Third Level IT was founded on a simple observation: small businesses deserve the same quality IT infrastructure that large enterprises have—they just need it delivered differently.
The Problem We Saw
After 15+ years working in enterprise IT—at companies like Presidio and Sentinel Technologies—I saw how large organizations approached technology: proper infrastructure, proactive monitoring, security that actually worked, and engineers who knew what they were doing.
Then I'd talk to friends who ran small manufacturing shops or professional services firms. They were dealing with the opposite: unreliable systems, reactive support, security that was an afterthought, and IT providers who disappeared when things got complicated.
The gap wasn't about budget. It was about approach. Small businesses were being sold consumer-grade solutions and break-fix support when what they actually needed was enterprise thinking scaled to their size.
A Different Approach
Third Level IT was built to bridge that gap. We bring enterprise methodology—proper network design, proactive monitoring, security-first thinking, documentation—to businesses with 10-50 employees.
We're not trying to be the biggest MSP in Michigan. We focus on doing excellent work for a manageable number of clients. That means you get real attention from engineers who know your environment, not a ticket number and a callback from whoever's available.
We invested in professional infrastructure from day one—colocation at 123NET's Southfield facility, enterprise-grade Fortinet firewalls, proper monitoring and management tools. Because you can't deliver enterprise-quality service on consumer-grade infrastructure.
Why Metro Detroit
This is home. Metro Detroit has thousands of small manufacturers, machine shops, and professional services firms that are the backbone of the regional economy. Many of them are suppliers to the automotive and defense industries, which means they're facing increasing pressure on cybersecurity and compliance.
We understand this environment. We know that a shop floor has different IT requirements than a corporate office. We know that CMMC compliance isn't optional for defense contractors. And we know that when your network goes down, production stops and money walks out the door.
Being local matters. When you need someone on-site, we're not flying in from out of state. We're already here.