Return to site

Service Release 2019.1: SAMSARA

NS. Baumsteiger Consulting releases SAMSARA Subscription Model

· SAMSARA,MSP,VCIO,VCTO,IT SERVICES

BACKGROUND

On September 25, 2018 I held a conference call offered to all client decision-makers. This call outlined upcoming changes to the NS.BC service offering.

March 1, 2019 marks a new era in a series of service and product offerings that I expect to redefine the method by which hardware, software and managed services are delivered to small businesses. Price has been an excluding factor for hardware, software and managed services when trying operate within industry best practices. I am proud to announce that NS.BC will help small business break through this price barrier.

HOW IT WAS

Historically, NS.BC has operated in a reactive manner in supporting hardware. Planning projects that gingerly balanced on a fulcrum between a reactive approach to changing technology and a proactive approach to service delivery.

Technology is constantly changing. As I've mentioned in multiple channels: So long as we use technology we will forever be beta testers. This has made it impossible to create one-size-fits-all hardware, software and managed service offerings. With so many choices and no way to effectively evaluate, manage or maintain any solution in its full capacity, let alone handle all of the extraneous tasks required to maintain appropriate record-keeping, training and recommendations for changes to existing processes or aging solutions. Unfortunately, the only way to get around being a beta tester is to use no technology.

The dogged act of balancing between reacting to technology and the NS.BC level of service has felt like a series of constant battles. The time for change has come.

HOW IT IS

Effective April 1, 2019, the hourly break/ fix pricing schedule, on which NS.BC has operated since 2004, will be updated. Since 2004 there has been only one rate change. That rate change took place in 2013.

Current NS.BC clients will have an opportunity to adopt the new service offerings and get transition projects scheduled before a public announcement is made to a broader audience. The information regarding the specifics of these plans is protected by a Non-Disclosure Agreement. A high-level overview can be found below.

The new offerings, available immediately, are 4 plans known publicly as Plan 1-A through Plan 4-A.

  • Plan 1-A: ACTION. Has no recurring charge but offers no reduction in the break/ fix rate schedule, which goes into effect April 1, 2019.
  • Plans 2-A through 4-A have recurring charges, responsive Service Level Agreements, offer sliding scale discounts on third-party licenses, sliding scale discounts on break/ fix rates beyond each plans' included services and already included monthly bank of break/ fix time (time bank available in Plan 3-A and Plan 4-A).
Before we can engage in the minutia of the new service offerings, it is important that we shift thinking: Technology is not about features. It is not a thorn in the side of the way that business is done. Modern business is done using technology and must be embraced as a means to grow business. Firms that embrace technology as the foundation for conducting modern business will continue to grow. I say continue, because our clients have proven this statement time-and-again: discerning and open-minded technology adoption fosters growth.

HOW IT WILL BE

The goal for NS.BC is one of giving back to our client firms. I pride myself on an unmatched levels of honesty, integrity and service. As a grass-roots small business owner, I understand the challenges and rewards of operating an independent small business in a drastically changing industry that relies heavily on the use of technology.

Throughout 2019 NS.BC will be service packages in addition to those mentioned above. Packaged Service Offerings will be available for hardware, software and third-party services, among others. You can expect to see the following opportunities announced as early Q2, 2019. Some of the offerings will cover:

  • Regulated Industry Compliance packaged infrastructure solutions (generic and specific industry scopes will be available)
  • Hardware package add-ons (more secure, more predictable, budget friendly)
  • Independent Third-party Network monitoring and reporting from an Industry veteran and trail-blazer

COMMENTARY

If you're reading this you. You know me on a personal level and I feel comfortable to say:

The sum of my confidence and trust lies in the people with whom I have partnered; not the products, services or written guarantees. At the end of the day we are all operating under a mutual understanding that, as service providers, it is our privilege and obligation to put the best interest of our clients in alignment with our own and, infrequently, sacrifice our best interest in order that we may perpetuate the good work that we all believe we are doing for our clients.

I am excited to continue to work with every person at all of our client firms on the technology industry and other industry vertical changes for which NS.BC has been preparing, in the last 14.5 years.

Thank you for your continued support and confidence in the service that we have provided,

nate baumsteiger

ns. baumsteiger consulting

Video Courtesy: MC YOGI

Published: Youtube

Artist: MC YOGI

Song: Dancing in the Sun