How to Evaluate Your Managed Service Provider

Managed services providers (MSPs) are an excellent option for businesses. MSPs like Empower IT Solutions can guarantee that your company is operating at its peak performance for a small fraction of the expense of managing an IT infrastructure on your own.

On the other hand, your company might eventually outgrow your present MSP. The effectiveness of your MSP in meeting your requirements must therefore be continually assessed. You should ask yourself the five questions below to see if your present MSP meets your expectations.

1. Is the current Managed Service Provider responsive and quick to resolve technical issues?

Most MSPs will assert that they provide 24/7 IT assistance and same-day response times, but some fall short of their commitments. To determine how swiftly they reacted, ask your MSP for a detailed log of when technical issues were reported and fixed. You can try their response by sending a few tickets or calling their support number to get a feel for customer service.

It might be time to switch providers if MSPs take longer to respond to support calls than originally promised in their service level agreements. Every minute you wait for an MSP to respond can result in downtime, reducing your business's output and profitability.

2. Do they take a proactive approach to IT management?

?An effective MSP actively manages any source of IT disruption to guarantee that your company operates normally. They patch, update, and replace out-of-date equipment while routinely checking networks for performance problems. The top MSPs will even suggest IT tactics and best practices to maintain your systems' performance.

Too frequently, poor MSPs make promises about proactive administration but fall short. Instead, they adopt a reactive strategy, only reacting to technological problems as they happen. Although not all technical problems can be avoided, a good MSP should carefully monitor your systems and resolve issues before they become more serious. It may be time to look for a provider with more proactive service if you only hear from your MSP when something goes awry.

3. Is the MSP up to date with current technology trends?

If an MSP can explain complicated technological concepts in layman's words, you can tell a lot about their level of expertise. Established MSPs also employ technicians with various specialties, enabling them to handle a broader range of IT problems. For example, Empower IT employs specialists in cloud computing, network security, and software development so that you can get assistance with other IT projects.

4. Are the costs of their services reasonable relative to what you’re getting in return?

Perform a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether your current Managed Service Provider's offerings are cost-effective. List the features and explain how they help your company first. Based on the money and time you've saved thanks to the MSP's help with IT problems, you can also put a dollar amount on their value. then figure out how much the MSP will cost you.

5. Can the MSP keep up with your growth?

It's crucial to pick an MSP that can grow with your company so you never have to change service suppliers as your business grows. When you have questions about their services, consider the size of their staff and how quickly they respond. Make sure your MSP's staff can assist your company.

More importantly, request financial statements or other documents that show the MSP’s financial stability and long-term sustainability. If that’s not possible, look at how many years they’ve been in business and find out if they have handled long-term IT projects for companies similar to your organisation. Having a track record of successful engagements will give you a good indication of their ability to keep up with growing businesses like yours.

If these questions have raised some red flags about your current managed service provider, it might be time to start shopping around. Empower IT has decades of experience providing comprehensive IT services for small and large enterprises. Contact us today to see if we’re the right fit!