The last few years have shown us that every business needs to be flexible, keep on its toes and be adaptable. There are so many things that you need to think about when running a business… most of the time I bet you feel like you’re spinning plates.
On top of this, you also have to think about the software and hardware which allows your business to operate smoothly. Can you honestly say you have the resources to run your IT systems efficiently? The world of IT is changing so fast that many businesses purely cannot keep up and sadly fall behind when trying to do things inhouse. This is where an IT managed service provider (or MSP) comes in.
In this article we will discuss what an MSP is, and the benefits in partnering with one.
What is an MSP?
Within any business, the IT must be looked after by someone. This would be done either inhouse by a person or team, or it can be outsourced to someone else, and they can manage this for you. This is where an MSP would come in. Firstly, MSP stands for ‘managed service provider’, in this instance they would be responsible for the administration and the management of your IT. There are many services that an MSP can implement and manage for your business such as:
- IT managed services
- IT consultancy
- Outsourced IT support
- Co-managed IT services
- Software migrations
- Cyber security
- Data backup and recovery
- VoIP phone systems
One size does not fit all. The beauty of an MSP is that you have the flexibility to pick and choose a solution that’s right for your business. If you’re not sure what solution your business needs, then the MSP can work with you to create a custom plan that best suits your specific needs.
What are the benefits of partnering with an MSP?
There are many benefits to partnering with a managed service provider. Below is a breakdown of a few of them.
Cost-effective
Partnering with an MSP reduces the inhouse work of building and maintaining an IT infrastructure. This is great news for smaller and start-up business. This saves you the need in having your own in-house IT team and the costs attached to this. With an MSP you pay one monthly fixed fee, and you have all the manpower you could ever need. For larger organisations with an inhouse IT Manager or team, it is also essential to find a trusted IT partner for that additional outsourced support or projects.
Expertise
MSP’s live and breathe IT. It’s what they do, day in and day out. This gives you immediate access to a highly experienced and qualified team so you know that if you ever have any problems, they will get fixed. Think about it. As they potentially look after hundreds of clients, you can almost guarantee if you’ve got a problem, they’ve seen it before, so they know exactly what to do.
Scalability
Flexibility is so important for all businesses, if anything Covid-19 has proved this. MSP’s contribute to the scalability of a business, and so are vital for businesses looking to expand. They support those looking to grow by planning, supplying any equipment and/or software needed. They ensure the smooth and consistent running of the IT to increase productivity and reduce downtime. The less you have to think about your IT the more time you have to do what you do best within your business.
Trend visibility
Spotting trends is vital for any business, this allows you to plan and gives you a competitive edge. MSP’s work with a wide variety of clients and so they can be among the first to spot new trends. So, whether that be with new technology, software, updates or threats, they can keep you up to date and keep you protected.
Business continuity
Your business needs to keep running, no matter what. MSP’s protect your business and keep operations smooth. Things such as a natural disaster or a cyber attack can have a detrimental effect on any business. The thing is, you never think it’ll happen to you. Its only when you get hacked you then wish you spent more time and resources on defending your business. With regular backups, crisis management and disaster recovery provided by your MSP, you can rest easy that they’ll have you back on track in no time. All your data, software and information restored quickly and efficiently so you can pick up where you left off.
24/7/365 monitoring and support
This is so important as cyber attacks can happen at any time. Even if you have your own in-house IT team, they clock in at 9, and clock out at 5. When you partner with an MSP, they work for you all the time, monitoring your systems, automatically fault finding and fixing and running updates. They are there for you 24/7.
Avoid expensive downtime
An MSP is always working away in the background to protect, help and support you. If you are moving premises, installing new applications/updates/hardware/software, dealing with a migration, or experiencing a hack, your MSP handles these in the background. By doing this they ensure you do not lose the day-to-day productivity of you and your team. Downtime is an added expense to your business and an MSP can dramatically reduce this.
Security
Cyber attacks are constantly improving and becoming more efficient. Unfortunately, no one is 100% secure against a cyber attack. Never let down your guard when it comes to cyber threats. Your MSP will keep you up to date with the latest attacker trends and methods used so you can personally spot them. They have access to the latest security solutions that your business can implement to stay protected. In addition to this, MSP’s can assess the security you have in place with security audits. This highlights any weaknesses in your IT infrastructure or security, and these can then be addressed appropriately.
This is just a short article lightly touching on the benefits of an MSP. Our article 'Does my business need a managed IT service provider?' looks at whether you need an MSP and what to look for when choosing who to partner with.
If you are currently looking for an IT support partner for your IT needs, please get in touch with us here at PS Tech. We are happy to give you any advice you need. To find out more please drop us an email or give us a call on 01732 243100.
