Choosing the Right Managed Services Provider
The right Managed Services Provider should have defined service level agreements.
Outsourcing any service and being properly managed works only if you make the right move in choosing the right partner. Things that should be taken in consideration when making this crucial decision are
Defined Service Level Agreements: based on business type and size.
Provide bundles, custom options and flexible options along with a timely response times.
A clearly defined service level agreement benefits both parties by setting airtight expectations from the start.
Experience in Your Industry: Look for a managed services provider that knows your field/has experience in MSP.
Keeping up with regulatory requirements takes experience, and a track-record of previous success is a good indicator that they have what it takes to successfully maintain your network.
Commitment to Growth: one of their main goals of an MSP shod be innovation and new future technology adoption-future focused. They should be willing to embrace new challenges and technologies.
Exceptional Customer Service: this should a primordial factor when thinking to choosing an MSP.
The customer service factor is a main factor and should one of the main ones.
An excellent customer service experience is provided by those companies that anticipate future issues and your company future needs, which do not limit themselves and are going above and beyond for their customers.
What Are Managed Services?
In this technology booming era, all the businesses are relying on technology to be competitive in their industry, maximize efficiency of its resources and to stay in top of its game. Almost 100% of the businesses rely on their network and it’s in house IT team. Also, the funds allocated to maintain and run the business network and IT support team increased and continuously rising. For many or most of the small businesses this is a burden which in turn often results in a sacrificing the quantity and/or the quality of the network maintenance in order to keep the cost low or in affordable budget.
Managed services are a way to outsource maintenance and other IT services to experts.
A managed services provider (MSP) performs multiple functions for your company, such as:
-Network Administration
-Data Backup
-Disaster Recovery
-Network Security
-Communications
-IT Support
-Audits
Outsourcing any of these services provided by MSP would provide relief on your internal IT team, which in turn would be freeing them up to assist your employees and perform daily tasks with better efficiency and focus.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MANAGED SERVICES VS. BREAK-FIX SERVICES?
Till recently the only way to deal with computer and network issues was to by employing an IT specialist when there was a network or server down issue, hence the name break-fix service. The expert would then come and try to find out the issue and the causality. Based on the issue, the solution might or might not be a quick one. If the solution wasn’t a quick one the company would be forced expensive, lengthy repairs along with the downtime. This type of repair that is a reaction to the issue was called break-fix approach.
The managed services approach on the other hand, is proactive, offering constant monitoring of the business systems with one of the goals to prevent failures when possible. By remote monitoring, the MSP can see what is going one and try to fix it remotely in most cases.
Having an MSP as your partner in your corner, simplifies the company’s management of the IT infrastructure in an affordable way. Some of the best benefits from the financial and business perspective are the following:
1. Predictable Low Cost
MSP can cut down your managed services cost and can make your IT expenses be more predictable.
By being a partner with an MSP, your costs are packaged into a set amount paid on a recurring bases like monthly or yearly.
In comparison, the IT house team comes with many frequent and unpredictable expenses which can quickly add up and use up their allocated budget.
A business’s infrastructure contains lots of equipment that requires to be maintained and often occasions to be repaired/replaced.
MSPs are providing maintenance as well as repairs as part of their contact if included in the contract, so a fix that in normal circumstances would possibly cost you thousands of dollars would be absorbed by your MSP provider. This kind of solution shields your company from extreme expenses which in turn provides a safer and more stable environment for your business.
In the cases of the small businesses, they will greatly benefit from managed services due to the fact the up-front cost to start is much lower.
In cases of new startup businesses, the initial expenses of hiring, training while paying for servers and other equipment necessary can become overwhelming.
2. Scalability
Having an in-house IT team is often associated with a high price tag, which is why most of the times see an understaffed team and overworked. As result the IT team will be unable to get everything done due to the lack of time and resources. Having a such situation on your hands and trying to grow/ expand your business it would fly with most of the businesses.
Trying to employee an additional employee for your in-house IT team would require training which costs thousands of dollars which never guarantee that they will even remain with the company. Having an MSP on your side would mean that they will absorb the cost of training and the company will never have to worry about the IT employees to jump ship.
Scaling a business network involves a coordination of increase manpower and the addition of new equipment which it’s a huge burden on any business. Also, this means that the IT team’s focus will be shifted off the important functions like security.
A managed service solution can provide your company with assistance in expanding and upgrading your business systems when needed to, without the employment and training of additional employees that you will not need once the expansion/upgrade has been completed.
Especially this year 2020, in which most businesses have been affected and the cash flow extreme fluctuations could make it or break a business. The survival of the business depends on the flexible expenses to maintain and manage the business infrastructure. An MSP can provide and accommodate also with swift changes, which an in-house team might not be able to respond efficiently.
