Learn more about Geeks for Business Managed IT pricing.

Learn more about the critical components of your business's IT systems, and how Geeks for Business can help you modernize and secure your existing technology. Understanding Your IT Needs Your business's IT needs are unique. Learn more about how different technologies work together below. Your Internet Connection Endpoint Devices On-premises Servers VoIP, ATAs, and Fax Internet of Things Operating systems Line-of-business applications Security, IAM, and Authentication Your IT Infrastructure Virtually every business now requires some investment in tech to function optimally. How does it all work together? There are a few core elements to a modern IT system to understand: Your Internet (Wide Area Network) connection, including downstream and upstream bandwidth, latency (ping), jitter (critical for Voice over IP telephone calls), and uptime. Why are these metrics important? Bandwidth is a measurement of how many bytes per second your physical connection to the Internet can send and receive. If you rely on a cable, cellular, or DSL Internet connection you may have noticed that your downstream (download) bandwidth is significantly higher than your upstream (upload). This is because these types of Internet connections are asymmetric, meaning, generally, your download speed will run about 10-20 times faster than your upload speed. This is fine for many business users, but if your business relies on sending large files (like videos, medical imagery, or uncompressed photos) to cloud services online, you'll feel the sting of low upload bandwidth. In this case, bonding two or more Internet connections can improve things, but often at fairly considerable cost. Latency (ping) and jitter are both critical metrics in your Internet connection's overall performance. Latency, or ping, is defined as the amount of time it takes a packet to be sent from your device to a server, like Google.com. Most ping tests are performed at the transport layer of the network stack, using ICMP packets, and as such may provide a decent estimate of how applications like Voice-over-IP will perform, but Round-Trip-Time (RTT) is often the gold standard for predicting how things will perform at the application layer (like VoIP). As a simple rule of thumb, the lower your latency, the better--this influences how fast Internet browsing "feels" and how fast web services load. Jitter is related to ping, but with one important distinction: jitter is defined as the variation in latency over time. That is, say you send 1000 packets to a server at www.google.com . Your first few packets take 10ms to reach the server, but the next few take 20ms, then a few take as long as 60-80ms, then drop back down to 10ms. This scenario means your Internet connection, or the path your packets are taking to a given server, are suffering from high jitter. High jitter negatively impacts web-based applications such as Voice-over-IP and online gaming, which are highly sensitive to variations in ping or latency. Uptime is another crucial metric to consider when evaluating Internet service providers for your business. A modern ISP (internet service provider) generally measures their uptime in terms of "nines"--that is, how many decimal points after 99% can they guarantee? An uptime of 99.9% would mean that, on average during a given year, you'd experience about 526 minutes of downtime per year. This might not seem like a big deal, but you never know if this downtime will come all at once or in small blocks, which can mean a serious headache for your point-of-sale terminals and other devices you rely on in your business. Endpoint devices We refer to client PCs as “endpoint devices” in the technical service industry. Any PC or device (like a smartphone or tablet) used by an employee of a business is an endpoint device. Thus, when we sell “endpoint monitoring” as a service, it means we’re actively monitoring each endpoint on your network and looking for problems. Desktop PCs may seem fairly mundane in the modern IT universe, but they’re still an important part of a business’s IT infrastructure, as they’re generally more cost-effective than a laptop with similar hardware specifications. It’s critical to ensure that all endpoint devices are properly configured, patched, and secured in order to minimize downtime and loss of revenue for your business. On-premises Servers With the proliferation of cloud computing and more affordable access to cloud business apps, like Microsoft Office 365, so-called “on-premises” servers have seen a decline. However, some businesses still rely on physical servers at their locations and there are good reasons for keeping hardware in-house instead of migrating it to the cloud. Applications where latency is important, specialized hardware is in use, or where large amounts of data are being sent over the local network frequently favor on-premises servers. For example, if your use case involves sending big video files or photos in RAW format over the network, an on-premises server with large capacity hard drives makes more economic sense than sending those big files to a cloud service like Google Drive, where storage is much more expensive and you’re limited by a comparatively slow Internet connection. VoIP phones, ATAs (analog telephone adapters), and fax machines While the fax machine has slowly faded into obscurity, VoIP desk phones and ATAs (analogue telephone adapters) remain a common sight in businesses of all sizes. Some businesses do rely on fax, but the fax machine has largely been supplanted by IP fax, or “e-fax”, which allows the user to send faxes from any computer, over the Internet. Voice-over-IP, meanwhile, should be a core component of any business's IT strategy. Managed VoIP platforms allow businesses of all sizes to leverage powerful calling tools like departmental routing, ring groups, transcribed voicemail, and more. Your IP phones are a critical part of your business and making sure they’re secured and updated, without