In this exclusive interview, we spoke with Dan Fusco, CEO of InnerPC to learn more about their managed IT services, cybersecurity tips for remote working, and more about their company.
InnerPC is a managed IT services company based in New York that helps individuals and small businesses with computer installations, upgrades & repairs, networking, data recovery & transfer, virus & malware issues, and computer tutoring.
Here are Dan Fusco's responses to our questions:
Table of Contents
1. Question: Your company has been operating for over ten years now; how has the journey been so far?
Dan Fusco: Starting a business is no easy feat. I remember when I first started. I had decided to fix laptops, but I had no idea how to get the word out that I was doing this. One day I was walking by the Saturday flea market on 79th street and saw that businesses had tents set up offering goods and services. The next week, I had a tent and was offering to fix laptops for $35.00. My schedule for fixing laptops got filled up fast!
As time went on, I would often look at the high-rise buildings, and I would ask myself, “How do I fix computers in those offices?”. Every day I would come up with different ideas about how to get in contact with the partners or C-level employees in order to show them how I could make their IT department run more efficiently. Today InnerPC is responsible for managing the IT departments for more than 30 businesses in those buildings.
I remember fixing a laptop for a very wealthy business owner when I first started out, and I asked him what his key to success was, and he asked, “Is making even one penny profit?”
I said, “Yes.”
He replied, “Then never ever give up!”
READ ALSO: How To Reduce Operation Cost By Managed Service
2. Question: With the need to work from home due to the pandemic, has there been an increased need for managed IT services & support?
Dan Fusco: COVID-19 has had a huge impact on businesses. During the past 3 months, I have hosted webinar events for the Chamber of Commerce, NCCPAP, and LITS, on ideas of how to work remotely in a fast, secure way. Our clients are already set up to work remotely as we host their data in partnership with Microsoft and the Azure infrastructure. They have had zero downtime during this pandemic.
Conversely, there are a lot of businesses that are not set up to work remotely and did experience significant downtime. For these businesses, we are helping them create a roadmap for their IT department so they can work from anywhere in the world. There has been a huge amount of interest in working remotely and we are currently creating IT plans for many businesses.
3. Question: What is your advice to online businesses working remotely in terms of cybersecurity?
Dan Fusco: I often speak on Cyber Security at trade shows and for businesses. There are 5 key ingredients you need to work remotely securely:
1: Filter all emails before they get into your inbox.
2: Have an Anti-virus and firewall installed on your network
3: Back up your Data!!!! (Extremely important.)
4: Implement 2 Factor Authentication for logging into your network
5: Monitor and maintain patches and updates for desktops and servers
READ ALSO: Cyber Threats: How to Secure your Computer against Cyber Threats
4. Question: Based on your experience in the industry, how important would you rate data backup & network documentation?
Dan Fusco: Wow, this is the question of the day. When I speak about backing up data, I often ask who in the group is backing up their data. Only about half the room raises their hands. I also have found that the people who are backing up data have no idea how it is being done. They don’t get reports on successful backups and they are not backing data up offsite.
Backing up data both onsite and offsite is crucial for protecting your company against lost data and ransomware. Ransomware is a virus that encrypts your data, this virus can put you out of business. If you back up your data, you can easily recover those encrypted files.
Documentation is a key point in resolving issues in a timely manner. We document everything from usernames to IP addresses for firewalls. It helps technicians get access to crucial data to be able to troubleshoot and fix issues right away.
5. Question: InnerPC offers efficient service delivery to clients; what measures do you take to ensure that you meet up with this?
Dan Fusco: Standard operation procedures are the key to creating an IT department that runs smoothly. We have a unique way of managing data in which there is 99.9% uptime.
To keep these systems running smoothly, we have a huddle meeting with all our technicians every morning to discuss any IT issues people are having and then come up with different ways of resolving those issues. We also are part of a network of 1000 other IT professionals, so we have access to a huge amount of knowledge.
Our clients are particularly happy that we answer the phone. This sounds simple, but how many times do you call a company and you are on hold for 2 hours? We respond to phone calls in 5 minutes and most resolutions are finished in 15 minutes.
READ ALSO: 4 Essential Cybersecurity Tips To Implement When Working Remotely
6. Question: What have been your significant achievement(s) in 2020 so far?
Dan Fusco: I am happy to say that our partnership with Microsoft is our biggest achievement. We work with consultants from Microsoft every day.
Together, we discuss both the technical aspects of Office 365 and customer relations. This partnership is the key for us to be able to manage large companies with 500 employees.
Note: This was initially published in July 2020, but has been updated for freshness and accuracy.
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About the Author:
Chandra Palan is an Indian-born content writer, currently based in Australia with her husband and two kids. She is a passionate writer and has been writing for the past decade, covering topics ranging from technology, cybersecurity, data privacy and more. She currently works as a content writer for SecureBlitz.com, covering the latest cyber threats and trends. With her in-depth knowledge of the industry, she strives to deliver accurate and helpful advice to her readers.
