All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her through Instagram or X.
Marie-Thérèse Revamps Prince’s ‘Strange Relationship’ Into A Stunning 2024 Dance Gem
Marie-Thérèse is a unique, visionary, and independent artist from Dublin, Ireland. The exceptionally gifted songwriter, singer, musician and performer is aware the spark can hit at any time, so her vintage Silvertone guitar is rarely out of her reach.
She is a passionate devotee of the legendary genius Prince, as her latest single reveals. It’s a stunning cover and reinterpretation of “Strange Relationship,” a deep cut from his 1987 album Sign o’ the Times.
Marie-Therese cherishes the unforgettable encounters she had with Prince, during which she thanked him personally “How could I ever really thank him for giving me the wildest soundtrack to my life” she says.
“Recording ‘Strange Relationship’ was my way of offering a follow-up thank you and releasing it on his birthday. It’s such a beautiful, twisted love song, I love the raw honesty of Prince’s lyrics, he was a genius lyricist” says Marie-Thérèse.
For her version, she takes the funky 80’s original, revamping it into a clubland gem. Her alluring, sultry vocals set the scene over a dynamic backbeat creating a fresh new dance groove for 2024. Recorded in Bristol, England with the seminal producer Stew Jackson {Massive Attack) “We hit another sonic high with this track, he nailed it!’”
“Lyrically, I added my own personal touches towards the end of the song,” she says. “I also whisper, ‘This has got to stop, which isn’t in the original, but works perfectly in the story.” I sang a new melody for the lyric “Can’t live with u, can’t live without u.” She adds: “I hope Prince approves.” Considering the track was mastered by the renowned Barry Grint, the same man who mastered Prince’s “1999”, “Kiss”, “Raspberry Beret”, “Little Red Corvette”, and many other classics, Prince is very likely to have given his seal of approval.
“Strange Relationship” is the follow-up to Marie-Thérèse’s highly acclaimed previous singles “Luna” and “Saint Mary” “Luna” takes the unique approach of fusing Gaelic and English vocals in an explosive pop punk single. “In the studio, I felt totally possessed by Iggy Pop and driven by some wild desire to hear him sing in our mother tongue,” she said. Iggy, the Godfather of Punk selected the track for his BBC6 Radio show and gave his enthusiastic endorsement on the airwaves. Meanwhile, “Saint Mary” is a melancholic and more intimate track, beautifully showcasing Marie-Thérèse’s exquisite vocals as she emotionally conveys this deeply moving Sparklehorse song.
This captivating and intriguing artist has drawn comparisons to legends like David Bowie, Bob Dylan and Lou Reed as well modern icons like Lana Del Rey, but those don’t begin to really scratch the surface of what she is doing and accomplishing. Her music is something truly stand-alone, taking inspiration from the classics and filtering it through her own unique vision into something entirely new and exciting.
Marie-Therese is currently working on her highly anticipated first album. Her follow up original single is already creating huge excitement. She is most definitely one to watch.
Annabel Gutherz Shines in New Single ‘Showtime, Baby!’: A Soulful Exploration of Validation and Authenticity
Canadian singer and songwriter Annabel Gutherz reveals her new single, “Showtime, Baby!,” out now.
Combining classic rock sounds with modern pop melodies, “Showtime, Baby!” glistens with a sun-soaked sentimentality as Annabel delves into the duality between her desire for validation and her need for genuine connection.
In a statement about the new single, Annabel elaborates: “If life is a stage, am I always performing? This is a central question in ‘Showtime, Baby!,’ where I explore the tension between living authentically for myself and living to meet others’ expectations. It addresses the fray of seeking approval and belonging while striving to be truly seen and understood for who I am. Ultimately, I’ve learned that prioritizing my own feelings and experiences is essential, as it’s the only way to lead my every day with purpose and meaning and foster deep happiness.”
Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, Annabel Gutherz creates timeless music that speaks to the soul of what it means to be human. Characterized by her compelling storytelling, honeyed melodies, distinct vocals, and keen musical intuition, her songs take listeners on a heartfelt journey packed with raw honesty and emotional conviction.
