At UTG, we have announced a strategic reorganization of our executive leadership to create a strong foundation for continued exponential growth throughout the Southeast. Eric Dykes, formerly President of the company, will now serve as CEO. Brian Miller will add the role of President to his duties as COO. Both were recently named to the prestigious MSPmentor 250, an annual global report that identifies the world’s leading technology executives, experts and community leaders shaping the global managed services market.

Founded in 2004, UTG is one of the fastest-growing managed service providers in the Southeast and has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in America for two consecutive years. Since its inception, our company has grown monthly recurring revenues almost 50-fold, and is now poised to pursue an aggressive growth strategy to create regional offices throughout the southeast. The change in the leadership structure will allow UTG CEO Eric Dykes to shift day-to-day responsibilities of the company and best-in-class operational support systems to President & COO Brian Miller and instead focus on strategic activities that will bring huge scalability to the company’s growth.

“At UTG, we exist to be a catalyst for growth of our clients, our employees and our company,” said UTG CEO Eric Dykes. “UTG continues to add innovative, fast-growing companies to our client roster and we are excited to expand our footprint through organic growth and an aggressive merger/acquisition strategy. In this way, we hope to help new clients achieve their utmost potential through the delivery of our trusted and exceptional IT services.”

Last week UTG hosted a 2-day training event for the Apple Consultants Network (ACN). 13 consultants traveled from all over Georgia to attend this jam-packed program that covered approved content for Apple’s Mobility Technical Competency (MTC).

Day 1 featured hands-on labs on iTunes, iPhone, and iPad Configuration Utilities. Day 2 covered business implementation scenarios using real life situations for businesses of various sizes and industries. The business scenarios included:
•    Business Integration;
•    Security (a major concern when implementing any highly mobile device);
•    Configuration and Deployment (Over-The-Air, Mobile Device Management, Self Service & LifeCycle Management); and
•    App Development and Distribution (Developing Native, Web and Hybrid Applications, Apple Developer Programs & Volume Purchasing Program).

The energetic and engaging instructor for the 2-day class was Craig Cohen, CEO of HCS Technology Group, a New York-based IT Project Management company with multiple locations. One of UTG’s Senior Systems Engineers, Bryan Brooks, attended the training and completed his certifications for the Apple MTC.

Eric Dykes, CEO of UTG said, “UTG was honored to host this event for Apple. UTG is dedicated to helping our clients leverage mobility to be more efficient and effective. I read that more smartphones were sold in the US last year than PCs. This is indication of where mobility is going and UTG is thrilled to be right in the thick of things. The fact that UTG has made the investment to become part of the Apple Consultants Network for mobility highlights our dedication to this technology. All of these efforts are in perfect alignment with our soon to be release Mobile Device Management (MDM) offering.”

On May 6^th several members of the UTG staff will be participating in the Chastain Park triPATHlon to help raise funds for the Walton Foundation’s Camp To Be Independent, a camp that offers a safe and fun experience for children and young adults between the ages of 8 and 21 with traumatic brain injuries.

Currently UTG has one relay team and three individuals in the race. CEO Eric Dykes has challenged UTG team members to beat his individual performance for the race. He will donate an additional $100 to the foundation for any UTG team or individual competitor that beats him.

UTG (Undefeated Triathlon Group) Relay Team: Bryan Brooks, David Lipscomb (to be replaced by Brian Miller) and Alicia Cobb; Individual triathletes:  Suzanne Daymude, Eric Dykes and Brian Bassham.

Please consider supporting Eric & the other UTG participants by pledging whatever amount you can. 100% of all donations (minus transaction fees) will go to fund children attending the camp.

To sweeten the deal, we’re giving away two Grand Prizes, an iPad 2 & two tickets to The Masters! For every $5 you donate, your name will be entered into a random drawing for these great prizes!

DONATE HERE

Come out on May 6^th to cheer UTG on to victory!

If you missed the Renegade Radio broadcast or just want to hear it again, you can listen to a replay at http://ow.ly/9bdGt.

UTG’s CEO Eric Dykes and Wayne Carrel, President/CEO of AIRMESH Technologies, recently joined host Andy Lowe as the featured guests for an informative lunchtime discussion about Wireless and Cloud Computing on Renegade Radio.

Andy Lowe and Eric Dykes

Eric began by explaining to listeners that Cloud Computing is simply utilizing resources from a remote location paid for monthly on a metered rate vs. having resources in house. He emphasized that while many applications are a perfect fit for Cloud Computing, e.g. SalesForce.com, some applications may not be because they require greater connectivity. He noted that this is changing, however, with faster, more reliable bandwidth and the proliferation of Desktop Virtualization. Andy asked if Cloud Computing is enabling smaller businesses to compete with large organizations. Eric agreed that it is and pointed out that a business can do an ROI calculation comparing their current IT expenses such as warranties, support costs, hardware refresh, insurance, and other CAPEX costs vs. the monthly OPEX costs of onboarding and support when considering a move to the cloud.

