Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are not stuff of legend like minotaur’s and unicorns. Yet there are many common myths around managed IT services. These can cloud understanding of an MSP’s true value. Consider the facts to decide whether partnering with a managed IT services vendor is right for you.
Myth #1: MSPs don’t understand our business.
Not every MSP will understand your business, that’s correct. But not every MSP is the same. The right MSP examines your existing infrastructure and workflows. They’ll also meet with your people to understand their needs.
Hiring an MSP adds IT experts who can make specific technology recommendations. Meanwhile, your in-house IT team can focus on driving growth.
Myth #2: Outsourcing to an MSP is too costly.
Take a look at your IT budget today. Internal IT costs are typically high and often unpredictable. Managed IT services help you stay on top of your IT costs. Your business pays a manageable monthly fee for monitoring the health, performance and security of its computers and other technology resources. The goal of this proactive management is to avoid unexpected downtime.
MSPs also provide long-term cost savings by:
- Cutting costs of IT infrastructure
- Improving IT team productivity
- Implementing greater security to avoid costly cyber attacks
- Reducing applications downtime
Myth #3: Only enterprise-sized businesses can use MSPs.
One common misconception is that only big corporations hire outsourced managed IT service professionals. In fact, small- to medium-sized businesses can benefit more from working with an MSP. After all, large businesses tend to have a dedicated IT staff to secure data and maintain its systems. Smaller companies have more difficulty competing for IT talent.
Outsourcing gives any business access to skilled IT specialists. They are specialists in securing data, managing networks, and user access. You get top talent and best practices, without having to add employees to your roster.
“Recent market studies show that, when properly executed, managed IT services can reduce in-house IT costs by upwards of 40 percent while simultaneously facilitating a 50 to 60 percent increase in IT efficiencies.” – Cisco
Myth #4: You lose control of your business.
Only if you hand it over to the MSP or don’t effectively manage your partnership with your provider. You should hire an MSP with an understanding of what level of control you want to retain.
Before hiring a MSP, look at client testimonials. Have others found the MSP works with businesses to only do what needs done? Ask prospective MSPs how they will keep you up-to-date about the work they do. Also, identify someone on your team to actively manage that MSP relationship.
Myth #5: You only use an MSP for security backup.
Sure, backup and disaster recovery, are import services outsourced to MSPs. But that is not the only reason businesses turn to managed services. Other common managed services include archiving, networking, application management, remote and onsite support services and routine monitoring of hardware, antivirus and backups.
The MSP does the work your IT team finds tedious and your general employees care little about (but rely upon). Outsource monitoring and maintaining backend technology and routine, recurring tasks. You gain high quality, consistent IT support. And you improve the morale of your overworked, overextended IT team along the way.
Business today relies on its technology to be successful. Big or small, your business can benefit. Free up internal IT teams to focus on more value-adding initiatives. Take advantage of a MSP’s expert help and powerful new technology.
