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Karen Cohen

By: Karen Cohen on September 15, 2022

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Walker Vs. Kelser: Which IT Provider Is Right For Me?

Managed Services | IT Support

Looking for IT support can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be!

We know it can be difficult to compare IT providers because you often feel like you are trying to compare apples and oranges. It can seem that every provider uses a different language. 

We hear this a lot and we can help

In this article, we’ll compare two providers: The Walker Group and Kelser Corporation. Both companies have good reputations and provide comprehensive managed IT solutions

At this point, you may be wondering why we compare ourselves to our competitors. You may be wondering if this is a trick to make ourselves sound better than our competition. It’s a valid question! 

The real reason we publish articles like these is to provide an unbiased comparison so that business leaders like you can find out what they need to know about both organizations

As consumers ourselves, we know that the first thing most people do when they are looking to buy a product or service is search the Internet. (We do it ourselves!)

So, rather than have you waste time trying to compare publicly available information that we know you’ll access anyway, we publish comparison articles so that you can find all of the information you are looking for in one place

At Kelser, we believe that healthy competition is good for us, our industry, and our customers. We know we aren’t the only provider in the area and, for us, the most important thing is that you find the right IT provider for your business

We are confident in our IT solution and we know that it is a good fit for many small and medium-sized businesses. But, honestly, we know it is not the right fit for everyone

We are often asked how we compare to other IT providers in the area, so we decided to address the question head-on. 

Every important relationship is built on a foundation of trust and mutual respect. In this article, we promise to be as objective as possible and provide an honest comparison of our offerings and those of our competitor, The Walker Group

This article will provide a comprehensive, fact-based comparison of the similarities and differences between our organizations. If there is information that we aren’t able to gather from The Walker Group website, we’ll let you know rather than leaving you wondering why we didn’t include it.

After reading this comparison, you will understand the pros and cons of each IT provider and will be able to decide for yourself which option would be a better fit for your business and your goals. 

The Walker Group 

The Walker Group was founded more than 35 years ago by Kate Emory. 

Locations

Headquartered in Farmington, Conn., the company has additional locations in Florida and New York.  

Services

The Walker Group offers a variety of IT services that they categorize in the following way:  managed, professional, security and compliance, technology solutions, and digital marketing services. 

Under managed IT support, they offer:

    • fully managed
    • managed security for workstations and servers
    • network support services
    • managed firewall
    • backup and disaster recovery
    • managed help desk
    • remote monitoring

For professional services, they list:

    • cybersecurity & compliance consulting
    • security assessments 
    • Microsoft 365 implementation & consulting
    • procurement services (licensing, hardware/software)
    • fractional and interim CIO
    • projects & professional services

Their security & compliance offerings include:

    • compliance (CMMC, HIPAA, NIST/DFARS, PCI)
    • ransomware protection
    • managed security for workstations & servers
    • secure remote access
    • phishing and security awareness training
    • security assessments
    • security operations center as a service

Under technology solutions, they list: 

    • Microsoft 365 - Business Automation
    • Microsoft Teams conferencing solutions
    • Microsoft Teams phone system
    • cloud solutions
    • virtualization
    • hyper-converged solutions
    • storage solutions
    • internet service provider & connectivity solutions
    • business WiFi Solutions

Typical Clients

They list customers from manufacturing, nonprofit, education & government as well as professional and financial services organizations.

Customer Satisfaction

Walker Group uses Net Promoter to measure customer satisfaction and lists a score of 98.8 percent on its website. 

Pricing

Pricing information is not listed on the Walker website. You will need to contact them directly for this information. 

Awards & Recognition

They list 16 Graphic Design USA awards on their website for their digital marketing work. We did not find information about awards and recognition for their IT support services. 

Who Is A Good Fit For The Walker Group?

On their website, they mention they help manufacturing & aerospace businesses, nonprofit organizations, education & government groups as well as professional and financial services organizations. If your organization falls into one of these categories, The Walker Group may be a good fit for you.

Additional Information 

On their website, they describe themselves as a registered Benefit Corporation (B-Corp) and social enterprise with an overarching purpose of making a social impact through financial and volunteer support of social entrepreneurs and other innovative leaders. 

As part of its community commitment, Walker dedicates one-third of its distributed profits to the community.

Kelser Corporation

Kelser has been providing IT solutions for corporations as well as small and medium-sized businesses in Connecticut and neighboring states for more than 40 years. The company was founded in 1981 as New Technology Systems.

Locations

Headquartered in Glastonbury, Conn., Kelser also has warehouses in Windsor, Conn., and Columbus, Ohio.   

Services

Kelser offers the following services to its customers: 

    • firewall security
    • remote monitoring
    • managed IT services (including antivirus, anti-malware, and email)
    • cybersecurity and compliance solutions
    • data center services
    • business continuity and disaster recovery
    • Virtual Chief Information Officer
    • unlimited service desk support
    • network and wireless
    • supply chain services
    • cloud-based solutions
    • strategic planning and budgetary guidance
    • vendor partnerships
    • project work
    • financing assistance

Typical Clients

Kelser provides enterprise solutions for large corporations as well as managed IT support and project work for small and medium-sized businesses in industries including:

    • healthcare 
    • construction
    • manufacturing 
    • finance
    • education
    • insurance
    • legal

Customer Satisfaction

At the time this article posts, Kelser’s customer satisfaction rating is 100/100 based on 94 reviews in the most recent 90-day period. Click here to see our latest rating. 

Pricing

Companies can plan to spend $120 to $140 per user per month for Kelser’s comprehensive managed IT services. 

Awards & Recognition

  • Cloud Tango MSP US (2022)
  • CRN Elite 150 (2022 & 2021)
  • 2021 Inc. 5000 Regionals: New York City Metro list, (#155 fastest-growing private companies in Connecticut, New Jersey, and NYC)
  • CRN Triple Crown Winner (2020)
  • CRN Fast Growth 150 (2019)
  • CRN Solution Provider 500 List (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019)
  • Hartford Courant Top Workplaces, LLC (2014 & 2013)

Who Is A Good Fit For Kelser? 

Corporations looking for an enterprise IT provider and small and medium-sized businesses in search of a strategic, locally managed IT partner will be a good fit for Kelser.

The company handles service calls locally and often provides white-glove delivery to local customers, offering a personal touch and providing pre-imaged equipment that arrives ready to plug and play.

Additional Information 

The Kelser Foundation, established in 2011, has raised $1,058,283 for local nonprofit partners. Kelser employees have also donated more than 195 boxes of nonperishable food items, gently used clothing, sporting equipment, unused games, toys, and more. 

Next Steps In Deciding Your IT Service Partner

This article has provided a side-by-side comparison of two Connecticut-based IT providers. We know there are a lot of things to think about.  

Here are some of the important considerations:

It doesn’t matter if this is the first time you’ve looked for a managed IT provider or you are looking to switch from your current provider, there are lots of variables to consider. Check out this article to find out everything you need to know to get the best provider for you: How Do I Choose The Right IT Provider? Criteria You Can Use.

Now that you understand how Kelser and The Walker Group compare, check out other providers as well. And, if you think Kelser might be a good fit for you, we’d love to talk about the possibility of working together to align your technology to your short- and long-term business goals. 

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About Karen Cohen

Karen brings unending curiosity to her role as Kelser's Content Manager. If you have a question, she wants to know the answer.

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