Level 3 – Strategic

• vCIO Advisory Team
  A team of experienced IT executives at your side to discuss how to utilize technology to improve your business. Periodic meetings between you and your vCIO advisory team will help to map out the right technology strategy so that you can focus on the rest of your business.
• Strategic Business & IT Planning Meetings
  Regular meetings with your vCIO advisory team gives you confidence that you’re making the right decisions with more insight into what other companies are doing and what are current industry best practices.
• Infrastructure and Process Assessment
  Our team will periodically assess and document your infrastructure and processes to ensure we have up-to-date information.
• Annual IT Budget Planning
  Have confidence that you are spending money on the right technology – not wasting your budget on gadgets you don’t really need. We will advise when to purchase and when not to make a purchase based on the successes and challenges that we see in many other companies and industries.
• Backup & Disaster Recovery Planning
  Don’t get caught without a backup plan or a data loss after a disaster. We will work with your team to develop an affordable plan to protect your critical business systems and data from disaster.
• New Technology Research & Evaluations
  Let our research and technology experience help to guide you through the maze of emerging technology and how they can be put to use for your business. Feel secure that new investments in technology are smart decisions without huge unknown risks.
• Cost Reduction Analysis
  Our experts will review your technology-related expenses such as phone bills, Internet services, and support contracts on a periodic basis. In many cases, we can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars without affecting business operations at all.
• Office Relocation Planning
  Whether you’re moving down the hall or across the country, there are many IT considerations that often get overlooked. We will assist with planning and project management for IT-related move issues including new building wiring for voice and data, phone system re-installation, moving company evaluation criteria, pre-move server & desktop IT checklists, and much more.
• Policy and Procedure Development (OPTIONAL)
  Build a world-class environment on a small budget by having documented IT policies and procedures that will guide you in the future and create consistent processes as you grow. Whether security policies or backup procedures, having documentation ensures consistency and reduces the chance for error. These will be based on best practices but customized to match your organization’s needs.
• vCSO – Virtual Chief Security Officer
  Some companies cannot afford to have a dedicated security officer or even a full-time security engineer. And with SlingStoneIT’s vCSO service, they do not need to. Having a virtual member of the team to oversee all aspects of your company’s security posture is critical to protecting your assets in the long run as well as meeting regulatory requirements and ever-changing government mandates in the short-term.
• Security Training & Awareness Tools
  Security plans are only as good as their weakest link. And the “human” end user is very often that weak link. Our team will periodically publish a Security Awareness Newsletter for all employees as well as periodically perform Security Awareness activities and presentations to increase end user awareness and knowledge.
• Risk Posture Summary
  Executives want to know the bottom line – what are my risks and are they managed and acceptable? Our team will prepare a Risk Posture Summary for your executives.
• Audit Preparation Projects – Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, PCI, SB1386 (OPTIONAL)
  Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, and other recent regulatory standards have placed enormous burden on your company. We work with your team to develop a cost-effective set of procedures and processes to meet the new audit requirements. Most importantly, we make sure that all new processes are the least burdensome possible in order to keep your business running strong with minimal disruption or added bureaucracy.
• Volume Purchasing Power
  As an established reseller and purchaser of IT goods and services, SlingStoneIT has established great discounts that you will benefit from when buying hardware, software, services, and related items from suppliers such as CDW, Dell, and others.
• Unbiased, Ethical Guarantee
  Would you let your staff accept kickbacks and payments from vendors when your company makes purchases? Of course not. So why would you expect anything less from your IT service provider? Whenever SlingStoneIT recommends that you purchase a product or service from another vendor, we will not accept any kick-back, commission, or referral fee from that vendor. In fact, if we will benefit financially from a purchase that we recommend, we will fully disclose it to you before you make your purchasing decision. We want you to feel confident that we are truly your trusted IT advisor when we recommend purchases and that we have only your organization’s best interest in mind.
• Full Product Pricing Disclosure
  When purchasing any product (hardware, software, or supplies) from SlingStoneIT, we will disclose our cost to you so that you know you’re getting the best deal and that we’re not recommending that you buy products simply because we will make a profit.
• “At Cost” Product Pricing
  When purchasing any product (hardware, software, or supplies from SlingSToneIT, we will resell that item to you for no more than our cost from distribution plus the agreed upon percentage or dollar amount (whichever is greater). So you’ll always know you’re getting a great deal.
• Contract Commitment
  We believe that customers should remain customers only if they are happy with the services and value they receive from us. We don’t want to lock you in to a long-term, legally binding contract. We want you to use our services for many years to come because you feel we provide the right value each and every month. So all of our contracts are on a month-to-month basis.