Category Archives: Manage Service

Six Workflow Questions to Ask Your Managed Service Provider (MSP)

Manage Service, ,
20160304

A good MSP provider always consults with clients when technology arrives that can deliver innovative solutions and service to their customers.

”A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers.” -Plato

In today’s technology and data-driven world, your greatest competitive asset or your biggest headache will be IT. With that in mind you shopped around, received referrals from trusted resources, studied the costs, determined your budget and decided which Managed Service Provider (MSP) your company can afford to hire. However, the answers to these six questions that have to do with workflow rather than numbers are equally important before you sign on the dotted line.

1) How are issues handled and how long is the response time?

A good MSP documents the systems in place to prevent an issue from reoccurring and corresponds with you in a timely manner. At the very least, when you ask for support, you should receive an acknowledgment immediately, and a response from a support technician shortly after that. If the issue is unsolvable by the first response, you should be notified of when you could look forward to a resolution of your issue.

2) How are response times categorized?

Every MSP has systems in place to sort out issues. The seriousness of each issue is determined and categorized by the amount of workflow that is impacted and the number of employees unable to complete their tasks.

If your business cannot function at all, there should be a response within 5 to 15 minutes after you have alerted your MSP of this problem.

If critical applications have gone offline or are not functioning, impacting entire departments or a significant portion of your business, you should receive a response within 15 to 30 minutes of your notification.

If some employees are being prevented from doing their work, due to application slowness or because of lost or missing data, a MSP technician should contact you within 1 to 2 hours after being alerted of your issue.

If only a few employees are impacted, but it is still “business as usual,” you may be asked to schedule an appointment at a later time.

3) Will you be consulted when newer, more efficient products become available?

A good MSP provider always consults with clients when technology arrives that can deliver innovative solutions and service to their customers. The recommendations should justify the cost of upgrading through increased efficiency, security or long-term savings. In addition, the recommendations should be supported by data and reports directly linked to your business functions and priorities.

4) How will you be notified of increased or one-time costs?

One of the reasons to contract with a MSP is to help you maintain your IT budget. To be able to forecast and chart fixed expenses. A good MSP will give you a detailed account of what is and what isn’t covered. It is important to make sure that not only you, but also your employees, understand what IT needs are covered in the MSP contract. If your support is contracted for a specific or limited amount of monthly time, ask if you will be notified when that contracted time is close to expiring. It should be absolutely clear to you and completely itemized regarding what is being covered in terms of time, cost and open issues.

5) Who will be handling my business?

When you call for support, knowing which technicians to ask for and trusting that they know your unique business needs is paramount to your company’s IT well-being. You should be provided a set group of representatives acquainted with your IT needs and workflow necessities. Every business has its share of employee turnover, and while it is important to understand that new employees will need time to “get up-to-speed”, it is also important to understand that you should not have to explain your business or reoccurring events every time you reach out for support.

6)Where does the proverbial “buck” stop?

Contracting with a MSP means a single company is monitoring and managing all your IT assets. Although you will still require an internet provider and probably other software applications, a dedicated MSP will have a working knowledge of the other IT services linked with your account. You should be alerted before something becomes problematic, even if it is a periphery resource. Contact us, you need an advocate that will work for you in all your IT needs.

5 Initial Steps to Take When Outsourcing an IT Help Desk

Manage Service, ,
20160211

ourcing your IT help desk can save your company a lot of time and money, but you want to be sure you make the right choice.

So you’ve done some initial research and decided that it would be best if your company outsourced your IT department to an experienced third-party company, instead of bringing your own team aboard. That is an excellent decision for many small and medium-sized businesses, and can have lasting ramifications on the health of your company. There are a few steps that every company should take before deciding which company to work with that can help to make the entire process run much more smoothly, and ensure a better result. Take these steps into consideration before choosing which IT help desk you would like to work with.

1. Outline Your Currently Used Technologies

In order to choose a company that has the experience and expertise in the technologies that your company uses, you should have a comprehensive list of the technologies that your business uses available to you when evaluating. This will help you to get an idea of which companies have experience delivering support for the technologies that your company uses on a day-to-day basis. This ensures that you work with a company that can provide support, no matter what the problem is.

2. Find a Company that Specializes in Your Technologies

Determine which technologies your company uses the most and which most often run into issues. Then, try to find a company that specializes in working with those specific technologies. This will help to make sure that they will be aware of issues that the technology commonly experiences, and the solutions required to fix those problems. A company that specializes in the technology that you choose will be able to provide a better service.

3. Outline Your Current Processes

In order for a new IT team to fit seamlessly into your company, it is important that they are able to understand how your company operates. What processes within your company will have the new IT injected into them? What processes must they be familiar with to help your company to the best of their ability? Start by outlining all of your current processes to ensure that they can inform you about what processes will need changes to include them, and better understand how to work well with your teams.

4. Create In-House Backups of All Data

Although any IT company can help you to back up your data, it is never a bad idea to create an in-house backup of all of your data before beginning, so that you have a point that you can return to down the road. Then, speak with the new IT management company about how you can set up the right processes to ensure that all data is backed up on a regular basis moving forward. There is never a bad time to start backing up your data and creating in-house backups will help you to secure your data before changes to your IT processes are made.

5. Take Your Time Making a Decision (If Possible)

If you are not in the middle of an IT emergency, it is always a good idea for you to take your time and really evaluate which companies are going to bet the best fit for you. A great idea is to hire several companies for simple one-off jobs and see how they interact with your team and deliver their service.  This will give you an idea of whether they will be a good fit and allow you to give them feedback so that they can tailor their service for an ongoing engagement.

