An interview with our System Engineer and Service Manager, Jordan Simpson. “Do not be afraid to mess around with tech. It’s harder to break than you think. Just because something doesn’t work the first time doesn’t mean its totally broken.”
An interview with our Vice President of Business Development, Christopher Bierasinski. “I don’t think it’s possible to be an expert in everything, but having the ability to listen and ingest new information is invaluable.”
A love for technology has lead to a diverse background in the tech industry for Taylor, spanning from IT to programming. His unique skill set allows him to connect and communicate with clients effectively to deeply understand any issues they may be having. With a passion for problem solving and emphasis on client satisfaction, Taylor will make sure every detail is covered to provide the best service!
We sat down with Taylor and asked him a few questions we thought our clients and partners would like to know:
Q: How did you get to where you are today in your career?
A: I’ve always loved technology and been amazed at the capability of some tech and all the innovations along the way. It started with home gaming consoles growing up, then that progressed to our home computer when family would call on me to fix it when something broke. When I was using tech for fun or fixing things when they broke, there was a part of me that always wanted to go deeper and really figure out how everything worked. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being able to understand and manipulate a piece of tech to get it to do what you want. That led me to having a wide path in tech and learning coding and networking in addition to the support side of things. I wanted to find a place where I can use my knowledge and background to help clients achieve that same sense of satisfaction.
Q: What do you prefer to work on?
A: I wouldn’t say I enjoy one area more than others. It all boils down to finding out what needs to be done or fixed and then working toward that solution. For me, having a wide variety of problems is great because it keeps you on your toes having to work with multiple machines, systems, and ways of thinking.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: My kids keep me busy, so there’s a lot of chauffeuring happening. Apart from that, I enjoy all kinds of games, golf, hockey, football, and playing music (mostly drums). I love food so I also take a lot of joy from making my family try new places to eat and recreating the dishes at home.
Q: What advice would you give to someone getting started in your field?
A: Don’t be afraid to ask questions, get your hands dirty, and make mistakes. Technology is always advancing and asking questions is a great way to learn something new or gain a new perspective.
Q: What advice would you give to businesses who need IT support?
A: Don’t be afraid to get involved. Hearing your insights can help us tailor our approach to make sure you get exactly what you need!
Nick has nearly 20 years of experience in the IT industry and brings a strong background in networking and security to the team. He has worked in various roles over his tenure including help desk support, project engineer, security engineer, and solution architect. His passion is helping clients meet their business goals empowered by their technology adoption.
Nick helps provides strategic guidance as well as comprehensive engineering and operational support to our clients. He excels in solution architecture design of various technologies including networking, wireless, security, systems, and cloud. He takes the time to fully understand the client environment and their business needs. Then he comes back with the right solution and can clearly articulate the solution to the client and stakeholders within the business. Due to his background in cybersecurity, every solution is designed with a security-first approach. He also assists clients with development of more security centric services including policy and procedure development, tabletop exercises, and disaster readiness.
In addition to the client facing roles, Nick also holds some internal roles. He helps provide input and strategic direction on new technology adoption to better serve IT Insights and our clients. He is an escalation point for our engineering team and will frequently jump in to assist with project deployments and troubleshooting as required. He also provides on demand training to our technical team and operates in a true mentor capacity.
We sat down with Nick and asked him a few questions we thought our clients and partners would like to know:
Q: How did you get to where you are today in your career?
A: I always thought I wanted to be an airline pilot growing up. I started working on my private pilot certificate at the age of 17. Paying for flight lessons and college was going to be very expensive so I started a job working on PCs and cleaning printers. I noticed that I picked it up very quickly and that it was something I was actually pretty good at. Eventually my flight instructor asked me one day what I was going to do for a career. I told him about my desire to be an airline pilot. He liked the idea but asked me a question that ultimately changed my career path. He asked if I was comfortable with taking on this career path knowing that it might change my view of aviation from a hobby that I love to eventually a career that I need to do every day. I pondered this for a period of time and ultimately I decided that he was right. I think I would get tired of flying because its typically a very routine job and I like a little diversity.
