Ashton Solutions; "How" Matters
Ashton Technology Solutions is a Cleveland-based provider of managed IT services, with a focus on security, compliance, and business continuity. We believe that your IT should just work. We also understand that your data and your network are the key to doing business. Without them, you don't have a business, so your security is of the utmost importance.
Whether you're looking to completely outsource your IT, or looking to augment existing interal IT ("co-managed IT"), we can provide a solution to fit your needs. Oftentimes our engagements begin with a project; a migration to Microsoft 365 or implementation of a new wireless network. You get to see the quality of our work, and we get to understand your needs. From there, we offer all the tablestakes of a managed IT provider; monitoring, patching, security, data backup and disaster recovery, help desk support. You know the drill.
It's what we do beyond those tablestakes that allows us to differentiate ourselves in the marketplace. An industry leading service level agreement for all managed IT clients (one hour response with 85% of all tickets being resolved within eight business hours), combined with superior documentation and communication, both internally and with our clients, allows the Ashton engineering team to get to the root of your problems. We don't like bandaids- we'd rather cure the disease.
Whether you're in manufacturing, professional services, non-profit, architecture, real estate, construction, finance, or education, Ashton Solutions will provide you the technology to ensure the continued growth of your business, while securing your network and data.
Focus
Portfolio
Why Ashton Values Sophos Security Solutions
Headquartered near Cleveland, Ohio, Ashton Technology Solutions has been a managed
service provider (MSP) for 25 years and a Sophos Partner since 2014, achieving Gold status in
2018. Its offerings range from managed IT services and security solutions to cloud computing
and compliance. As a member of the Taylor Business Group, a nationwide consortium of over
250 MSPs who share data and best practices, Ashton Technology Solutions holds itself to the
highest level of accountability and industry standards. Ashton focuses primarily on small and
medium-size businesses with 20 to 200 users across multiple sectors—finance, legal, notfor
profit, education, manufacturing, industrial, and others, while differentiating themselves
thanks to their focus on next generation security solutions for their clients.
Treat IT As An Investment
Many business owners and managers view IT as an expense. A necessary evil, of sorts. You have to have it, but you don't really know what it does, and don't understand its cost structure.
The generally accepted rule is that IT expenditures should equate to 2-3% of annual revenues. Consider that these expenditures, when well thought out, will bring standardization and consistency, while ensuring that your investment, your network, and your data are secure.
You've spent countless hours and even more countless dollars to build your business. You should expect your employees to be efficient, and your data to be accessible, when and where you need it. Ashton will protect your network, your data and your investment.
Microsoft Teams- Tips and Tricks
Need a great work from home solution for communicating with your team? Whether messaging, video, or voice, Teams has an option for you. As a matter of fact, Teams has many tools that you might not even be familiar with.
In this video, Ashton Technology Solutions engineer Tom Foley will get down into the weeds. He'll show how to change your Teams notifications and settings, and also explain how to create and manage various teams.
Working Remotely with Ashton Solutions
WIth the onset of COVID-19, the lockdown, and work from home orders, many companies were upended. While some had prepared for the likelihood of needing to send employees home, others had never considered the possibility.
Working from home creates a whole new set of security concerns, but it can also make team communication difficult. Learn how Ashton secures a work from home environment, while also providing communication solutions through Microsoft Teams.
IT Due Diligence
Ashton regularly works with a variety of clients to provide network audits, or "IT Due Diligence". These clients range from private equity firms during the acquisition process, to non-profits looking for an uninterested outside provider's analysis of an existing IT provider, to prospective managed services clients looking for guidance and a long term relationship.
The scope of these projects often varies significantly; in some cases, the concern is what systems are in place, why they're there, how they're being used, and how secure they are. In other instances, the client is most concerned about the internal IT team; is the company overstaffed? Understaffed? Are all the roles properly filled, or are certain team members just sliding by without bringing any benefit to the table?
Regardless of the need, Ashton's team will help to better understand what your network does, and why, then provide solutions to help insure your investment while positioning you for future growth and profitability.
Ubiquiti Wireless Networking
The request was to create multiple wireless networks at a remote, 140 acre location in the exurbs east of Cleveland, OH. The event; a two day live music festival with multiple national touring artists. The need; separate and distinct wireless connections for the artists, the concertgoers, the vendors, and local emergency services. The problem; it began with the poor internet connection into the property, but even more daunting was 140 wooded acres. The result; Ashton Technology Solutions knocked it out of the park!
Reviews
the project
IT Managed Services & Firewall for Building Materials Firm
“The Ashton team is always willing to get the job done.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the director of IT at a 22-company group centered in the commercial building materials space.
