Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations have moved their employees off-site, resulting in an increase in remote working. Given the inability to work from an office, this can present a plethora of new challenges, especially for internal IT teams. Luckily, a managed service provider (MSP) can remotely monitor and manage a client’s IT infrastructure or end-user systems on a proactive basis under a specific subscription model. MSPs can be very beneficial for organizations within many different industries. This article will explore five key benefits of partnering with an MSP.
Managed services are a great way to claim back valuable time for other organizational needs, as an MSP offers maintenance and repairs. An MSP can perform multiple functions for businesses including network administration, data backup, network security, communications and IT support. With constant and consistent monitoring of your systems, MSPs can help prevent failures whenever possible. Other benefits of a MSP include:
1. Business Scalability
It can be very costly to maintain an in-house IT team, especially for smaller organizations with limited budgets. Internal IT departments can face the challenge of being understaffed, overworked, and unable to get important tasks completed due to a lack of time and resources. Additionally, organizations can face employee turnover, which could be a significant loss, as losing an employee can cost 1.5-2 times the employee’s salary.
A managed service provider can help you expand or upgrade systems as needed, without you having to hire and train new employees. MSPs can help your organization remain flexible in regards to resources and can quickly accommodate changes that your in-house IT departments may not have the ability or existing knowledge to handle.
2. Controlled IT Costs
Not only can an MSP significantly cut costs for your business, they also can make your regular IT expenses more predictable. With managed services, your expenses are packaged into a set amount paid on an annual or monthly basis.
Networks can become very costly, as they come with a lot of equipment that will need to be maintained on a consistent basis. Thankfully, MSPs provide regular maintenance in addition to repairs, so a fix that could cost your organization thousands of dollars, can easily be absorbed through a partnership with a managed service provider. This is particularly beneficial for smaller businesses, since the up-front costs to start are much lower.
3. Minimized Down Times
Oftentimes, down times can be directly contributed to equipment issues. Servers can fail and computers can malfunction. Additionally, unintentional human errors can account for down time along with system attacks and electrical disruptions.
Reducing the risk of downtime can be a lot for internal IT departments to handle, especially if they’re resource restrained. Managed services can safeguard your organization by significantly cutting down costs associated with downtime by preventing it from happening in the first place.
4. Specialized Skill Sets
Even with a fully competent and prepared IT staff, you simply don’t know what you don’t know. You could find that your staff isn’t well equipped to operate new equipment or systems as you add them. Even the most well-trained IT professionals still don’t have the well-rounded working knowledge of MSP teams.
An MSP can partner with your existing IT department to help fill in any gaps in your team’s expertise with their specialized services. Requiring your employees to learn new skill sets can cost you valuable time and money. You can help speed up the process by leveraging an MSP to give you direct access to a team of experts with specialized skill sets.
5. Peace of Mind
During these challenging times, it can be rather difficult to find reliable support without stretching your available resources and budget. Your time dedicated towards your business is valuable, and you don’t have time to worry about resolving network disasters.
Partnering with an MSP can help put your mind at ease and provide you with an experienced team of experts who will ensure security and availability is their top priority. Managed services can also act as a bridge between your organization and technology vendors such as Microsoft. A trustworthy MSP is a valuable partner in helping your business grow, not just a service you call for one-off tasks. MSPs have a vested interest in keeping your networks and systems healthy and delivering valuable insights that can protect your bottom line.
How to Choose the Best Managed Service Provider
Like any other service, the relationship can prove to be beneficial only when you select the right partner. When searching for a new MSP, a few things to consider are:
- Defined service level agreements: A good MSP will have flexible and affordable options to ensure compliance and timely response times. A defined service level agreement benefits both parties, by setting clear expectations from the very beginning.
- Industry experience: Look for a managed services provider that knows their stuff. A track record of previous success is a good indicator that they have what it takes to successfully maintain your network.
- Great customer service: A high level of customer service is usually a non-negotiable for many industries and an MSP isn’t exempt. These are the people you’ll need to talk to when something goes wrong, so the right MSP team can anticipate your needs and provide quality around the clock customer service.
Is a MSP the right fit for your organization? Let’s chat!
Founded in 2005, Dalechek was created based on the guiding principle that we are a people company first and technology company second. We value the people and workforce behind your technology needs and make it our top priority to truly under your business needs.
Dalechek provides certainty during uncertain times. We partner with your existing IT department to provide reliability, scalability and specialized skill sets at affordable costs. Our new managed services programs keep things simple for you, so you can focus on the parts of your business that need you most. Learn more about our managed services programs.