At the same time, I had really grown fond of working in the IT field and found new and exciting challenges to overcome on a regular basis. From there, my career focus shifted and I dove in head first to information systems, telecommunications, and cybersecurity and I couldn’t be happier. Luckily, I still hold a great deal of love for aviation, probably due to the advice from my instructor.
Q: What do you prefer to work on?
A: My background is very strong in networking and security. Of the two, I think I still gravitate more towards networking. Within the networking realm, I really enjoy wireless networking. Whether it’s design, implementation, or post installation support, wireless can be very challenging and I embrace these challenges.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: It is probably easier to list what I don’t do in my free time but here is a condensed list. I spend time with my wife, two kids, and dog. I hunt, fish, golf, camp, scuba dive, volunteer, hike, swim, reload ammunition, kayak, go boating, do anything aviation related, play paintball, fly drones, and travel.
Q: What advice would you give to someone getting started in your field?
A: Personally, I’m very much a hands-on learner. Reading books and taking tests in my college courses was great for regurgitating information I had read, but for me, I learned the most through on the job training. Now for some, that could be a challenge to land that first job with no experience. My advice would be to invest in yourself. Purchase some gear and set up your own lab. I still do this and I’ve been in the industry since basically 2005. You can never stop learning in this field.
Q: What advice would you give to businesses who need IT support?
A: Businesses need to understand that cybersecurity tools and professionals need to be right every single time to keep the environment safe. The attackers only need to be right – or lucky – once. Cybersecurity is a vicious cat and mouse game and the worst thing a business can do is not allocate the proper funding to keep the business protected to the best of their abilities. It’s not a question of “if,” but “when”!
Alex is extremely experienced in the IT space; in small business, enterprise organizations, and managed service providers. This experience lends itself to a robust knowledge set to better guide clients through their own IT experiences.
Alex has been working in IT since before some of the IT Insights staff were in high school, and uses those decades of experience to better predict outcomes and plan long term strategies for our clients. Alex’s experience with the development of technology and tools means a great understanding of foundational principles of IT and systems that will remain true for years to come, while knowing what new developments can have an immediate impact.
We sat down with Alex and asked him a few questions we thought our clients and partners would like to know:
Q: How did you get to where you are today in your career?
A: Interest in technology started with playing games on our store-bought home computer and learning how to install upgrades to accommodate the requirements of more modern programs. This evolved into researching and building my first custom computer with all the latest components. The passion to research and choose the perfect, or as close-to-perfect, solution continues to this day. I try and apply that effort to my customers’ needs to truly understand and design the most appropriate solutions.
Q: What do you prefer to work on?
A: Customer relationships and trust that we have their best interest in mind.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: Free time consists mostly of socializing with friends and neighbors, projects around the house, and playing golf.
Q: What advice would you give to someone getting started in your field?
A: Effective IT support comes from building a good communication with people you are supporting. Understanding how they learn to utilize technology helps us be more effective in supporting them.
Q: What advice would you give to businesses who need IT support?
A: The cheap, off-the-shelf option is not always the right solution. Investing some resources to find the best-fit solution will yield savings and efficiency down the road.
IT Insights is thrilled to welcome Amy Schoepfel, our new Executive Assistant, to the team! Amy currently supports the leadership, manages operational finances, invoicing, and billing support, and helps keep everyone organized. She has more than a decade of high-level administrative experience supporting senior management. Over the course of her career, she has developed a dedication to providing exceptional customer service, clear and direct communication, and comprehensive operational support. (Amy is secretly in charge.)
We sat down with Amy and asked her a few questions we thought our clients and partners would like to know:
Q: How did you get to where you are today in your career?
A: I was blessed with a few great opportunities early in my career that allowed me to gain valuable experience, but I believe that my work ethic, drive, and hustle have really helped elevate my career and landed me where I am today.
Q: What do you prefer to work on?