breaking compatibility with your SIP provider, is essential. Analogue telephone adapters (ATAs) are used to connect generic cordless or corded telephone handsets to IP phone systems, and because they are essentially just small computers with their own software and firmwa, ATAs must be managed to ensure the security of your network and phone system. Internet of Things devices Perhaps the most contentious entry on the list, Internet of Things (IoT) devices are often poorly secured from the factory and are not usually well-supported by their manufacturers after the devices are sold. So, it should come as no surprise that IoT devices require special attention in order to keep your IT infrastructure secure. There are IoT device manufacturers that do care about the security of their devices, but many, sadly, do not. Things like security cameras, wireless thermostats, wireless doorbells, and so on are all considered IoT devices. Operating systems While some businesses are Mac-only, the vast majority rely on Microsoft’s Windows operating system (OS). Windows by itself is an extremely complex piece of software and requires a good deal of active management in order to maintain its security and performance. Your operating system is critical, as all of your other software sits on top of it; if Windows goes down, everything else goes down, which may include losing access to barcode scanners, cameras, sensors, and other important hardware. While Microsoft pushes out security, feature, and bug-fix updates for Windows on a regular schedule, they don’t offer any additional support, such as enrolling your employees’ computers into your local Active Directory, or configuring Exchange for you–that’s where we come in. Your line-of-business applications Business software is a massive industry, and includes highly specialized applications for businesses in finance, energy, banking, medicine, and more. Your business’s software may be under an active support contract with the software developer, but many business owners find that the software they rely on is either no longer supported by the publisher, or requires outdated hardware to continue functioning. This puts a considerable financial and technical burden on the customer; Geeks for Business offers consultative services for cases just like these. You shouldn't have to cobble together a solution for critical business software implementation and support. Navigating the business software landscape can be overwhelming, and migrating from one app to another is frustrating and regularly daunting. We do extensive research to keep a running catalogue of recommended business software for a variety of industries and can help you migrate your workflow from an outdated or unsupported application to a modern and functional one. Security, IAM, and Authentication Your IT infrastructure’s efficient operation depends on a properly configured security solution, which involves several different moving parts. A firewall appliance, endpoint security software, access control/permission management, and two-factor authentication tokens are all part of a modern security implementation for your business. You may have sensitive data which you’d like to grant access to only certain employees–this is where access control comes into play. Authentication is the process by which established users access a secure system (like a company file server). Owing to their relative insecurity, passwords are slowly being phased out in favor of more secure, passwordless authentication methods, such as TOTP (time-based one time passwords) codes and physical hardware tokens (such as those made by Yubico). Authentication is a critical component of building a secure access management system for your business. Geeks for Business stays up to date on current 'best practices' for authentication and follows the guidance of CISA (the United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; cisa.gov) IAM (Identity and Access Management) is a framework of policies, processes, and technologies that facilitate user access to digital resources. IAM deals with how users are identified in a system; assigning permissions to users within a system; adding and removing user roles; and protecting sensitive data stored in the system. IAM and authentication aren't synonymous, however; authentication deals with the ways in which users access resources, while IAM deals with which users can access which resources. Generally, when discussing best security practices for accessing privileged information, we want a user to have something (a hardware token, for instance), to know something (a username and password), and in high security environments, to be something (biometrics; a retinal or fingerprint scan to validate a user’s identity). Integrating these components into a coherent system that works for your business can be an insurmountable task for a business owner with so many other demands on their time. Geeks for Business is ready to work with you to understand your unique needs and to design a managed service plan that keeps your business running, no matter what. Your Internet Connection Endpoint Devices On-premises Servers VoIP, ATAs, and Fax Internet of Things Operating systems Line-of-business applications Security, IAM, and Authentication