Since the release of her 2021 album, Loose Ends, Annabel has continued to develop her sound by working with an array of esteemed collaborators, including Bleu McAuley (Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Jonas Brothers) and Bonnie Hayes (Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler, David Crosby). Fiercely committed to her craft, Annabel graduated with a baccalaureate and master’s degree from Berklee College of Music. With her undeniable talent and more music in the works this year, Annabel is certainly an artist to keep on your radar.
Acclaimed Toronto Photographer Benjamin Gibson Sees His Canada Series 1 Exhibit Extended Through August 31 At CF TD Centre
In a world saturated with screens, noise, technology, and data, the time one has to pause and take in one’s surroundings or one’s country can feel quite fleeting. This can be even more daunting given the vastness of Canada and just how there’s so much to see in what seems like so little time. Fortunately, Toronto-area photographer Benjamin Gibson has depicted Canada and those inhabiting it in his exhibit entitled Canada Series 1. The exhibit, which opened on June 1 in partnership with Cadillac Fairview and Hello Art, has been extended through August 31 at Toronto’s CD TD Centre (66 Wellington St., West).
The Exhibit, which is free and open to the public, beautifully and stunningly encapsulates a three-month journey by car that Gibson and his creative partner Nik Varlamov took from Toronto west to Vancouver. The series of photos “explores Canada through the lens, looking at its people, its troubles, its beauty and its grit.”
Gibson, who grew up in Uxbridge, Ontario, says the idea was to meet and interact with local artists and musicians along the way through five of the country’s 10 provinces. Both Gibson and Varlamov visited many places for the first time, stopping to capture the people and a moment of their lives as only noted photographers like Gibson could. In addition to smaller locales, Gibson and Varlamov ventured to bigger cities such as Toronto, Saskatoon and Calgary before finally arriving in Vancouver. “My aim with this project was to show the diverse majesty, the troubles and the beauty of Canada, its communities and its people,” Gibson says.
Whether a bird’s eye view of traffic in downtown Toronto, sunlight illuminating a grain elevator near a railroad in Moosomin, Saskatchewan or meeting people from all walks of life, Canada Series 1 is an intriguing, riveting collection. “We experienced a lot,” Gibson says. “We made the journey to meet as many local artists and musicians as we could and, on the way, capture the majesty, the contrast, the beauty and struggles of Canadians.”
Gibson, who studied at Humber College, was quite adept with a camera prior to entering post-secondary education. Often learning by simply going out and learning what worked and what didn’t, whether on a set or on location, Gibson formed his own creative agency entitled Toronto Creatives in 2016. His pieces span various photographic genres from commercial photography and portraits to street photography. “When I get behind a camera I feel at home” Gibson says on his official site. “I feel like I’m trying to capture every part of the world and every experience in life before I miss it.”
The photographer also wears his heart on his sleeve, helping various organizations and groups including LGBTQ+ and homeless communities through his time and money.
Gibson, who recently returned from Portugal, is an excellent and innovative photographer and the country has greatly benefited from his work. Be sure to check his work out at Canada Series 1 at Toronto’s CF TD Centre which runs through August 31. Fine art prints are available for sale through Hello Art.
Legendary Producer / Singer-Songwriter Chris Birkett Releases ‘She’s My Guitar’ Album
Just like sea captains with their ships, musicians love to think of their instruments as women. Heck, B.B. King even named his Lucille. But few players have ever made the connection between an axe and a lover as overt as Chris Birkett does on his new single and the title track of his latest album “She’s My Guitar” —a hymn of devotion that’s positively hot-blooded in its fretboard-caressing metaphors.
“Looking at her body every night/So clear and so bright, she treats me right” Birkett rhapsodizes, conjuring up an image of his perfect lover until we can practically see her ourselves. “Running my fingers through her strings/I know that everything will be all right”. He just loves that pearl-inlaid lady of his, and he wants the world to know it. “My guitar, she sings to me so true/ I can hear sweet melodies from you.”
