LDI Connect vs. MindSHIFT Online vs. All Covered: Differences In IT Services

As your business evolves, so do your IT needs. It’s just the way it is.

Often, growing businesses look to contract a managed IT provider to manage their IT environment and save them time, as well as the money they don’t have. But hiring a managed IT provider can be difficult when there are quite a few providers to choose from, and not enough information out there comparing their services.

At LDI, our Managed IT team, LDI Connect, supports clients wherever they’re at in their IT journey. Several prospects and customers we’ve worked with have had no previous experience with managed services providers. While others have had pretty bad experiences with their MSPs are scared of trying a new provider’s services.

With over ten years of experience managing our client’s IT infrastructures, we want to help you as our reader make an educated decision about managed IT.

We don’t mind talking about other managed IT providers and detailing the benefits they have to offer because one provider is not necessarily the best fit for every type of business.

That’s why in this article we will break down the LDI Connect’s Managed IT division, All Covered, and mindSHIFT IT services.

We’ll even detail their service philosophy, and highlight key differences to help you understand what you’d be signing up for if you were to go with one over the other. By the end of this article, you’ll have a clearer picture of which managed IT provider is right for your business.

What Does LDI Connect, MindSHIFT Online, and All Covered Provide?

Simply put, LDI Connect’s Managed IT Division, All Covered, and mindSHIFT all provide full-service Managed IT Services.

By full-service, we’re talking about security assessments, penetration tests, project management, helpdesk support, onsite support, cloud services, and ongoing monitoring of an IT environment.

But still, what does each MSP include in their services specifically?

Let’s dive into each and provide a brief explanation of who they are and what they offer so that you can get a better idea of each provider’s IT services.

LDI Connect

For over ten years, LDI Connect has provided managed IT services to clients looking for help in managing their IT network.

LDI Connect’s Managed IT division delivers a boutique service that is customizable and personalized to each customer.

From the beginning of our partnership with clients, LDI Connect’s Managed IT division evaluates what the client’s IT environment requires by performing an IT Network and Security Risk Assessment and then recommends solutions based on what’s discovered in the assessment.

Our focus is to be a natural extension of your team, to add value and optimization to your IT environment while helping you stay secure and efficient.

Let’s review the specific IT services we offer.

Services

LDI Connect offers Managed IT services and individualized products and software to companies looking to optimize their IT environment.

Patch management and malware protection software are two key examples of the software we recommend to clients looking to ensure their IT environment is secure.

Here’s a closer look at exactly what we offer

• • • IT Security Risk Assessments
    • Penetration Testing
    • Backup & Disaster Recover
    • IT Roadmapping
    • Hosted Email
    • IT Consulting
    • IT Support
    • Cloud Services and Implementation

Prices

LDI Connect abides by two pricing models, per-user and per-device. Most managed IT services offer these two pricing models.

However, cost ranges may differ from one managed IT provider to the next.

Per-user costs range from $100 to $150 a month, whereas per-device can range from $10 to $100 a month.

mindSHIFT Online

The Ricoh-owned company MindSHIFT Online is a hosted cloud and IT services, provider.

MindSHIFT Online focuses on top-of-the-line protocol connectivity and data storage.  Additionally, it offers comprehensive IT support and service management to its customers.

Let’s take a look at the list of IT Services they offer below.

Services

• • • IT Management
    • Server Management
    • IT Helpdesk Support
    • IT Consulting
    • Cloud and Data Center Services
    • Application Development

Prices

MindSHIFT Online abides by a per-user pricing model of $9 per user per month.

The $9 per user per month pricing model comes with security features. However, additional data storage space will be an additional fee.

All Covered

All Covered is the Managed IT division of Konica Minolta Business Solutions.

Years back, Konica Minolta looked to expand its portfolio of services by acquiring All Covered, a managed services provider.

Through their All Covered IT Services division, Konica Minolta supports clients in reaching their IT goals through better management of information and efficient collaboration.

All Covered’s values interweave IT Consulting, virtualization, design, and implementation of new software when working with clients.

All Covered focuses on crafting IT solutions based on their client’s unique networking, application, and computing needs.

