Before joining GeoSouthern , Chris worked with a brilliant technology leader named Russell Quinn , who would later start Quinn Technology Solutions . “ Russell was actually my boss at a different company for about a month before I started here ,” relates Chris , “ and when I was struggling with our old IT service provider , I reached out to him .” As colleagues who collaborated well , bounced ideas off of each other , and had a foundation of trust , it was an easy decision for Chris and Russell to forge a partnership . That partnership is going on 10 years now , and a lot has changed in the technology space , but their foundation of trust and complementary skill sets remains steadfast .
MSPS AND INTERNAL IT : FRIENDS OR FOES ?
It ’ s not uncommon for in-house IT teams to feel uneasy when an MSP enters the picture . Chris has seen it time and time again in the industry . “ A lot of internal IT people have the perception that MSPs are trying to steal their jobs or take over , but both Russell and I take a much different approach to our partnership ,” explained Chris . From the very start , Chris knew that Quinn Technologies would not step over him or supersede his team ’ s decisions ; rather , it would provide a helpful perspective on external tools and add an extra layer of IT support . By owning the day-to-day needs and leaning on Quinn Technology for special projects or staffing gaps , the GeoSouthern IT team has enjoyed a harmonious collaboration with Quinn Technology Solutions from day one .
Today , the internal IT team at GeoSouthern Energy focuses on daily infrastructure and supports all 200 employees , 80 servers , and 350 workstations in the company . Quinn Technology Solutions helps manage remote tools , design patch management solutions , provide scripting assistance , and create GPOs to roll out new software . “ My team has a very transparent relationship with Quinn Technology . They provide support within minutes , they come in as partners , and together , we get the best results ,” said Chris .
The seamless relationship between Quinn Technology and GeoSouthern ’ s internal IT team makes it easier for Chris to step away without worrying that his team is unsupported . While he knows that his team can handle 95 % of what comes up , sometimes unexpected issues arise that call for extra help . “ If I have to go to meetings in a different location , or even if I ’ m out on vacation , knowing that my team can reach out to a resource that matches my technical level lifts a huge weight off of my back ,” shared Chris .
ALL HANDS ON DECK
A few years ago , a cybersecurity incident happened right before the winter holiday week . “ The incident occurred on
December 21st . I was already on vacation ,” recalled Chris . As he made his way back to the office , Chris called Russell at four thirty in the morning to ask for help . By the time he got to GeoSouthern at ten thirty that morning , Quinn Technology Solutions had been on-scene for over an hour .
“ It took three weeks of round-the-clock work to get everything back up and running ,” he said . Because the incident happened right before Christmas , it was hard on everyone . But , no matter what , Russell made sure that the GeoSouthern team had support from his office every step of the way . “ We definitely saw the value of Quinn Technology in that instance . They went above and beyond in every meaning of the phrase .”
COOKIE-CUTTER NO MORE
Russell and Chris spent years rebuilding GeoSouthern ’ s IT infrastructure . The previous MSP had taken a very cookiecutter approach to IT , failing to consider the business objectives of their client and making it impossible for the tools to scale as the business did . On the other hand , Quinn Technology ’ s initial assessment all those years ago was designed with GeoSouthern ’ s business goals in mind , ensuring a cohesive tool set and a tailored approach to technology moving forward . That thoughtful design approach continues to make a positive impact nearly 10 years later .
“ Quinn has always been focused on learning our business , adapting their solutions to our business , and making suggestions that complement the strategies created by my team in-house ,” said Chris . By forging this strategic partnership , Chris protects his own IT team from being overextended while still ensuring that the support mechanism in place is agile enough to meet the business needs of GeoSouthern . “ Big picture , we have the space to ensure that our technology strategy is aligned with the business goals of our organization , and Quinn Technology Solutions creates that space for us ,” he shared .
For organizations that are on the fence about how to approach IT support , the partnership between Chris and Russell highlights just how impactful an MSP collaboration can be .
“ You can tap into cybersecurity expertise from an external company that has more time to devote to that while also getting in-house support for company-specific needs — and that ’ s just one example ,” Chris elaborated .
At the end of the day , Chris said , “ organizations have to look at how they can get the most ‘ bang for their buck ,’ and I think finding the right balance between an MSP and an internal IT team is a great way to do that .”
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