He also pointed out that before jumping into Cloud Computing, businesses need to first decide what results they’re trying to achieve (high availability, high performance, lower cost, scalability, etc.) and then consider several options to achieve those results to determine if and how moving to the cloud is right for them. Coincidentally, Eric had just had this same discussion with a prospect and skillfully illustrated some options to consider on this napkin which he shared with Andy and Wayne.

Eric noted that the cloud has also created an explosion of mobile devices in the workplace. Employees are now using their personal devices to access corporate data and applications making IT security increasingly more difficult. Staying on top of what our customers need, Eric mentioned that UTG is rolling out a Mobile Device Management offering to help our customers address the management and security of these mobile devices.

Stay tuned…Andy invited Eric and Wayne to come back for a future broadcast featuring our customers who are successfully utilizing Cloud Computing and enhanced bandwidth to grow their businesses.

Last week UTG’s Eric Dykes and Brian Miller attended the quarterly meeting of their newly formed HTG Peer Group. HTG Peer Groups is a worldwide network of IT solution provider executives formed to collaborate and share business best practices, and UTG has been actively involved since 2009. This quarterly meeting took place in scenic Las Vegas, Nevada.

With UTG’s growth, the company has moved into a new tier of peer companies at HTG. While the member companies are still becoming familiar with one another, the group has already gelled and it was a terrific meeting.

Because the tenants of the peer groups are to share best practices, accountability and support, having companies that experience many of the same challenges is critical. To this end, HTG formed this group specifically for larger IT solution providers from around the country, and UTG is honored to be included with this group of peers.

Many of the member companies have multiple locations and all of them have broad customer bases, mature internal processes and developed sales and marketing. The gathering featured two days of intensive meetings reviewing recent results and challenges. The broad experiences of the group always help other members handle the most pressing issues. We always solve problems more quickly together than any one company could by themselves.

Of course, it’s also nice to be able to spend quality time outside of the meetings, and Las Vegas provided a great backdrop for dinners and other activities.  Like bumping into Bumblebee from the Transformers movies!

UTG is thrilled to be a part of this HTG Peer group and knows that our clients will benefit greatly from our involvement.

I’m sure most business owners would agree with me when I say this: cash is king! I’m a member of a peer group with 10 other business owners and we talk about all sorts of metrics at every meeting. It’s funny and predictable how it always comes back to cash: the numbers, LOC, AR/AP, EBITDA, NOI = CASH!

Cash is the undisputed king and everyone gets excited when we see someone who’s executing on adding 15-20% to the bottom line!

If cash is indeed king, how would you answer this question: Is spending $100K on IT equipment a good use of your cash? There are arguments on both sides, and I’ve traditionally paid for our equipment at UTG and depreciated it over it’s useful life. That’s GAAP, plus as a business owner, I get the tax benefit since our business is an LLC. Makes sense, right? I think not and here’s 5 reasons why:

1. My $100K in Cash is gone! Could have been used as a distribution, bonus, funding M&A, investment, and more.

2. It’s supposed useful life of 3-5 years is laughable. What technology are you using today that you put in 5 years ago?

3. My business is growing and the technology needed to support that growth changes even quicker. Whatever technology decision I make today, I’m better off having options to upgrade rather than waiting on the 3-5 year depreciation schedule.

4. Technology changes too fast! Even if you COULD nail down what you need for 3 years down the road, why would you do it? Technology gets better, faster, and cheaper as time goes on. It certainly outpaces your “useful life” depreciation schedule.

5. You’re a year into your depreciation schedule and you really need to “refresh” your $100K solution. What to do now? Write it off? Sit tight and do nothing until it’s off the books? Buy what you need and carry them both on the books? These ARE the decisions that string out sales cycles and put companies behind the technology curve.

The good news is there’s a better, or let’s call it a different way: IT as an operating expense. That’s it. Most of you are already doing this, but they call it “cloud computing” or “(fill in the blank) as a service.” The same thing you use to purchase a capital expense is now provided to you as a service or as a monthly expense. Who doesn’t like that? Predictable costs every single month, nothing to depreciate, no need for insurance on the equipment, etc.

About 6 months ago, UTG partnered with GAL to provide our clients with options for financing. Our clients always have the option to pay cash, but now they have other options that allow them to carry these expenses as an operating expense with proper insurance coverage. They also build equity so when they need to refresh or even replace items as they age or their business needs change, they can do so without any dramatic change in their expense, or more importantly, without using CASH!

Cash is king, so use it wisely. 1 out of 3 deals we’re closing in the last 2 quarters has been financed through the options available via our GAL partnership. I’d like to think we’re just that good at selling, but the truth is CASH is king…and 1 out of 3 clients agree with us!

For more details and to read a client success story, please download our UTG Technology Refresh Program & Case Study PDF.

Last week UTG hosted a Hands-On Lunch & Learn at the Atlanta office of Mitel, one of our key strategic partners.  The luncheon was focused around increasing our clients’ productivity through  unified communications, collaboration, mobility and virtualization.

UTG CEO Eric Dykes and Mitel Channel Account Manager Linda Hanke welcomed the guests and kicked off the presentation.

The “lunch” part of the lunch & learn included soup and sandwiches provided by Jason’s Deli.  Attendees had a chance to get to know each other as they enjoyed lunch together during the initial part of the meeting.

