IT Strategies for Businesses: 3 Questions with Shane Morris

Hosted by Channel Pro Network

Our CEO, Shane Morris, was recently a guest on the Channel Pro Network’s YouTube channel and answered 3 questions MSPs want to know about IT strategies. Read their article here or scroll below for the video and interview transcript.

Video Transcript

Channel Pro Network: What’s the biggest blind spot in most businesses’ IT strategies that puts them at risk?

Oftentimes, the one that we see is a lack of strategic planning. So many times, when I walk into an environment, I end up finding IT companies that are currently engaging with customers, and they’re playing what I call “break-fix IT.” The customer calls, they remote in, they fix the issue—but there’s never a strategic plan for the customer to get from point A to point B.

They’re growing as a business, they’re thriving as a business, they’re adding locations, they’re adding employees. Your customer is moving, growing, and changing, and if you aren’t there as a business advisor to help provide a strategic plan, there ends up being a gap with risk inside the business.

As an example, if you’re not doing cyber employee training, you’re not training the goalie. If we’re not talking about uptime and business continuity around core key assets inside the organization, then you’re going to be behind the curve whenever there’s an “uh-oh” moment—and that’s bad for both you and the customer, right?

Be a strategic advisor—don’t just be a break-fix IT team.

So, get in front of those strategic planning conversations. Meet with your customers at least quarterly, and don’t do a Quarterly Business Review where you’re just looking at tickets. Look at the customer’s employee life cycle, look at the customer’s customer life cycle, and determine the business processes that are inefficient. Identify ways they can improve workflow, reduce data entry, and minimize errors.

Things like that will allow you, as an IT leader, to get in front of the “uh-oh” moments and say, “Hey, we need to be replacing hardware ahead of time and not waiting until it dies.” Put hardware rotation schedules in front of people. Have someone dedicated on your team who engages with the customer purely from a strategic level. That’ll also drive your projects and other initiatives for the rest of your organization, helping you become healthier, too. All healthy business have a trusted technology partner working tirelessly behind the scenes. They are passionate about refining their IT strategies to help their client achieve success.

If you aren’t strategically advising your customers, you’re just waiting and reacting. But if you take a proactive approach, you’ll be in a position to affect positive change—rather than being left supporting bad policies, procedures, or decisions that negatively impact the IT environment.

So, be a strategic advisor—don’t just be a break-fix IT team.

Channel Pro Network: What’s the best way for an MSP to get more referral business?

I’d say one of the best ways is to not be a hog, you know. One of my old mentors once told me, “Pigs get fed. Hogs get slaughtered.” So, be great at what you do—saturate your customer with your expertise. But let’s say you don’t offer door access control, security cameras, or similar services. Find a partner you can work closely with, someone you trust, and establish a relationship where you can exchange business referrals.

This is one of the best ways we’ve found to generate referral business. At the end of the day, you want to focus on what you do best. If you can build partnerships with providers who offer complementary services, you can enhance your role as a strategic advisor by introducing valuable solutions to your customers. And in return, those partners can refer you when their clients need IT services.

For example, if you don’t handle low-voltage or data cabling, find a reliable cabling provider. If you don’t manage printers, connect with a printer company that specializes in that service but doesn’t try to offer managed IT services. Similarly, you might establish a relationship with a door access control or security camera vendor.

The key is to find complementary providers, build strong partnerships, and create a peer network that benefits everyone. When you have trusted partners, you not only enhance your customers’ experience but also open new doors for referral business.

Channel Pro Network: You’re headquartered in San Antonio—how do you serve clients in other states effectively?

Well, the only way that IT can be done effectively is by getting in front of problems before they become serious “Uh Oh Moments,” right? This goes back to strategic planning. I try to tell people—IT issues don’t just arise out of nowhere. Either something wasn’t planned for, or something broke and changed.

One thing we emphasize is strategic advising—getting in front of the customer so we can address key issues and stay ahead of those “Uh Oh Moments.” Once we determine the best practices for a customer, we audit their environment to ensure they aren’t deviating from those standards.

For example, if we’re meeting with a client quarterly for strategic planning, we might also audit their environment monthly to ensure compliance. If the vCIO says, “Let’s review each job role in your organization to determine access levels, required tools, and device specifications,” those decisions can be documented and audited regularly to maintain consistency.

IT issues don’t just arise out of nowhere. Either something wasn’t planned for, or something broke and changed.

Let’s say we implement a policy requiring two-factor authentication (2FA) on all accounts. That’s a strategic advisory policy coming from the C-suite. Once it’s established, we audit it to ensure compliance during user onboarding and offboarding—making sure no one is bypassing security measures.

Strategic advising and proactive auditing allow us to maintain known standards across an organization, even if the customer is in a different state where we don’t have a local office. Proactive auditing is one of the biggest advantages in serving out-of-state clients effectively.

Additionally, the customer partnership is extremely important. You can’t successfully service a non-local client if they don’t buy into a proactive IT strategy. If they’re okay running 10-year-old hardware, they’re going to have bad days. But if they value uptime and business continuity, they’ll replace machines every four years as part of a structured IT plan.

So, to serve clients effectively across the country:

1. Provide strategic advising—help them plan for growth and security.
2. Implement proactive auditing—ensure they stay aligned with best practices.
3. Work with customers who buy into a proactive IT approach.

If a customer isn’t interested in being proactive and just wants to save money while dealing with IT problems later, you will be the one dealing with the pain. Instead, get in front of issues, work with the right customers, and be a trusted advisor—auditing their environment and staying involved as part of their team.

Thanks for the valuable insights, Shane! Learn more about how SUURV Technologies can align your business IT strategies and provide world-class MSP service!