Geek Housecalls/Geeks for Business outsourced helpdesk and employee technical training information Outsourced Helpdesk & IT Training A full-time IT staff can be expensive. Read more about the ways Geeks for Business can supplement or serve as your IT department. Outsourcing Your Helpdesk Technical Training Is your organization smaller or still growing? Employing full-time IT staff is costly, with average systems administrator salaries in the Triangle area hovering between $72,000 and $140,000 per year, according to Indeed. Geeks for Business provides the additional support that your existing IT department may need, without having to onboard new full-time IT employees. This arrangement, called co-managed IT, typically results in cost savings for businesses while improving ticket response times and resolution times for your users. Our Outsourced Helpdesk service enables your business to offer its employees and clients a robust and responsive helpdesk solution at affordable rates. Geeks for Business supports a full suite of Microsoft products, including Office 365, Windows, Windows Server, Active Directory, Azure, Exchange, Intune, Autopilot, and more. Our service offerings also include support for Linux-based products, including Ubuntu Server and Debian, as well as a wide array of Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices and Storage Area Network (SAN) devices. Whether an employee who needs a password reset during the workday or a customer who's having trouble accessing the website at 11:30 pm on a Sunday, Geeks for Business offers fast turnaround times, ticket escalation, extensive documentation, and the IT engineering muscle you demand to solve problems big and small. Is your organization ready to train new hires or get existing employees up to speed on new software, hardware, or digital services? Geeks for Business specializes in technical training for Microsoft, Linux, BSD, Apple, Android, and select third-party software and hardware platforms. Our technicians are continually updating their skillsets in new and existing technologies in order to offer efficient and accurate technical training. Whether your employees need help with MFA (multifactor authentication) when accessing internal resources remotely, connecting to the company VPN, or synchronizing work email to a smartphone, Geeks for Business is here to support them during and after the workday. Don't let your daily business operations hit a roadblock because of tech. Geeks for Business offers a comprehensive system for protecting your data, maintaining your IT infrastructure, educating your employees, and supporting your clients, on your schedule. Get in touch today to learn what we can do for your business!

Learn more about the importance of managed IT, and how it can result in significant cost savings for your company IT Spending & Return on Investment IT spending out of control? Learn how you can cut IT costs while streamlining business operations An IT Spending Primer When budgeting for your IT needs, or calculating the amount you currently spend on IT, it's important to factor in proactive and preventative technology costs, as well. As a tech service provider, Geeks for Business believes in the value of preventative IT. In the era of ransomware, data breaches, and malicious actors looking to monetize your sensitive data, cybersecurity is among the most critical things you can invest in. To borrow a phrase from Futurama , when you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all. This sums up the role in, and importance of, cybersecurity in your business's larger tech plan. When we talk about cybersecurity, we include endpoint protection (software that runs on each endpoint, or device, such as a PC, that your business needs), threat detection, threat hunting, and remediation. Threat detection is an algorithmic process for finding and alerting us of potential security threats within your business's network. Threat hunting involves trained security professionals proactively searching your network for threats that the endpoint protection software may have missed. Finally, in the event of an active malware infection, remediation is the process by which we remove the threat and restore your endpoints to a known-good state, ensuring the security of your users and their data. Cybersecurity is a recurring cost, but it is very much a worthwhile one. No one is particularly thrilled about everything adopting the subscription revenue model nowadays, but security is worth spending a little more on in order to bolster your IT defenses. Of course, there are no shortage of security companies out there, promising advanced AI-based threat detection, dark-web scanning, and complete security at a steep price. Take it from us: complete security is impossible. The price you pay for these services can reach into the tens of thousands per month, and unless you're a large enterprise, it's just not worth it. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; this is where technical training comes in. People are often the weakest link in any cybersecurity strategy. One mistakenly-opened .exe from a malicious email attachment; one suspicious-looking .pdf; inadvertently providing a bad actor with company secrets over the phone--all it takes is one employee making one mistake to undo all the careful IT planning you've done. Here, employee training is key: Geeks for Business is a strong proponent of training your company's employees on the products we deploy, helping them to understand and adopt security best practices, such as multifactor authentication, strong passwords, and zero-trust. Training is another ongoing expense, but the return on this particular investment is a stronger security posture for your business, with lowered risk of security incidents. Security, training, and data backups are all recurring costs that you, as the business owner, should keep in mind when shopping for managed IT services. These are recurring costs that provide a substantial return-on-investment by lowering your risk of debilitating security events like ransomware attacks, which have been known to bankrupt business owners. Geeks for Business works with only the best B2B security and data backup providers in the managed IT space, like Huntress for cybersecurity and NinjaOne for data backups; we shop around so you don't have to. Each year, we re-evaluate what our security and backup providers are charging us and make changes as necessary, in order to keep costs under control for our clients. Get in touch with Geeks for Business today and we will work with you to develop an IT spending roadmap for your company, taking your budget, goals, and needs into account. Spending a little now can save you a lot later on.