The song came out of Birkett’s participation in The Acoustic Guitar Project, a global initiative that supplies musicians with an acoustic guitar and a simple recorder and challenges them to write and record an original tune within the space of one week. (No editing allowed!) They then have to sign the guitar before passing it on to the next artist on the list, so the process can start all over again.
To Birkett, it seemed natural to write not just on the guitar but about it. The result ended up pleasing him so much that he later went into the studio and added electric guitar, bass, drums and piano to his original track. It’s that embellished version you hear on the single, with its distinct Latin sway and searing lead lines. Caliente indeed.
The song is the title track to Birkett’s latest album—somewhat of a concept record in that it’s made up of material likewise composed on the acoustic guitar. Lyrically speaking, however, none of the other new songs is “about” the instrument in such a concrete way, instead covering subjects like self-help, true love and the rejection of materialism. It’s a highly personal work, in terms of both Birkett’s personal belief system and his approach to recording. He played all the instruments himself, except for the flute, which was provided by Shari Tallon on three tracks. And the only voice on the album other than his own is that of Lisa Hartt, who sings backups on “I Bring You Love.”
Music has been Birkett’s salvation since the age of 8, when he figured out that the guitar could provide an escape from the poverty and violence of his hometown, the London suburb of Farnborough. By 21, he was touring Europe with Memphis artists Rufus Thomas, King Floyd, Jean Knight and Ann Peebles; stints soon followed in the chart-busting pop group Love Affair, (“Everlasting Love”) and in Omaha Sheriff (an outfit taken under the wing of legendary David Bowie/Moody Blues producer Tony Visconti).
While pursuing his dreams as a working performing musician, Birkett fell into a thriving side career as a producer, arranger and sound engineer. His work in that area has encompassed a slew of international award-winning projects: He recorded and produced Sinéad O’Connor’s iconic “Nothing Compares 2 U,” and he’s collaborated with other A-list artists like Talking Heads, Dexys Midnight Runners, Alison Moyet, The Pogues, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Quincy Jones, Mel Brooks and Steve Earle.
Birkett’s mounting industry successes have necessitated moving his home base several times, from London to Paris to Toronto; along the way, he’s kept some sense of continuity and stability by maintaining his standing as a recording and performing artist in his own right. He’s now recorded eight albums of his own music, four of them solo forays. She’s My Guitar is the latest and perhaps most heartfelt addition to that list.
All told, Birkett’s studio endeavors—including his own projects and collaborations with other artists—have sold well over 100 million records. He’s received four Canadian JUNOs, a Grammy, a Polaris Music Prize, a Canadian Screen Award, a Community Service Award and three international AMPEX Golden Reel Awards for excellence in the music business.
And yes, it’s all because of one little instrument with six strings. And an elegant neck. Oh, and some well-placed curves.
Alt.Metal’s Carbonstone Sends a Bracing Jolt of Heartbreak on “White Noise”
It takes a special kind of talent to equate a doomed love affair with the dropout of an electronic signal. And that’s exactly what Baltimore, MD’s own Carbonstone are up to on their current single, the splintering relationship post-mortem “White Noise.” Like the poetic equivalent of a lightning round on The $100,000 Pyramid, the song sits us down and whisks us through a harrowing rundown of the category “Things That Break Up.” The top two answers? A failing radio transmission and a once-happy human coupling that’s likewise about to be lost forever.
Drawing from the vast emotional warehouse you’d expect of a band that describes their sound as “industrial alternative metal,” the song merges hard-hitting guitars with catchy vocal hooks and sweeping synths in a way that wrings the full emotional potential out of nu-metal’s melodic heaviness and the harsh alienation of electronica. His voice dripping with the kind of heart-on-sleeve lamentation this music was made for, lead singer/guitarist Corey James mourns a vanishing love connection that’s dissolving into static as morning turns to daybreak.
