Important Managed IT Questions
Marketing CBS • April 20, 2022
Asking these important questions will help you make an informed decision when selecting your next IT managed services provider and ensure a successful partnership that meets your business objectives.
- What is Your Experience and Expertise?
- Inquire about the provider's track record, industry experience, and technical expertise to ensure they can meet your specific IT needs.
- What Services Do You Offer?
- Understand the range of services offered, including network management, cybersecurity, cloud solutions, and help desk support, to determine if they align with your requirements.
- How Do You Ensure Data Security?
- Discuss the provider's approach to data security, including encryption methods, compliance measures, and protocols for handling sensitive information.
- What is Your Response Time for Support Requests?
- Determine the provider's response time for resolving issues and providing technical support to minimize downtime and disruptions to your business operations.
- Can You Provide References or Case Studies?
- Request references or case studies from previous clients to assess the provider's reliability, customer satisfaction, and ability to deliver results.
- Do You Offer Scalable Solutions?
- Inquire about the provider's scalability options to accommodate your business growth and evolving IT needs without significant disruptions or additional costs.
- What is Your Disaster Recovery Plan?
- Understand the provider's disaster recovery plan, including backup solutions, recovery procedures, and measures to mitigate risks and minimize data loss in the event of an unforeseen catastrophe.
- How Do You Stay Updated with Technology Trends?
- Discuss the provider's approach to staying abreast of emerging technologies, industry trends, and best practices to ensure your IT infrastructure remains current and optimized.
- What Are Your Contract Terms and Service Level Agreements (SLAs)?
- Review the provider's contract terms, SLAs, and pricing structures to ensure transparency, accountability, and alignment with your budget and expectations.
- How Do You Handle Client Feedback and Continuous Improvement?
- Inquire about the provider's process for soliciting client feedback, addressing concerns, and implementing continuous improvement initiatives to enhance service delivery and customer satisfaction.
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 Why Nutanix Presents a Strong Alternative to VMware For years, VMware has been the cornerstone of enterprise virtualization, enabling data centers to maximize resource utilization and simplify workload management. Yet, as IT demands evolve—emphasizing cost efficiency, operational simplicity, and hybrid cloud readiness—limitations inherent in VMware’s architecture and licensing models have become more apparent. Central Business Systems Inc. (CBS), through its partnership with Nutanix, supports a shift toward hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI), which integrates compute, storage, networking, and virtualization into a unified platform. This approach addresses many of the challenges enterprises face today, and this article explores how Nutanix compares with VMware in terms of architecture, economics, and operational efficiency. Architecture and Management Complexity VMware’s solution suite is modular: it combines the ESXi hypervisor with a range of management tools—vCenter, NSX, vSAN, and others. While comprehensive, this modularity leads to fragmented management environments and demands specialized expertise for each component. Additionally, VMware’s licensing is complex and often expensive, and hardware vendor lock-in can limit flexibility. Nutanix, by contrast, offers an integrated software stack that combines all core infrastructure components with its own hypervisor, AHV, included at no extra cost. This reduces the need for multiple management tools and streamlines operations. Nutanix’s Prism interface consolidates monitoring, management, and automation into a single, intuitive dashboard, reducing administrative overhead and simplifying daily operations. Cost Structure and Scalability VMware’s licensing costs scale steeply with the addition of nodes and advanced features, often making infrastructure expansion a costly affair. Nutanix’s pricing model, which includes the hypervisor and scales linearly with node additions, allows organizations to grow capacity incrementally, aligning investment with actual needs. Studies and customer reports consistently show that Nutanix deployments reduce operational costs by simplifying management and reducing hardware requirements. Its ability to integrate smoothly with major public clouds also supports hybrid environments, providing operational consistency and flexibility across platforms. Migration and Adoption Considerations Migrating from VMware to Nutanix requires thorough evaluation, particularly for workloads tightly bound to VMware’s ecosystem. However, enterprises dealing with high VMware costs or seeking easier hybrid cloud integration will find Nutanix’s integrated platform advantageous. How CBS Supports Your Transition CBS assists organizations in adopting Nutanix: Resell: We provide local access to Nutanix products and licenses. Advise: We help you understand how Nutanix fits your IT needs. Support: We offer technical assistance and help coordinate with Nutanix for complex issues. Facilitate: We handle ordering and ensure smooth delivery and setup with Nutanix and your IT team. Train: We provide guidance and resources to help your team get started with Nutanix.' Conclusion VMware has long been a leader in virtualization, but its complexity and cost can hinder modern IT strategies. Nutanix’s hyperconverged platform delivers a simplified, cost-effective, and scalable alternative well-suited for today’s hybrid cloud and digital transformation needs. Partnering with CBS ensures a smooth transition, helping enterprises build resilient, agile infrastructure ready for future demands.

Reduced Cost(s) Reducing costs is a critical aspect of running a successful business. By streamlining operations, negotiating with suppliers, embracing outsourcing, implementing cost-effective marketing strategies, and optimizing energy usage, you can lower expenses without compromising quality or competitiveness. Enhancing Agility; Knowing When to Pivot To avoid mistakes before they happen, agility is critical. Stand in one place long enough and bad things happen. Managed IT services enable companies to adapt swiftly to market shifts, technological advancements, and emerging trends. With scalable solutions and flexible infrastructure, businesses can respond promptly to evolving customer demands and competitive pressures, positioning themselves for sustained growth and resilience. Empowering Innovation; Find your Potential Managed IT doesn't just maintain existing systems; it fuels innovation and drives digital transformation. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and data analytics, businesses can unlock new opportunities for innovation and differentiation. Managed IT providers offer expertise in implementing and managing these technologies, empowering businesses to explore new avenues, develop disruptive solutions, and pioneer industry trends. Strengthening Security; Managed Cybersecurity to Reduce Stress In an increasingly interconnected world, cybersecurity is a top priority for businesses of all sizes. Managed IT services play a pivotal role in safeguarding sensitive data, mitigating cyber threats, and ensuring regulatory compliance. With robust security protocols, continuous monitoring, and proactive threat detection, Managed IT providers offer comprehensive protection against cyberattacks, data breaches, and other security vulnerabilities, bolstering the resilience of business infrastructures and safeguarding brand reputation. Driving Strategic Decision-Making Perhaps most importantly, Managed IT transforms business strategies by providing actionable insights and data-driven intelligence. Through advanced analytics, performance metrics, and predictive modeling, businesses gain invaluable insights into customer behavior, market trends, and operational performance. Armed with this information, decision-makers can make informed choices, identify growth opportunities, mitigate risks, and optimize resource allocation, driving strategic initiatives and positioning the organization for long-term success. … In conclusion, Managed IT services have become indispensable assets in the modern business landscape, offering more than just technical support — they redefine success by optimizing operations, fostering innovation, strengthening security, and empowering strategic decision-making. By embracing Managed IT as a strategic partner, businesses can navigate the complexities of the digital age with confidence, agility, and resilience, unlocking new possibilities and achieving sustainable growth in an ever-changing world.

In the competitive landscape of today's business world, continuous improvement is key to staying ahead of the curve. Whether you're a small startup or a thriving enterprise, there are always opportunities to enhance your business and drive growth. This article explores seven proven strategies to help you elevate your business to new heights starting today.