Meet Dan Gilligan: MSP Owner & Technology Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dan Gilligan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dan, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I first got into technology back in 1994 I always had the thought of working for myself. It was not until 2009 that I took the plunge. I wanted to provide technology services to business customers with integrity, as well as provide them with the best possible solution to address their business needs while helping them achieve their goals.
What should our readers know about your business?
What sets IntegraMSP apart from others is our team of dedicated technology professionals. One of the struggles in building a technology company is finding the right team members with your same core beliefs. One of those beliefs is that customer service is first and must come with the utmost integrity. Second, is having the ability to tell the customer what they don’t want to hear, but need to hear. And third, performing their job with the highest level of accountability. Prior to broadening my business knowledge through workshops and readings; I did not feel that anyone could do the job as well as I could. Thus, I stayed a small IT services company. After my mind-shift, I am excited knowing there are others out there with the same understanding of what is truly important. I look forward to building a strong, local technology team that can be a partner with our customers. One thing that is a constant in the world of technology is that it is always changing and evolving. This is a blessing and a curse as you; as an IT business owner; must constantly be ready for change and be able to ‘turn on a dime’. This involves long hours of research, testing new products and keeping your finger on the pulse of technology. One of the biggest challenges in the recent years has been the sharp uptick of cybersecurity threats. Researching, testing and implementing the next best toolset to help combat the threat landscape is a never-ending, but necessary task to ensure that we keep our customers are protected. We want our customers to know that we consider ourselves to not only be their trusted advisors in all things ‘IT’, but that we truly care about their business. Our customers know and rely on the fact that our team knows their system, knows their people and that they can trust that we do everything with integrity.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am always excited to have new visitors come to town who have not had the pleasure of visiting Dallas! In 2011, our family moved into East Dallas and we have loved living there as well as exploring the city at large. When newcomers come to town, we ensure that we hit all of the great local treasures that Dallas provides. First up on our trip is always taking a drive down Greenville Ave to check out the local scene. We then swing into one of our favorite restaurants with a patio and a rocking gin martini. We hit up Terrili’s, cop a table on the patio to people watch and order a couple of gin martinis with extra olives and some Lobster Fettuccini. After dinner we would then take a short drive over to Bodega off of Mockingbird and Abrams and have a few glasses of wine to finish the night. The next morning we would stop by Dream Cafe for a heavenly breakfast of the Dream Benedict along with a nice Mimosa and cup o’joe. After our great breakfast, with coffee in hand, we would go tool around White Rock Lake and check out the bikers, runners, family funners and sailboaters to finish our conversation and coffee. After our jaunt around the lake, we would head down to the Dallas Museum of Art to peruse the best art in town. Once we got our fill, we would wander over to Klyde Warren Park and hit up one of the many food trucks and then chill and people watch on the lawn. Once we had gotten or fill of sun and fun in the park, we would swing by Dealy Plaza so they could see what made Dallas infamous in the 60’s as well as landed Erykah Badu in a bit of hot water. I’d also take them over the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and swing into Trinity Groves for a little afternoon imbibement in a cool setting. After our afternoon apertif, we would go take a look at Kessler Park and check out some of the cool local shops in the Bishop Arts District. One can never leave town without a funky Dallas, chotcky. Deep Ellum is next on our list because it is of course, dinner time! What is more perfect than some amazing, Pecan Lodge BBQ. It is well worth the wait in line as well as gives our newcomer a bit of that Texas charm in the big city. Once stuffed with smoky goodness, we are ready to head back to the East Dallas hood for a sunset drink (in a eco-friendly container) on the banks of White Rock Lake within the Arboretum. Nothing is better than sitting on the grass, laughing with friends and reminiscing about the great day you just had in the wonderful city of Dallas!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
What I found a truly pivotal moment in my business was when I attended a seminar hosted by Karl Palachuk and he recommended I pick up the book “The E-Myth Revisted” by Michael E. Gerber. This inspired me to take a look at my business as a service to my customers. It showed me that I can better serve them by growing my team and providing the best local service along with true partner integration with our customers. We like to become a valued member of their team that allows them to focus on what is most important to their own business without having to worry about their IT. If their network and the technology they use works, then its a win for everyone.

Website: www.IntegraMSP.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3160138/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IntegraMSP
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/integramsp/

Image Credits
All Photos taken by Jennifer Gilligan (minus KevinHeadshot)