How many of you are still at a MSP & How many got out?

I am just wondering I know (including myself) many people on here started at MSP to get their feet wet and then went onto other things.

So I am just wondering how many of you went from one MSP to another and are still working for one & how many of you went to the corporate side of things?

I was at a MSP for 4 years and am now at the corporate side. It is wierd and I still haven't adjusted to it because it is much calmer than I am used to. Almost kind of miss the chaos (but not the insane hours I worked).

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Comments

abramsgunner

Unless that VAR is trying to be an MSP... but still run like a VAR... Ask me how I know...LOL

kohr-ah

RouteMyPacket wrote: »

Working for a VAR is where it's at.

I have to ask. What is a VAR?

ande0255

Value Added Reseller, selling enhancements to a companies existing products, then supporting those enhancements like an MSP.

RouteMyPacket

abramsgunner wrote: »

Unless that VAR is trying to be an MSP... but still run like a VAR... Ask me how I know...LOL

Which is why you should choose carefully.

2013 Solution Provider 500 - Page 1 | CRN

ande0255 wrote: »

Value Added Reseller, selling enhancements to a companies existing products, then supporting those enhancements like an MSP.

Selling and delivering "Value Added" is the key.

SixtyCycle

ande0255 wrote: »

Value Added Reseller, selling enhancements to a companies existing products, then supporting those enhancements like an MSP.

What are examples of these enhancements? Better product support? Added functionality in hardware or software?

WafflesAndRootbeer

SixtyCycle wrote: »

What are examples of these enhancements? Better product support? Added functionality in hardware or software?

VARs sell products - usually hardware or software - as a third-party authorized (Cisco/Microsoft Partners for example) and provide support for them as if you were dealing with the manufacturers. In terms of computers, you're usually just talking about the average reseller who might be a local/regional business in most cases.

bugzy3188

I have worked for a small MSP for about 2 years now, I will admit that I have learned a TON of stuff, far more than I ever would have expected to. I am currently in the process of trying to break in to the corporate field however. In my personal experience I started with strictly help desk and moved in to a hybrid help desk lead/ field technician role, this actually sucks because I am dying to get more hands on with the technology and I’m stuck running network drops (which I have 0 training for and barely have the tools to get the jobs done) and workstation installs with the rare opportunity to get my hands on something with some substance.

I have found in my company that management always wants to take the path of least resistance, for example, we just installed 19 wireless access points at a church upgrading their switches and throwing in a router for good measure, it was a very costly project. I suggested Cisco equipment but my boss has a hard on for Dell so we ended up going the sonicWALL/sonicPoint route. He insisted that we keep the AP’s on auto-channel despite my many objections. Sure enough over the next few months the calls kept coming in, users were being disconnected and the channels were overloaded because the wonderful SonicPoint AP’s were only operating in channels 1,2, and 3, it took me months to do but I finally convinced him to let me assign manual channels and we haven’t gotten another call yet. I guess my point is, the general lack of experience at my particular MSP is concerning and I have seen the same with other small operations as well, I personally fear that I am not learning the correct methods for standard IT operations as this is a customer based business. Oh, and the pay is TERRIBLE.

kohr-ah

bugzy3188 wrote: »

I have found in my company that management always wants to take the path of least resistance, for example, we just installed 19 wireless access points at a church upgrading their switches and throwing in a router for good measure, it was a very costly project. I suggested Cisco equipment but my boss has a hard on for Dell so we ended up going the sonicWALL/sonicPoint route. He insisted that we keep the AP’s on auto-channel despite my many objections. Sure enough over the next few months the calls kept coming in, users were being disconnected and the channels were overloaded because the wonderful SonicPoint AP’s were only operating in channels 1,2, and 3, it took me months to do but I finally convinced him to let me assign manual channels and we haven’t gotten another call yet. I guess my point is, the general lack of experience at my particular MSP is concerning and I have seen the same with other small operations as well, I personally fear that I am not learning the correct methods for standard IT operations as this is a customer based business. Oh, and the pay is TERRIBLE.

If it helps. I am sure as a network engineer and cloud engineer when Sales came to me and the team I worked with and told us what they just sold (proudly) I probably had a look on my face 90% of the time like "You know... we cant do this... right?".

My personal favorite is when they sold a customer a solution we never had nor tested and then told them we had a multi million dollar inventory so if something broke we could get it replaced in under 2 hours... I had trouble finding an ethernet cable (not kidding).

Learned from it though and helps me now but eesh.

dubzer

Took a LVL 1-3 Support position over a MSP NOC position. I would recommend an MSP over an entry level helpdesk/desktop support if you ever have the chance. Just more exposure to more technology.