TenHats is a proud service provider to Knoxville-area businesses and manages a Tier III+ data center. How have we grown in the past few years? CEO Brian Strong recently shared insights on the We Built This Brand podcast about our evolution as a premier IT managed services provider. In this interview, Brian discusses the journey from the rebranding of TenHats to our current operations. Here are the key takeaways.
TenHats provides managed IT services and data center operations tailored for your business. We leverage our East Tennessee location for optimal data storage solutions, allowing us to adapt to diverse technology needs while promoting alignment between IT initiatives and business goals.
What We Do
Knoxville has been rapidly growing and TenHats has been a big part of that growth. We offer managed IT services for local businesses while also operating a data center for more specialized needs.
“We’re an MSP, we’re a managed service provider,” Brian explains. “We [offer] outsourced IT and IT services to the local community.” While TenHats provides local, relationship-based IT support, we also cater to more technical, transactional data center requirements.
“The data center is a much different business model,” Brian says. “People know if they’re looking for a data center, and they know what the requirements are.” In some cases that means not even using us as their primary data center. Instead, our data center acts as a backup in case other services fail.
TenHats as a Redundant Data Center
Geographic diversity has become a critical factor for businesses seeking redundant data center solutions. TenHats fits into this landscape thanks to East Tennessee’s climate and low risk of natural disasters, making it an ideal location for data storage.
“We can supply geographic diversity to clients looking for redundant data centers. You have to consider factors like climate and disaster risk when choosing locations,” explains Brian. He also adds, “Our location is advantageous for people storing data, given our stable climate,” Brian explains.
Brian’s Journey to TenHats
Brian Strong’s professional journey has taken him through various tech ventures in Knoxville. After moving to the area just before starting at Farragut High School, he went on to study at the University of Tennessee before diving into sales.
His tech odyssey began when he joined Arm Technologies, which later became Claris Networks. “I worked there for six and a half years doing basically what TenHats does,” Brian explains, considering his present role as an evolution of his early work in technology sales.
After a successful stint at Claris, Brian co-founded Vendor Registry, a SaaS platform for public procurement. This venture showcased his knack for identifying and solving industry-specific problems. In 2020, following the sale of Vendor Registry, Brian found himself drawn back to his roots, joining SH Data (now TenHats).
“It just seemed like the right fit,” Brian adds. “There was an aptitude of a bunch of the former employees to get back together and try to build something special again.” This reunion would form the foundation of what is now known as TenHats, as well as how we got our name.
How We Got Our Name
Our rebranding in January 2022 was a strategic move with layers of meaning. The name “TenHats” emerged from a collaborative process, blending creativity and practicality.
“I like symbolism,” Brian explains. “If there’s some depth to a name that you can use, there’s some meaning behind it.”
The “Ten” in TenHats represents multiple concepts: the binary code of ones and zeros, a nod to Tennessee, and the idea of wearing multiple hats in IT roles. This versatility allows us to adapt to your needs, whether taking on all IT responsibilities for small businesses or complementing existing IT teams in larger companies.
While the name encapsulates our identity, it also reflects the complex nature of modern IT solutions. “We can morph into whatever relationship that can be,” Brian adds.
What We Learned from Our Tech Survey
We’ve taken a proactive approach to understanding the IT landscape here at TenHats. Our first annual business and technology report compiled data from more than 1,000 participants to understand the communication gap between technology leaders and business executives.
“Every business is a technology company,” Brian explains. “If you take away their tech, they can’t really operate.” This aligns with the growing dependence on technology across all industries. But while IT has become integral to operations, the survey report reveals a persistent disconnect between tech departments and executive leadership.
“We want to make sure that technology initiatives align with business goals,” Brian says. There’s a need for better communication and understanding between IT professionals and business leaders. Technology may drive innovation and efficiency, but the challenge lies in ensuring that both sides speak the same language and work towards common objectives.
The Benefits of Partnering with TenHats
Data center solutions have become increasingly complex in recent years, but how do businesses navigate the choice between cloud providers and local data centers? Cloud services offer scalability and global reach. However, they also come with concerns about data control and costs for high-intensity workloads.
Fortunately, TenHats is “agnostic” when it comes to technology, according to Brian. “Some applications work really well in the cloud,” he says, “while others may need on-premises or private cloud solutions.” This means that we can support your business’s IT needs regardless of whether you prefer a data center or choose to store your company’s data in the cloud.
TenHats offers tailored managed IT services and data center operations, utilizing our East Tennessee location to ensure optimal data storage solutions with redundancy and resilience. We support both traditional data centers and cloud infrastructure, adapting to diverse business needs while fostering alignment between IT initiatives and overall business goals.
