Managed Services Provider – What is an MSP?
A managed services provider or MSP is a third-party company. It takes over and manages a business’s information technology (IT) infrastructure and end-user systems. The tasks MSPs handle are usually non-customer facing, though critical to a business’s success.
What MSPs do is handle set management services on a day-to-day basis so the businesses they are working with can focus on other areas such as expansion, product development, and research without worrying about service interruptions or extended system downtimes.
MSPs are thus a strategic way organizations improve their operational processes while reducing the costs of running a business. That is why they are commonplace among small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), large corporations, nonprofits, and even governments.
What does an MSP do?
MSPs perform various functions, including:
- Managing and maintaining IT infrastructure and end-user systems
- Providing cybersecurity and support services
- Offering storage and servers
- Managing mobile and wireless devices
- Providing strategic consulting to higher-ups
- Managing cloud and software configurations
Keep in mind that not every MSP provides all these services. It is crucial to select a provider whose services match your business needs.
How do MSPs help their clients?
MSPs help their clients in one of two ways:
1) Augmenting your in-house IT team
MSPs can augment your internal IT staff. Here are some ways how:
- When your in-house IT team is lacking on a specific specialty (such as cybersecurity or compliance) that is crucial to your business’s operations.
- When you want your internal IT staff to focus on strategic or long-term initiatives while also making sure the day-to-day operations go smoothly.
- When you need an advanced level of support than what you already have. For instance, perhaps you have entry-level programmers, but you need experts.
2) Acting as your internal IT team
Don’t have the budget to maintain an internal IT team?
An MSP can help your business by becoming one. They will handle the day-to-day IT activities while also working on long-term initiatives and providing strategic consulting. Best of all, the cost of maintaining an MSP team will be much lower than having a permanent IT staff.
Benefits of Hiring a Managed Service Provider
Managed services providers offer various benefits to businesses of all sizes, as well as nonprofit organizations and government agencies. Here are a few benefits you can expect to get upon partnering with a reliable and qualified MSP:
1) Reduced Costs
Cost-effectiveness is one of the biggest reasons businesses turn to MSPs. An ideal MSP can help bring down your day-to-day operational costs, reduce your company’s IT operating expenses, and operate on a pre-agreed subscription model to meet your budget and needs.
2) Proactive Monitoring and Maintenance
IT infrastructure and end-user systems are crucial to any business’s survival. You have to stay on top of them 24/7 to provide stability and prevent daytime. A reliable MSP will do just that and rectify errors before they turn into a massive headache.
3) Safeguard Data
Managed services providers employ top-of-the-line backup and disaster recovery solutions to minimize the risk of data loss and ensure recoverability. The importance of this benefit cannot be over-emphasized – 7 out of 10 companies go out of business within 24 months of a data breach or major disaster.
4) Focus on Core Business
Outsourcing your company’s IT operations to an MSP will help you focus all your efforts on business scaling and revenue-generating activities, with the MSP taking care of routine services such as maintenance, restoration, data protection, and more.
5) Improved Security
Most small and medium-size businesses lack the level of security detail required to successfully repel attacks from malicious actors. That explains why 43% of all cyber-attacks were made against small businesses in 2021, up from a mere 18% a few years ago.
MSPs help businesses stay ahead of the bad guys by using state-of-the-art security software. They also keep the software a company is already using up-to-date, a crucial step since every new update brings with it patches to ensure the program doesn’t fall victim to the latest malware attacks.
What to Look for in a Managed Service Provider
Whatever your reason for contracting a managed service provider, it is important to choose the one meeting your business needs. Here is what you should look for:
- 24/7 availability. Your business might not run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but your computer must to prevent any downtime. That is why it is essential to choose an MSP who is available 24/7/365. Your business may suffer otherwise.
- Technical expertise. Make sure to hire an MSP who is familiar with the technologies and software solutions your business uses, who has certifications to support their credentials, and has partnerships with leading vendors.
- Fast response time. Being available all the time is one thing. Being willing to quickly respond to your queries and needs is another. Opt for an MSP that doesn’t divert your call to a call center that offers a quick response time.
- Disaster recovery planning. The worst can happen. Weather disasters, outages, vandalism, and cyberattacks can disrupt your operations. An MSP should thus help you have ironclad disaster recovery plans in place.
- Adequate staff. If the managed service provider isn’t outsourcing your work, they must have enough staff to meet your business needs. To be entirely sure of this, inquire about their staffing levels.
Conclusion
Every business owner must consider all the factors before hiring an MSP. If you have noticed that your staff is spending too much time keeping the IT infrastructure and end-systems in order, or that your business relies too much on IT support, contracting an MSP might be a good idea.