Hi all, first off I want to say thanks for the advice on my last query - I have found a new host (PacificRack) and their service is far beyond my expectations.
Secondly, I have now tried two management companies and have not been completely satisfied with either - they are CreaWebSolutions and PlatinumServerManagement.
So, I am asking for suggestions for a new management company - a lot of you have said on other posts that it differs from person to person, so this is my list of requirements:
* Must be able to communicate via telephone/IM/Email
* Must be 24/7/365
* Must monitor ALL services (Exim, HTTP, FTP, MySQL)
* Must know how to handle it when my sites gets very heavy traffic
* Must be willing to support a non-CPanel server, as well as a CPanel server
* Must respond fast (and I mean fast!)
* Should be dealing with problems before I realise there is one
* Must communicate - this is so important, and is the thing most lacking from the two companies I have tried so far
* Must be as dedicated (or as least feign being dedicated) to my site as I am
* Must be experiences with linux (CentOS) and good with security
* Must give me regular reports
It is a big list, I realise, but I am willing to pay for good service. I am nearly at my wit's end after four months of dreadful service with BurtonHosting. Now that I have a decent hosting solution I really need the perfect support solution.You should also put forth a budget in your requirements post.mhalligan: I am not sure what people charge so it would pointless - however my decision will be based entirely on quality of service - price is secondary. Perhaps you could give me some ideas what sort of prices people charge? I will say, however, than an all in one package would be what I want - rather than a price per event.If you want great service, price it like this: A dedicated server engineer, depending on the location, runs $45-$60 / hr. (that's what we charge!!!
) The next step should be easier for you then us. How many hours of their time do you want each month? IMO, for one server's security, config, etc. expect no less then 10 hours / mth for solid maintence. Regards,If you want great service, price it like this: A dedicated server engineer, depending on the location, runs $45-$60 / hr. (that's what we charge!!! ) The next step should be easier for you then us. How many hours of their time do you want each month? IMO, for one server's security, config, etc. expect no less then 10 hours / mth for solid maintence.Regards,!You get what you pay for at those prices.! You get what you pay for at those prices. Yea, but that's how we roll and people should be aware of what knowledgable service costs. You pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Kind Regards,"how we roll" ? I'm not familiar with the phrase.Anyways, having consulted for over a decade, I find the concept of outsourcing the management of my company's critical infrastructure to somebody only charging $45-$60 hour somewhat frightening.Average support companies charge $50-$100 per month. But they are not as proactive as you request here.I think you will find the solution you want at a budget around $250. And you must definitely look for something over or at least $100."how we roll" ? I'm not familiar with the phrase. Anyways, having consulted for over a decade, I find the concept of outsourcing the management of my company's critical infrastructure to somebody only charging $45-$60 hour somewhat frightening. Only? You realize $60 an hour is $115k a year without overtime right? How much do you charge and what market are you in?"how we roll" ? I'm not familiar with the phrase.how we roll 1) that is how we act we or are expected to act2) amen yeyuh, that's how we roll me homiehow we roll 1) that is how we act we or are expected to act2) amen yeyuh, that's how we roll me homieThanks. I didn't want to say it myself.... Regards,I quoted the Urban Dictionary 
Only? You realize $60 an hour is $115k a year without overtime right? How much do you charge and what market are you in?$115k/year is a good base salary for a senior systems administrator. That's before payroll taxes, health benefits, 401k contributions, training, vacation, bonuses, raises, and everything else that goes into a benefits package required to attract and keep someone. Even with that being said, are you really billing out any one systems administrator 2000 hours a year? Even 1,500? If so, how do you pay them, and make a profit?$115k/year is a good base salary for a senior systems administrator. That's before payroll taxes, health benefits, 401k contributions, training, vacation, bonuses, raises, and everything else that goes into a benefits package required to attract and keep someone. Even with that being said, are you really billing out any one systems administrator 2000 hours a year? Even 1,500? If so, how do you pay them, and make a profit?Benefits for a fully-burdened employee run 8-20k / yr depending on the package. 401ks are non-matching. Administaff handles all of it. Everyone is billable on projects over 90% of the year(1920 hrs) and that does not include overtime, of course.In SE Michigan 115k/yr is more then just a "good" salary - that's the 95th percentile.Regards,Greetings:
In our neck of the woods, a 5+ year server admin generally has a salary of $50,000 to $90,000 per year not including benefits.
