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Why Us

11 Good Reasons Why To Work With Affiliated For Your Managed IT Support

Why You Should Choose Affiliated For IT Services, Support, And Solutions

1. You Can Expect A Timely Response.

Our Support Center team answers your call and is ready to assist you right away or will set a time to work with you that meets your expectations to address your request. You can reach us via phone or e-mail; our goal is to respond and start working on your request in less than 30 minutes.

2. We Specialize In Growing Companies.

That means we understand your incredibly hectic and stressful work schedule and WHY it's critical to remove obstacles, frustrations, and technical problems to keep you productive. To date, we've worked with well over 200 growing organizations in Central Ohio. We understand the systems you work with and can make them work seamlessly to eliminate extra steps, work-arounds and manual labor. We also have tech support available 24/7/365 since we know you don't work the normal "9-5" day, and can help you maintain the freedom to work remote while making sure you meet compliance standards for data security and backups.

3. We Have Flexible, Tailored-To-Your-Needs Support Options

Affiliated provides Managed Services Solutions in a variety of options - for companies that need a complete IT services solution or companies that have IT staff and need additional help. Affiliated provides our customers with a variety of managed support options, ranging from back-end maintenance and monitoring for issues, to user help-desk support with ticketing, to strategy and budget and asset/license lifecycle management. We have successfully provided these services for over 25 years and can create a solution specifically for you and your team.

4. Industry Expertise.

We've developed strong expertise in the Manufacturing, Distribution & Supply Chain industries, Professional Services firms, Non-Profit organizations and Healthcare associatons with 25 to 500 employees. We have over 20 years of experience working with clients in these industries and are familiar with what is important to you.

5. We Take Complete Ownership Of Your IT Problems.

Dealing with IT problems can be frustrating. Sometimes it requires talking to third party vendors and Internet providers to provide a fix. This can often result in "finger pointing" as to what vendor is at fault in troubleshooting hardware / software issues. At Affiliated, we take ownership of your IT problems as your advocate and work diligently with third party vendors to ensure downtime and drama are kept to a minimum and get your systems up and running quickly.

6. We Have The Unique Ability To Address Your IT Needs – From Vision Through Long-Term Support.

We assist from vision to design and planning, to product specification through pricing and acquisition, to installation, implementation, documentation, and project management, to post-project support of you and your users. This allows you to have one consistent team to work with and provides more efficient service and support for you and your team.

7. We Have A Team Of Certified Experts On Staff.

Unlike other IT firms, who have one or two guys trying to juggle multiple projects and wear various hats, we have a team of engineers on staff with diverse, specialized areas of expertise who work together to deliver the most effective and correct solutions to you. As a client, you will work with the appropriate, local team members to address your needs. That means you'll always be able to get someone on the phone who knows YOU and understands YOUR environment and YOUR systems to provide helpful answers and quick resolution of problems.

8. We Use Our Vendor Relationships To YOUR Advantage.

Having an advanced level of partnership with key vendors (e.g. Microsoft, VMware, and Dell) allows us access to special pre- and post-project assistance support levels that most "partners" do not have. We can get additional vendor support and can provide the right solutions, priced right and validated by the vendor, so if any issues come up, we work lockstep with you to get them resolved quickly and effectively.

9. We Support Both On-Premise And “Cloud” Solutions.

Some IT firms won't offer or recommend cheaper cloud solutions because THEY make less money. Our philosophy is - and always has been - to offer what's BEST for the customer, not us. That's how we keep so many customers long-term. We'll base our recommendations on what YOU want and what YOU feel most comfortable with. Our job is to lay out your options, educate you on the pros and cons of each and guide you to the best, most cost-effective solution for you.

10. All Projects Are Completed As Agreed On And On Budget.

When you hire us to complete a project for you, we won't nickel-and-dime you with unforeseen or unexpected charges or delays. We guarantee to deliver precisely what we promised to deliver, on time and on budget. We can offer our agreements on a fixed-fee basis so you know exactly what you're going to pay, not a penny more.

11. We Are One Of A Few Elite Microsoft Office 365 Partners In The Country.

They call us their "SMB Champions" (SMB stands for small-medium business). Migrating (or setting up) Office 365 and other cloud solutions is NOT something you want to attempt on your own. There are dozens of ways an improper setup can cause problems, systems that don't work, lost data and e-mail, and a host of other problems - you need someone with experience in multiple environments with a variety of clients. We have that experience - from a small office with 50 employees to a full Office 365 migration for a customer with 1,000 employees, we can help.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do I choose the right managed IT provider?

Choosing a managed IT provider in Columbus and the Central Ohio area is a business risk decision, not simply an IT decision. Look for a provider with proven cybersecurity expertise, compliance experience, executive reporting, documented incident response planning, and the ability to align technology with your organization's long-term business goals.

What is the difference between managed IT services and break-fix IT support?

Break-fix IT support responds after something fails. Managed IT services continuously monitor, maintain, and secure your technology environment to prevent problems before they occur. The result is greater reliability, stronger cybersecurity, and more predictable technology costs.

What industries does Affiliated serve?

Affiliated specializes in helping growing organizations throughout Columbus and Central Ohio, with particular expertise in manufacturing, healthcare, professional services, accounting firms, local government, nonprofits, and logistics and supply chain organizations. Our services are designed to align technology, cybersecurity, and compliance with each industry's unique operational and regulatory requirements.

Can managed IT services help with compliance requirements?

Yes. A qualified managed IT provider should support organizations with compliance initiatives such as HIPAA, SOC 2, the FTC Safeguards Rule, PCI DSS, and other industry-specific cybersecurity requirements. A comprehensive IT risk assessment is often the first step in identifying security and compliance gaps.

When should an organization consider changing managed IT providers?

Many organizations reevaluate their IT provider during contract renewals, after a cybersecurity incident, during periods of growth, when opening additional locations, or when new compliance requirements arise. Waiting until after a major outage or breach often increases both cost and business risk.

What is an IT risk assessment?

An IT risk assessment evaluates your organization's cybersecurity posture, infrastructure, backup strategy, access controls, compliance readiness, and operational risks. It provides leadership with a clear understanding of current vulnerabilities and serves as the foundation for a strategic technology roadmap.

Why do organizations switch managed IT providers?

Most organizations don't switch providers because of a single support issue. They switch after recurring downtime, cybersecurity concerns, compliance challenges, poor communication, or a lack of strategic guidance. The right managed IT partner should help reduce business risk while supporting long-term growth.