Working with a managed IT service provider (MSP) can have several benefits for your business. From reduced costs to access to dedicated experts to enhanced security, there are many reasons you may want to consider working with an MSP.
Definition: Managed Service Provider (MSP)
Think of an MSP as an extra hand in your IT department – or even the only hand if you don’t have a full-time IT person. Essentially, MSPs are groups of IT experts who can take on as much or as little technology responsibility as you need. This can take a considerable weight off your back. Rather than spending time troubleshooting IT issues, you can focus on growing your business.
Typical responsibilities for MSPs include:
- Service desk 1st line support and ticketing
- 2nd & 3rd line support for your software applications and backend infrastructure
- Management of security, availability, patch updates, data backups & recovery
- System capability reviews and needs planning
- Proactive monitoring of your systems in real-time
- Support with consultancy and innovation
With access to expertise and support, it’s no wonder that almost three-quarters of SMBs say that outsourcing their IT helps them stay ahead of their competition.
Why Businesses Are Outsourcing Their IT
Working with an MSP is an investment, so you want to ensure that the choice is right for you. For SMBs, in particular, keeping an eye on the bottom line is crucial.
The good news is that managed service providers can actually help you save money in the long run and offer numerous other benefits. Let’s take a look below:
Stability
Hiring a full-time IT person can be expensive and, well, challenging. It’s no secret that there is a ‘tech shortage’ at the moment. Moreover, employees rarely stay in one job forever. If your full-time IT administrator changes roles, this can cause a lot of disruption.
By contrast, working with an MSP provides you with consistency and stability, ensuring that you have constant access to dedicated IT experts. As well as this, working with an MSP is predictable financially. You will enter into a service agreement, typically with a fixed monthly fee. This makes it easy to include your MSP in budget forecasting.
Improved Security
Research indicates that 81% of SMBs are they’re worried about IT issues surrounding security, as well as IT efficiency. In today’s hyperconnected world, keeping your data and infrastructure safe from cyber-attacks can be a minefield.
Cyber security is a discipline that requires rigorous knowledge, training and expertise. When you work with an MSP, you get access to just that. A team like ours can help you bolster your security safeguards, providing round the clock security monitoring and the best-in-breed security solutions, so you can keep peace of mind that your company is protected.
Performance Monitoring
Performance monitoring ensures that everything is working as it should be. A good MSP will provide performance monitoring on a 24/7 basis. If an issue arises, they will quickly be able to spot it and mitigate it before it gets out of control.
We advise you to look for a partner with extensive monitoring capabilities, looking at:
- Performance monitoring – Checking to see that your systems are performing efficiently
- Hardware monitoring – Monitoring your hardware health to predict failures and act before an incident occurs proactively
- Backup monitoring – Monitoring of your backups to ensure that you remain protected from system failures
- Security monitoring – Monitoring your systems to mitigate risk as well as your data policies for compliance.
Dedicated Expertise
When you work with an MSP, you gain access to many experts who live and breathe tech. You’ll no longer have to worry about keeping up with the latest technology developments. Your MSP team will do that for you. They will act as proactive expert advisors, helping to make technology a competitive differentiator within your business.
Less Downtime
According to Gartner, the average cost of IT downtime can be up to $5,600 per minute! When your server fails, it can be easy to descend into a panic – especially if you don’t have an IT person to troubleshoot the issue.
However, when you work with an MSP, your on-hand experts will ensure to get you back up and running in no time. Better yet, the chances of your systems going offline is dramatically reduced, thanks to the performance monitoring capabilities we mentioned earlier.
Start your MSP journey today!
For companies that have limited in-house IT capabilities, our managed IT solutions could prove to be invaluable in helping your business function effectively.
Regardless of your business size or requirements, PartnerIT offers Managed IT services in Ontario dedicated to helping you succeed through the power of technology.
Contact us today to learn more at 519-672-0900 or through our website.