Can’t hear you cutting out
Feels like I’m falling forever
Lost in this upside down
Somewhere I can’t be found
And now this wavelength is severed
We’re nothing but white noise now
“Delving into themes of heartbreak and disconnection, ‘White Noise’ resonates on a personal level,” says the East Coast Music Review. “It speaks to anyone who’s ever navigated the turbulent waters of strained relationships. The lyrics are poignant, speaking volumes of the emotional turmoil that comes with such experiences. But ‘White Noise’ isn’t just about the heartache; it’s about the journey through these complex emotions, and Carbonstone has crafted this journey masterfully.”
Listeners are just as ecstatic. The song has landed in the #1 spot multiple times on several reporting radio stations, and it recently passed the 13-week mark as the most requested track on Indie Rage Radio. Its melodramatic appeal has only been underlined by a suitably discomfiting music video, which the band shot at the York County, PA, attraction Kim’s Krypt Haunted Mill—inside a giant drainpipe during a vicious January snowstorm.
“The entire team did amazing battling the frigid elements and hellish tunnel reverb for hours as the snow continued to pile up around us,” the band says. “And yes, we wore ear protection. Haha!”
“White Noise” is the latest strike in a blitz of activity Carbonstone launched in 2019, when the band returned from an extended hiatus with a reconfigured lineup. (In addition to James, the group now includes Josh Provencio on guitars, Eric Dee on bass and Ted Hile on drums and programming—with added excitement and embellishment from “Frankie” the Nightmare Hype Bear). The last three years in particular have brought a non-stop barrage of immediately indelible singles, all accompanied by slickly produced videos awash in Gothic and/or brutalist imagery. There was 2023’s pounding, imploring “Damaged Like You,” and before that the haunting “Pins & Needles” (a duet with Chrystal James of Anoxia) and the aggressively electronic “Scream” (the video to which racked up over 10,000 views in the first five days).
That’s all been on the heels of the 2021 release of Dark Matter, the band’s first full-length studio album. Its own singles, “AM Trauma” and “Hush,” each held the #1 spot simultaneously on two separate radio stations (Boston Rock Radio and The Sound 228) for well over a month straight. “AM Trauma” nabbed more than 100,000 spins on Spotify, and “Hush” did equally impressive numbers on terrestrial, airing in multiple countries and placing on the Secondary Market Rock charts.
In addition to being masters of their own material, the guys in the group have a real knack for reimagining and industrializing the work of others. Dark Matter featured an eye-opening cover of the Deftones’ “My Own Summer (Shove It),” and Carbonstone’s discography of standalone singles includes a novel take on the ’80s classic “(I Just) Died in Your Arms” by Cutting Crew that earned the praise of that band’s vocalist, Nick Van Eede.
Carbonstone is currently shooting a video for its forthcoming cover of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” while preparing for a new album, which will be its second full-length musical manifesto. Still basking in their nomination in the category of Best Metal Band at the 2024 Maryland Music Awards, they’re continuing to melt faces on the live front, adding one victory after another to a year that’s seen them share stages with the likes of Orgy, Cold, Priest, Drowning Pool, Saliva, Adelitas Way, Vampires Everywhere, Nita Strauss, Diamanté and Any Given Sin.
Next up is a high-profile musical marathon set for Saturday, Aug. 24, at The Recher in Towson, MD, where Carbonstone is second on the bill to Stone Horses and appearing above Devil in Disguise, Weathervane and After the Broken. Come on out, and be ready to make some “Noise.” Because the bond between this band and their fans is one connection that’s only going to get stronger.
Pride on Tap: Rockin’ Country Singer Eric Sage Sings the Praises of “Canadian Beer”
Beer and Canada: They go together like … well, beer and anyplace else, really. Just more so.
That’s the celebratory spirit behind “Canadian Beer,” the rousing new single from Toronto-bred country rocker Eric Sage, out now through Slammin’ Media and distributed worldwide by Believe, that hoists a metaphoric cold one in tribute to the legendary national thirst. A genuine partier’s hymn, the song salutes the hard-working men and women who keep Canada together, and the world-class imbibing that’s both their pleasure and their due when the whistle blows.