A: I really like puzzles. Any task where I can use my problem-solving skills and allows the flexibility to implement different solutions and/or strategies is my jam!
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: I spend the majority of my time with my two daughters. I consider myself a “foodie”, so trying new foods and restaurants is a regular occurrence. I also love to travel, check out local live music, indulge in a good cab, and venture out for a hike on the weekends.
Q: What advice would you give to someone getting started in your field?
A: My advice would be to have a good sense of humor and a positive attitude. Your skills will only get you so far.
Q: What advice would you give to businesses who need IT support?
A: Call us!
IT Insights of Rochester: Managed IT Services in New York
By Christopher Bierasinski, VP of Business Development
Learn more about IT Insights of Rochester, a local information technology managed service provider (MSP) offering business technology solutions in Rochester and beyond.
WHO IS IT INSIGHTS?
Founded in 2019, IT Insights of Rochester (IT Insights) is an outsourced IT company, or more formally, an IT managed service provider (MSP). No matter the terminology, IT Insights provides top-tier support for business IT systems and recommendations on how to use tools to grow your organization. We’re proud that IT Insights has grown from a small start-up to a significant player in the region’s business community and IT landscape.
Companies are constantly evolving and adapting to new challenges and opportunities in today’s interconnected economy. As an IT support company, we provide responsive, cost-effective solutions that respond to an ever-changing tech landscape. Our approach focuses on offering exceptional support, proactive insights, and tools to keep you ahead of the curve.
WHAT DOES IT INSIGHTS OFFER?
As a managed IT service provider, our outsourced IT team gives businesses all the benefits of on-site IT staff with a more economical price tag. At the time of writing, we are over ten employees, all of which will be working to help your organization in some way – all for less than what you would pay for a single dedicated IT staff member.
IT Insights is more than an IT support company. IT Insights is an IT solutions company.
We offer end-to-end technology solutions and IT service management – from network and system security to hardware and software support and beyond. We make recommendations that impact your organization’s long-term growth, with your goals as the primary driver.
Read more about the benefits of using an MSP.
WHAT IS THE REAL VALUE OF MANAGED IT SERVICES?
What drives your company’s growth?
The demand growth for reliable IT support and consulting across market segments drives the value of managed IT services. There are many options for business IT support, but there’s no perfect solution. Technology is ever-evolving, so it would be presumptuous to hail IT Insights as the absolute answer. That said, customer feedback says we’re headed in the right direction.
IT Insights’ innovative approach allows us to offer a different service model than other IT MSPs. What’s different? We deliver refined solutions, not one-size-fits-all problem-solving.
Our team focuses on reducing overhead costs and being as agile as possible. We don’t try to shoehorn you into an established structure. Instead, IT Insight’s team builds systems customized to your needs using reliable, proven tools. When working with IT Insights, our customers get full-time support with no hidden fees and full ownership of all systems, hardware, and software. Full transparency and no unnecessary fluff.
WHY ROCHESTER?
Rochester is home to a variety of industries with a progress-driven mindset. A blend of historical enterprises and new businesses within the local economy has evolved from a manufacturing focus to expansion in the healthcare and education spaces. For those reasons and more, Rochester offers considerable opportunity. The Rochester community also offers some unique advantages. From a human capital perspective, the area has a robust population of well-trained IT talent supported by the high education standards of local universities.
Plus, the Rochester business community offers robust resources that help small, local businesses thrive. For example, the Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE) Economic Gardening Program opened new doors for us. It helped us connect with local business leaders, learn about new prospects, and find significant opportunities to support IT Insights’ growth. Specifically, the GRE Economic Gardening Program and its team gave us tools and access that provided invaluable advice and direction. They helped us hone in on marketplace gaps and approaches that better match the needs of our target market.
DO YOU HAVE ANY “PRO TIPS”?
We may be biased, but working with an experienced managed services provider like IT Insights is a smart choice. All organizations need IT systems to operate, and no one can do it all. IT Insights fulfills the need for IT support for companies that lack the resources to maintain a full-time, in-house IT team.
