The technology landscape is changing swiftly, and so is the perception that businesses have of their IT and IT leadership. A shift has occurred in which IT is no longer viewed on a cost-centered basis, instead, IT is increasingly seen more as an enabler of profitable growth for businesses. Despite this shift, many IT leaders face constraints on how much time they can allocate for innovation and digital transformation given the managerial and budgetary constraints they face. This is where the support of a reliable and efficient Managed Services Provider (MSP) can add serious value.
In this piece, we will delve into the advantages of forming partnerships with MSPs and offer a checklist of key factors to consider when choosing the ideal MSP for your organisation and business.
The Role of a Managed Services Provider
MSPs are able to take proactive and cost-efficient ownership of a business’s IT infrastructure management, giving them day to day and strategic support as required to unlock the potential that technology has to offer.
Here are some services that are commonly offered by MSPs:
- Data Backup and Disaster Recovery – MSPs design and execute thorough data backup and disaster recovery strategies for businesses, should they ever need it.
- IT Infrastructure Management – MSPs assume the responsibility of overseeing and managing an organisation’s IT infrastructure, including servers, networks, storage, and other hardware components. They also look for cost-efficient ways to optimise it for their clients.
- Cybersecurity – MSPs offer a range of cybersecurity services to their clients, which offer robust end-to-end protection from the spectrum of cyber threats at play today.
- Help Desk and User Support – MSPs deliver help desk support and user assistance services that cater to employees’ IT-related issues and inquiries.
- Proactive monitoring and maintenance – MSPs utilise cutting-edge monitoring tools and techniques to proactively oversee and monitor clients’ systems and infrastructure.
In essence, MSPs play a crucial role in allowing organisations to prioritise their core business objectives while ensuring the efficient and secure management of their IT infrastructure and systems.
Managed Services Provider Checklist
No two MSPs are built alike, so finding the right provider for your business is critical for ensuring it gets the value that it deserves. There are a range of key factors to consider and verify when selecting an MSP:
- Proactive Services – Beware of providers with only a reactive approach to issue resolution. A quality MSP will resolve issues at their root-cause and try to prevent potential problems from occuring ahead of time. They will also be able to offer a clear plan for your IT development, alongside providing a range of services to proactively monitor your environment, perform necessary upgrades, apply patches, and implement improvements behind the scenes. In this way, they ensure the continuous stability and optimisation of your IT infrastructure.
- Remote and On-site IT Support – As for most businesses not all IT issues will be resolvable remotely, it is likely best to opt for an MSP that offers a blend of instant remote support for convenience and on-site resources that are ready to mobilise swiftly in critical situations, ensuring prompt assistance whenever it is needed.
- Fast Service and Response Time – A quality MSP will deliver fast and near-immediate support services that engage your employees with a friendly and helpful experience. They should also be offering transparency and data about the response times for their services.
- Third-party Vendor Partnerships – Check that your MSP has robust and diverse relationships with vendors that reflect your current IT environment. This ensures access to superior support and benefits, compared to MSPs with limited or irrelevant vendor connections.
- Cybersecurity Support – Ensure your MSP is able to offer comprehensive cybersecurity services to keep your organisation protected at all times. Your MSP will ideally be a long-term partner that can scale its services with your business, so ensuring that it can keep it safe as it grows should be a key priority.
- Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Support – your MSP should ensure the continuous security and availability of your applications and data, promptly restoring them in response to errors or cyber breaches. They should also collaborate with you to establish data and center failover mechanisms for uninterrupted business continuity.
- Clear and Well-Defined Service Level Agreement (SLA) – Ensure your MSP offers fast response times in its SLA to your business, as this will act as an accountability mechanism should the service be sub-standard. Request evidence of adherence to SLAs and in combination with the point of proactive services, look for a supplier that considers SLAs to be the bare minimum that their clients can expect from them.
- Compliance Support – prioritise choosing an MSP with a clear approach to implementing and staying updated with regulatory frameworks that apply to your business. By partnering with a provider that has a deep understanding of your compliance burdens, they will be empowered to tailor their services to help your business to meet these obligations.
FAQ
Here are some questions to consider when assessing MSP options in addition to the checklist:
- What proactive services are included?
- Do they provide IT Support services?
- What accreditations, certifications and social proof do they showcase?
- Are local resources available for on-site support?
- Does the MSP guarantee issue response times, resolution rates and uptime in the SLA?
- Do they showcase knowledge in compliance with any relevant regulatory frameworks?
- Do they have a dedicated team that specialises in cybersecurity support?
- What third-party vendor partnerships do they have?
- Do they have relevant working experience with similar infrastructure and applications?
Conclusion
With a quality MSP that is aligned with your business and its objectives, you can enjoy cost-efficient support that empowers your business to get the best from its current technology while driving forward with its strategic IT goals. We hope that this advice will be valuable in making an informed decision when selecting an MSP that best suits your business needs.
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