We’ve all been working for the weekend (Oh)
Now it’s finally here (Oh, oh, oh)
So raise up a cold (Oh)
Canadian beer (Oh, oh, oh)
And drop down the tailgate (Oh)
Kick this into gear (Oh, oh, oh)
Now it’s time to party
(Cheers!)
To Canadian beer
Sage’s heartfelt paean to the Northern way of drinking is built on some insanely catchy hooks and group chants that are tailor-made to fire up any crowd when they come blasting across a jukebox or radio. And while he himself identifies as a country artist, this particular serving of guitar-based raunch is classic Canadian rock all the way. The lyrics make not one but two references to Rush, with Sage’s friend Ian Crichton from SAGA on a guest performance on the guitar, and with a weekend-warrior sentiment in the chorus would do Mike Reno proud. Throw in shout-outs to Muskoka, the Calgary Stampede and other hallmarks of the national character, and you’ve got yourself a site-specific smash that’s bound to be embraced by rowdy guys and gals across the provinces.
“I have always loved big, anthemic songs,” Sage says. “There’s nothing like when they’re played at a concert or sporting event and the crowd goes wild. This song just had that feeling right away. It talks about where I grew up, and all of the special things Canada has to offer. But at the heart of the song, its true essence is how hard we all work every day. In the end, it’s about how we help each other through joy, compassion and sorrow—whether in construction, the health profession, teaching, bartending, being a stay-at-home parent, a traveling musician or whatever it is that you put you heart and soul into. I watch everyone working so hard and giving it their all, and it gives me a feeling of appreciation and sense of community.”
And Sage knows a thing or two about giving it your all—even when fate makes the giving difficult. Born and raised in Toronto, he grew up with one singular ambition: to be a professional tennis player. But after 19 years of competition and a world ranking, a near-fatal car accident left him seriously injured and without much hope for his future. Even after years of grueling physical therapy, he couldn’t regain the top form he had enjoyed over his years of playing and training with the likes of Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and Stephen Edberg.
His life path in shambles at age 23, he found himself wondering “Where do I go from here?” The answer he hit on was “This is my life, and no one can tell me what I can accomplish until I am done trying.”
So, he spent the next 12 years giving tennis lessons eight hours a day, until he became known as “the tennis teacher to the stars.” His clients included Hollywood heavyweights like George Clooney and Alec Baldwin, as well as top rock stars, NFL team owners and world-ranked juniors. At the same time, Sage was spending six hours a night teaching himself to be a world-class musician. It helped that he possessed a three-octave range, which allowed him to adapt his voice to a panoply of styles. All along, he was honing his skills at guitar and piano.
To say the effort paid off is an understatement. Sage is now an in-demand performer who headlines festivals, theaters, cruise ships and concert halls all over the world. And he’s recorded and performed with numerous multi-platinum artists, including Slash of Guns n’ Roses/Velvet Revolver, The Beach Boys and Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe.
Even better, he hasn’t had to leave tennis totally behind. His series Tennis Like A Rockstar, which airs on the Tennis Channel and YouTube, shows him teaching the game to celebrities and hard-working students by day, then performing concerts around the world at night. In tandem with the show, Sage has released a new companion book, Tennis Like A Rockstar – One Through 10 System, in which he shares his matchless knowledge of the sport and imparts vital motivational lessons he’s learned along the way.
Oh, and did we mention he’s an actor too? Sage has been seen in countless commercials, and in hit movies like Wayne’s World in which he played the guitar salesman in the famous “No ‘Stairway to Heaven’” scene.
When he isn’t touring the world singing, performing or hosting his show, Sage finds the time to deliver motivational speeches. And even though his work has taken this Toronto boy to far-flung locales like L.A. and San Diego, it’s his native country that still owns his heart. Hence “Canadian Beer,” which he wrote to evoke the sudsy wonders of home.
