Twelve years ago, Neal Juern stepped out on his own armed with a business card and his enterprise IT experience in working with smaller companies. By January 2019, his Texas MSP Juern Technology had hired its third employee, a marketing expert who insisted the company join Technology Marketing Toolkit.
Things seemed to be going well, until a client got hacked. Juern realized he must beef up his security expertise. “If you were selling cybersecurity, the expectation was that you had it all covered,” Juern recalled. “No matter how much you specify in the contract about security, customers still expect you to protect them completely.”
The experience sparked his drive to become a managed security service provider (MSSP). It took another four years until he felt comfortable putting the MSSP letters on his door.
Today, Juern is CEO of 7Tech, a national MSSP based in San Antonio, TX, with offices in Austin and Dallas.
Getting Started on the Transformation
Juern started out on his quest to evolve by doing a deep dive into what Juern Technology sold to customers, and what his company did compared to what MSSPs were providing, he said.
Then, he took all the steps needed to grow into an MSSP. His to-do list included growing a security operations center (SOC) from the ground up, setting up SIEM (security information and event management) framework, and vulnerability management. Plus, he self-funded his entire growth path to MSSP, Juern revealed.
“The security incident in 2019 that led to our decision to become a MSSP also helped us grow because when we went head-to-head with MSP competitors, we were able to show that we had security services they didn’t,” he explained. “That led to a lot of prospects becoming clients.”
Big Steps to Growth
Of course, Juern Technologies faced challenges as it transformed into a full-fledged MSSP. Juern quickly realized that moving into the cybersecurity space required a different approach to business growth.
For one thing, he had to lengthen his sales cycle, since MSSP prospects takes longer to convert to customers. “As an MSP, we could add new clients faster because it’s a simpler model,” said Juern.
But his patience paid off. The company grew its customer MRR from an average of $1,500 to $4,800. “We have some clients with 600 or 700 seats, because it’s cheaper for them to hire us than to build their own SOC and staff, which can be daunting.”
As Juern Technology became more established in the cybersecurity space and gained confidence in its MSSP services, Juern realized that the company’s identity had evolved. This growth naturally led to a decision to reflect the company’s new direction and larger ambitions.
So, last year, Juern rebranded his company to 7Tech. The name was crafted from having seven management team members and seven core values, he shared. “After 12 years in business, we wanted a new name that better aligns with who we are now. We try to be the perfect solution for our clients — like 7 is a perfect number in many ways.”
Still Evolving
Despite the success Juern has achieved as an MSSP, the journey is far from over. He still evaluates how 7Tech can offer more valuable services and position itself as a leader in the space.
As part of this ongoing evolution, Juern has begun exploring how innovative technologies like artificial intelligence can enhance both internal operations and the value 7Tech delivers to its clients.
“We use some really cool AI and are doing a webinar in October on AI tools any business can use to make their company more efficient and able to compete better,” he added.
Internally, 7Tech uses OpenAI to run every help request — after stripping out all the company detail — to determine the person’s sentiment. Are they happy? Satisfied? Do they need urgent help?
“This helps us resolve the tickets faster,” said Juern. “And makes us better at service.”
Juern’s Advice to MSPs
There are two areas where every MSP could improve, according to Juern.
First, when it comes to balancing financials, it’s good to invest in a virtual CFO, he suggested. He recommended the book “Profit First” by Mike Michalowicz.
Secondly, MSPs need to focus more on enhancing their sales and marketing efforts. Improvement there can truly garner positive results, advised Juern. “Growth only goes so far with referrals. You need more.” These non-technical business issues pulled him away from the technology side, but he now enjoys both.
Another secret to his success, Juern said, is he embraced the “Broken Windows” theory developed in the 1990s in New York City to improve policing. “If a small thing is wrong, you assume bigger things are wrong.”
In these situations, Juern said he takes a step back to look at his company as clients do to see what’s lacking. “Every meeting, we have a Broken Windows segment. We want to find all the areas that look like we don’t know what we’re doing and fix those places so we can do better.”
As far as whether he would advise other MSPs become an MSSP, first note that it requires serious thought to make that move, he cautioned. “But if you’re a security-minded MSP, why not do it?”
NEAL JUERN
CEO, 7Tech
- Founded: March 2012
- Locations: San Antonio (HQ), Dallas, and Austin, TX
- Employees: 30
- Website: 7tech.com
- Company focus: National MSSP with clients in at least 10 other states.
- Professional memberships: Technology Marketing Toolkit, ASCII, and CompTIA
- Recommended book: “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink, former Navy SEAL. Every employee gets $50 for reading the book.
- Favorite part of my job: Recognizing people on our staff for good work and achievements. I see where they start and what levels they reach.
- Least favorite part: Disappointing a customer. We always make it right, but it sucks to upset or let them down.
- What people would be surprised to know about you: Cycled across Texas from Wichita Falls to Corpus Christi in six days, about 600 miles, to raise money for a veterans’ charity.
- Family: Wife Debbie works in the accounting department; two grown children, ages 21 and 24, both entrepreneurs. “But my daughter still rolls her eyes at me.”