Over the past 12 years in business, most solid companies (the ones that are not going to go through a lot of turn over et al) will charge $50 to $150 per hour for their services.
Now, dealing with the requests:
* Must be able to communicate via telephone/IM/Email
* Must be 24/7/365
* Must monitor ALL services (Exim, HTTP, FTP, MySQL)
* Must know how to handle it when my sites gets very heavy traffic
* Must be willing to support a non-CPanel server, as well as a CPanel server
* Must respond fast (and I mean fast!)
* Should be dealing with problems before I realise there is one
* Must communicate - this is so important, and is the thing most lacking from the two companies I have tried so far
* Must be as dedicated (or as least feign being dedicated) to my site as I am
* Must be experiences with linux (CentOS) and good with security
* Must give me regular reports
Typical for professionals is phone, email, and fax. IM for professional server administrators, in my opinion, is rare because IM does interfere with work (it may be a client boon, but it actually detracts from quality of work ?long story for those interested as to the cons of IM).
The second request ?on 24x7x365 can be extremely price for medium to high quality due to running three or more shifts. More common are guaranteed response times; i.e. respond within 15-minutes of a 911.
Monitoring all services is common place, and should be easy to provide from any party.
The how to handle approach from an MSP (Managed Service Provider) perspective depends on how well you have the process you want followed documented; furthermore, if you know the trends of when bandwidth causes issues, that knowledge would also help the provider.
In terms of automation and partial automation (such as cpanel) management, more and more administrators are becoming specialized for various reasons. But there are still management teams that can handle from no control panel, cpanel, etc. Please note they may still have a core focus which may limit certain areas they can be of help.
The respond fast can be handled by a response time guarantee; but keep in mind that if the provider finds everything to you is a 911 event when it may not be a 911 event, that may drastically increase the investment / cost of their service.
With a proper monitoring system in place including bandwidth alerts on known bandwidth or higher causing problems can allow an administrator / administrator team to proactive manage issues before you know they are a problem, OR at least start working on it by the time you find out (i.e. they are on it, you call, and they tell you they are already working on it).
Communication skills do vary from MSP to MSP, individual admin to admin; your best bet is to call on the phone to interview prospective MSP companies and individuals.
In terms of being fanatical about you, the only way to truly cultivate and grow that attitude would be to hire your own server administrators. I use the plural because you will not find one that doesn抰 need to sleep <smile> in terms of your 24x7x365 requirement.
Even Rackspace.com that claims fanatical support has their moments where our team is trying to help a mutual customer and both the customer and our team are asking where is the fanatical support?
You should be ok finding administrators familiar with CentOS / RedHat Enterprise (of which CentOS is based).
Lastly, if you define what you want reported, giving regular reports should be easy.
