computer issues that could have been avoided,” Martin says.

Since Mobilitechs took over his firm’s IT support, Martin reports he spends almost no time with computer issues. Recently, Mobilitechs diagnosed a pending hard drive failure at Berman and was able to avert disaster before the client even realized there was a problem. Mobilitechs made arrangements for replacement before a crash occurred and was able to prevent a costly repair and unnecessary downtime.

The upside? “Employees are able to use quicker PCs that make their jobs more efficient and with little to no downtime related to infection or network problems,” Martin says.

Many companies offer system monitoring, often charging $6,000 or more per month for the service.

But responsiveness and efficiency, not price, is the hallmark of Mobilitechs’ business model. “You need somebody that can really do the job for you and that you can trust,” says Pete McCarron, Berman’s president/owner.

“As clients, we want instant answers and instant fixes. It’s very important to get things done quickly and comprehensively. We’re very happy with Mobilitechs, rather than dealing with a long distance or national company with support half a world away,” he says.

Mobilitechs’ clients include insurance agencies, agricultural firms, law offices, and nonprofits. Its computer protection coverage plans range from $15 per computer for basic maintenance and monitoring to custom, full-service plans for multiple machines.

Businesses can get a free comprehensive network audit from Mobilitechs, available through mobilitechs.com or by calling 717-490-1179.

The bottom line? Mobilitechs aims to keep clients running at top speed, minimizing network traffic jams and breakdowns when they do occur.

“People just want to work efficiently,” Sutton says. “What we do is function like a teammate or coworker—someone who knows your IT needs and takes the stress and frustration out of managing your network and data.”