Question:

How can I get the best deals and solutions for my IT needs from trusted vendors and brokers?

This is a weekly thread hosted by r/sysadmin’s Trusted VARs: /u/SquizzOC and /u/bad0seed for Telecom, /u/Each1Teach1x27 for Telecom in Canada, and /u/Necessary_Time for general IT. You can ask them anything about vendor expectations, software questions, pricing, and quotes of services, licensing, support, deployment and hardware. The last post was on February 2nd.

To get accurate answers, please provide the following information:

• Part Number – the most important detail
• Manufacturer/vendor
• Service Type and Location
• Quantity (if applicable)

You

can also ask about other aspects of IT, such as:

– Cloud Services – security, configurations, deployment, management, consulting services, and migrations

– Server configs and quote answers

– Storage Vendor options, alternatives, details and selection

– Software Licensing – including Microsoft CSPs

– Network infrastructure – overlay software, segmentation, routers, switches, load balancing, APs, etc.

– Security – access management, firewalls, MFA, cloud DNS, layer 7 services, antivirus, email, DLP, etc.

– User gear – usually you should buy the quote you have unless the quantity is more than 50 units

– Bandwidth – internet, MPLS, dark fiber, carrier SD-WAN, broadband, etc.

Answer:

How to get the best deals and solutions for your IT needs from trusted vendors and brokers

If you are looking for the best deals and solutions for your IT needs, you might want to check out the weekly thread hosted by r/sysadmin’s Trusted VARs: /u/SquizzOC and /u/bad0seed for Telecom, /u/Each1Teach1x27 for Telecom in Canada, and /u/Necessary_Time for general IT. They are experienced and reputable value-added resellers (VARs) and brokers who can help you with vendor expectations, software questions, pricing, and quotes of services, licensing, support, deployment and hardware. They have been doing this for a long time and have a lot of satisfied customers. The last post was on February 2nd.

To get accurate answers from them, you need to provide some basic information about your IT needs, such as:

• Part Number – this is the most important detail, as it identifies the exact product or service you are looking for. You can usually find it on the manufacturer’s website or on the invoice or quote you received from another vendor.
• Manufacturer/vendor – this is the name of the company that makes or provides the product or service you are interested in. For example, Cisco, Dell, Microsoft, etc.
• Service Type and Location – this is the type and location of the service you need, such as cloud, on-premises, hybrid, etc. and the country or region where you operate or where you want the service to be delivered.
• Quantity – this is the number of units or licenses you need for the product or service you are looking for. For example, how many servers, switches, routers, laptops, etc. you need, or how many users, devices, or endpoints you want to cover with the software or service.

You can also ask them about other aspects of IT, such as:

• Cloud Services – they can help you with security, configurations, deployment, management, consulting services, and migrations for various cloud platforms and providers, such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, etc.
• Server configs and quote answers – they can help you with choosing the best server configuration for your needs and budget, and provide you with competitive quotes from different vendors.
• Storage Vendor options, alternatives, details and selection – they can help you with finding the best storage solution for your data, whether it is SAN, NAS, DAS, SSD, HDD, etc. and provide you with options, alternatives, details and selection criteria from different vendors.
• Software Licensing – they can help you with understanding and obtaining the best software licensing for your needs, including Microsoft CSPs, which are cloud solution providers that offer Microsoft products and services on a subscription basis.
• Network infrastructure – they can help you with designing, implementing, and optimizing your network infrastructure, including overlay software, segmentation, routers, switches, load balancing, APs, etc. and provide you with the best products and services from different vendors.
• Security – they can help you with enhancing your security posture and protecting your IT assets, including access management, firewalls, MFA, cloud DNS, layer 7 services, antivirus, email, DLP, etc. and provide you with the best products and services from different vendors.
• User gear – they can help you with selecting and purchasing the best user gear for your employees, such as laptops, desktops, monitors, keyboards, mice, etc. Usually, you should buy the quote you have unless the quantity is more than 50 units, in which case they might be able to get you a better deal.
• Bandwidth – they can help you with finding the best bandwidth solution for your network, whether it is internet, MPLS, dark fiber, carrier SD-WAN, broadband, etc. and provide you with the best products and services from different vendors.

To

get in touch with them, you can either post your question or request on the weekly thread, or send them a private message. They are friendly and responsive, and they will do their best to help you with your IT needs. They are not affiliated with any vendor or provider, and they will give you honest and unbiased advice. They are r/sysadmin’s Trusted VARs and brokers, and they are here for you.