Tag Archives: managed service provider

IT Support Decision: In-House IT vs MSP

In-House IT
Cybersecurity, Manage Service, Security, , , , , ,

In the digital era that we are in now, there is no question why reliable IT support is a must for all businesses. Recently, if you want to stay productive, competitive, secure, or relevant in your industry, you need to have the proper technology in place. Ultimately, you also need capable In-House IT professionals to handle all these tech needs.

The big question for many business owners is whether to hire an in-house team or to partner with a managed services provider. Both options have pros and cons. To make the right choice, you need to analyze the many differences carefully. To make a thorough In-House IT Guy vs Managed Service Provider comparison, let’s answer some of the most crucial questions.

What Can They Do?

Your In-House IT Guy

An in-house employee tasked with handling the company’s IT concerns is capable of regular IT infrastructure maintenance, general software, and hardware troubleshooting, and dealing with regular technology concerns.

Managed Services Provider

A managed services provider can do everything that the IT guy can do, plus a much wider scope of services and solutions. An MSP employs several highly trained experts in various IT fields, so no matter what the issue, there’s bound to be at least one individual specially trained to address your problems.

How Much Do They Cost?

Your In-House IT Guy

The cost of hiring an IT guy is equivalent to having an additional employee on the company’s payroll. It appears to be the more cost-effective option until you encounter a problem that is beyond your IT guy’s expertise, and that requires you to hire a third party. Furthermore, you would also have to spend on training, benefits, and even equipment for every IT professional you have on your staff.

Managed Services Provider

MSP services usually come at a fixed monthly fee, the size of which would depend on the services that you need. It might be a higher cost than a single monthly salary, but it is inclusive of everything you would need. There will be no surprise expenses, which is much better in terms of budget management.

What Level of Expertise and Support Do They Offer?

Your In-House IT Guy

An In-House IT guy knows your systems like the back of his hand. This familiarity plus a strong understanding of your business, enables him to make sound decisions that will benefit your organization. On the other hand, their skills are limited compared to the combined skill set of an entire MSP team.

Managed Services Provider

MSPs employ many IT professionals trained in diverse fields, from network management and cybersecurity to disaster recovery and cloud services. They will deploy their appropriate specialist to your company depending on your specific needs, so you will always get the best service.

Can They Provide Scalability and Flexibility?

Your In-House IT Guy

Since they are just one individual, it would be difficult for them to adapt to sudden changes in the system, or to handle highly specialized projects. This can cause delays and a lack of efficiency in operations.

Managed Services Provider

Scalability is one of the biggest advantages of working with an MSP. The services they offer are always flexible and can be adjusted based on the changing IT needs of your business.

Final Thoughts

Based on the In-House IT Guy vs Managed Service Provider comparison above, for most businesses, working with an MSP presents significant advantages. However, keep in mind that not all MSPs are equally reliable. Before signing up with any provider, make sure they pass all the criteria listed in our 7 Components to Auditing an IT Provider. You can download the list here for your reference.

We can help you eliminate all this unnecessary spending. Call us today!

Managed Service Provider Trends in 2017

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20170713

Opportunities are just within reach

Making the most of your Managed Service Provider (MSP) is important, but with everything going on in your normal business day, it’s not surprising if you find it difficult to get past the “Yeah, we should do that” phase. Well, here we are heading into the second half of 2017. If you haven’t already started to make good on your goal, you will find the following paragraphs interesting as they describe trends in managed IT services in 2017. You are sure to find something that will help you accomplish your goals in concert with your Managed Services Provider (MSP).

Disaster Recovery. MSPs are turning to Recovery-as-a-Service from the cloud to provide their customers with the data and application protection they expect and need from their MSP. MSPs will provide recovery services through partnerships with other companies in the IT channel that provide such recovery services. Recovery-as-a-Service is sure to take another headache off your plate.