Thank you.Benefits for a fully-burdened employee run 8-20k / yr depending on the package. 401ks are non-matching. Administaff handles all of it. Everyone is billable on projects over 90% of the year(1920 hrs) and that does not include overtime, of course.In SE Michigan 115k/yr is more then just a "good" salary - that's the 95th percentile.Regards,A senior systems administrator, someone who has 10 years of good experience, who is senior because of skill, not just because they've been in a job for a long time, can make that that in any region of the country if they know how to market themselves. I grew up in Port Huron, MI ,and my father, a Senior Server Engineer for EDS always did better than that.Maybe it's just me, but I prefer to have experts manage my servers, rather than "good enough" mid-level administrators.A senior systems administrator, someone who has 10 years of good experience, who is senior because of skill, not just because they've been in a job for a long time, can make that that in any region of the country if they know how to market themselves. I grew up in Port Huron, MI ,and my father, a Senior Server Engineer for EDS always did better than that.Maybe it's just me, but I prefer to have experts manage my servers, rather than "good enough" mid-level administrators.I too worked for EDS - how long did he have in the company before he crossed 100k? Because I know for a fact raises were bad, often times going 2 or more years between them, and even then people getting only 3-5%.I too worked for EDS - how long did he have in the company before he crossed 100k? Because I know for a fact raises were bad, often times going 2 or more years between them, and even then people getting only 3-5%.He was at this point when he started, which was .. 1987 maybe? I forget the year, I try to block out most memories of Michigan, I get cold just thinking about it.I would recommend PMS (Platinum Server Management), they have all you need and more.He was at this point when he started, which was .. 1987 maybe? I forget the year, I try to block out most memories of Michigan, I get cold just thinking about it.
I was really interested how many years experience he had when he started. If you're saying he was making 100k/yr in 87, I find that very hard to believe and contrary to my knowledge.I was really interested how many years experience he had when he started. If you're saying he was making 100k/yr in 87, I find that very hard to believe and contrary to my knowledge.About 15 at that point. His focus was on manufacturing process automation, which in itself is a broader discipline than just systems engineering, btu was still a systems engineering discipline.That being said, the good admins I know make $100k wherever they live, be it Altanta, Austin, or Qatar (actually, the guys in Qatar make quite a bit more than that, the cost of living there is brutal)I would just like to add to my initial comment that my dissatisfaction with PWS is not because of their lack of service - but the simple fact that my needs outweigh their offerings. In issues that I have raised with them they have always been prompt and courteous.I would just like to add to my initial comment that my dissatisfaction with PWS is not because of their lack of service - but the simple fact that my needs outweigh their offerings. In issues that I have raised with them they have always been prompt and courteous.
Thanks for the clarifying your comment about our service. Btw, I think you meant PSM, not PWSOops - you are right - I did mean PSM - thanks for correcting.
Secondly, I have now tried two management companies and have not been completely satisfied with either - they are CreaWebSolutions and PlatinumServerManagement.
So, I am asking for suggestions for a new management company - a lot of you have said on other posts that it differs from person to person, so this is my list of requirements:
* Must be able to communicate via telephone/IM/Email
* Must be 24/7/365
* Must monitor ALL services (Exim, HTTP, FTP, MySQL)
* Must know how to handle it when my sites gets very heavy traffic
* Must be willing to support a non-CPanel server, as well as a CPanel server
* Must respond fast (and I mean fast!)
* Should be dealing with problems before I realise there is one
* Must communicate - this is so important, and is the thing most lacking from the two companies I have tried so far
* Must be as dedicated (or as least feign being dedicated) to my site as I am
* Must be experiences with linux (CentOS) and good with security
* Must give me regular reports
It is a big list, I realise, but I am willing to pay for good service. I am nearly at my wit's end after four months of dreadful service with BurtonHosting. Now that I have a decent hosting solution I really need the perfect support solution.You should also put forth a budget in your requirements post.mhalligan: I am not sure what people charge so it would pointless - however my decision will be based entirely on quality of service - price is secondary. Perhaps you could give me some ideas what sort of prices people charge? I will say, however, than an all in one package would be what I want - rather than a price per event.If you want great service, price it like this: A dedicated server engineer, depending on the location, runs $45-$60 / hr. (that's what we charge!!!
