by Ian MacRae
President and CEO, E-N Computers
At E-N Computers, we meet with lots of people who want to get the best technology support for their home or business. As much as we’d love to “do it all”, not every opportunity is a good fit for our services. Our clients are businesses that want a partner who will fully manage their IT systems or support an internal IT department. We take a proactive, holistic approach by building an IT-business strategy with you. And we specialize in helping compliance-driven businesses apply standards like NIST 800-171 in a way that makes sense for them.
Even if that’s not what you’re looking for, we want you to find the technology solution that is right for you. So we put together this list of great Harrisonburg outsourced IT companies.
I’ve been in the IT industry since 1997, so I’ve met a lot of Virginia IT companies and business owners along the way. I get to know their work at trade shows and conferences, through third-party audits and IT assessments, and sometimes by transitioning businesses to or from another provider after a change in management or ownership.
Those experiences shaped this list of Harrisonburg, Virginia IT service providers: Vision Technology Group, IT Decisions, Top Notch, Seventh Wall, Arcane Technologies, and NWG Solutions.
QUICK ANSWER:
Who are the best outsourced IT service companies in Harrisonburg?
E-N Computers is a great outsourced IT provider in Harrisonburg for full-service compliance support. Other options we recommend considering—based on 30 years of experience working with Virginia businesses—include Vision Technology Group, IT Decisions, Top Notch, Seventh Wall, Arcane, and NWG Solutions.
Table of Contents
- What to look for when choosing an IT provider
- E-N Computers—Best for personal full service and compliance
- Vision Technology Group—Best for co-managed IT for franchises and existing IT teams
- IT Decisions—Best for “no sales, no contracts” relationship
- Top Notch—Best as-needed IT
- Seventh Wall— Best for proactive IT security
- Arcane—Best for network-based security solutions
- NWG—Best remote IT
- How’s your IT maturity?
What to look for when choosing an IT provider
There are a few important factors to think about when choosing your IT managed service provider (MSP).
- Your current situation and needs: To find the best MSP for you, start by looking inward. Identify any pain points you’re dealing with, your IT-related goals, and specific services you need.
- MSP experience and expertise: Look for MSPs that have experience supporting your industry. Make sure that they support the technology you rely on.
- Services and scalability: Check if their service plans match what you expect. Also find out whether they have the capacity to support your growth and adapt to changes in your business.
- Security and compliance: Look for information about the MSPs security practices, like firewalls, detection and response, and creation of incident response plans. Determine whether they are familiar with any compliance standards that apply to you.
- Customer service and support: You’ll want to know where the team — including the helpdesk — is located, and their response time.
- Pricing and value: Look for transparent pricing and a fair value. You’ll also want to pay attention to contract length, since many companies require at least a year. Although it’s easy to look at IT as a cost center, keep in mind that well-maintained tech improves productivity and minimizes downtime.
There are a few ground rules for making my top 5 list. This list is for readers looking for a local, reliable IT service to support their business, usually a 20-100 employee company. And I’m looking for companies that are large enough to use a process-based approach, so that their customers can have service consistency.
E-N Computers — Best Charlottesville IT service for personal full service and compliance
Website: https://encomputers.com/
Location: 215 Fifth St, Waynesboro, VA 22980
No single IT company is “best” for everyone. We’re a strong fit for businesses that deal with government or industry compliance requirements — defense contractors, financial services and investment advisors, healthcare, and law firms — along with architecture and engineering firms, manufacturers, accounting and CPA firms, K-12 schools, marketing agencies, and non-profits. We’re a Registered Practitioner Organization with The Cyber AB, which enforces the security standards the Department of Defense sets, and we offer CMMC consulting for small businesses.
We’re also a good choice if you want comprehensive service rather than a “let’s just fix what’s broken today” approach. Many providers focus on remote support and charge extra for on-site visits or for remote support past a set number of hours. That keeps their costs low, but it can make it harder to get help when you actually need it.
E-N Computers’ managed services include unlimited help desk, regular site visits, and strategic consulting, so you can focus on your core business. If you already have an internal IT department, we can co-manage — giving them coverage and support for even better results.