Cloud Opportunities. Harvard Business Review Analytic Services predicts that by 2020, 80% of businesses will operate in the cloud to some extent. Some businesses will move incrementally to the cloud, choosing to move one aspect of the business at a time. About half of businesses have begun the move or are developing a strategy to take advantage of the cloud disruption in their industry in the next three years. Management Services Providers (MSPs), too, will move forward to embrace cloud opportunities or pay the price later.

Cyber Security Network Safety. Cyber threats get more sophisticated every day. Businesses need help from their MSPs in threat detection and protection from malware of all types, including ransomware and phishing scams. Businesses cannot do it alone. MSPs have the IT know-how, the expertise, and the experience that comes from working with businesses in various fields and the exposure to cyber crime in various formats. Working in the cloud, MSPs can deliver the level of security services that their clients crave.

Internet of Things. The Internet of Things (IOT) is not just the appealing voice of Alexa helping Jr. find information from the web or learning how Mom like things done around the house. Everyone in the neighborhood may not have Alexa yet but those who step back a minute and look around will see that IOT has started in a broader sense.

There are already many IOT facets to daily life. Thermostats connect us to our homes and our utility companies. We have smart homes that can control the lights and our furnaces for better electricity usage. Automatic cars travel beside us on our roads. Refrigerators connect to our smart phones so we can order the groceries we need. Connectivity is the new norm for businesses and machines.

MSPs will help customers in this brave new world by integrating their old and new systems and by helping MSP customers deploy technology that provides the analysis of big data coming from all that IOT. Businesses will need MSP expertise to use the insights gained from the new technology to make better business and plan for the future.

RMM 24/7 Monitoring.  RMM, remote monitoring and management, is also known as network managing. We can also think of it as software that enables remote managing. RMM is the software magic that allows IT MSPs to remotely monitor their client’s networks and computers.

This is how RMM works. The MSP installs a small software connection on the client’s network/computers. The software sends messages back to the MSP on the status of the IT network. RMM allows the MSP to maintain and update the network, monitor the network for potential threats, and resolve issues proactively without ever setting a foot in the business’s office. If an IT issue arises, the system creates a trouble ticket which it then sends to the MSP. The tickets often classify the activity by severity and type of problem. The MSP can then determine critical from non-critical activity and resolve issues accordingly. Some RMM platforms add machine learning to make predict more accurately.

These platforms will continue to develop to provide MSPs choices for the best tools to help customers.

MSP as Channel Partners. Channel partners will evolve to incorporate MSPs as value-added sellers; that is, the MSP will provide services to its clients in concert with another company that is in the IT channel to sell that company’s products or technologies. These highly profitable partnerships will evolve to deliver top service through SaaS cloud services.

If you want to talk about this or anything else, please contact us. We look forward to helping you grow your business.

Do You Know What You Are Looking For In A Managed Service Provider (MSP)?

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20170316

A professional MSP with a clear and effective strategy for you customers

As you look for more ways to add value to your business, you have probably started to look deep into the services provided by Managed Service Providers (MSP). Since MSPs can define what they do in different ways, their services will not all be the same. Some MSPs will provide a few services and other MSPs will provide a long list of services that can be very beneficial to your business.

When you are looking for a Managed Service Provider, there are some important things you should look for, including the following:

Managing Your Devices

You will need to make sure the provider you are considering will have a proactive strategy when it comes to monitoring all of your servers and devices that are connected to your network.

Live Help Desk Support

The Managed Service Provider(MSP) you choose will need to have outstanding help desk support for users who need to log in their accounts after forgetting their passwords, standard troubleshooting tips, resetting passwords, etc.

There are certain qualities that a potential Managed Service Provider(MSP) should have:

New Technology

The Managed Service Provider you select should be able to offer you a full selection of various technologies. You will need support for your users, storage, network capabilities, etc.

How Fast Will You Be Assisted? 

You want an MSP that will be available to you at all hours of the day, and 7 days a week. Your business will greatly depend on your MSP. Your MSP will need to be available whenever you need them to assist you. You will need an MSP that will be available to respond to every need you have. You want to ask questions about their escalation process for support calls. Before you settle on a Managed Service Provider, make sure you learn about each MSPs response time.

