Making IT Easier for Businesses.
Technology can be overwhelming, frustrating, and exhausting—especially for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with limited resources.
That’s where MSPs step in to save the day.
MSPs provide businesses with all the IT functions they need to run their day-to-day operations with a better return on investment than they can produce alone. Traditionally, MSPs handle technology functions such as IT and infrastructure services, workstation management, cybersecurity, end-user account access and licensing, and third-party vendor management.
However, expertise varies by MSP and can also include services like industry-specific technology solutions, software development, compliance and risk management, staff augmentation, and more—the list is essentially endless regarding business technology services.
It’s all about finding the right MSP that meets your needs. In addition to providing a wide range of services, MSPs can provide full-scale support and solutions that take the place of an internal IT team or supplemental IT services to assist an internal IT Director or smaller on-site team.
Are you considering an MSP for your organization? Keep reading to learn more about what it’s like to work with an MSP.
What Types of Businesses Use MSPs?
MSPs can provide services and support to businesses in any industry. Logistically, it makes more sense for certain types of organizations to work with an MSP.
- SMBs. It can be difficult to justify having an in-house IT resource if you’re an organization with a smaller headcount, especially if you’re not in the technology industry. On the other hand, it can be more cost-effective for smaller businesses to work with an MSP regarding the knowledge, resources, and support they need.
- Nonprofits. Nonprofit organizations are working towards a cause, which can mean slimmer budgets and no patience for IT troubleshooting. An MSP can offer a consistent, budgetable service with better knowledge and access to equipment pricing than you can usually get with a single internal IT resource.
- Government agencies. Security and compliance experience are necessary for most government agencies, and they often require specific IT work certifications. MSPs have the resources to complete and maintain certifications while providing services at a sustainable price point.
7 Reasons Why Businesses Choose To Work With an MSP
1. Cost-Efficient Technology Services
MSPs often have access to technology at better price points through economies of scale. Additionally, an experienced MSP understands how to efficiently engineer technology solutions that meet both your needs and your budget.
2. Security and Dependability
Cybersecurity is a complex, consistently evolving aspect of managed services. In the same vein, downtime is expensive for an organization—you need dependable, well-engineered technology solutions for your organization.
3. Access to Knowledgeable and Specialized Talent
Compared to an in-house resource, an MSP is made up of a diverse team of experts. To deliver a full-scale menu of technology solutions, MSPs employ technology professionals who are experts in individual aspects of IT. For example, whereas an in-house IT resource may have a broad range of IT skills and knowledge, an MSP has multiple experts in IT, cybersecurity, networks, engineering, etc., to support your business.
4. Scalability
With an in-house technology team, your organization is responsible for managing personnel as the size of your company changes. Conversely, when working with an MSP, they can scale to support your organization as it changes as a full-service provider or to supplement your existing IT staff.
5. Support Availability
How often do you need to contact support? How about after-hours, holiday, or weekend support? The hours spent on support personnel can add up quickly if you have an in-house IT team. An MSP partner can be a more efficient help desk option for your organization.
6. Access to the Latest Technology
How much time do you have to research the newest technology solutions for your organization? Better yet, how much time do you have to download all the technical jargon while exploring solutions for your organization? When you work with an MSP, that’s part of their job—a good MSP will be able to research and recommend technology solutions to help your organization meet its goals.
7. Strategic IT Planning
A good MSP will support your day-to-day technology solutions, ensuring your business has the necessary tools to get work done. A great MSP can go a step further, serving as your strategic technology partner by helping with long-term technology planning, including road mapping, budgeting, special projects, and IT infrastructure upgrades. As part of their offering, a great MSP will also include regular business reviews as part of their solution.
What Should You Expect When Starting an MSP Partnership?
Starting an MSP relationship, big or small, can be overwhelming. There are many moving parts—hardware to buy, licenses to manage, wires to plug in, documentation to record, and more. So, what does starting a new MSP partnership look like?
Phase 1 – Planning and Procurement
Most managed service partnerships begin with introducing and meeting the team. This phase typically also includes an on-site walkthrough so that the MSP can understand your IT infrastructure and ecosystem.
Phase 2 – Credential Gathering
One of the most time-consuming and critical tasks of beginning a new MSP partnership is gathering and documenting the credential needed to manage your IT system.
During this hand-off, you’ll likely need to provide a list of credentials for administering your system, including credentials for third-party vendors, firewalls, routers, switches, etc.—pretty much any existing applications or services your MSP may need to support.
Phase 3 – Onboarding
The onboarding phase of the project is where the MSP will set up your IT ecosystem and bring you on board with their service desk if help desk support is included in your agreement.
The onboarding process varies by MSP, but as an example, our process typically includes the following:
- NOC. Our Network Operations Center sets up patch policies, creates notification rules, and establishes levels of access for all devices.
- RMM. We deploy an RMM agent to each device to set up remote monitoring and management.
- Microsoft Licensing. We determine your Microsoft 365 license expiration dates and establish the schedule and notifications for transferring licenses to our procurement and billing system.
- Help Desk/Support. If included, we import and add your user list to our support portal, verify information, and attach user configurations. We also teach our clients how to log tickets, request help, and use the support portal.
- Other Services. Our team continues onboarding additional services relevant to your business, which can include Microsoft cloud applications, email advanced threat protection solutions, data backup services and schedules, as well as your endpoint detection and response
Phase 4 – Continued Partnership and Support
When the onboarding is completed, your MSP should review device monitoring and conduct a final system audit. Additionally, they should review your agreements and billing as well as sign off on the completed project with you.
We Make Things Easier.
As a technology partner, we have nearly 40 years of experience supporting our clients’ technology and business goals. If you have any questions about working with an MSP or want to learn more about High Touch’s managed services offerings, contact us, and we’ll be in touch.