What challenge were you trying to address with Ashton Technology Solutions?
We needed help with IT managed services. We’ve grown a lot through acquisition over the last 10 years. We hired Ashton Technology Solutions to help us scale.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Ashton Technology Solutions is our managed IT service provider. In a recent project, they helped us redesign all of our network security and helped us build a firewall soup to nuts. They helped us in everything from procurement and deployment to production.
We also use Ashton to augment our teams in certain situations. They run our helpdesk and act as a sounding board. They do all of our firewall security, routing, and help manage our NTL network.
What is the team composition?
I work with Jim M. (CEO), Jim A. (Sales & Marketing Manager), Pete (Sales Manager), and Travis (VP Operations).
How did you come to work with Ashton Technology Solutions?
We bought a company in the Cleveland area that manufactures welding materials and they were using Ashton as their IT services partner. I found a wiring project for them to do that needed to be done quickly.
When I went to check on their progress, Jim M. was pulling wire with everyone else at 11 PM at night. I was really impressed that their CEO was willing to work with everyone else that late. That work ethic matched our internal culture. We decided to work together from there.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent close to $250,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in March 2016, and our work is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
In IT, there’s very little feedback. If I don’t hear complaints, the project was a success. With Ashton, I don’t hear any complaints at all.
How did Ashton Technology Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?
We have an internal ticketing system that they use. As far as I know, they’re really on top of their assignments.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I respect Jim M. for his work ethic. The Ashton team is always willing to get the job done.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, nothing really stands out. While there’s always room for improvement, Jim M. is always looking for ways to build a better mousetrap.
the project
Managed IT Services for Real Estate Management Firm
"Ashton Technology also always explains what their plans are or why they think you need to do a certain action."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the office manager at a commercial and residential real estate management company located in east Ohio.
What challenge were you trying to address with Ashton Technology Solutions?
We had an in-house IT director who had left, so for about a year, we were working with an outside provider which was a one-man operation. It was not working out as he didn’t have the time for us. We needed someone who would be more available and more knowledgeable, so we asked Ashton Technology to help us out.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Ashton Technology works as our overall IT support. They have upgraded all our desktop computers to Windows 10 and migrated us to Microsoft 365 from an old exchange server that had vulnerabilities popping up in the past month. We go to them for any issues we have with software and emails. They maintain our servers, set up our new users, and manage all our IT-related purchases.
Their team has remote access to all of our equipment. When we were first setting up with them, someone would come into the office when we needed them to. However, especially since 2020, unless something physically fails, their team works remotely.
What is the team composition?
We have worked individually with around six of their technical engineers on separate projects. They had a senior engineer who is the head of their team and service coordinators who we contact when putting in a ticket. We also work with 1–2 people from their marketing department when we’re making purchases.
Overall, we work with around 8–10 people on an ongoing basis.
How did you come to work with Ashton Technology Solutions?
We shared a physical space with the company that handled the search. They recognized Ashton Technology as the service provider of somebody they knew. One of our employees was also aware of them through an alumni network, so we decided to check them out.
How much have you invested with them?
For their services, we pay about $600–$800 a month. On top of that, we’ve also spent on the upgrades to Windows 10, software subscriptions, and warranties.
What is the status of this engagement?
We signed the contract in November 2019 after making decisions three months prior. Our partnership is still ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Overall, our systems are definitely up and running and the majority of our problems have been resolved. Most of our employees have had very favorable interactions with Ashton Technology even during the upgrade of our servers and the replacement of our computers.
We have not heard any complaints about their services; everything has been positive for us. We went from a year of not knowing what’s going on to now having complete IT support.
How did Ashton Technology Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?
Ashton Technology is very willing to figure out what is happening. Sometimes they would follow up on a problem in the middle of the night and send us an email or message the following morning. I am assured that any problem is being worked on because they keep us up to date. We have access to the portal of their ticketing system, which is also helpful.
They’re very communicative, which I definitely appreciate. They’ve got a good tracking system and there’s clear coordination between departments. They make note of whenever their work gets unexpectedly disrupted or if they have another team member working on a similar project.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They’re the kind of tech-savvy that doesn’t make us feel like we’re lost without them. They do not make you feel like an idiot for not knowing as much as them. Ashton Technology also always explains what their plans are or why they think you need to do a certain action.
Transparency, genialness, and knowledgeableness are all qualities of theirs that I have enjoyed this past year.
Are there any areas they could improve?
