How To Find The Right IT Managed Services Provider For Your Business?

Technology evolves fast & every year you can notice new or upgraded technologies emerging. While these technological advancements can offer efficiencies and possibilities that we could not dream of  a decade ago, they present a real challenge for business owners.

Alone or as the oversight of an established small or medium-sized company, how you manage your networks, data, and other technologies determine the success of your business.

But with evolving technologies it becomes difficult to keep your staff up to date as it will be financial and time intensive. This opens your business up to partnering up with the right managed services provider, but how do you find one?

Read this blog till the end to find out!

How To Find The Right MSP For Your Business? 

Find A Partner, Not An Organized Vendor

Your perfect IT MSP partner would be someone who wants to learn more about your business and who can understand its core. If the MSP you choose does not understand your business or has appropriate experience, it won’t be able to come up with the right strategies. Hence, your business will not benefit much from it.

Moreover, there are no standardized solutions in IT. Even companies with the same number of employees in the same industry can have very different IT needs. Hence, you should not take into consideration the same IT managed services provider that your rival hired in the past.

Request References & Use Them

Existing customers can help you determine if an MSP is experienced in your respective industry or have at least some experience with companies of a similar size to yours. An MSP should provide you testimonials, endorsements & references.

Look for a provider that has been in business for a couple of years and has built a good reputation in the industry. If you tick these boxes, you can rest assured that your IT needs are being properly managed and your MSP will be working hard to keep your name safe. They are more likely to see you as a partner. because their success depends in part on yours.

Ask A Potential MSP If They Offer Anything Beyond Managed IT Services

Ask prospective MSPs if they go beyond managed IT services. If they do, they might not be geared towards being a superior MSP and might not be able to deliver the focused attention and commitment your company deserves.

However, this might not always be the case with some companies. As certain MSPs have different teams and account managers for dedicatedly managing companies. So, this point should be on your checklist but should not be the main deciding factor.

Find Someone Who's Actually Interested In Your Business

The most effective MSP is the one who seeks more information about your company & business, its needs, challenges and goals. This process is key to curating the right IT strategy for your company. To successfully monitor your technology and grow your business, an MSP needs to know where you are and where you are going.

The Right MSP Would Use A Proactive Approach

MSPs with long-term vision use proactive remote monitoring so they can identify and prevent problems before a crisis causes data loss, downtime, or other disruptions. Frequent and timely off-site as well as on-site backups are critical for fully implemented recovery plans. So, you should look for an MSP using the same approach.

Find An MSP That Uses Written Agreement For Accountability

You have the right to expect that the MSP you choose will be liable if it fails to deliver the promised services. Ask how the service provider fixes any errors in the past. Trust is also important but so are written promises.

Avoid MSPs Who Strictly Bill By The Hour

One of the greatest advantages of partnering with an MSP is that your IT expenses are predictable as well as controlled. MSPs charging fixed fees for defined services benefit from getting the job done right the first time and avoiding problems from the outset.

Up-Front Cost Should Not Be A Major Deciding Factor

Note that the initial cost of managing your network shouldn't be the only deciding factor when choosing your MSP. The financial benefits of regulatory compliance, reliable security, minimized downtime, and costly network disaster prevention should lead you to carefully weigh all considerations listed in this article.

BONUS TIP

Look for an MSP with experience in managing remote and hybrid work environments as well as traditional office workplaces. Setting up an employee so that they can work reliably outside the office is much more than just providing them with a computer and letting them connect to your home network. In light of the paradigm shift caused by the COVID19 pandemic, it is important that the managed service provider you are working with fully understands the unique challenges of working remotely, particularly in terms of additional cybersecurity risks. It should also have a positive experience of offering strong remote work and hybrid solutions