The best way to stay on top of emerging threats and new technologies is to work with an IT pro. But, unfortunately, your friend or employee who knows a lot about coding, laptops, or websites probably isn’t qualified to tackle all IT challenges or needs. IT professionals make it their job to understand the constantly changing IT landscape. That said, anyone can leverage a few best practices to improve IT.
IT Pro Tips
01
Be proactive, not reactive.
Invest in quality tools and systems that fit your unique business needs. You’ll thank yourself later when you’re spared the time and headache for what could otherwise turn into costly damage control efforts.
02
Avoid the “hot new thing.”
Look for tried and true methods tested and proven to work.
03
Invest in cybersecurity.
It’s only becoming easier for cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities in your systems and use them to carry out malicious activities. You need technology in place before a breach to adequately protect and recover your digital devices, networks, and sensitive information from unauthorized access, theft, or damage.
04
Ensure your systems support the remote work landscape.
The pandemic revealed that many businesses lacked adequate IT systems to support remote work and hybrid models. There’s also a generally increasing need to invest in IT systems to protect organizations from ransomware and phishing attacks.
05
Find an expert.
You don’t ask your mechanic about your taxes, right? It’s the same with IT, except more specialized. So instead, find someone reliable, experienced, and knowledgeable with your best interest in mind.
06
Read the Insights blog.
IT Insights publishes its “Insights” blog each month with tips, recommendations, news, and more. In addition, you’ll find security advice, information on IT infrastructure, emerging trends, and some pretty cute (and furry) employees of the month.
Are you interested in learning more about IT Insights or working with the team?
More Resources
Looking for more insight? Here are some other blogs we think you might like:
IT Managed Service Provider Benefits & FAQs
It’s Time To Convert Your Business To VoIP
How to Create a Strong Password
2 Factor Authentication: The Best Defense Against Cyberattacks
Brandon has an extensive history as a customer first support technician. He prides himself on putting end user goals first and tackling each problem with usability in mind. Working with people is Brandon’s passion, and he loves to get to know our partner organizations and their teams. We sat down with Brandon and asked him a few questions we thought our clients and partners would like to know:
Q: How did you get to where you are today in your career?
A: Since a child, I’ve always had an interest in computers. I was part of the generation where technology was really coming to life in the mid 80’s. I feel my generation was the worlds first IT department in the home.
Q: What do you prefer to work on?
A: I have no preference. I enjoy helping and learning.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: In my free time, when I am not playing chauffeur to my kids, I enjoy coaching youth football and traveling.
Q: What advice would you give to someone getting started in your field?
A: It’s not as hard as it seems. If you are willing to learn, your potential is limitless.
If you’re looking for someone to put the human touch on your IT experience look no further. Brandon will happily troubleshoot and resolve your issues and make sure to put the solution into terms that you can understand. He is focused on self-improvement and expanding his skills to better serve our partners.
Meet Harry and Marv, our December Employees of the Month!
Inspired by Home Alone’s “Wet Bandits”, these two mischievous brothers have lived up to their namesake, keeping their foster parents on their toes throughout the holiday season. They love exploring, especially in tight places (under the couch, around the deck, in between pillows), and spend a lot of their energy wrestling with each other and their foster-home dog mama. When they’re not busy getting into trouble, Harry and Marv enjoy letting their voices be heard at the commencement of their long-awaited mealtimes three times a day, which is soon followed by a cuddly nap. While they may not be IT Insights’ most productive employees, they make up with their spunk and good looks.
Congratulations on December Employees of the Month, Harry and Marv!
Meet Oakley, our November Employee of the Month!
Oakley is a rescue pit-mix and Rochester native, found living on an abandoned roof. At only 3 years old, she acts rather mature for her age. A perfect day for Oakley would be cuddling with her humans, laying in front of the fireplace, or of course, visiting Grandma’s house. She always looks forward to nightly walks, roughhousing with her sister Stella, and eating pup-cups from local ice cream shops. She is a great addition to the IT Insights team!