This could be something on their side as well as on ours, but I guess their appointment process could use some improvement. We’re still used to having someone in the office walk up to our desk to offer support, so getting accustomed to their ticketing tools is something that several of our employees have not enjoyed.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Do not be afraid to say how exactly you want to interact with Ashton Technology or what exactly you need to get done. Their team will take not but they definitely need to know beforehand.
the project
IT Management for Mortuary
"As long as everything keeps working, we have no problems."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
We’re a mortuary shipping firm. We handle the logistics and coordination for funeral homes for shipping bodies from one point to another.
What challenge were you trying to address with Ashton Technology Solutions?
They manage our IT, taking over from a previous company.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Their team designed our server infrastructure. They maintain our server, email, and programs that operate off of the server. It’s mostly remote, but at times, they do have to come in person.
What is the team composition?
There are about four or five key people we work with. The number of technicians changes, and a contact runs the help desk. Travis (VP of Operations) is our go-to guy when things come in. Anthony (Tech Lead) contacts us a major of the time when there are issues.
How did you come to work with Ashton Technology Solutions?
Our software engineer referred Ashton Technology Solutions to us. They came in, told us what they could do, and gave us their prices.
How much have you invested with them?
We spend over $36,000 a year.
What is the status of this engagement?
We’ve worked together for almost five years.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
As long as everything keeps working, we have no problems.
How did Ashton Technology Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?
When they’re called for a service-related issue, it might take a couple of hours to hear back. If it is an evening or weekend, it is hard to get ahold of somebody, which poses a problem for us.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They’re knowledgeable about the server.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Their response time could improve. If our servers are down, it shuts down our operation. For example, a month ago, we couldn’t get a hold of anybody and we were down for eight hours. The CEO and I had to come in the office to get things on track in the middle of the night.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Think about what your needs are. If it’s something where they’re going to require 24/7 maintenance, they might want to look elsewhere. If it’s just normal maintenance, they’re fine, but they might want to find someone with a better emergency response time.
the project
Managed IT Services for Marketing & Events Company
"They’re readily available and quick to respond to our problems."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the COO of Elevation Group. We’re a marketing agency and management firm primarily focusing on sports and music.
What challenge were you trying to address with Ashton Technology Solutions?
We needed the expertise of a vendor that was familiar with servers, hardware, networking, and data storage.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Ashton Technology Solutions provides consultation and advice on anything and everything that relates to IT. They’re our go-to for any hardware and software issues. Their team helped us move to cloud storage, handle any dealings with our scanning and copy machines, manage our wireless access points, and so on. If our laptops break and we need replacements, they handle that; they work with me to do an inventory.
If we run into an issue, we send it via email to their service desk. We receive an immediate reply acknowledging the request and within a reasonable period of time, there’s always someone who gets back to us to solve the problem.
What is the team composition?
I work with about eight of their team members comprising their owner, the head of sales and business, the primary administrative person, and five of their techs.
How did you come to work with Ashton Technology Solutions?
We run a music festival that used to take place on the grounds of a private school. Ashton Technology Solutions was the service provider for that school. That’s how we got connected with them. They put a proposal together for us that was the best stab in the dark at what would make sense for us. Then, they reviewed it six months later and made some changes.
How much have you invested with them?
We invest about $25,000 annually.
What is the status of this engagement?
Our ongoing engagement started in January 2016.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We don’t have any other service provider that is so involved with what we do that it feels like they have a desk in our office. They’re readily available and quick to respond to our problems. Their team has to deal with a lot of agitated individuals and do so in an excellent manner.
They’re solving problems and people get angry at problems. It’s as if I hired an in-house IT person but I haven’t. We have offices in another state, but they still manage to deliver the service there as well.
How did Ashton Technology Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?
Project management has been great. Ashton Technology Solutions is great about getting information to us. Their team is spot-on. Currently, they’re helping us handle our transition of the North Carolina office going exclusively remote. They’re extremely receptive to everything we’ve shared with them.
What did you find most impressive about them?
I was very impressed when they revisited and tweaked our proposal. Other providers don’t come to a client and let them know they’re paying too much. That is so rare. They called us and expressed we were on a plan where we were paying too much, then helped us reduce that plan. I just find that to be unheard of in the service industry. They have exceptional integrity.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I’d appreciate it if they knew a little bit more about Mac computers, iOS, and so forth. However, that’s not really a complaint, it’s more of a constructive recommendation.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
If you share more information, they’ll ask a lot of questions and assist you in every way possible. Take the time to make a list and make them aware of it. They will respond accordingly to those things.
Ashton Technology Solutions’ work pleases both internal and external stakeholders. There are never any complaints about their service. The team is diligent and hardworking even at the senior management level. Ashton Technology Solutions is organized and they’re always looking for ways to improve.