3. Minimized Downtime
Downtime creeps out most of the time due to the equipment issues, like failures.
Examples, servers can fail, and computers can malfunction. Also, electrical disruption can also be an occurrence.
All of those can be mitigated by the proper implementation of redundant equipment which will allow systems to switch to the backup implemented solution.
In some circumstances the downtime will be associated with an unintentional human error which accounts for a significant portion of the downtime. For this there is not a lot it can be done to be avoided. Some of this potential risk can be reduced by deploying strong safeguards in the critical systems.
System attacks can also take out your networks and data. Small businesses are particularly vulnerable to cybercrime. Up to two-thirds of attacks are targeted at small businesses, and small businesses are the least likely to have protections in place that would minimize downtime in the event of a cyber-attack.
Reducing the risk of downtime is a multi-faceted task that an in-house team may not have the bandwidth or experience to tackle effectively. Managed services can cut down costs associated with downtime by preventing it from happening in the first place.
4. A Preventive Approach
When something breaks, you fix it. With networks and data, however, the cost of repairs can put a big dent in your company’s budget. Depending on the size of your business, the cost of a security breach can run into the millions of dollars.
Rather than rushing to call in experts after a disaster has occurred, it is smarter to take a preventive approach by partnering with a managed services provider. They monitor your systems for problems and can resolve issues before they transform into full-fledged catastrophes. The cost savings associated with this approach are one of the top reasons to use managed services.
5. Proven Experts
Hiring an IT team is expensive and time-consuming, and you cannot know for sure how good they are until they are faced with a serious network issue. Some may pass the test with flying colors. Others may not be able to resolve the problem in a timely manner or at all, costing your company money you cannot afford to waste.
Even when your IT staff is competent and comfortable with your systems, you may find they are not well-equipped to operate or maintain new equipment and systems as you add them. The most common issue is that even the most well-trained employees do not have the knowledge and experience of an MSP’s large team.
An MSP can provide specialized services to fill in any gaps in your team’s expertise. It doesn’t make sense to have an employee learn a whole new skill set for a one-time project. An MSP gives you access to a team of experts with precise skills you would not have access to otherwise.
6. Narrowed Business Focus
What are the advantages of managed services for your IT team? An MSP frees up your IT team for pursuits that are more crucial to your business. The common perception of IT professionals envisions them performing menial repairs and asking whether you’ve turned it off and on again. While this is true in some businesses, it’s definitely an ineffective use of IT resources.
If your internal team is swamped with helping users fix basic issues or dealing with equipment malfunctions, they don’t have the time or focus to work on projects that push your business forward.
Managed services can help by redesigning workflows, upgrading equipment and automating certain tasks. This takes the pressure of daily processes off your team so they can focus on innovation.
7. Data Compliance
Your company’s data is subject to a litany of regulations designed to keep information secure. Your team has to sift through the hundreds of current standards and regulations and figure out which ones apply to your company. They also have to ensure every one of those applicable rules is followed to the letter, all while performing their day-to-day work.
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) are the most widely applicable standards businesses have to meet. The consequences for violating these and other standards are hefty fines and reputation damage that some businesses might not be able to overcome.
A managed services provider handles the complexities of compliance and auditing, so you don’t have to worry about violating data security regulations. They can also run reports and conduct audits that prove your organization is meeting all requirements. This can save your in-house team thousands of hours in the long run.
8. Reliable Relationships
The ongoing relationship with an MSP has several benefits. Managed services act as a partner for your in-house team and a bridge between you and technology vendors. They serve as a single point of contact for your business and become familiar with your company over time.
A trustworthy MSP is a valuable partner in helping your business grow, not just a service you call when something breaks. They have a vested interest in keeping your networks and systems healthy and delivering insights you can use to help your bottom line.
9. 24/7 Support
Managed IT services use remote monitoring technology to keep an eye on your systems day and night. Real-time alerts mean any problems that occur can be corrected before they have a noticeable impact on your business.
Without constant monitoring, it’s easy for a network issue to happen during off hours. If a system goes down in the middle of the night, it might take some time before anyone finds out. In some cases, the problem isn’t discovered until the next day — after significant damage has already been done. Remote monitoring allows your MSP to take instant corrective action as soon as they receive an alert.
10. New Technology
Technology itself is one of the biggest costs in IT. There is always an equipment upgrade to be had, and it can be tough to discern which ones are right for your business. There are few things more frustrating than investing in new network infrastructure only to find it does not meet your needs — or your team does not know how to operate it correctly.
One of the major benefits of using managed services is the constant access to up-to-date technology. You will never have to worry about your systems being outdated or making an investment that does not pan out. The cost of system upgrades is rolled right into your MSP fee.