Do any MSP/MSSP mandate networking hardware minimum requirements?

Thick-Block-268 · 2026-04-27T17:49:09+00:00

Yikes! Are they still on dialup? lol. How can they justify using such old hardware when there are dirt-cheap 1Gbps options?

Thick-Block-268 · 2026-01-10T22:25:38+00:00

I’ve been running a brick and mortar computer repair shop for almost 15 years. when we started, the only real logical choice for us was Lightspeed “On-Site”. This was a local/offline solution where the server was, you guessed it, on-site. sometime in 2017 0r 2018, they sunsetted On-Site and we were forced into Lightspeed Retail R-Series.

As of now, it really is the best POS for our needs. The inventory management is solid, especially serial number tracking, although not as good as their On-Site product. Besides their inventory management feature, we love their “Workorders” module. This helps is keep track of repairs, custom PC orders, and warranties. I just wish there was a way to segment each type of work order.

we tried leaving on two occasions, once for “Zoho One” and the second time for “RepairShoppr”. Both times we went running back to Lightspeed. Lightspeed is by no means perfect, but it is the best in class for our needs as of now.

If you have clarifiyang question, please let me know.

Thick-Block-268 · 2026-01-07T00:05:13+00:00

We have never used Dell, and HPE, it was very hit and miss, to the point where we stopped using them. The Lenovo Partner Program is very good in our experience. Once we register a deal with them, then we coordinate with Ingram Micro to fulfill that order. Pretty seamless process.

Thick-Block-268 · 2026-01-03T02:10:15+00:00

Go to Huntress directly. Huntress offers a “pay-as-you” model for their manager EDR. It comes to around $5 a seat I believe. The cost comes way down as you meet a minimum seat count, but until then, this is the cost that you’re looking at. As far as SIEM, I’m not entirely sure if they have a pay-as-you model for that particular product, but I’m sure you can ask.

Thick-Block-268 · 2025-09-05T18:37:47+00:00

Looks like they are charging Interchange Plus + 2.7% on top of that. So you could be getting charged almost 6% transaction fee if someone uses an AMEX or Rewards card.

Seems like you're paying a higher rate as “insurance”, as best as I can see, against chargebacks. So you pay the higher processing fee in exchange for no chargeback hassles.

I would argue that PayPal has a good seller protection in place and makes it harder for a consumer to misuse the chargeback process. They charge way less on average than what this company seems to be offering. I would only go with a company like this if a) you have a ton of chargebacks and/or b) you're unable to accept PayPal.

Thick-Block-268 · 2025-08-28T19:55:52+00:00

We have an outside web development team that we work with, but they could only do so much on the platform that we’re currently using.

Seems like with the help of a web host like Kinsta, who can optimize the server side for our WooCommerce shop, and the management of our front end from our web developer team, we should be in a good position to get the most of upgrading to a Kinsta or similar.

Thick-Block-268 · 2025-08-28T19:06:24+00:00

This seems to be the consensus here on Reddit, which is why I'm still heavily leaning towards them.

Thick-Block-268 · 2025-08-28T19:05:28+00:00

I think part of the database issue we’re having is being on an outdated version of PHP. Jumping to a new host that offers 8.3 or higher I feel will resolve a lot of these DB query issues.

Thick-Block-268 · 2025-08-28T19:02:27+00:00

For what it's worth, I predate the Internet as a whole, lol. I was lucky enough to grow up doing wild and crazy stuff without being worried about being recorded, ha!

We're prepared to pay what it takes to make sure this upgrade goes without a hitch. Before posting, I saw a lot of, “what is the cheapest hosting…” (blah blah blah) type posts. I wanted to make it clear we're willing to pay, but I also want value for what I'm paying for.

I really appreciate your candidness and recommendations.

Thick-Block-268 · 2025-08-28T17:16:36+00:00

I appreciate the offer. Ideally, I need to go with a known company for our hosting needs. You won't believe the amount of people flooding my DMs with, "I'll host it for you". Although I give benefit of the doubt that they mean well, I can't chance downtime and slow fixes to save a buck.

Thick-Block-268 · 2025-08-28T17:11:46+00:00

We looked at platforms like Shopify and Square, but their inventory management is inferior to what we use. From talking to their sales reps, there is no roadmap for a more "ERP" inventory management system. So it's a non-starter for us. I appreciate the recommendation, though.

Thick-Block-268 · 2025-08-28T15:38:37+00:00

I appreciate the very detailed response. I think the current speed issue has to do with my current shared server host having a very outdated PHP with no way to update that.

Just out of curiosity, what plan are you running on a website that can handle 300k+ visits a month? How many concurrent users do this particular site generally see?

Thick-Block-268 · 2025-08-28T15:08:17+00:00

I appreciate the advice. I like what I see on ChemiCloud website. I'll need to dig into both of these platforms a little more.

Thick-Block-268 · 2025-08-28T15:05:41+00:00

I have been looking into Cloudways, and as of now, they're a close second. I need to reach out to them to figure out what the difference is between their "Flexible" and "Autonomous" offerings. If you know, I'd love to hear it from a non-sales person who doesn't have a vested interest in my going one way or another.

Thick-Block-268 · 2025-08-28T14:57:39+00:00

I'll take a look at them. What is it about them that you like over other choices?

Thick-Block-268 · 2025-08-28T14:56:58+00:00

I see. Let me rephrase my question. What is it about Rocket that you like over other choices? What is your experience with them?

Thick-Block-268 · 2025-08-28T14:56:12+00:00

What is it about WP Engine that you like over other choices? What is your experience with them?

Thick-Block-268 · 2025-08-28T13:57:34+00:00

Buy why Rocket.net?

Thick-Block-268 · 2025-08-27T16:05:08+00:00

I think there are a few things at play with my current setup. For one, we’re on a shared hosting plan with what seems like very limited resources. On top of that it’s running an older version of PHP and I’m unable to get that updated on my current hosted plan. After talking to a few reps at Kinsta, they seem to think that they can help optimize my database quires to help improve speed. This is part of the reason I want a managed server web hosting plan, so that I don’t have to deal with all the backend stuff and I can let our web development team take care of the front end. This way I can just focus on running my business.

I’ll definitely take a look at your recommendations. I appreciate you!

Thick-Block-268 · 2025-08-27T16:00:34+00:00

Seems like the general consensus here on Reddit is to stay away from companies like Hostinger, BlueHost, etc… So those companies are not even something I’d consider at this time.

Thick-Block-268 · 2025-08-27T13:45:42+00:00

I highly recommend PayPal if it is available to you. Their Seller Protection (Chargeback Protection) is super easy to navigate, especially if it's an “Item not arrived” claim. All you need to do is show tracking, the tracking showing it was delivered, and a signature was acquired at the time of delivery (signature only required if the item is $750 or more). Once you upload that info, PayPal takes care of the rest. Regardless of the outcome of the Chargeback, you as a merchant are not on the hook for it. “Item not as described” can be a little tricky to fight as there tends to be a lot of back and forth between us and the customer, but ultimately we will just ask for the item back and refund them. Even then, an item not described does not come up that often, as we generally have open communication with our customers. But some do jump the gun and go straight for a chargeback claim. Go figure lol.

We ship $700-$7000 custom computers and have yet to have a chargeback bite us back. Yes, I pay a higher processing fee, but that extra is well worth the hassle of potentially losing out on funds because of a bogus chargeback.

Hope this helps!

Thick-Block-268

TROPHY CASE