) The next step should be easier for you then us. How many hours of their time do you want each month? IMO, for one server's security, config, etc. expect no less then 10 hours / mth for solid maintence. Regards,If you want great service, price it like this: A dedicated server engineer, depending on the location, runs $45-$60 / hr. (that's what we charge!!! ) The next step should be easier for you then us. How many hours of their time do you want each month? IMO, for one server's security, config, etc. expect no less then 10 hours / mth for solid maintence.Regards,!You get what you pay for at those prices.! You get what you pay for at those prices. Yea, but that's how we roll and people should be aware of what knowledgable service costs. You pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Kind Regards,"how we roll" ? I'm not familiar with the phrase.Anyways, having consulted for over a decade, I find the concept of outsourcing the management of my company's critical infrastructure to somebody only charging $45-$60 hour somewhat frightening.Average support companies charge $50-$100 per month. But they are not as proactive as you request here.I think you will find the solution you want at a budget around $250. And you must definitely look for something over or at least $100."how we roll" ? I'm not familiar with the phrase. Anyways, having consulted for over a decade, I find the concept of outsourcing the management of my company's critical infrastructure to somebody only charging $45-$60 hour somewhat frightening. Only? You realize $60 an hour is $115k a year without overtime right? How much do you charge and what market are you in?"how we roll" ? I'm not familiar with the phrase.how we roll 1) that is how we act we or are expected to act2) amen yeyuh, that's how we roll me homiehow we roll 1) that is how we act we or are expected to act2) amen yeyuh, that's how we roll me homieThanks. I didn't want to say it myself.... Regards,I quoted the Urban Dictionary Only? You realize $60 an hour is $115k a year without overtime right? How much do you charge and what market are you in?$115k/year is a good base salary for a senior systems administrator. That's before payroll taxes, health benefits, 401k contributions, training, vacation, bonuses, raises, and everything else that goes into a benefits package required to attract and keep someone. Even with that being said, are you really billing out any one systems administrator 2000 hours a year? Even 1,500? If so, how do you pay them, and make a profit?$115k/year is a good base salary for a senior systems administrator. That's before payroll taxes, health benefits, 401k contributions, training, vacation, bonuses, raises, and everything else that goes into a benefits package required to attract and keep someone. Even with that being said, are you really billing out any one systems administrator 2000 hours a year? Even 1,500? If so, how do you pay them, and make a profit?Benefits for a fully-burdened employee run 8-20k / yr depending on the package. 401ks are non-matching. Administaff handles all of it. Everyone is billable on projects over 90% of the year(1920 hrs) and that does not include overtime, of course.In SE Michigan 115k/yr is more then just a "good" salary - that's the 95th percentile.Regards,Greetings:In our neck of the woods, a 5+ year server admin generally has a salary of $50,000 to $90,000 per year not including benefits.
Over the past 12 years in business, most solid companies (the ones that are not going to go through a lot of turn over et al) will charge $50 to $150 per hour for their services.
Now, dealing with the requests:
* Must be able to communicate via telephone/IM/Email
* Must be 24/7/365
* Must monitor ALL services (Exim, HTTP, FTP, MySQL)
* Must know how to handle it when my sites gets very heavy traffic
* Must be willing to support a non-CPanel server, as well as a CPanel server
* Must respond fast (and I mean fast!)
* Should be dealing with problems before I realise there is one
* Must communicate - this is so important, and is the thing most lacking from the two companies I have tried so far
* Must be as dedicated (or as least feign being dedicated) to my site as I am
* Must be experiences with linux (CentOS) and good with security
* Must give me regular reports
Typical for professionals is phone, email, and fax. IM for professional server administrators, in my opinion, is rare because IM does interfere with work (it may be a client boon, but it actually detracts from quality of work ?long story for those interested as to the cons of IM).
The second request ?on 24x7x365 can be extremely price for medium to high quality due to running three or more shifts. More common are guaranteed response times; i.e. respond within 15-minutes of a 911.
Monitoring all services is common place, and should be easy to provide from any party.
The how to handle approach from an MSP (Managed Service Provider) perspective depends on how well you have the process you want followed documented; furthermore, if you know the trends of when bandwidth causes issues, that knowledge would also help the provider.
In terms of automation and partial automation (such as cpanel) management, more and more administrators are becoming specialized for various reasons. But there are still management teams that can handle from no control panel, cpanel, etc. Please note they may still have a core focus which may limit certain areas they can be of help.
