What Should You Expect When Considering Managed IT Services?

By Jennifer Curry, Senior Vice President, Managed Services

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Managing IT is laden with choices, and one of the most significant is whether to manage IT internally or rely on the expertise of a Managed Service Provider (MSP).

Outsourcing IT functions isn't about relinquishing control but strengthening strategic focus. By leaving routine tasks to trusted partners, IT departments can free up time and resources to align technology with business goals rather than getting bogged down with day-to-day operational challenges.

Before making this strategic decision, here's my insight on the Top 10 criteria you should consider.

1.???? Strategic Advantages: Question: What are the strategic benefits to my business if I outsource my infrastructure and services? Insight: Beyond the routine IT management tasks, MSPs bring agility, security, and innovation to the table. With their comprehensive portfolio of services, businesses can rapidly adapt, mitigate risks, and stay ahead of technological curves.

2.???? Understanding Industry Issues: Question: What are the issues facing my industry? Insight: Each industry presents unique IT challenges. Understanding these nuances is essential, whether it's regulatory hurdles in finance, data security in healthcare, or scalability in e-commerce. An experienced MSP typically has cross-industry knowledge, offering insights and solutions tailored to your sector's challenges.

3.???? Empowering IT Managers: Question: What are the benefits to me as an IT Manager? Insight: Partnering with an MSP relieves IT managers from the routine of daily operations, freeing them to focus on aligning IT strategies with business objectives, ensuring innovation, and fostering growth.

4.???? Eye on the Competition: Question: How are my competitors solving their challenges with Managed Services? Insight: Observing competitors can offer valuable insights. If they're leveraging MSPs for enhanced agility, reduced downtimes, or improved cybersecurity, it might be a cue for your business to explore similar advantages.

5.???? Staffing Concerns: Question: What about my current staffing? Insight: If reducing your staff is among your objectives, working with an MSP can help you achieve that. However, transitioning to an MSP doesn't necessarily mean replacing your IT team. Instead, it's about complementing internal expertise with external proficiency. Existing staff can collaborate with the MSP, ensuring optimal outcomes.

6.???? Control Considerations: Question: Will I lose control? Insight: A common misconception is that outsourcing equates to relinquishing control. MSPs work as partners, with businesses retaining decision-making authority while benefiting from expert guidance.

7.???? Trust Factor: Question: Who should I trust? Insight: Trust is paramount. Seek MSPs with a proven track record, robust client testimonials, and industry experience. Their transparency, communication, and success stories will build trust.

8.???? Setting the Stage: Question: What best practices should I consider before taking the plunge? Insight: Define clear objectives, establish open communication channels, and foster collaboration. Define clear objectives, establish open communication channels, and foster collaboration. Ensuring a shared vision with your MSP is a foundational best practice. Also, you shouldn't be expected to go it alone. The right MSP should help you arrive at those objectives and have a recommended communications protocol.

9.???? Insource vs. Outsource: Question: Are we doing the right thing by insourcing and doing it ourselves? Insight: While insourcing provides direct control, it has challenges like staying up to date with tech advancements and managing scalability. Weigh the benefits of internal management against the advantages offered by MSPs.

10.? The Right Choice: Question: How will I know when I have chosen the right MSP for my business? Insight: The right MSP will address IT challenges and proactively suggest innovations, ensuring alignment with business goals and providing measurable outcomes.

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What Should I Expect? Agility, Reduced Risk, and Uptime Information technology threads its way through every operation, every strategy, and every goal. Given this centrality, the decision on how to manage IT – in-house or through an outsourced expert – has far-reaching implications. Increasingly, forward-thinking organizations realize the advantages of entrusting their IT environment to a Managed Service Provider (MSP). Three primary considerations are influencing this strategic shift.

Agility: An agile IT infrastructure ensures businesses can swiftly pivot, scale, or transform without the bottleneck of technology hindering them. With their finger on the pulse of the latest tech trends and innovations, MSPs can guide businesses to remain agile and responsive, thus fostering agility. Leveraging a comprehensive portfolio of services from your MSP is crucial. Agility ensures that businesses can Adapt swiftly to market demands, Respond to disruptions without significant downtime, innovate faster and more effectively, and ensure operational continuity and profitability.

Reduced Risk: Partnering with a single provider who understands your business minimizes transition challenges, miscommunications, and integration issues. This consolidation ensures smooth operations and significantly reduces operational and cybersecurity risks.

Uptime: Every second of downtime can translate to lost revenue, eroded trust, and diminished brand value. With their innovative infrastructure and round-the-clock monitoring, MSPs ensure optimal uptime and availability. This reliability is the bedrock on which businesses can build robust operations and services. Partnering with an MSP that owns the data centers from which these services are offered is essential yet often overlooked.

While in-house IT management offers a direct control pathway, the multifaceted advantages of partnering with a seasoned Managed IT Service Provider are increasingly hard to resist. From agility to expertise, uptime assurance to compliance mastery, MSPs rise as essential allies for businesses aiming to harness technology as a strategic advantage.

In a world constantly reshaped by technology, aligning with the right IT partner can be the defining factor between mere survival and thriving success. And so outsourcing isn't just about delegation; it's about strategic alignment for a digital future.