Many small and midsize businesses utilize Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to manage and maintain their IT network and systems infrastructure. By hiring a full team of IT experts to manage your network, you and your staff can continue focusing on running a business. By outsourcing these technology needs you’ll be saving your teams valuable time, eliminating headaches, mitigating substantial amounts of risk, and through a technology roadmap-–IT investment becomes very predictable.
MSPs can be great assets to your firm, so how do you differentiate between mediocre ones and ones with top-quality service? If you aren’t sure where to start when it comes to selecting an MSP, here are seven must-have services that all top-notch MSPs should be offering:
- 24/7/365 Maintenance and Support
Typically an MSP will do your work from a remote location; therefore, you may want to make sure you pick a local provider for the times when they’ll need to come on-site. You’ll be grateful that while you and your employees don’t work 24/7, your IT services team does all year round. That way, no matter what potential errors may occur, you can rest assured knowing you have the support you need to find a resolution. - Vendor Relationships
Do you currently have multiple vendors that you use on a regular basis? Is managing them difficult and time-consuming? Do you find yourself caught in a never-ending game of finger-pointing? A great Managed Services Provider handles them all and should be your one go-to contact for vendor relationships. - Experience with the Tools You Need Specific to Your Business
Not everyone needs the same tools in order to run their business efficiently. Your MSP should understand your business needs and customize the tools you need accordingly. While standardization is indeed important – there should never be a ‘one solution fits all’. - Cloud and Backup Services
One of the biggest benefits of having an MSP is their ability to safely back up your data to a remote server and manage important updates automatically. Knowing all your data is safe should be a huge priority for any business, no matter what industry you are in. Considering today’s cybersecurity landscape – clean backups are single-handedly the best insurance policy for any business. - Helping You Get Prepared for Disaster
No one can predict when disaster will strike. It’s not a matter of if but when? Whether it’s a natural disaster or a cyber event, your Managed Service Provider should have a plan in place to ensure that your business won’t be greatly affected when the least expected occurs. This is where clean backups and true “business disaster recovery” processes meet. - A Plan for the Future
Think of your MSP as another invested team member of your company. They should provide you with an analysis of current trends and what to expect in the IT world. Coming up with a plan for the future is crucial to saving time, money and helping your company adapt to new technologies. This process is typically led by a vCIO or Virtual Chief Information Officer. This resource should be a perfect blend of business acumen and technical expertise. Make sure they have a seat at the table! - Support
Your MSP should provide support to you and all your employees no matter where they are located. They should be able to help you remotely with a fast response time and a friendly experience.
There are many other services that an MSP can offer, but these should help you determine which MSPs are worth reaching out to and which may end up holding your company’s IT department back. We at BerganKDV have an experienced team and would love to answer any questions you have about utilizing an MSP for your business IT needs. We encourage you to contact us if you have additional questions about standout MSP services and how they can benefit your organization.
