Secure Future Tech Solutions has come leaps and bounds from its humble beginnings in a University of Rhode Island dorm room. Back then, President and CEO Eric Shorr was a college junior with $100 and a simple business goal: if your computer broke, he would fix it.
“We were PC Troubleshooters, which was a great name,” recalled Shorr.
Today, that same company boasts nearly two dozen employees and millions of dollars in revenue each year. Shorr grew from a technician fixing a broken hard drive to becoming a strategic, trusted member of the client’s team.
Rethinking and Rebranding
While Shorr’s competency grew, businesses often considered his company a break/fix shop based on the name. His wife, Lisa Shorr, joined him in 1998 as vice president of marketing. Around that time, the business really took off.
In 2013, the couple realized they needed to rebrand. Since they had evolved beyond a break/fix operation and offered complete IT services, larger prospects needed to know that. And it was still important to maintain the small-business clientele. In 2014, the Shorrs pulled the trigger.
“We switched it to Secure Future Tech Solutions and haven’t looked back since,” said Eric Shorr. The rebrand worked so well that the MSP soon onboarded some of its biggest customers, many of whom are still with it today. “It’s been a great change.”
Networking to Fuel Growth
Today, the company serves clients beyond its Warwick, RI, headquarters. Some of those customers have offices throughout the country, going as far as Phoenix, which SFTS services as well, added Shorr.
But it took some work to learn how to support clients that were farther away. The Shorrs in 2016 began working with celebrity MSP consultant Robin Robins, CEO and founder of the Technology Marketing Toolkit (TMT).
Eric Shorr speaks as a panelist at ChannelPro LIVE: Columbus in Ohio.
Photo by Erica Stella
During TMT’s 2024 IT sales and marketing “boot camp” conference, Eric Shorr described to ChannelPro how he supported distant clients. “In different cities — for example, out in Arizona — we have another MSP firm we’ve partnered with. They represent us and take care of what we need.”
In fact, the meetings he attended resulted in him building relationships with colleagues all over the country, Shorr added. “That’s the power of networking. It really expanded our footprint so we can give good service no matter where our companies are located.”
Hiring and Supporting Employees
Finding, hiring, and retaining employees is a big problem for every MSP. However, Shorr has found several ways to make this process easier, starting with interns. A tactic he uses to fill the hiring pipeline with amazing talent is to partner with some local trade schools, he explained.
His MSP then hires multiple interns and trains them. Sure, it’s a longer process, but it works well, according to Shorr. He can train people on how he needs them to work. In addition, they tend to stay with the company — another big plus.
The company’s engineers are encouraged to continue their education. Many take classes in Microsoft and other technologies, Shorr revealed. And when engineers pass new certifications, he gives them a bonus, he shared. “We make a big deal out of it.”
When the team members take more exams and expand their knowledge, it helps their clients as well as the employee’s professional development and growth, Shorr emphasized. “It’s a win for the company, the members of our team, and our clients.”
The Rise of Cloud Services
These days, many of Shorr’s customers are rapidly adopting cloud services. They are moving to Microsoft Azure and eliminating their on-premises servers, he said.
Although cloud migration has been around for years, Shorr said his customers now have a greater understanding of its benefits. They see no need to buy physical hardware anymore. “They just want to pay for it monthly,” he added.
One of the biggest issues that kept Shorr up at night was a server failure, whether from crashed hard drives, power outages, or other factors. Those worries disappeared when he partnered with a reputable cloud provider. “Microsoft has lots of redundancies, lots of backup, and our clients are in very good hands when we move them,” Shorr said.
Handling Rapid Tech Changes
The evolution of technology is nothing new for Shorr. He’s dealt with changes since the early days in his dorm room.
These days, his company first internally tests every new piece of technology before recommending and deploying it for clients. This is true for dozens of solutions, tools, and products, ensuring a flawless implementation for customers, he said. “When I recommend something, I’ve proven it will work.”
Take, for instance, AI. Although it’s still new, it is hitting the scene in a big way. So, Secure Future Tech Solutions is integrating it into its own operations while offering seminars and education for clients. “We’re starting to use AI internally to help us write and deliver our messages, and for brainstorming ideas,” said Shorr. “There’s a huge potential there.”
Growing From 1 to 23
Shorr admits that when he started in the industry, he was a user, practitioner, and tinkerer. He loved fixing things — that was enough in the IT world three decades ago.
However, he faced a decision all MSPs must make: Do you want to grow even bigger?
If your passions are rooted in break/fix, then stay there, Shorr advised. “But if you decide you want to grow, you have to shift your mindset to a growth mindset to be a business owner. Not just an engineer, not just a technician, but a business owner.”
That mental transition is difficult for some. Shorr himself had to seek help and it’s something he recommends to other MSPs on the same journey.
“There’s plenty information out there, and plenty of organizations that you can join to help you on your path to success.”
Jonathan Browning contributed to this article.
ERIC SHORR
President and CEO, Secure Future Tech Solutions
- Founded: 1992
- Locations: Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut
- No. of employees: 23
- Website: securefuturetech.com
- Company focus: IT services provider with a focus on cybersecurity and maintenance of computer networks, servers, workstations and applications for small and midsized businesses
Images: Eric Shorr, Erica Stella Photography
