This might seem like the strangest blog post you’ll read from a company trying to win your business. Usually, marketing is all about telling you we’re the perfect solution for everyone, everywhere, all at once. But if we’ve learned anything from years of keeping Cleveland businesses secure, it’s that "perfect for everyone" usually means "perfect for no one."
We are big believers in radical transparency. In fact, we recently wrote about why we prioritize transparency and a friendly approach. Part of that transparency involves admitting a hard truth: Monreal IT isn't the right partner for every organization.
We know that choosing an IT provider is a massive decision. It’s like a marriage, but with more firewalls and fewer registry gifts. If our philosophies on technology, security, and growth don’t align, the relationship is going to be rocky for both of us. We want to save you time, money, and frustration by helping you identify early on if we aren't the droids you're looking for.
Here are five clear signs that we probably aren't the right fit for your business.
The "break/fix" model is the traditional way IT used to work. Something breaks, you call a guy, he comes in, hits it with a metaphorical wrench, bills you for an hour, and leaves until the next thing breaks.
We don’t operate that way. We are a managed services provider. That means we charge a flat monthly fee to prevent things from breaking in the first place. If you view IT solely as a necessary evil that you only want to pay for when a server catches fire, our proactive model will frustrate you. You’ll look at our monthly invoice and ask, "Why am I paying you? Nothing broke this month."
To us, silence is the sound of success. If you prefer the adrenaline rush of downtime and hourly billing, you might want to check out our thoughts on why cheap IT support can be an expensive mistake, or review what realistic managed IT pricing actually looks like. But ultimately, if you just want a repairman, we likely won't be a match.
There is a distinct difference between spending money on technology and investing in technology. If your primary goal is to spend the absolute bare minimum required to keep the lights on, we are going to bump heads.
We look for partners who want to leverage technology to grow. This means investing in automation to save labor costs, investing in robust backups to ensure business continuity, and investing in hardware that doesn't slow your employees down. We break down the financial impact of neglect in our post on the hidden costs of ignoring your business IT.
If you are determined to keep running Windows 7 because "it still works fine," despite the massive security holes, we can’t in good conscience support that network. We aim to be the strategic partner at your table, not just the vendor you haggle with over the price of a laptop.
"I'm just a small manufacturing shop in Ohio; nobody in Russia cares about my data." We hear this a lot. It is also, unfortunately, dead wrong. Cybercriminals don't target you because you're famous; they target you because you have a bank account and an internet connection.
Monreal IT enforces a minimum standard of security for all our clients. This includes things like Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), and regular security awareness training. If you feel these measures are "overkill" or "too much hassle" for your staff, we aren't the right fit. We refuse to leave our clients vulnerable, even if they ask us to.
For a deeper dive on why we take this so seriously, read about how cloud backups serve as your last line of defense against ransomware. If you're wondering what happens when you don't have these layers, check out the first 5 steps you need to take if your business gets hacked.
Sometimes, business owners handle IT themselves, or they have a cousin who set up the server in 2012. That system might be a tangled web of shared passwords, consumer-grade routers, and zero documentation.
We love cleaning up messes, but only if the client allows us to actually clean them. If you want to hire a managed IT services provider but insist on keeping "admin rights" for everyone because it’s convenient, or you want to continue using personal Gmail accounts for company business, we can’t effectively secure your environment. We need our partners to trust our expertise.
If you want to keep feeding sensitive data into unsecured platforms, you might be creating a massive liability (something we discussed recently regarding the risks of employees feeding company secrets to AI). And if you are debating between keeping things internal or outsourcing, our guide comparing in-house IT versus managed services might help clarify things.
Whether it's CMMC for manufacturers, HIPAA for medical practices, or FTC safeguards for accountants, compliance is becoming a heavy hitter for Ohio businesses.
Compliance isn't just about checking boxes; it's about a culture of security. If you view compliance as a nuisance to be ignored rather than a legal and ethical requirement, we will struggle to support you. We build our stacks to meet these rigorous standards. If you aren't ready to align with those frameworks, check out our simple checklist for getting started with CMMC 2.0 compliance to see what is actually involved. If that list looks like something you want to avoid entirely, we likely aren't the right team for you.
If you read through this list and found yourself nodding in agreement with the "break/fix" mentality or the desire for the lowest possible cost above all else, that is genuinely okay. There are plenty of providers out there who cater to that model.
However, if you read this and thought, "Finally, someone who takes this as seriously as I do," then we should talk. We are looking for partners who value sleep, security, and strategy. If that sounds like you, let's start a conversation about where you want your business to go next.