Page 55 - BusinessWest November 28, 2022

the ‘heavy lifting,’ such as managing the network server, security, and more. Northeast also pro- vides clients with backup, disaster-recovery, and cloud services.
These days, Mollison and his crew serve a broad gamut of industries, anything from finan- cial institutions and medical agencies to engi- neering and municipalities.
“I think one of the differences for us is that our growth is controlled. We’re taking on the right types of clients that really value our services, and we’re creating long-term relationships with those clients.”
Securing the Home Field
Before COVID-19, business was steadily grow- ing. Named a Super 60 honoree in 2018 by the Springfield Regional Chamber, Mollison told BusinessWest that business was “just kind of fly- ing” — and then the pandemic hit early in 2020.
“I wouldn’t say things stalled completely, but there was definitely a huge pivot. All of those major projects we had in the queue, people kind of panicked, and they pulled the plug. So we went from having a lot of projects and support work to a lot of support work, and then pivoting to moving people to the remote workforce,” Mol- lison said. “So we spent a good period of time, I
would say from March through probably June, trying to transition a lot of managed clients into that remote workforce completely and cloud services.”
Because it has municipal clients, Northeast IT was an essential business during the pan- demic and never stopped operating, though it did transition the way its work was done. Social-
distancing practices were established, and some employees who weren’t needed in the office worked remotely for almost a year and a half. Mollison didn’t see some of his staff for six to eight months, but they were constantly out there.
With smaller providers not being able to provide services and others closing their doors, Northeast saw an influx of work and new cli- ents, and the continuous growth hasn’t ended. If anything, the pandemic created many wins for Northeast IT.
“I think there was a shift prior to the pan- demic, and now it’s starting again because there is a renewed focus on security,” he explained. “There’s a false sense of security, and there’s a million preventable measures. When you go into more of the small-business market, the data and operations of the organization require your IT infrastructure to be completely functional and your data to be protected.
“In the past 10 years, ransomware viruses have become more and more prevalent,” he went on. “They’re attacking hospitals, schools, it’s all over the news. If they get infected with a virus, all their data becomes locked; their computers cease to function. They can’t interoperate, they can’t access software, they’re frozen.”
Post-pandemic, businesses are starting to
focus again on the importance of security, and Northeast has been diligent in helping them do so, especially for clients in the insurance industry.
Underwriters specifically are getting more stringent about annual review processes, Mol- lison explained. Clients are being asked to fill
out paperwork regarding the kind of security measures they have, and Northeast IT, in turn, sits with them and answers with ‘yes, you have this,’ or ‘no, you don’t have this.’ But Mollison has come to realize that cyber-liability space in insur- ance is “like the Wild West.”
“What we’ve been finding is that, while a lot of the clients have always been on the fence about when to invest in these different security meth- ods that we have available to them, they’re start- ing to get forced into these because, if they’re not doing it, they’re going to receive a much higher rate on their insurance underwriting, or some of them, in some cases, may not even be insurable, depending on their industry.”
Future in Focus
With a refocusing on IT, network security, and making sure client businesses are in good con- dition, Mollison remains focused on strategic growth.
“I think one of the differences for us is that our growth is controlled,” he told BusinessWest. “We’re taking on the right types of clients that really value our services, and we’re creating long- term relationships with those clients.” u
Kailey Houle can be reached at [email protected]
Consulting
BEFORE THINGS GO SIDEWAYS, WE’LL GIVE IT TO YOU STRAIGHT.
It’s not enough for your accounting firm to understand the ins and outs of the financial landscape if they don’t also understand the specific needs of you and your business. At MBK, we specialize in providing customized tools, resources, and advice to help you navigate your unique circumstances.
413-536-8510 | mbkcpa.com
BusinessWest
TECHNOLOGY
NOVEMBER 28, 2022 55