When it comes to business IT support, there are a lot of different options out there. You could try to handle it yourself, hire an in-house technician, contract a break/fix technician, or work with a managed IT services provider (MSP). Each of these options has its own advantages and disadvantages.
But in this blog post, we’ll tackle why you’re better off partnering with an MSP to handle your company’s IT support requirements.
Guaranteed service levels
Before formalizing the relationships, most MSPs provide and let you sign a service level agreement (SLA). This document contains pertinent information like:
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- Duties and responsibilities of the MSP and the client
- Specifics of the IT services that the MSP will provide (and what’s not included)
- How often the MSP will provide these IT services (e.g., 24/7 IT support)
- Guaranteed response and resolution times
- Escalation procedures
The SLA is important because it protects both you and the MSP. It guarantees that the MSP will provide certain services within a specific timeframe. This means that, for example, if your network goes down or you’re experiencing any other type of IT issue, you know someone will be there to help you resolve the problem as quickly as possible. And because MSPs typically have a team of IT professionals on staff, they can often resolve issues much faster than you could on your own or with the help of a single in-house technician.
And if the MSP cannot meet their guaranteed service levels, there are usually penalties in place. This lets you rest easy knowing that you’re going to get what you’re paying for and that the MSP is held accountable for their actions.
Proactive maintenance and monitoring
An MSP proactively monitors your network, enabling them to quickly spot and immediately resolve potential problems before these cause any major disruptions to your business operations.
MSPs also conduct routine maintenance of your IT systems to keep these running optimally and prevent any costly unplanned downtime from unexpected equipment failure. They regularly patch software vulnerabilities and update your systems before hackers exploit these. By keeping your systems up to date and secure, you can avoid costly downtime and data breaches.
Improved employee productivity
Partnering with an MSP can help improve your company’s overall productivity. How? Well, when you have a reliable IT support team in your corner, you can avoid the stressful and time-consuming process of dealing with IT issues on your own. This frees up your employees to focus on their core job duties and helps keep everyone’s stress levels down.
Plus, if you have an MSP handling your network maintenance and monitoring, you can rest assured knowing that your IT systems are always up and running optimally. This minimizes the chance of unexpected downtime and helps keep your employees productive throughout the day.
Predictable IT cost
MSPs typically charge a flat monthly fee for their services, which gives you predictability and peace of mind when it comes to your IT budget. This means you won’t have to worry about unexpected (and often expensive) break/fix bills.
Cost savings
Working with an MSP can help you save money in the long run. Since MSPs proactively monitor and maintain your systems, they can help you avoid costly downtime and data breaches.
In addition, MSPs can often provide discounts on software, hardware, and other IT-related products and services. And because they have economies of scale, MSPs can usually get better deals from vendors than small businesses can.
Wide range of services
In addition to the core services that most MSPs provide, such as 24/7 monitoring and maintenance, many MSPs also offer a wide range of other IT-related services, including:
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- Help desk support
- Cloud computing
- Data backup and recovery
- Disaster prevention and recovery
- Security
- Virtualization
MSPs can also provide custom services that are designed specifically for your business. This means you can get all the IT support you need from a single provider, which is often more convenient and cost-effective than working with multiple vendors.
Scalability
MSPs have the resources to scale up or down as your business needs change. For example, if you experience a sudden influx of customers or clients, an MSP can quickly add more capacity to your network to accommodate the increased demand. And if you need to downsize for any reason, an MSP can help you reduce your IT costs by scaling back the services they provide.
You can enjoy all these benefits if you partner with a reliable MSP, so be sure to carefully choose one for your company.