“Writing songs is powerful when it comes from the heart, and that’s what country and rock music are all about,” he says. “I was in San Diego and thinking about growing up and my hometown friends. I had my guitar, and I thought about when we would go to a Maple Leafs game in Toronto, or a concert at the PNE in Vancouver. We were so excited to rock out and have a couple of beers. But you know what? Not just any beer. A Canadian beer!”
Bottoms up, everybody.
Toronto’s Liss Gallery Celebrates The Rock Visions Of Legendary Photographer Bob Gruen
If you’ve ever thumbed through a music magazine or gazed in admiration at a poster of a legendary rock star, the chances are good you were looking at the work of Bob Gruen. From his iconic portraits of John Lennon in New York to his seminal studies of the punk explosion of the late 1970s, Gruen has been at the forefront of capturing our culture heroes on camera for over half a century. And now the public gets to see the proof up close via a retrospective exhibit of his absolutely electric rock photography at Toronto’s Liss Gallery.
The show will spotlight the keen eye for the moment Gruen has brought to some of the most memorable images in pop history. He’s the visionary who took the photo of John Lennon flashing a peace sign in front of the Statue of Liberty in 1974, along with its equally famous companion picture of the artist with his arms folded across a T-shirt emblazoned with the logo “New York City.” As the Liss Gallery retrospective will make clear, Gruen has brought that instinct for the instantly timeless to images of an entire firmament of rock’s greatest, immortalizing them at crucial junctures when their talent and their significance collided in a way only he could do justice.
The show runs from September 3 to October 5, 2024. The Liss Gallery is located at 112 Cumberland Street, Toronto. For more information, call (416) 787-9872 or email info@lissgallery.com.
Gruen’s tenure with Lennon is the most widely renowned installment in his long and illustrious career. As the personal photographer to John and Yoko, he chronicled their doings at a time when the expatriate Englishman was making a new life for himself in his adopted city across the pond—and fighting the efforts of the Nixon administration to have him ejected from the country. But Gruen’s photojournalistic activity back then wasn’t restricted to hanging around the Lennons. He was an active and essential observer of the punk and new wave scene at downtown hotspots like CBGB, shooting nascent stars like the Ramones, Blondie, the New York Dolls and Patti Smith Group. British upstarts the Clash and the Sex Pistols caught his eye as well. (His photo “Sid Vicious with Hot Dog” is now in the collection of London’s National Portrait Gallery.) As chief photographer for the cutting-edge music periodical Rock Scene, he shared the pictorial evidence of that transformative movement with the world, along with equally earth-shaking photos of international rock royalty like Led Zeppelin, The Who, Tina Turner, KISS and Alice Cooper.
Gruen’s vitality and relevance have remained strong right up to the present day, as he’s filled out his portfolio with dynamic shots of Green Day, AC/DC, Madonna, Ozzy Osbourne, The Strypes and Ryan Adams. And the art world has taken due notice: His works have been exhibited in some of the most prestigious venues across the globe, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Grand Palais éphémère in Paris and the Museu da Imagem e do Som in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Over the years, Gruen has brought his vision to bookshelves with photo collections devoted specifically to the New York Dolls, the Rolling Stones, John Lennon, and others. His autobiography, Right Place, Right Time: Diary of a Rock & Roll Photographer, was published in 2020. In addition, he revisited the heyday of the New York Dolls in two video documentaries, and he himself was the subject of Rock & Roll Exposed—The Photography of Bob Gruen, a filmed tribute that included testimonials from many of the music luminaries who have been fortunate enough to be seen through his lens.
“Gruen is THE world’s best rock and roll photographer,” Publishers Weekly once declared. Come to the Liss Gallery and find out for yourself just how right they were.
Country Artist Leanne Pearson Offers Humour and a Non-Traditional Take on the Wedding Song With “Runaway Bride”
Everyone’s heard of having cold feet, but Winnipeg, MB-born, Nashville, TN-based country rocker Leanne Pearson decided to really play with that notion with her new single “Runaway Bride.”
“Runaway Bride” chronicles the many grooms and mishaps of one sly young lady in one head-bopping, twangy jam.