The respond fast can be handled by a response time guarantee; but keep in mind that if the provider finds everything to you is a 911 event when it may not be a 911 event, that may drastically increase the investment / cost of their service.
With a proper monitoring system in place including bandwidth alerts on known bandwidth or higher causing problems can allow an administrator / administrator team to proactive manage issues before you know they are a problem, OR at least start working on it by the time you find out (i.e. they are on it, you call, and they tell you they are already working on it).
Communication skills do vary from MSP to MSP, individual admin to admin; your best bet is to call on the phone to interview prospective MSP companies and individuals.
In terms of being fanatical about you, the only way to truly cultivate and grow that attitude would be to hire your own server administrators. I use the plural because you will not find one that doesn抰 need to sleep <smile> in terms of your 24x7x365 requirement.
Even Rackspace.com that claims fanatical support has their moments where our team is trying to help a mutual customer and both the customer and our team are asking where is the fanatical support?
You should be ok finding administrators familiar with CentOS / RedHat Enterprise (of which CentOS is based).
Lastly, if you define what you want reported, giving regular reports should be easy.
Thank you.Benefits for a fully-burdened employee run 8-20k / yr depending on the package. 401ks are non-matching. Administaff handles all of it. Everyone is billable on projects over 90% of the year(1920 hrs) and that does not include overtime, of course.In SE Michigan 115k/yr is more then just a "good" salary - that's the 95th percentile.Regards,A senior systems administrator, someone who has 10 years of good experience, who is senior because of skill, not just because they've been in a job for a long time, can make that that in any region of the country if they know how to market themselves. I grew up in Port Huron, MI ,and my father, a Senior Server Engineer for EDS always did better than that.Maybe it's just me, but I prefer to have experts manage my servers, rather than "good enough" mid-level administrators.A senior systems administrator, someone who has 10 years of good experience, who is senior because of skill, not just because they've been in a job for a long time, can make that that in any region of the country if they know how to market themselves. I grew up in Port Huron, MI ,and my father, a Senior Server Engineer for EDS always did better than that.Maybe it's just me, but I prefer to have experts manage my servers, rather than "good enough" mid-level administrators.I too worked for EDS - how long did he have in the company before he crossed 100k? Because I know for a fact raises were bad, often times going 2 or more years between them, and even then people getting only 3-5%.I too worked for EDS - how long did he have in the company before he crossed 100k? Because I know for a fact raises were bad, often times going 2 or more years between them, and even then people getting only 3-5%.He was at this point when he started, which was .. 1987 maybe? I forget the year, I try to block out most memories of Michigan, I get cold just thinking about it.I would recommend PMS (Platinum Server Management), they have all you need and more.He was at this point when he started, which was .. 1987 maybe? I forget the year, I try to block out most memories of Michigan, I get cold just thinking about it.
I was really interested how many years experience he had when he started. If you're saying he was making 100k/yr in 87, I find that very hard to believe and contrary to my knowledge.I was really interested how many years experience he had when he started. If you're saying he was making 100k/yr in 87, I find that very hard to believe and contrary to my knowledge.About 15 at that point. His focus was on manufacturing process automation, which in itself is a broader discipline than just systems engineering, btu was still a systems engineering discipline.That being said, the good admins I know make $100k wherever they live, be it Altanta, Austin, or Qatar (actually, the guys in Qatar make quite a bit more than that, the cost of living there is brutal)I would just like to add to my initial comment that my dissatisfaction with PWS is not because of their lack of service - but the simple fact that my needs outweigh their offerings. In issues that I have raised with them they have always been prompt and courteous.I would just like to add to my initial comment that my dissatisfaction with PWS is not because of their lack of service - but the simple fact that my needs outweigh their offerings. In issues that I have raised with them they have always been prompt and courteous.
Thanks for the clarifying your comment about our service. Btw, I think you meant PSM, not PWSOops - you are right - I did mean PSM - thanks for correcting.