In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are playing an increasingly critical role in ensuring the security of the businesses they serve. Stellar IT recognizes the importance of staying ahead of the curve and has made customer service their top priority by incorporating Intelligent Automation into their operations. To further enhance their capabilities, they have partnered with Atera, a comprehensive and user-friendly platform that provides IT support, compliance, and endpoint protection. By leveraging the power of Atera, Stellar IT is able to deliver unparalleled services and protection to their clients, ensuring peace of mind and maximum productivity.
“We first heard about Atera through a colleague who had used it in their own IT business. After doing some testing we were impressed with its vast capabilities and the ease of use. The platform has made supporting our clients a breeze.”
About Stellar IT Solutions
Stellar IT is a premier IT support and managed services provider (MSP) based in Miami, Florida. From identifying IT objectives and forming customized strategies to providing regular maintenance and security, Stellar IT offers end-to-end service and long-term support. In addition, they proactively support clients, and their team of certified experts is well-versed in the latest technology and industry best practices.
We had a chance to hear from Stellar IT’s Co-founder, Partner, and Senior Systems Engineer, Tom Borgmann, about why he started Stellar IT in the first place. “As a former lead engineer for a well-known MSP in Miami, I witnessed firsthand how some IT companies treated their clients. This inspired us to create an IT company that prioritizes honesty, transparency, and quality service. Our mission is to provide small and midsize businesses with expert IT solutions at fair and honest prices.”
Tom works closely with his team of certified IT professionals to architect and implement new and sophisticated technologies that meet their clients’ unique needs. Tom is responsible for the day-to-day operations of their IT department and ensures exceptional service. “Overall, my goal is to ensure that our clients’ IT needs are met efficiently and effectively, and that we continue to provide exceptional service as a leading IT solutions provider in Miami.”
Remote work = a load of IT challenges
While it may seem like quite some time ago, Covid-19’s effect is still felt worldwide, especially for IT MSPs. The shift to remote work created a range of challenges for IT — including security, device management, and patch management, to name a few. For Stellar IT, one of their biggest challenges was ensuring that all their clients’ systems, networks, and devices were updated with the latest technology.
With more employees working from home or on the go, ensuring all devices and networks are properly secured can be challenging. Additionally, keeping up with updates and patches can take time, especially with many devices and systems to maintain. To offer the finest service in the industry, Tom encourages his colleagues to stay up to date with the latest technologies. Stellar IT invests heavily in ongoing education and training for its team. It attends industry conferences and events and regularly evaluates new tools and technologies that could benefit clients.
Compliance is also a big challenge for Stellar IT. “As an IT company, we need to ensure that we are compliant with a variety of different regulations and standards, including GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS. This can be challenging, as each regulation has requirements, and staying up-to-date with changes can be time-consuming.”
Additionally, Stellar IT must ensure employees follow security best practices when working remotely. This protects against fraud, phishing, and other types of cyberattacks. Stellar IT needs to do this carefully. Tom informs us that they “have to balance security needs with the usability and functionality of the systems we support, as overly restrictive security measures can sometimes impede productivity.” Security Magazine reports over 2,200 attacks daily, which breaks down to nearly one cyberattacks every 39 seconds. It’s a big concern for Stellar IT and its clients.
Atera as a boost in Stellar IT’s service quality
Stellar IT Solutions witnessed an increase in cyberattacks over the past few years. One reason for this may be the increasing reliance on technology in business operations. In addition, there may be a growing amount of valuable data that companies collect and store. When they discovered Atera they uncovered the wealth of features and tools to protect end points and networks, and that the platform provides a comprehensive and user-friendly solution for IT support, compliance, and endpoint protection.
Atera offers a range of tools and features that can protect endpoints and networks. These features include built-in antivirus and anti-malware capabilities, automated patch management, and remote access capabilities that help teams quickly respond to potential threats. Additionally, Atera offers integrations that give businesses access to a wide range of security technologies and features they can provide their clients. With even more features, Atera has quickly become a pillar of Stellar IT’s services as a provider and an organization with its own members.
Atera App Center for comprehensive cyber protection
As aforementioned, Tom has seen an increase in cyberattacks over the past few years. This growing threat has turned into an opportunity to increase Stellar IT’s offerings to clients through an integration between Atera and Acronis Cyber Protect, a comprehensive cybersecurity solution that provides backup and disaster recovery, anti-malware, and endpoint protection. Acronis allows Stellar IT to back up its clients’ data to the cloud, protect it from cyber threats, and provide disaster recovery capabilities.
“The value of Acronis Cyber Protect is immeasurable. It allows us to back up our clients’ data to the cloud, which gives us peace of mind knowing that their data is protected and easily recoverable in case of a disaster. Implementing [it] has been a game changer. Atera allows us to deploy, provision and monitor alerts very easily.”
Stellar IT discovered Acronis Cyber Protect through the Atera App Center, and after a 30-day trial they realized its exactly what they need to provide a higher level of service to their clients and protect their data and systems.
Finding opportunities in weaknesses
A defining moment for Stellar IT was when they realized the importance of user education and awareness in preventing cyber-attacks. “We found that even with the best technology, a single user’s mistake could still lead to a breach. By educating our users on basic cybersecurity best practices, we were able to reduce the number of incidents we experienced significantly. This made us realize that a holistic approach to security, which includes both technology and user education, is crucial for protecting our organization.” This discovery was only made possible because Atera helped them rule out other potential sources for cyberattacks and breaches. For Stellar IT, this was their “a-ha moment,” and has proven to be an invaluable insight for their organization and their clients.
Remote monitoring
Atera’s remote monitoring and management capabilities enable Stellar IT to proactively monitor their clients’ IT environments and quickly resolve issues, minimizing downtime and improving their overall IT experience. Wherever clients’ employees are in the world, Stellar IT can get them the support they need. This is because they have remote access to devices and programs. “Atera’s remote monitoring and management (RMM) features have helped us to monitor and manage our clients’ networks proactively,” said Tom. If Stellar IT employees are on the go, they can still remotely access clients’ tech stacks to fix issues quickly and effectively. Stellar IT has seen significant results with this new capability: “Atera’s helped us identify and resolve issues before they become major problems, which has resulted in increased uptime and fewer support calls.”
Streamlining work
Because of Atera’s integrations and add-ons, MSPs can streamline and manage their work processes from one place. Their integration library includes products for security, network monitoring, backups, billing, and more to help reduce the risk of errors and improve operational efficiency, allowing MSPs to focus on more impactful projects.
“Atera also helps us streamline our IT operations and reduce costs by providing a single platform for managing multiple IT tasks, from patching and updates to endpoint protection and backup.”
Providing the best service in the region
It was easy for Stellar IT to implement Atera and all their integrations, including Webroot and Bitdefender security platforms. “The deployment process was relatively straightforward and easy to manage. Atera provides excellent documentation and support to guide users through the installation and configuration process. We found the deployment and training process to be smooth and efficient.”
When it comes to the future of Stellar IT, Tom sees Atera playing a critical role as their primary remote monitoring and management solution. “We rely on Atera to provide us with real-time visibility into the health and performance of our IT systems, as well as to help us quickly resolve issues and maintain peak performance. We also appreciate the ease of use and cost-effective pricing model that Atera offers, which enables us to better serve our clients.”