Pricing Strategies

The pricing agreements should not be unpredictable. You should know what you are getting into from the very beginning. You should be looking for service provider that can provide fixed pricing based on the number of devices and not based on some type of hourly support.  The service provider’s contract needs to be adjustable to scale up or down, providing flexibility in the contract for growth or downturns in the business.

Can You Customize?

You do not want to partner with an MSP who will give your business the exact same services as another business. Your business is different from the next business, and it should be treated as such. You will want to avoid an MSP that takes a one-size-fits-all approach. It is important to make sure the service provider you are considering will be able to modify their plans and strategies for your business based on the goals you have set.

Safety And Security

It is important that  your MSP has an effective and productive security plan. Will your business have anything to worry about when it comes to security? Will your business be able to design security and disaster recovery components?

The MSP you choose should have a clear and effective strategy for its customers. You should know from the very beginning the type of support the MSP will give you.   When support is needed by your or your staff, it should be handled by a live answer help desk, and not leaving a message on a voicemail system.  Your MSP should ultimately help you improve your productivity and efficiency, while reducing your costs.

Do you know what you are looking for in an MSP? Are you looking for an MSP that will offer an affordable and enticing plan that will help turn your business around? Contact us today for more information.

The Value Of A True Managed Service Provider (MSP)

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20170113

Managed technology services are a great tool for businesses looking for a worry-free approach

Managed technology services are a great tool that businesses can use to solidify their technology infrastructure and conduct business with a worry-free approach. Well, we should clarify, managed technology services are a great tool when paired with a TRUSTED Managed Service Provider (MSP).

 

 

Managed Service Partner

Creating and understanding your business’s tech environment takes dedication and patience. You need people who will work with you to understand business critical tasks and the hardware and software applications that you use to accomplish goals. Installing software on your server and workstations and providing automated reports to business owners and managers is simply not enough to sustain a quality partnership.

Trust

Trust goes a long way in all relationships and a true Managed Service Provider (MSP) will work hard to establish trust where it is needed. You need to know what is happening with your network and why, and you need to be able to understand how your MSP is working to protect and strengthen your technology. You need to learn all about it in a language you can understand.

What Does An MSP Actually Do?

As we’ve said, installing monitoring software on your computers is one thing that managed service providers do to help them know what is going on with key components of your network. Software is a useful tool for blocking viruses and reporting technology failures and anomalies; the true power behind a trusted tech partner is their proactive approach to owning the tasks at hand. Actionable items like communicating tech news relevant to your business and helping you understand the importance of back-up and disaster recovery plans are key to a great MSP’s plan of attack.

Reading and understanding automated reports is the job of your managed service provider, not you. The reports you receive should show you how your investment is paying off. You should also feel confidant that you have the support you and your team needs 24×7.

Are MSP Services Quantifiable?

The downtime and frustration that business owners and managers can experience when scrambling to handle their own tech issues can sometimes feel like a ten ton anvil tied around the neck. Your time is valuable and your services are best suited when managing and growing the business. The value of any good technology related service should be evaluated over a period of time and looked at as a return on investment strategy that you and your tech partners establish.

How Do I Know If I Need Services?

If you have a network of any size that you use as the backbone of your business, you can benefit from managed services. Simply put, you won’t have to worry about software upgrades, virus protection, and back-up processes; handling these things along with providing many other options that can streamline your technology infrastructure are par for the course when it comes to investing in managed services.

What If I Have In-House Tech Guys?

Your tech guys will surely appreciate the assistance that an MSP can offer. Whether it is vendor management or user support, taking more responsibility off of your in-house team’s shoulders is a good thing. The value of professional resources is dynamic and talents can be put to better use when yo have a solid team with defined roles in place, contact us to learn more about it.

In Summary

Your technology infrastructure pumps the life-force of business from limb to limb within the body of your business. Make sure you have a solid understanding of how you can proactively ensure the health and long-term success of your technology assets and team. You’ll better empower yourself and others when you take advantage of building trust with the right Managed Services Provider.