Learn about the industries and business segments Geeks for Business serves. Industries we serve Agriculture Small farms, garden centers, and agricultural supply stores can reduce costs and improve operational efficiency with managed IT. Geeks for Business can empower your agricultural business with powerful, focused IT solutions. Finance and Legal Whether you're a self-employed CPA, a PLLC, or a community bank, you need an IT solution that considers your and your clients' safety. With comprehensive endpoint security and proactive threat hunting, as well as secure, tested data backups and Identity and Access Management, Geeks for Business provides a full-stack managed IT solution with operational security most in mind. Education Daycare, charter, or private school? Our managed service plans can help you more effectively track, manage, and monitor educational assets; isolate and secure network devices; provide comprehensive network printing management; and implement continuous, proactive threat monitoring to ensure the safety of students and staff alike. Energy & Utilities Companies in the utilities and energy sector are more prone to cyberattacks than ever, with significant consequences to public safety. Geeks for Business is equipped to provide critical cybersecurity services, including continuous vulnerability scanning and threat hunting, to ensure that your energy provider meets compliance and regulatory standards. Manufacturing Improve uptime, reduce ongoing IT labor costs, and increase organizational productivity with Geeks for Business. We know the technology needs of manufacturing companies can be complex, and security can be challenging when managing legacy systems. We're proud to work with a diverse array of manufacturers in the Triangle and we have a deep understanding of the unique IT challenges manufacturers face. Let us help you streamline your business processes with a managed IT solution designed for your company.

Great IT service demands a great guarantee. Learn more about the ways Geeks for Business supports clients across the Triangle. The Geeks for Business Guarantee We take pride in our work, which is why our break-fix services come with a one-year warranty on both parts and labor. If a vendor provides us with faulty hardware for a client’s project, we will strive to replace it with an exact or suitable alternative within two business days. As of early 2025, supply chain challenges remain, causing some items to be harder to obtain than others; however, most common tech products are readily available. In the rare event that we make error during installation or inadvertently damage existing equipment, we are fully insured and will work diligently to rectify the situation. We in providing peace of mind, even for straightforward IT tasks. All labor performed by Geeks for Business is covered by a one-year warranty. If an issue arises, we will evaluate the problem within three business days and either carry out repairs at no cost or advise on the best next steps if external factors, such as electrical surges or natural disasters, are involved. We encourage clients to minimize risks in IT environments, where feasible, by installing uninterruptible power supplies, surge protectors, chemical fire suppression systems, and failover hardware, especially in settings where downtime can be costly. Please be aware that we cannot warranty items installed by Geeks for Business. Hardware installed by third parties is subject to their warranty terms and cannot receive additional coverage from us. We generally advise against purchasing extended warranties for hardware unless they are provided by the original manufacturer.

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Geeks for Business is the Triangle's premier managed IT service provider. is: Pro IT Management At Geeks for Business, our mission is simple: providing the best managed IT services for businesses in the Triangle and beyond. We help clients leverage IT to grow their businesses, reduce costs, secure their assets, and lower their stress levels. Get in touch with us today and we'll find the best solution for you. But, unlike other technical service providers, we don't like hiding the important stuff behind mandatory emails and calls. Check out the links below for more information on what we do, as well as in-depth business IT articles: Geeks for Business: Technical Service Plan Information Geeks for Business: Technical Service Plan Pricing (Monthly and Annual) Geeks for Business: An IT Infrastructure Primer Geeks for Business: How Secure is Your Business? Geeks for Business: Outsourced Helpdesk and Employee Tech Training Geeks for Business: IT Spending and Return-on-Investment Geeks for Business: Office 365 and Cloud-based Business Apps Geeks for Business: Pros and Cons of Cloud vs. On-premises Servers Geeks for Business: Building Redundancy for your Business Geeks for Business: Data Resiliency and Disaster Recovery Geeks for Business: The Importance of Managed Threat Detection and Response