Next Mitel dove in presenting several hands-on demonstrations showing just how easy it is to implement a virtualized office and harness the power of cloud computing.  Several clients including Tim Smith, President and COO of Thompson Technologies, volunteered to give the solutions a try to see how an “in-office” communications experience can take place anywhere, on any device. One compelling demonstration included the failover from one virtual voice server to another during a call with no interruption to the call whatsoever.

The presentation then moved into the Mitel Lab where the solutions are all available for a fully hands-on experience in a true office setting.  The lab is on the 19th floor of Tower 5 of the Concourse, offering a beautiful view of the Metro Atlanta area.

Many thanks to all of our clients who participated in this educational event.  And thanks to our partner, Mitel, for hosting an interesting and informative presentation!

Want your own one-on-one demo with these solutions?  Drop us a line.

The UTG team recently assembled for two gatherings to celebrate two additional quarters of growth.  These offsite meetings provide an opportunity to share financial results of previous quarters, celebrate our efforts and teamwork, and align ourselves as a team to continue our path towards growth. We also give quarterly awards to individuals whose actions best display the company’s value of growth by helping UTG grow, helping clients grow and/or showcasing personal growth.

Both meetings took place at the always-delicious Ippolito’s Italian restaurant overlooking Suwanee Town Center.  (Home of what might be the world’s best garlic rolls.)

The news at these meetings included:

• Celebrating a strong sales performance, welcoming several new clients to the UTG family

• Celebrating our 2nd consecutive appearance on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America

• Celebrating being named to VAR Magazine’s Next-Gen 250

• Celebrating Eric Dykes and Brian Miller being named to the MSPmentor 250

• Congratulating Rebecca Goard for 5 years of service

• Congratulating Ron Clark for 5 years of service

• Congratulating James Ilderton for 10 years of service

• Welcoming our newest employees

• Celebrating the birthday of many staff members, and enjoying birthday cookies in their honor!

• Presenting April and Bryan Brooks with a gift card and cake to celebrate the arrival of their baby boy born in December

We also announced our two Quarterly Growth Award winners at these meetings.  For Q3, the recipient was Joe Pinkston, Senior Systems Engineer at UTG.  He received the “True Grit” award for his personal growth in adding to his many technical certifications.

Joe also received Longhorn Steakhouse gift cards and a John Wayne-approved black cowboy hat. Congratulations Joe, and thanks for your personal commitment to staying on the cutting edge of technology !

Finally, for Q4, the recipient was Gina Thomoff, UTG’s Technical Assistance Coordinator. Gina was honored for her consistent performance, and for a recent comment made by a client to UTG’s leadership. This client was thoroughly impressed with Gina’s level of detail in reporting, and they mentioned how critical this reporting was to their profitability and that Gina always knocked it out of the park. They were able to take Gina’s reports and immediately share them internally to showcase key metrics to leadership.

For her efforts, Gina received six tickets to an upcoming Georgia Tech/Boston College basketball game and the “Knock it out of the Park” award, complete with a baseball signed by UTG’s management team.  Congrats on a job well done, Gina!

To see more fun photos from these meetings, including a shot of the amazing garlic rolls at Ippolito’s, check out our Facebook page.

Stay tuned for some exciting updates relating to UTG’s plans for additional growth throughout 2012!

REGISTER NOW!

Questions:
Tamara Lopata
tlopata@utgsolutions.com
or 678-730-2732

Featured Blogger: Bryan Brooks, UTG Systems Engineer

Cybercrime is a multi-million dollar industry that continues to grow at a frightening pace. You can’t stop using the internet, so how you can stop cyber thieves and their data-stealing malware? Here are some simple instructions to make it harder for cyber thieves to target you and your information at work and at home.

1. Click and browse with extreme caution.
2. Do not click random links.
3. Do not click Like buttons on Facebook.
4. Do not click suspicious posts!  If you click, it’s game over!
5. Remove yourself from the Administrators Group. If you don’t have permission to install applications as an administrator, neither does the Virus.
6. Keep your machine patched! If you see a message that Microsoft wants to update, update!
7. Patch your 3rd party apps (Adobe, Flash, Java, etc.). These applications have vulnerabilities too!
8. Install FireFox and only use Firefox when browsing the internet.
9. Install the NoScript and Flash Block Plugin for FireFox.  This will block 95% of the drive-by-downloads. (It’s not perfect, but it will help tremendously).
10. Avoid using IE and Chrome.

Additionally, to secure your home systems:

1. Install Personal Software Inspector. It’s free and patches 3rd party apps automatically for you. http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/
2. Install Antivirus (Yes, it’s pointless, but you have to have it). Free AVG is one of the best Free Antivirus packages out there.

Follow these simple instructions and you’ll be much safer on the internet. Contact UTG at 678-730-0345 to learn more ways that we address internet security issues for your business.

Reference Links:

• FireFox: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/new/
• FlashBlock: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/flashblock/
• NoScript: http://noscript.net/
• FreeAVG: http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage
• PSI – Personal Software Inspector:  http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/personal/