Customer Story: TR Computer Sales

The Challenge

With the rise in cyber threats and remote work demands, TR Computer Sales needed a solution that could provide comprehensive monitoring and long-term log storage to protect their clients more effectively.

The Solution

By integrating Blumira into their technology stack, TR Computer Sales gained a proactive security solution that enabled more effective monitoring and response to threats for their clients.

“In situations where a client has ransomware and we've completed the cleanup, every minute counts in keeping them protected. We can get them onboarded and deployed in less than an hour compared to other products whose onboarding can take weeks.”

 

TR Computer Sales

TR Computer Sales (TR) is a managed service provider based in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, delivering a full suite of technology solutions, including IT support, cloud services, and cybersecurity. With a focus on reliability and customization, TR helps businesses streamline their IT infrastructure and adapt to evolving technology demands.

The Challenge: Increasing Attacks; Limited Visibility & Log Retention

Matt Timm, the Network Operations Center Team Lead at TR, oversees monitoring, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery, Security Operations Center, Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), and SaaS operations, with a focus on streamlining processes and building out TR’s technology stack. His colleague, Gerard Gonzalez handles Internal Support at TR, focusing on product research, solution evaluation, and API integrations to streamline systems.

TR identified a gap in their security monitoring offerings, driven largely by a rise in cyber threats the team had observed firsthand. Recognizing the need to better protect their clients, they set out to strengthen their security stack. 

"We've seen an increase in cyber threats, from ransomware to email hacks to VPN compromises, and we realized there was a gap that we needed to fill to give our clients peace of mind,” Timm said.

While their RMM provided basic alerts, they lacked visibility into critical areas like Microsoft 365. Limited log retention also made historical data retrieval challenging. With the rise of remote work and growing demand for security reporting, TR needed a solution that could ingest and store logs long-term.

“We use SonicWall across the majority of our clients, which offers limited built-in storage and retention before it auto clears,” Timm said. “Having a solution that's able to ingest those logs and store them so we can go back and pull the data was really important for us.”

Costly, Complex Pricing Models

To meet client demand and compliance needs, TR sought an XDR solution with SIEM and logging capabilities, an essential next step to enhance security through proactive monitoring and response. TR explored multiple XDR solutions, but found the price to be too high and the quoting process too restrictive.

“One solution had a minimum seat count of 25 that was priced too high for some of our smaller clients that were looking for compliance,” Gonzalez said.

Another solution offered service packages that confused clients and included lengthy, complex quoting processes.

“In order to quote this other solution, you have to use a spreadsheet and get user counts, machine counts, and server counts. You have to know the bandwidth, because that solution  prices out which sensor the client needs based on internet speeds,” Gonzalez said. “The whole process of quoting takes days because you have to fill out a form and send it in, then they send it to a distributor, who sends the quote back to us.”

The Solution: Closing the Monitoring Gap with Proactive Defense

Timm first discovered Blumira during an event and quickly recognized its potential to fill a critical monitoring gap through robust log ingestion and reliable threat detection.

“We just didn’t have a good offering for a security monitoring product, so Blumira really fit the bill by elevating the experience and covering us and our customers with reliable log ingestion and detection,” Timm said.

A key factor that helped build their confidence in Blumira as a security partner was Blumira’s approach to new features and product iteration.

“One thing that has really helped build our confidence in Blumira is the concept you call the Minimum Viable Product. You get something into people’s hands that works, and then continue building upon it,” Timm said. “For us, that's huge, because we’re not waiting six to twelve months for a new release. Instead, you’re pushing things out as you're developing them. And we're getting them into our hands so we can test, give feedback, and help to build [Blumira] together.”

As the team gained hands-on experience with the Blumira, they saw its effectiveness and recognized that it needed to be integrated into their technology stack. 

“As we onboarded more people and began using the product, we were able to see how well it was working for us,” Timm said. “It became clear that [Blumira] needed to be part of our stack, something that we're pushing out proactively versus reactively.”

Timm found the integrations highly beneficial, as they were already using key platforms like ConnectWise Manage and Microsoft 365. These solutions are vital to TR's operations, and Blumira’s seamless integration with them facilitated a smooth transition. The integration with ConnectWise Manage, in particular, further enhanced efficiency by streamlining their processes.

“We’re a ConnectWise Manage shop, so to be integrated and to have our tickets streamlined right into our system without having to forward emails or deal with parsing has been incredible,” Timm. “It allows us to be more efficient, respond faster, and customize the experience, not only for us, but for our customers.”

One of the most significant Microsoft-based attacks TR has prevented with Blumira was stopping account compromises.

“Blumira has helped us remediate account compromises with little to minimum damage done, especially with Microsoft-related Man-in-the-Middle attacks, where attackers can bypass multi-factor authentication," Timm said.

Easy Pricing and Onboarding for Clients

The TR team was also drawn to its straightforward pricing model. Unlike the other solutions they considered, Blumira made it easy to generate quotes and communicate costs clearly to clients.

“It's just really simplistic with how Blumira does it, [our team] can go into their client reviews, ready to pitch, knowing the pricing and everything,” Gonzalez said.

With Blumira, the team could quickly generate quotes by referencing Microsoft 365 user and endpoint data. Flexible licensing that covers both employees and devices prevented overages and kept pricing predictable, making it easy to deliver quotes during client reviews.

“You look at [the client’s] M365 users and how many machines they have to come up with a number, because [pricing] is user-based. Also you [allow] doubling up on agents, which is beneficial for our clients. It’s super easy to cover add-ons for our clients,” Gonzalez said.

The onboarding process is simple and efficient, allowing TR to get clients up and running quickly. 

“The onboarding process is really simple. You don’t need multiple calls with the support team to get things done. I can get a new client completely set up in 15 to 20 minutes rather than two to three weeks,” Timm said.