Three kinds of firms help small businesses buy and run technology, and each is paid differently. Knowing which is which makes it easier to understand whose advice you are getting and why.
The three models
Managed IT provider (MSP)
Runs your IT day to day for a monthly fee: support, devices, security and accounts. Many also resell software and hardware. The right choice for ongoing operations.
Reseller or VAR
Sells products from a set of manufacturers, often with installation. Paid on the margin of what they sell, so the options are limited to what they carry.
Technology advisor
Helps you choose and negotiate across many providers, then stays involved through the rollout and renewals. Does not run your IT. Paid by the provider you choose.
How a technology advisor is paid
Most providers of internet, phones, cloud services, security and managed IT run partner programs that pay advisors a commission when a customer signs through them. That commission comes from the provider's sales budget, so in most cases the price you pay is the same as or better than going direct.
It is not guaranteed on every product, and a good advisor will tell you when buying direct or staying where you are is the better deal.
How Level2 works
When you sign with a provider through Level2, that provider pays us. We tell you that up front, we compare more than one option and we explain the reasoning behind each recommendation. We do not run your IT, so we are not competing with your MSP, and some reviews end with us telling you to keep exactly what you have. Read more on how it works and who we are.
Which one do you need?
- Day to day support, devices and help desk: a managed IT provider
- Specific hardware with installation: a reseller
- Choosing or replacing a vendor, negotiating a renewal or getting a second opinion: a technology advisor
- Many companies use an MSP for operations and an advisor for buying decisions
Questions we hear about this
It is a similar model. Advisors grew out of telecom agents and now cover internet, phones, cloud, security, Microsoft 365 and managed IT as well.
Finding and supporting customers through advisors costs providers less than building a large direct sales team, so they share part of that budget with the advisor.
No. We are not an MSP. If your provider is a good fit we will help you work with them, and if they are not we will help you compare alternatives.
Commissions do vary by provider. That is why we show you the comparison, the reasoning and the trade offs, and why the decision is always yours.