What is an MSP (Managed Service Provider) and why should you consider it for your business?
First, let’s start with what an MSP is. MSP stands for Managed Service Provider. MSPs are third-party companies that provide their customers services like security, data center servers, network monitoring, and more. Think of it as outsourcing your IT department. You get to focus on your business operations and growing your company, while the professionals take care of your IT needs. They monitor and maintain your network, which keeps your company running as smoothly and effectively as possible.
What are the benefits of outsourcing your IT department to an MSP?
Predictable Budgeting
Think about it. When you have your own in-house IT department, you have to spend valuable time, money, and resources on IT infrastructure and finding the right employees to manage it. Budgeting can be a challenge. If your in-house infrastructure needs to be repaired, you can be hit with a pretty hefty bill. That doesn’t even include the downtime and loss of productivity. With an MSP, you don’t have to worry about housing and maintaining your own infrastructure or hiring staff. Most MSPs offer businesses a flat, monthly rate, allowing for easier and more predictable budgeting.
Access to Professional IT Experts at a Fraction of the Cost
MSPs provide businesses with access to IT experts, oftentimes included in their flat, monthly rate. You have access to a team of professionals for a fraction of the cost of a full-time employee. Not to mention, if your company is hiring just one person for all of your IT needs, chances are they aren’t going to be an expert in every area of IT. They will likely need additional training, which costs time and money, or you’ll have to hire another employee. MSPs take this headache away from business owners by providing a team of experts at their disposal.
Help Desk and On-Site IT Support
One concern businesses have when deciding whether or not to outsource their IT department is, “What if there’s an IT issue and I don’t have an IT department to solve it?” This is a valid concern. As a business owner, you want to ensure you have the right support so that your day-to-day operations continue to run. After all, downtime and loss of productivity equal loss of money. With MSPs, not only do you get a team of experts at your disposal, but you can actually get live help desk support and on-site support. You won’t have to worry about addressing any IT mishaps on your own. Your business will have all the support it needs to address any IT issues swiftly.
Less downtime.
With IT, there’s always bound to be some downtime. But how long and how much downtime depends on who is managing your IT. If your business is managing IT in-house, it’s easy to overlook preventative measures like security and updates. This is especially true if your IT is a one-person show. With MSPs, your business can have access to an entire team of experts that focus on being proactive, instead of reactive. Instead of only responding to IT issues, MSPs can identify and fix issues before they ever cause any problems.
Increased Data Security
Many MSPs will offer 24/7 network monitoring. This allows them to find and fix any potential issues before they cause problems. It also means your business is better protected from cybersecurity threats like hackers and spammers. MSPs also provide data backup and recovery services. Data is backed up frequently, so if anything were to happen on your server or network, the MSP can restore your data. This allows your business to experience minimal disruption since your data is still available. MSPs take the pressure of managing security, backups, and recovery away from businesses. This frees up several resources for business owners so they can grow and scale their businesses.
MSPs help small businesses by taking away the burden of managing IT. Deciding to outsource your IT department can be a big step. If you’re still on the fence about the idea of using a Managed Service Provider, reach out to us. We have a whole team of experts ready to help identify the specific needs of your business and answer all of your questions. We understand there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to managing IT. That’s exactly why we work directly with our clients to help them determine and implement the right IT strategy for their business. Our clients have more time and resources for growing your business.