I’m a runaway bride, runnin’ all the time
Got my white boots on and I’m gone, long gone
Wedding dress trailing far behind
Church bells singing a goodbye song
Oh yeah I’d do anything
For a not so tiny, big carat shiny, diamond ring
Featuring a corresponding video that dramatizes the entire string of adventures, “Runaway Bride” is gloriously irreverent, “I dreamed up the story and video for ‘Runaway Bride’ right around the time of my own wedding,” Pearson says. “I thought it would be fun to come up with a non-traditional wedding song for my wedding-themed album.”
Pearson even gave her video a fun personal twist. “My real husband played one of the grooms. We got married during Covid in 2020, and again with family and friends in 2023!” she says. “We shot this music video in the same Elvis chapel that we got married at in 2020. We also have the same Elvis who married us at both weddings as part of the music video! It was a fun, full-circle moment.”
When asked about the situation Elvis said, “I’ve never been part of 3 weddings for one couple before!”
Leanne Pearson has been described by industry folk as levelheaded, sweet, funny and very talented. This Canadian country rocker walks on stage with a pretty dress and a big smile, then shatters your expectations as she tears up the stage. Leanne’s shows are high-energy and filled with laughs.
Key Considerations When Choosing a Managed IT Service Provider
By Mitch Rice
Choosing the right managed IT service provider is a critical decision for any business. Network Computing Technologies offers essential managed IT services, but the criteria for selecting a provider extend beyond the service they offer. This guide outlines key considerations to help you make an informed choice.
1. Assess Service Offerings
The variety of services offered is essential. Providers should go beyond basic IT support, offering a broad suite of managed IT services that include network management, cybersecurity, data backup, and cloud services. It’s important to choose a provider capable of meeting your current needs and adapting to future demands.
2. Evaluate Technical Expertise
Technical proficiency is essential. Evaluate the provider’s expertise across key IT areas such as network security, server management, and system integration. Review their certifications and partnerships with leading technology vendors to gauge their capability in addressing complex IT challenges effectively.
3. Consider Scalability
As your business evolves, it’s important to select a provider capable of scaling its services to align with your growth. Whether you’re growing your team or adopting new technologies, the provider should be able to adapt its support seamlessly to accommodate these changes.
4. Review Response Times and Support
Timely responses are crucial for efficient IT support. Review the provider’s service level agreements (SLAs) and available support options. A provider offering quick response times and round-the-clock support can help reduce downtime and ensure business continuity.
5. Examine Security Measures
Cybersecurity is a primary concern. Verify that the provider uses strong security measures such as firewalls, encryption, and intrusion detection systems. Regular security assessments and updates are essential to defend against new threats.
6. Check References and Reputation
A provider’s reputation and customer feedback are crucial. Check reviews and testimonials from other clients. Consistent positive feedback and enduring client relationships often signal reliability and high-quality service.
7. Analyze Cost and Value
Cost is a significant factor, but it should not be the sole consideration. Evaluate the cost of services in relation to the value they offer. Review what is included in the pricing and watch for any hidden fees. The objective is to find a balance between cost and the quality and breadth of the services provided.
8. Review Contract Terms
Review the contract terms thoroughly before deciding. Make sure the contract details the scope of services, performance metrics, and exit conditions. Clear terms will help prevent misunderstandings and ensure you receive the services as agreed.
9. Verify Compliance and Standards
Verify that the provider follows industry standards and compliance requirements specific to your business. This is crucial for sectors with strict regulatory demands. Compliance guarantees that your IT operations align with legal and industry regulations.
10. Evaluate Customer Support
Effective customer support is essential for swiftly addressing IT issues. Evaluate the provider’s support channels and availability to ensure reliability, as this can greatly impact the management of IT problems.
Choosing a managed IT service provider requires assessing their service offerings, technical expertise, scalability, response times, security measures, reputation, cost, contract terms, compliance, and customer support. Network Computing Technologies represents a high standard of service with broad capabilities suited to diverse business needs. By considering these factors, you can make an informed decision that effectively supports your business’s IT requirements.
Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment or other purposes.
