As the pace of technological change becomes more intense, many company IT groups are finding it difficult to continue performing at a high level in all areas. They are forced to splinter their energies in too many directions at once, which has the effect of preventing them from doing their absolute best in any area.
Organizations whose IT groups are feeling this pinch are far from alone. However, there are solutions out there for companies that want to refocus the energies of their IT talent. More organizations are seeing the benefits of shifting workloads to Managed Service Providers (MSPs):
- IT and other resources no longer have their time gobbled up by “grunt work.” IT staff can dedicate more of their time and energy to innovation and projects with a profit basis.
- Good MSPs are up on the latest advances in cyber security. Most can help you locate and remedy glitches and vulnerabilities that may hurt you later
- Moving from a “fix-it-when-it-breaks” to a “24-7-365” model of constant monitoring makes your company stronger, your data more secure, and it reduces the chances of
- your network going down, and
- your being down for any great length of time, if you do go down
There is no shortage of hopefuls presenting themselves to companies looking for a Managed Service Provider (MSP), or looking to upgrade their current MSP. However, not every MSP is the best MSP.
Organizations that are in the MSP hunt should be looking to make not just a good move but the very best move. To that end, there are some basic qualities companies should look for in an MSP:
- Inquisitiveness: Any MSP worth their weight in dongles will have questions — many questions — about your business. They will want to pick up as much info as they can: how your company operates, how it would like to operate, corporate goals, data migration requirements, et cetera.
- Vigilance: As MSPs are selling the fact that they’re vigilant, that they’ve got your back, it should naturally follow that they will have dedicated monitoring systems for picking up on threats before they attack your network. A great MSP is great at monitoring everything from devices to servers and routers.
- Availability: Good MSPs offer 24-7-365 support while great ones offer that plus remote and onsite support. Some might consider that a tall order, but at the end of the day it comes down to how much you value your data. Those who treasure their data will accept only the best when it comes to MSPs.
- History: It should go without saying that your MSP should have an immaculate track record. Your MSP should be able to present an excellent history that showcases their ability to keep clients satisfied and their business assets safe —within the boundaries of a reasonable spend model.
On April 5th, join ITWC CIO and Chief Digital Officer Jim Love along with special guests Bik Dutta from Carbon60, Chris Christianopoulos from HPE, and Melody Collet, Senior VP of Information Technology & Operations at Comda Advertising Connections, as they explore:
- What companies should partner with a cloud MSP
- Things to look for (and avoid) when choosing an MSP
- How to establish trust early and build a strong relationship
- Ways to derive maximal value from your MSP
- Methods for measuring and recognizing success
Register today for “Is Your Managed Service Provider (MSP) Helping You Enable Innovation?”