Vision Technology Group—best Harrisonburg IT for franchises and existing IT teams
Website: https://vtg.biz/
Location: 147 Dinkel Ave Ste B, Mt Crawford, VA 22841
Vision Technology is a serious competitor to E-N Computers, probably the biggest other player from our area. VTG uses some non-US persons in support, which might matter to you if you have a government contract that restricts who can access your systems. They’re a good option if you need IT support for HIPAA compliance, but they may not be the best fit for stricter compliance regimes. We also think they make a good fit for co-managed IT: if you have an in-house IT person that you want to supplement while keeping costs lower than hiring another person or two. Similarly, if you have a franchise where some IT support comes from corporate, VTG can take care of your other IT needs well.
IT Decisions—Best Harrisonburg IT with a “no sales, no contracts” philosophy
Website: https://itdec.com/
Location: 1780 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22801
IT Decisions is most notable for their distinct business philosophy: they emphasize “no sales, no contracts, no excuses” and that they are not for sale. They’re right that this focus on providing great service for its own sake, and not as a path to selling out, is hard to find among MSPs (a notoriously thin-margin business). Because they don’t have account managers, your engineer functions as one. Possible drawbacks to this include that engineers tend to be more technical in their thinking and explanations, and that it can sometimes feel like you have a single point of contact — and single point of failure. But overall, Google reviews show that their clients are quite satisfied. We think they’re a great fit if you have an IT person and want co-managed IT support.
Top Notch — best Harrisonburg IT service for month-to-month flexibility
Website: https://topnotchcomputers.com/
Location: 300 Preston Ave 3rd Floor, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Top Notch Computers is a family-owned provider of residential and commercial IT services. They got their start in residential computer repair and continue to provide quality service to residential customers. Some of their services are hardware repairs, custom builds, data recovery, and virus removal.
Business clients have the option of a la carte or managed plans from Top Notch. Both are charged at an hourly rate, though the managed plan includes a set number of support hours at a discounted rate. If you’re looking for as-needed services for your business, their a la carte offering might be what you’re looking for.
Seventh Wall – Best Harrisonburg IT service for ransomware protection
Website:https://seventhwall.com/
Location: 660 Hunters Pl, Suite B12, Charlottesville, VA 22911
Seventh Wall offers all-inclusive managed IT and cybersecurity for a flat monthly fee — no hourly billing. Bryant Harrison, who brings a fun-loving, people-focused approach to IT support, founded the company.
Seventh Wall’s plans run in three tiers — Basic Security, Advanced Security & IT, and Premium Security & IT — and every plan is backed by a Ransomware Resilience Warranty covering remediation labor up to $2 million. That kind of guarantee is a strong signal for small businesses that are worried about ransomware but don’t know where to start.
Arcane – Best Harrisonburg network-level security provider
Website: https://www.arcanetech.com/
Location: 918 Monticello Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22902
Arcane Technologies offers technology integration services to home and business clients. If you’re looking to improve site security with cameras, physical access control, and intrusion detection they are a great resource. Arcane also designs and implements audio/video, lighting and shading, and climate control solutions that all take advantage of network-based controls and automations.
NWG – Best Harrisonburg remote IT service provider
Website: https://nwgsolutions.com/
Location: 913 E Market St., Charlottesville, VA 22902
NWG Solutions provides IT solutions with a focus on service, support, and expertise. IT is always changing, so their emphasis on continuing education is a good thing for customers. Their managed services are primarily made up of remote monitoring, maintenance, and support options. Risk analysis and reporting packages are available separately if you want help finding room for improvement or proving compliance.
How’s your IT maturity?
When you have the right people working together, you can implement systems and processes that actively help you reach your business goals. We sometimes call this IT maturity. But for many organizations, something is off when it comes to their partnerships, strategy, systems, and settings. How can you know what’s working well and where you have room for improvement? Start by taking our free IT Maturity Self-Assessment. You’ll walk away with some pointers and, if you want, a free appointment to discuss your results.
Take the IT Maturity Assessment
Is your business ready to weather changes, including employee turnover? Find out by taking our IT maturity assessment.
You’ll get personalized action items that you can use to make improvements right away. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to book a FREE IT strategy session to get even more insights into your IT needs.
