Tony Mangiola has nearly a decade of IT industry experience working with both enterprises and small businesses. He plays a crucial role in strategic planning, development, and maintenance for IT Insights’ clients. Tony takes the time to understand your business and information technology objectives. Then, he aligns those goals with technology recommendations. The result is an improved employee experience and more efficient business operations. Tony has a degree in Information Systems and Computer Forensics, and he’s certified with Datto and Sonicwall, and has HIPAA certifications.

We sat down with Tony 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 would like to think hard work, dedication, and being easy to work with. I think many people underestimate the importance of making their co-workers’ lives easier. That can come in many forms: offering guidance and advice, holding yourself accountable, being dependable, and making the workplace a little more relaxed.

Q: What’s the most unexpected thing you’ve learned while working in IT?

A: Learning how to stay even keeled. IT comes with many stressors, but I quickly learned that you need to be patient and calm, especially with the customer service aspect of the MSP industry. If you show frustration or panic, customers tend to lose confidence.

Q: What’s the most unusual or interesting tech problem you’ve ever had to solve?

A: You never know what you are going to find when walking into a new client’s environment for the first time. The discovery process is every bit painful as it is interesting and fun. Long story short, I didn’t know reformatting a WatchGuard firewall to use it as a Windows Server 2012 domain controller was even possible, but it absolutely is.

Q: How do you stay updated with the ever-evolving technology landscape?

A: The most difficult part is the ever-evolving industry by far. Luckily, we have a great partner where we can learn and leverage the latest and greatest tools to provide a more secure stack for our customers. I was lucky enough to go to their weeklong conference to learn about what the IT service industry landscape is looking like over the next couple of years. X (Twitter), when used properly, is also a great tool to get real-time updates and information from credible sources.

Q: What is your favorite tech tool or trend you’d recommend to everyone?

A: A secure password manager. Everything we do is online now, requires a username and password, and can be an absolute nightmare to keep it all straight. When it comes time to ask for help, the most important thing is to have your account information readily available so your IT professional can assist.

Q: What’s your go-to tech gadget or app that you can’t live without?

A: So many to choose from but my reMarkable is starting to become my crutch. It’s essentially digital paper with other features built in to streamline meeting notes, sign documents, and stay organized in the fast-paced environment of an MSP.

Q: What’s your approach when advising clients on technological solutions?

A: Honesty. The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the progress a company makes with their IT infrastructure to the point where they are excited about new capabilities and how it can apply to their business. The only way to get to this point, is to build trust by providing the proper solutions in an honest manner.

Q: If you weren’t working in IT, what alternative career path would you have pursued?

A: I think something in the golf industry. Either a teaching professional or a country club general manager.

Q: What advice would you give to someone getting started in the IT field?

A: Ask questions. Learn from your co-workers. Not just technical questions and how to do things but also ask your managers the why. The best way to put a puzzle together is to have all the pieces.

Q: What do you prefer to work on?

A: My golf game. Who doesn’t?

Q: Speaking of fun, what do you do in your free time?

A: Spend time with my son Lorenzo. Golf. Anything to improve my house and yard. Who doesn’t like a nice plush green lawn?