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5 Factors to make or break your MSP partnership

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A managed service provider should be like your tech best friend. Would you continue to be best friends with someone if they continuously let you down, deceived you, or didn’t respect you? Of course not! Just as friendships have expectations, so does a partnership with your MSP. Here are a few “make or break” points that you should monitor. 

Break: You still have tech problems

Tech problems are precisely what an MSP should help you avoid. MSPs are staffed with the best tech experts out there, and it is their duty as your partner to keep your system up and running without fault. However, technology isn’t perfect, and it’s understandable if it has a hiccup or complication at some point. That’s just the way things work. When this happens, it is an MSP’s duty to take care of it for you. They should also offer you proactive services that are constantly scanning your system for potential danger and addressing what they find immediately. According to a recent report by SecurityIntelligence, 41% of all ransomware attacks analyzed in 2020 targeted organizations with operational technology (OT) networks. 

Most of the time, managed service providers stop the danger before it can even hit and cause harm. This significantly reduces the chance of having tech problems and system downtime, all while saving you money. If you are continuously experiencing IT problems, that’s definitely a breaking point for your MSP partnership. 

Make: Your infrastructure and overall operations are improving

As mentioned in the previous section, you’re dealing with tech experts when you turn to an MSP. Not only do they look after your technology, but they assess your specific situation to make sure you have services custom to YOU and YOUR needs. For example, here at AppSolute, we will custom tailor our solutions to your network and how it operates. We will also suggest services we think will help your network improve, like automation to take care of those daily, time-consuming tasks. We’ll also meet any IT demands you may require and scale to your needs. This flexibility and constant monitoring and maintenance will improve your overall productivity, efficiency, and profits. 

Break: Your MSP and IT budget is unpredictable

There are a variety of pricing models used by MSPs and their customers. Arguably, the largest selling factor of managed services is their monthly, flat-rate IT. This makes budgeting easier and eliminates the chance of surprise service costs. If you continuously reach into your wallet for various IT demands and requests, your MSP isn’t doing its job and fulfilling its promise. 

Break: You don’t have the answers you need

Another part of an MSP bundle is a 24/7/365 help desk. We’re available for you whenever you need us to be, and that’s something we take seriously. If you don’t have that constant assistance from your trusted partner, they shouldn’t be so trusted anymore. 

Make: You have a trusted partner

An MSP should be more than just a service provider. An MSP should be a partner that you form a strong relationship with, and at AppSolute, we strive to become long-term partners with our clients. We view it like this: architecting shared success. It’s our responsibility to make sure you succeed. We will remain by your side through any issue or complication, refusing to leave until it’s solved and all is well. That’s the type of mentality that an MSP should have, which should be the most significant “make” factor. Want to learn more about MSPs? Contact us – we’d love to chat! 

What Does an MSP Actually Do?

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In the IT world, MSP stands for “managed service provider“. It’s a fairly generic term, so if you’re a bit confused about what an MSP actually does… you’re not alone.

The basic answer is that an MSP manages the IT infrastructure & systems for a business. However, they can do so in many different ways.

Here are some of the important specific services most MSPs offer.

1. Tech Support

The first thing that comes to mind for many businesses when thinking of IT is tech support – and that instinct is correct. An MSP should offer 24/7 tech support to keep your business up and running at its finest.

Even if your MSP is not in near your location or even your time zone, you should make sure that this is something they offer. It helps to keep your website, online databases, and IT infrastructure up and running at all times. Downtime results in lost productivity for your business and employees, so this aspect is of the utmost importance.

2. Recovery

You hope that a big crash would never happen, but in the event that it does, an MSP should help you get back up and running quickly. That doesn’t just include getting your system back up and running in a timely manner. It also means having reliable backups of the information that you need to keep your business going.

Whether you lose your data from a cyberattack or from a disaster, swift recovery is key. The more time you can’t access your data, the more your business suffers reputationally and financially.

3. Security

Digital security is now more important than ever. Hackers are exposing new weaknesses in systems all the time. Your MSP should stay on top of all the latest security updates and make sure your hardware and software are up to date, so that security updates are put in place as soon as they come out.

Additionally, managed service providers should perform general IT support security tasks like installing firewalls and anti-virus software to protect your data.

4. Strategic Future Planning

A good provider of MSP services will keep up with the latest technological trends and “futureproof” your infrastructure. They’ll know what’s just around the corner and will strategically plan craft a technology roadmap to account for tech evolution.

Your current IT systems likely aren’t going to be there forever. A great MSP seeks the smartest system upgrades that could help your business function even more smoothly as your needs change.

They’ll make the path to IT upgrades easy and clear to see.

5. Cloud Services

You’ve undoubtedly heard the term around. Though it may seem like just another technology buzzword, cloud technology innovation is really the future. It’s less costly, more flexible, and allows your team to access information easily from anywhere in the world.

It’s also more environmentally friendly because it creates less physical hardware waste. An MSP will help you get your data into the cloud for easy access and safe storage.

Small businesses can do these things on their own, either by training existing staff or hiring a dedicated IT staff. However, working with an MSP saves time, money and other resources, allowing you to focus on other aspects of running your business.