Services

• • • Server and PC Management
    • Server Backup Solutions
    • Virtualization
    • IT Strategic Planning
    • All Covered Client Portal
    • IT Support

Prices

All Covered does not specify the cost of their IT Services on their website.

However, they do provide full-boat IT Services for their clients, ranging from IT support for day-to-day IT needs and implementing IT security solutions.

What Are The 3 Differences In IT Service? 

Now that we have a better understanding of what each IT provider can offer. Let’s dive into how LDI Connect, mindSHIFT Online, and All Covered differ. 

Here’s a closer look at three key differences regarding the IT Services they provide.

1. Direct Manufacturers vs. Independent Dealer

Both All Covered and mindSHIFT Online were acquired by printer copier manufacturers such as Konica Minolta and Ricoh. All Covered and mindSHIFT Online were their own Managed IT companies before being acquired.

You may be thinking, “Well, that’s great, but so what?”

Well, due to All Covered and mindSHIFT both being married to manufacturers, their sole focus is not on providing a boutique service to their clients but on recommending solutions that tie in with the rest of their services.

A Managed IT subsidiary that’s attached to a manufacturer may have different goals in mind than that of an independent dealer such as LDI Connect.

Independent dealers are not affiliated with a particular manufacturer and recommend IT solutions based on experience, assessments, and IT road-mapping discussions. At the same time, a manufacturer will likely recommend solutions that are under the only brand they sell.

In addition, for All Covered and mindSHIFT, it can be tough to provide a customized boutique experience to every customer. Why?

Look at it this way; if your team is a part of a manufacturing company, the focus will likely be on generating revenue through the quality and efficiency of the products you sell. The company’s focus will likely not be too concerned with developing a customized and tailored approach to every client’s IT infrastructure.

2. Difference In Cloud Services Approach

All Covered and Mindshift include cloud hosting within their list of IT Services. LDI Connect offers cloud services with recommendations of using public cloud providers like Microsoft Azure or AWS.

All Covered and Mindshift have a large server-hosting footprint where they host the cloud for clients on the servers they own.

LDI Connect is more focused on eliminating servers for their clients by helping them incorporate cloud solutions such as Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Online, which provide clients with file management, accessibility, delegation, and authorization for their data and filing needs.

LDI Connect sees it like this, “Why pay for, and be locked into, cloud hosting through a Managed IT Provider when you can rely on secure cloud solutions that can help your team operate efficiently, safely, and cost-effectively?”

3. They Service Different Sized Businesses 

So if and when your company is considering managed IT services, it’s probably a good idea to make sure that the MSP can service the size of your business.

For example, All Covered and mindSHIFT Online work with enterprises that have over 1,000 employees.

LDI Connect supports companies with as many as 500 employees. LDI Connect’s sweet spot is from 10 to 75 users.

While each provider listed above has the knowledge and experience to remedy the wide range of issues both SMBs and large enterprises face, it sometimes comes down to the number of people or devices a provider has the resources to monitor.

Large enterprises have a different scale of IT problems than that of a small or even mid-sized business. Think of it this way, a thousand problems vs. just twenty issues can make a massive difference in the bandwidth of service your team requires.

This is not to say that every computing device will need assistance 24/7. Still, each device should be remotely monitored and updated routinely to maintain a strong security posture.

Which Of These Managed IT Providers Is Right For You?

LDI Connect, mindSHIFT, and All Covered are all prime examples of Managed IT providers.

But before considering which MSP to choose for your business, it may help to clarify what specific benchmarks you’d like to reach with your IT environment.

For example, think about whether your business wants a hands-on or hands-off approach. Spend some time determining which core values are most important to your company.

This will help your company gauge whether your needs and goals can be met by the managed IT provider you are considering working with.

At LDI Connect, our Managed IT division views itself as an extension of our client’s company. The reason? Well, whatever IT problem our clients are facing is a concern of ours. From the early stages of agreeing to work with one another, our team believes in supporting your IT environment and developing an IT roadmap to help your business reach its goals.

Reach out to an LDI representative today to learn more about our Managed IT Services and how we compare to other managed IT providers out there.