Corporate Technologies vs Network Center in Fargo

Corporate Technologies and Network Center are two managed service providers in Fargo, North Dakota. If you’re a small business in the area and need IT support, you’ve probably done some research on both corporations. This guide does a comparison of both MSPs and provides you with the information you need to make a decision. 

Comparison Table for Provider Plans and Services

The table below lists all the major concerns for most small businesses when they seek out IT help. The biggest takeaway from the comparison chart is that Corporate Technologies has a wider range of supported cities  and includes unlimited support  in their Total Advantage plan. Network Center also has a plan for small businesses named FlexCare, but it’s separated further into two pricing plans. Small businesses can stick to the budgeted pricing, but it means any additional services would be billed as an extra expense. This can balloon pricing should you need any extensive work during unplanned business growth or a cybersecurity incident.

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For each of the line items in the comparison table, we detail them in the sections below.

Breakdown of Corporate Technologies and Network Center Services by Business Size

For local small businesses, a small local MSP might seem sufficient. Should your business expand into surrounding areas, you could lose standard support, especially onsite support. Network Center focuses on extremely small businesses with a local Fargo presence. Corporate Technologies has Fargo IT support that spans the major Fargo area and several surrounding cities. Should your business expand to other locations or states, Corporate Technologies has IT support across the US and a wider range of local cities.

Comparison of Support and Service Models

Both MSPs have their own pricing plan with Corporate Technologies being much more transparent. With Corporate Technologies, you get unlimited support (including onsite support) with their Total Advantage plan. The pricing plan has a set per-user cost paid monthly. With Corporate Technologies, you have no hidden costs that could surprise you when you need more service. Check out the Corporate Technologies IT cost estimate calculator to get a better idea of the budget requirements for your small business.

Network Center also has a pricing plan called FlexCare. FlexCare is further broken down into Unlimited and Budgeted. According to the Network Center list of services under FlexCare, small businesses have some limitations on what services they get without any additional costs. The Budgeted plan has further limitations. Although Budgeted offers lower costs to the small business, you will need to add to your service if your business expands or you need additional IT support that isn’t covered by your current plan.

Both service providers offer 24/7 IT support. It’s unclear if Network Center has 24/7 onsite availability, but Corporate Technologies offers unlimited availability for small businesses under its Total Advantage plan. This type of support is critical if you have an IT issue in the middle of the night or have off-hours remote workers. Total Advantage ensures that your staff always have support even when no one is in the office.

Pricing Comparison Between Corporate Technologies and Network Center

Corporate Technologies has a transparent per-user pricing plan, and businesses pay monthly. Because it’s per-user, your costs are set until your business grows. Network Center takes a different approach to the way it bills customers. Businesses pay for services when they have the Budgeted pricing plan.

Paying for only the services that you currently need could be an advantage, but most small businesses are unaware of what they need for IT support. As an example, you might think that you don’t need cloud support currently, but you might decide later that you want cloud-based backups for disaster recovery. This additional service would add to the cost of your IT support in the next months.

Cybersecurity Services Comparison in Fargo

Whether you have one user or hundreds of users, your small business is a target for cyber-criminals. Like standard IT support, most small businesses don’t know what they need to protect their data. Corporate Technologies Secure Advantage plan gives you everything necessary to protect from threats. Here are a few services you get:

• Endpoint security: Antimalware and protection of user devices
• Email security: Block incoming malicious messages with email filters
• SOC/SIEM: 24/7 network monitoring with a security operations center (SOC)
• Backup and disaster recovery: Backups and recovery of data after a cyber-incident
• Compliance support: Stay compliant with regulatory standards (e.g., HIPAA, PCI)
• Vulnerability management: Identify vulnerabilities and remediate any incidents

Network Center also offers cybersecurity services. One aspect of their services is their physical security. Here are a few publicly listed services from Network Center:

• Office door access controls: Add security to your corporate entrance
• Vulnerability scanning: Check your environment for any potential vulnerabilities
• Basic risk management: Reporting for your office with guidance on your next steps

Local Onsite IT Support in Fargo

Corporate Technologies and Network Center offer onsite support. It’s unclear if Network Center offers unlimited onsite support with its FlexCare pricing plan. Corporate Technologies offers unlimited support with its Total Advantage solution, so your small business always has 24/7 help desk support and technicians available locally should you need it.

Network Center has an online portal where you can create tickets and potentially talk to a person, but some small businesses might prefer the availability by phone that Corporate Technologies offers. A help desk is where service begins, and a technician can be sent should you need physical hardware support. Corporate Technologies also offers proactive support, so you don’t need to suffer through downtime to get service for a specific incident. For example, security updates to firmware proactively stop known threats.

Corporate Technologies 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Only Corporate Technologies has a 60-day money-back guarantee. Network Center talks about low-risk monthly contracts with no long-term commitments, but it still adds risks to your IT budget. Many small businesses are unsure if they can properly use a managed service provider, so Corporate Technologies offers a risk-free way to try out their services.

When Corporate Technologies is the Better Fit

Every business has their own set of requirements, long-term IT support needs, and growth in users that will add to costs. Corporate Technologies is much more transparent in their unlimited IT support with its Total Advantage pricing plan. If your IT environment is causing you stress and you find that you’re unable to handle issues, it might be time to outsource your support to professionals. 

WIth the Corporate Technologies Total Advantage plan, you get:

• Unlimited onsite support with a set pricing plan
• Predictable month-to-month pricing to fit your budget
• Standardized SLAs with defined commitments
• Consistent cybersecurity tools and monitoring
• Off-peak hour support including weekends and after work hours
• A 60-day money-back guarantee

To find out how we can help you manage your Fargo business IT environment, contact us today.

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