What is a Managed Services Provider (MSP) and Why Your Business Needs One

Are you spending more time fixing “tech” problems than running your business? With the ever-increasing dependence on technology to ensure business growth and success, a 360-degree strategy around its deployment and support is paramount.

As a company experiences growth, especially when at unexpected levels, the leadership team’s time could be consumed with the strategies for managing head count, raw materials, logistics, compliance, forecasting and more. This can leave your company in a position where things appear to be going well, but “growing pains” can bubble up from technology that is lagging behind in capability to manage increased data generation, comprehensive cyber security coverage and training, software license management and inventory tracking, to name a few.

When the tech that supports a growing company develops gaps in capability or security, the success you’ve built becomes susceptible to “ad hoc” solutions that go outside established security, decreased productivity or even a data breach. But how does a growing small business successfully prevent these issues from derailing continued success?

The Answer? Engage with an IT Managed Services Provider (MSP)!

Beyond Just “Fixing Computers”, an MSP provides many advantages over hiring in-house support and other technical resources….

• Proactive IT management, not just reactive support. Having a team ready to provide support means that there is time and budget for both proactive and reactive measures.
• Comprehensive coverage across all areas of technology used by your business including:
  • Network monitoring and management.
  • Cybersecurity (threat detection, firewalls, antivirus).
  • Data backup and disaster recovery.
  • Help desk support.
  • Software and hardware management.

In essence, the shift from reactive “break-fix” support to proactive maintenance and a team ready to assist, represents a fundamental upgrade where a holistic view of technology usage is used to ensure solutions can and do grow along with the business. In addition, engagement with an MSP provides service level agreements (SLAs) for response times to issue types based on priority. From the financial perspective, there will be predictable monthly costs for services, so forecasting the technology budget across the calendar, will be easier.

What are the key benefits of engaging with an MSP?

First and foremost, engaging with an MSP will be less expensive than hiring full-time, in-house IT staff with the same knowledge and experience. In addition, an MSP will provide proactive monitoring and issue resolution, which leads to less downtime, keeping business leaders and employees focused on core tasks.

Working with an MSP also focuses on protection of sensitive business data including the alignment of storage and security methods with industry-standard regulations. With a team of IT professionals available to assist, businesses can take advantage of emerging technologies to allow scalable, comprehensive coverage. An MSP can also help to adjust usage and costs, if business needs fluctuate over time.

But how to can you choose the right MSP for your business situation?

Finding the right fit with an MSP will take some effort and research, but will pay off with good alignment. Several key factors in this effort will include:

• Experience and expertise – find an MSP with appropriate industry experience, and expertise in the technologies used and required by your business.
• Ask for customer testimonials and references to understand how the MSP’s staff work through proactive and reactive tasks.
• MSPs should have staff with industry-standard certifications and compliance training.
• A good MSP will ask about your business tolerance for downtime, work shifts, expectations for response, and if “after hours” support is required.
• Finally, a potential MSP should perform a through assessment of your current technology as well as discuss your upcoming business initiatives and future plans.

Contact the Beringer Team today!

In summary, an MSP (managed service provider) can be a valuable partner for optimal management of technology and technical services for businesses. Think about your current IT support situation and whether it needs an upgrade. If you would like more information on how an MSP can create key advantages for your business, reach out to the Beringer team today!

Beringer Technology Group, a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Business Applications, specializing in Microsoft Dynamics 365 and CRM for Distribution also provides expert Managed IT Services, Backup and Disaster Recovery, Cloud Based Computing, Email Security Implementation and Training, Unified Communication Solutions, and Cybersecurity Risk Assessment.