A service agreement with a managed service provider will require you to entrust them with your company’s technology. In this way, the MSP is entrusted to safeguard your company’s nerve center, and should they be negligent or incompetent this could have a serious impact on your business.
You should thoroughly research the potential MSP to create a long-lasting and successful business relationship.
Identifying the right managed service provider
In this article, we’re not going to list any specific red flags. You’ll find the same kind of red flags in any company-client relationship, so if the company has a dodgy reputation online or doesn’t have any certificates, they probably have a dodgy reputation and don’t have any certifications.
One of the most important things to look for in a managed service provider is customer-centricity. Writing about the company, you want the company’s outlook to be more philosophical than their marketing message.
The importance of having a customer-centric MSP
If you want to use this business model, remember three main characteristics: a focus on business outcomes instead of point solutions, proven processes, and alignment with technology.
When looking at a managed service provider, you want to ask about the outcomes they have. Instead of discussing specific point solutions, you want a managed service provider that can outline steps for the company’s future in both medium-term and long-term goals. The MSP should also be able to discuss its own strategy based on your goals and translate them into the best possible technology for the results.
Proven Processes: Many businesses have compliance regulations to which they must adhere. Make sure the MSP you choose comes with formularized steps for deploying and managing technology solutions so it can ensure compliance.
Aligning your managed services with your technology is a great way to increase productivity. Some MSPs may only integrate well with Linux and others will be more flexible when it comes to choosing different service buckets. Each article must be compatible between the organization and the managed service provider in order to create a productive relationship.
The role of managed services providers in an IT environment
Researching a managed service provider requires that you have specific expectations in mind. You aren’t just looking for someone to do your IT work for you, you’re looking to get an advisor who can help you achieve what you want. It’s the difference between hiring a painter and an interior designer. A painter will paint your walls a garish neon green if you ask them to, but an interior designer will offer possible alternatives to help design the best room possible.
