Why take a chance on an MSP?
Taking on an MSP is a major consideration, but there are many reasons why you should consider it. From the benefits of reduced risk, both in terms of technology and compliance, as well as business continuity, it makes sound business sense to entrust your IT services to verified experts in the field, who not only know the technology inside out, along with its benefits and challenges, but also specialise in the intricacies of your sector.
Why not do it ourselves?
It’s one of the oldest questions in business – should I do it myself, or should I pay a professional? From fixing a tap in the bathroom to managing a corporation’s IT services, the decision process is more or less the same, all that changes is the complexity.
So it is with MSPs. Of course you can save money in the short term by managing a service yourself, or even with a crack team that you hire internally. But it’s still no substitute for partnering with an organisation that knows the business, that keeps up with changes and events, prepares for contingencies and helps you predict your spend.
Here are five very good reasons why you should consider an MSP:
Reduce risk
A good MSP will have its own sector-focused IT staff who know virtually as much about your area of business as you do. So they’ll be able to predict potential issues and be proactive in how to manage them. They’ll provide routine maintenance like backups, virus and software updates, as well as patches, monitoring, and inventory auditing. They’ll also have experience in crisis management, reducing your downtime if a crisis should occur.
Maintain continuity
The whole business idea of MSPs is based on retainers and predictable cash flows. Pricing is predictable too, since virtually all eventualities should be covered by the terms of your agreement – so there won’t be any financial shocks from one quarter to another, and you can confidently plan ahead. A good MSP will also ensure regulatory compliance where it’s needed, so there’ll be no need for panic audits of your estate when new regulations come into effect.
No hidden costs
No need to invest in labor and the skill set needed. No need to worry about retention of labor. These are embedded costs which you can omit.
Stay in control
A good MSP is one that you work very closely with – they’re basically an extension of your IT department, but staffed by specialists. By outsourcing a team that solely maintains your IT operations, or specific aspects of your IT requirements to ease your own workload, you can make sure your business is working as efficiently as it can.
Focus and scale
An MSP’s core business is solving your problems as efficiently as possible, using a well-defined and transparent set of tools and processes. The more efficiently an MSP can work, the more likely it is to stay profitable, so they’ll develop a working structure that fits your business perfectly. They’ll also be able to grow with you, whatever the requirements of your business and your strategy.
Experts on tap
When you buy managed services from someone competent who builds and integrates systems for a living, you can be pretty sure they’ve thought a lot about building and integrating systems. So you get the skills and experience for a fraction of the upfront cost of sourcing them yourself. Good MSPs also hire the best people to get the best results for their clients – and the nature of regularly renewable contracts and SLAs mean it’s in their interest to make sure their clients are satisfied, all the time.
Runibex is an MSP specialising in e-commerce, cloud services and SAP consulting. Find out more about how we could help your business.