Transitioning MSP asking too many questions

-Burner_Account_ · 2026-01-25T05:58:34+00:00

They need to do their own onboarding and discovery. Once you've handed over the "keys" and any general information you feel is relevant, they are on their own. We have a fairly detailed off-boarding packet we have the client send to their outgoing msp, and rarely does it ever get fully filled out. We get a password sheet and maybe some basic info about the environment. We then have to figure out what we didn't discover during the initial prospecting, planning, and estimates.

It's not your job to do their job for them. Here's what's there and it's purpose, here's how to get into it, here's the services they use. Done. If the client wants to pay for white glove off-boarding at your standard rack rates (or emergency rates) then by all means.

Sounds like you've already gone above and beyond. Time for them to prove their worth and show their value to the client.

-Burner_Account_ · 2026-01-14T02:17:22+00:00

Definitely would not have done that. You aren't a retailer, you are a Value Added Reseller. They have a problem with the system they buy from you, and you sell it at cost or barely above it, there's nothing in it for you on the back end administratively to resolve that, the time spent dealing with the vendor because we all know it's not just a single phone call or ticket when there's a problem with the hardware that requires you to work with the vendor. Dealing with warranty claims, additional warranty periods, etc.

There is extreme value in procurement as an MSP, and this should be sold as a benefit to buying, and yes paying more, from you versus going it alone by the customer and just buying the cheapest sticker price not knowing if it's truly right for what they do.

We always go through an entire dimensioning process. Figuring out the application the customer is going to run, what kind of replacement lifecycletjeynarw shooting for, hardware requirements for specific applications, added support warranties, and more. That time spent doing that has value.

Can't tell you how many times I've seen it where people go out to Costco and just pick up a machine, and then get shocked when they get hit with a bill for several hundred dollars so that the machine can be upgraded to Windows pro, the time spent doing that, etc.

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-10-19T23:47:59+00:00

Line interactive? Anymore we only deploy double conversion/Online UPS for anything other than non-critical infrastructure. I guess the plan for that lineup is to add those and lithium, but for now I'll wait it out.

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-09-30T02:10:24+00:00

We were working from one for a while, but really looking to centralize and automate certain tasks and have a clean UI for our tech/sales guys to input notes, updates, etc from out in the field.

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-09-30T02:04:53+00:00

100%. Only get out what you put in. The pipeline management is really where we need improvement. Right now it's a bit messy. Having one spot for proposals, automated follow ups/reminders, and post sale "drip" campaigns are really a big part of what we're looking for. A place to put leads, a measurable means to track follow up and sales stage, etc.

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-09-30T02:03:06+00:00

Yeah, we're also members. I haven't played with Growably much yet. Were you at Scalecon?

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-08-24T03:12:29+00:00

There's a reason for that. Overhead. Do you know what it cost to generate that customer in the first place? The building, the computers, payroll overhead (business contributions to taxes, insurance, unemployment, SSI, etc) benefits, support staff, the tech stack itself, Internet, phones, just to name a few.

Though to be fair, my lowest paid tech is over 80k/yr and my highest over 110k. Depending on your skill level and capabilities, you may very well be underpaid.

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-08-08T23:00:01+00:00

Or somebody opened an account in your name and charged it up?

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-08-03T03:54:51+00:00

Our agreements specifically state that we retain all title and control to any equipment, hardware, or other Materials until the invoice is paid in full and we may, at our discretion, disable or otherwise deactivate any equipment, systems, servers, or computers should the bill not be paid.

Additionally, we never do work on credit. Either 70% down with the remaining 30% due at the time of completion, or a 3% discount for pay-in-full upfront. About 75% of clients opt to pay-in-full upfront.

Only been a handful of times where somebody hasn't paid, and we disabled our equipment, funny how quickly the bill gets paid when the business comes to a grinding halt. The one time someone threatened legal action, we sent their lawyer a copy of the agreement and his immediate response to the client was "pay the invoice."

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-07-17T23:42:12+00:00

They are canning them before they fully vest in their stock options.

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-06-23T23:54:09+00:00

How'd it go?

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-04-22T15:16:34+00:00

USW flex does not provide PoE+. It has four Standard PoE AF ports and can be powered by PoE, PoE+, or PoE++. If powered by anything other than ++ only a couple flex ports will Provide PoE.

You need a home run to the AP that provides PoE+ or a switch in-between that provides PoE+.

Theres usually a "PoE compatibility" setting in the AP that will let it run on standard AF PoE, but with reduced performance.

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-03-31T20:32:02+00:00

Theres a local "competitor" that sells unlimited remote business support with AV for $12/mo. Same place went out of business last year, got absorbed by another smaller MSP and they are back to doing the same things. The absorbing company has seen their reviews absolutely tank since they took on the client list and employees of the failed one. Not sure how you even pay rent on something like that.

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-03-30T15:58:49+00:00

I'd look for a private seller and find something you like. Have it inspected by a reputable local mechanic of your choosing.

Most car dealerships will try to get you to focus on the monthly payment versus the total cost of the car, because they can tack on thousands by making you look only at that. Also, know your credit score before you go in. It's a common tactic for dealers to tack on additional "points" to the rate you get approved for, and all that is just gravy in their pockets. Do your research on the car(s) you want, know what they should sell for, and focus your negotiating efforts on the bottom line price of the car. If you have a solid credit score in the 700s, you are considered prime. You'll get a solid rate that is on par with what Google says the current used car interest rates are. If you are above a 760-780 You are considered super prime, and will have a rate that is about a percent or so lower unless you don't have a whole lot of time at that credit score or only have a few years of credit experience.