There are many steps that should be taken before hiring an outsourced IT help desk company. If you are interested in making the jump to an outsourced IT team, but are unsure of where to begin, please contact us today to schedule your 100% risk-free consultation with our trained IT experts.

How a Managed Service Provider (MSP) Can Help Businesses Grow

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20160101

A managed service provider can help you grow your small business and streamline your IT processes.

As businesses grow, they naturally grow the number of technologies that they employ to manage their day-to-day operations as well. With this comes a host of IT issues that can be difficult to solve without having an IT team present, or working with an outside third-party IT provider. There are many benefits to using a managed service provider (MSP) that can help small businesses to grow without greatly increasing their monthly costs. Some of the different ways an MSP can help your business to grow include:

Reduce Salary Obligations

Hiring IT talent is difficult and expensive if you have never done so before. IT salaries are high and command a lot because of the sharp increase in overall demand for IT talent over the course of the last decade. If you would like to reduce salary obligations while still receiving the help that you need, it might be in your best interests to choose a third-party managed service provider who can help you with your issues as they arise, but at a fraction of the cost. Reducing your salary overhead allows you to have leeway to make other decisions that will benefit your business in the long-term without sacrificing your IT needs.

Focus on Your Strengths

Not everyone is great at hiring IT talent, particularly if you have no experience in that sector. Managed service providers focus on hiring IT talent and have a great deal of experience doing so. This should give you confidence that a managed service provider can provide a higher level of talent at a fraction of the cost. This allows you to focus on your strengths and put your energy into where your business needs you the most. Let the IT teams focus on that aspect, while you focus on making your business the best that is can possibly be.

Provide Peace of Mind

Many business owners stay awake at night worrying about the next IT disaster that will befall their business. With the help of an outsourced IT team, you can have peace of mind that you are able to handle whatever disaster comes your way without having to scramble to find someone to help you. There are many things that can go wrong when it comes to technology, but the only way to fix these issues is with IT experience and talent, which is exactly what managed service providers bring to the table.

Protect Against Data Loss and Theft

Data loss and data theft are absolutely huge issues for businesses of any size. Managed service providers can help you to take the initial steps that must be taken to protect your business against data loss. They can install proper backup procedures that ensure that even in the event of a hard-drive failure or accidental deletion of data, your data remains accessible and safe.

Quickly Fix Issues as They Arise

One of the biggest reasons why many businesses choose to go with managed services providers is the fact that they are there for you whenever you need help. If your network or other systems go down, you call the company and they will begin working on your problem right away. This is a much more ideal situation than having to seek out a service provider every time something goes wrong and losing hours or days in the process.

If you are interested in receiving all of the IT help that you need without having to hire your own team, please reach out and contact us today to schedule your initial consultation. We’ll walk you through the process of setting up a system that helps your business maintain its current technological processes while protecting your business against potential disasters.

5 Reasons Your Small Business Should Consider a Virtual IT Help Desk

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A managed IT help desk can deliver fast, effective IT services without the time and hassle of managing it internally.

A managed IT help desk can deliver fast, effective IT services without the time and hassle of managing it internally.

As your business expands, the different technologies that your business uses is almost sure to grow. With that comes additional need for tech help, which leaves many businesses wondering whether they should hire in-house IT employees, or work with a company that offers managed solutions. The truth is that it really depends on your current business processes, budget, and the amount of tech help that you require. Most small businesses that are just starting to consider managed solutions are running into their first large-scale IT problems and want to be sure that they do not run into these issues again. For companies in those positions, a virtual managed IT help desk can be a great first stepping stone, particularly when the company also offers on-site solutions. There are many reasons why a managed service might be more beneficial for your business than other options that are available.

Lower Operating Costs

The biggest and most obvious benefit of virtual managed IT help desk is the lower operating costs that a business enjoys compared to bringing in their own guys in-house. Since you aren’t paying for full-time services (just sporadic full-time coverage as needed), you can expect to pay quite a bit less than a full salary would cost you. Another added benefit is the fact that managed IT teams have a wealth of experience in hiring dedicated IT talent. This means that you will have access to a higher level of talent at a lower price than you would expect to pay hiring out on your own.

Fast Response

Our IT teams have the systems in place to ensure that we are able to respond to all queries very quickly. When your company runs into IT issues, it could be costing you thousands of dollars while you wait for your IT team to fix the issue. A quick response time, even when using managed services ensures that you have peace of mind and feel adequately protected against all issues.

Industry Expertise

Trying to find IT talent ton your own when you have never hired IT talent previously can be difficult. There is a lot of technical jargon that your team will have to brush up on, and evaluating candidates when you have no internal IT talent can be incredibly difficult. One benefit of a virtualized IT help desk is the fact that you know that you can put faith in the managed solution to deliver exceptional talent at a greatly reduced rate than you would expect to pay in-house.

Systematic Approach

Having the right systems in place is important for delivering accurate, fast IT services. These systems would take weeks or months for a business with no previous experience to implement. But, managed solutions will already have these systems in place, giving you access to thousands of dollars in value just by signing up. This eliminates the learning curve that most businesses go through as they onboard new IT talent.

Proactive Measures

Another reason why many businesses choose managed services over bringing in their own talent is the fact that the managed services have strict measures in place regarding proactive measures. They help to keep It issues from popping up in their first place and have the processes in place to ensure that every client receives the same treatment.

If you are interested in virtual IT help desk services that can save your business time and money, please reach out and contact us today to schedule your first, risk-free consultation. We’ll take a look at your business, let you know how we can help you solve your IT problems, and recommend a plan that will help your business grow.