Why did you start your business?

For the vast majority of you, it was not to manage the technology that powers it.

A Managed Service Provider (MSPs) is a type of technology company that takes the management of daily tech services off of your shoulders. An MSP is a service-driven IT firm that can take over many of the roles that a CTO would historically manage, and be responsible for a set of pre-defined activities. The benefits to utilizing a Managed Services Provider are more far-reaching than simply a help desk. Here are a few benefits customers see from outsourcing:

• A Stronger Knowledge Base: One of the biggest benefits of outsourcing your IT is that you have access to a broader set of knowledge that’s both deep and wide, instead of just one expert’s opinion. A complete, certified staff can tackle numerous issues and advise on projects. 
• Infrastructure Knowledge: It’s important for businesses to have a resource that can be their central point of infrastructure knowledge. A good MSP will want to know how data flows through the company and how systems operate, and will be open to products which may be outside of their product line.
• Planning and Budgeting: Technology planning is a complicated endeavor that takes into consideration things that can change in a moment’s notice. Being unprepared for the inevitable can rui your budget. MSPs typically use a scalable monthly cost and generally have repair and service work built into the agreement, allowing businesses to better budget and prepare for upgrades.
• Regular Reporting: Give someone outside your firm a planning and budgeting role and they had best provide regular – and detailed – reporting on usage and activity. Your MSP can report on error messages, problem remediation, and user activity and should offer at least a biannual review of these reports.
• Improved Efficiency: MSPs have generally invested in extensive toolsets, such as RMM and patch management tools, which help identify, resolve and report on issues quickly and reduce the number of “fires” that arise. This results in less downtime and a better user experience, with fewer disruptions for updates and patches.
• Better Security: Security is a major concern for every business. Protecting your data can be a full-time job, and may well be the most important role of an outsourced team. MSPs can monitor your firewalls and antivirus, and assure that the latest updates and patches are applied.