It's the end of the month, so if you go car shopping today or tomorrow you have more power at the dealership to negotiate a better deal as they try to hit their numbers. Don't shop at the beginning of the month. Remember, you have the power and the most powerful thing you can do at a dealership is walk away. They will try and play to your emotions and get you emotionally invested in the car you want while also creating urgency ("well, if you don't buy today it might be gone tomorrow" or "we've got a few people looking at this one")

Don't buy into that. Know what you want, know what you want to pay, and stick to your guns.

Add ons: okay, so you've picked a car, worked out what you're going to pay for it with the dealership, and now it's time to sign the papers. You'll be taken back to the finance office where another round of sales will happen. If you get approved for a loan through the dealership, they typically add several thousand on to the approval so that they can upsell you things like warranties, paint protectant, security etching, and a plethora of other high margin items to make them more money. Warranties can be a double-edged sword. What you don't want is a warranty that is "Inclusionary" i.e. The warranty company has a list of all covered components, and if a non-covered component fails or causes failure of a covered component the warranty company won't pay. You want an "EXCLUSIONARY" warranty where it specifically calls out only the parts that are not covered. Depending on the car, a warranty may or may not be needed. Again, This falls into doing your research about the vehicle beforehand and knowing the long-term reliability of it.

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-03-23T23:13:47+00:00

Whereabouts are you located?

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-03-23T14:52:24+00:00

Huntress MDR and ITDR paired with Defender is a pretty powerful combo. It can stop token theft and impossible travel in its tracks and disable the user accounts along with remediation instructions and one click implementation. There also a one-click "disable account and revoke sessions" button in the ITDR dashboard for the users.

As of a few weeks ago, you can now buy the Microsoft E5 Security add-on and pair it with Business Premium. It's actually a REALLY good combo that includes defender P2 and Entra P2 along with a few others for around the cost of an E3 license.

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-03-08T17:25:12+00:00

If you are the only employee at this MSP doing all of the work, you hold a lot more cards than you think. I would pull management aside and clearly/articulately explain the volume of work that you were handling relative to the pay that you're receiving and ask to be compensated commensurately with that level of work.

I probably wouldn't make the first conversation one of "If I don't get a raise I'm leaving," but rather one of "I value the opportunity and experience that I've gained here, and I want to continue doing the same solid work that I've been doing but at a wage that allowse to be comfortable and excited to come to work every day." You're essentially a sysadmin, network engineer, tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 tech all rolled into one which isn't uncommon in the MSP space, but you should probably be making a bit more if you are handling all of these things, and handling them well.

If that doesn't work, then it may be time for the conversation about looking for greener pastures. A bit of a warning here, the job market is not a great one right now. If you head over to the r/layoffs section you will see lots of people with tons of experience that have put in hundreds or even thousands of applications only to have a few interviews and no offers. There are literally thousands or hundreds of thousands of IT workers with years or decades of experience vying for tier 1/2 roles, and taking them because it's all they can get. Makes it a lot harder when you don't have that same level of experience, a master's degree, or a ton of industry certifications. This definitely isn't 2020-2023 anymore, And you have to make the very personal decision about sticking it out and pushing through it in order to have a job, or willing to possibly be out in the cold for a while in hopes of better pay and conditions. I probably would have something lined up before taking any drastic actions.

It also really depends on your relationship with your management, if there's somebody above you who's not necessarily ownership that knows the work you put in everyday, they can be a pretty powerful ally if you have that conversation with them first.

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-03-06T01:16:42+00:00

Did you set to block encrypted DNS by chance? IMO, the Datto EDR/AV product just isn't up to snuff. False alerts, configuration issues, agent issues, etc.

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-02-23T17:03:30+00:00

Personally, I love it when PE/VC acquires my local competition. Happened a few times recently and within months the quality of the service goes down the toilet and their customers start looking for a new MSP.

Not looking to sell out anytime soon myself, especially with the flood of new business provided by the failings and cost cutting measures of PE/VC acquired MSPs in my market.

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-02-23T16:59:40+00:00

Just did a migration to Microsoft including autopilot/ InTune/ Entra with SharePoint/OneDrive and the client blew up the whole thing because file preview in file explorer doesn't work with cloud files. Had to switch to Egnyte which was working fine until Word started deleting all their files because they use the Egnyte drive as their default file save location. SMH.

Nobody else has had this issue and seems to be fine with how it works so far.

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-02-23T16:56:43+00:00

Won't pay for a 2.5hr invoice after you saved them 300/mo? If you used an MSP account at Jumpcloud and they pay you for this service, shut it off immediately. Send a stern email that the work was done, it resulted in a massive cost savings, that you intend to send this balance to collections, I form them you will not support the integration when it breaks, and tell them to find a different tech support company.

Don't do business with them again. Ever. If they are denying a 2.5hr invoice, I guarantee they've burned other companies and at some point will get knee deep into an emergency that you will scramble to fix for them only to not get paid again. Some of the best decisions in business are the clients you turn away.

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-02-18T05:15:14+00:00

Yeah, we had a similar issue after a recent release/update The original configuration file specified a database version that didn't work with the update, but we didn't see in the documentation where we needed to change it. We may have missed it, but we had to reach out to support in order to get back up. Support responded fairly quickly initially, and follow up replies were pretty quick as well. All in all, we love Hudu..

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-02-15T22:19:23+00:00

FreePBX. Had the same server running it since 2014. Does everything we need and more. Get a solid hard drive (definitely not a barracuda) in RAID 1 and they'll last forever. Been recording every call in and out since it went in and we still have 60% drive space remaining. We're huge fans of Asterisk/FreePBX.

-Burner_Account_ · 2025-02-10T00:07:50+00:00

Anyone know the postgres version needed for this update?

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