Watching their IT team slowly drown under a weight of tasks and an ad hoc system that’s stretched and inefficient leaves many organisations wondering: Do I need a Managed Service Provider?
Even if you have an in-house IT team, using a Managed Service Provider might be a more cost-effective way to get the expertise you need.
Here are the most common signs that a business would benefit from using a Managed Service Provider:
What is a Managed Service Provider?
A Managed Service Provider or MSP provides IT expertise to many different businesses. They deliver network and infrastructure, cybersecurity, employee training, and many other ongoing services, support, and monitoring both on client premises and at a distance.
Depending on the service you get from your MSP, they might remotely monitor your system, repairing issues before they happen. Or they might help you plan how to implement growth.
It’s their job to help your team be able to get on with their daily tasks without chasing after IT to fix the latest issue or struggle to make a system work the way it was intended.
Do I need a Managed Service Provider?
If your IT team are snowed under, you don’t have an IT team, or you want to reduce the costs of having one, you will almost certainly benefit from using a Managed Service Provider.
Those aren’t the only reasons companies rely on MSPs though:
1) Your IT team is always flat-out
If you have a single IT body or a small team, it’s not uncommon for them to have additional roles within the company or be regularly overworked with a list of tasks piling up.
If your IT team is constantly struggling to stay on top of the basics like vital system updates, how can they help you improve or plan for the future?
Simply using a fairly switched-on member of your team to band-aid your IT so it doesn’t completely break down is not a suitable solution when your business grows beyond the smallest size.
Would they know what to do in the event of a ransomware attack?
2) Basic security tasks are going undone
A single or small non-specialist IT team might not understand how important it is to keep up-to-date with the latest software updates and licensing requirements.
Updates can be annoying, but software providers don’t put them out for fun. Licenses need to be kept updated if you don’t want to risk being fined for using unlicensed software too.
An MSP will keep you on top of all the basics like this and fix any problems that arise along the way. Without eating into the time your team spends on their actual jobs.
3) Your IT costs are going up
Using a Managed Service Provider will often work out cheaper than a dedicated IT team for most businesses. A dedicated team requires salaries, benefits, office space, training, and more.
This is doubly the case when your IT team is actually you wearing a different hat. Think about how much more productive you could be if you could get on with the mission-critical tasks that only you can do.
With an MSP, you have a single monthly cost that’s often a fraction of that required by either of the above solutions.
You won’t need to pay to keep an MSP’s training up-to-date either. They will take care of that themselves. Plus, they can be looking for ways to save you money as they go.
4) You don’t or can’t plan for future growth
It’s sort of impressive when SMEs manage to just about “get by” when adding new applications, new devices to networks, and so on without any kind of coherent plan.
It’s sort of like watching a tightrope walker try to balance a bunch of dishes and hope they don’t drop too many.
If you want your business to remain cybersecure when you add extras like more workstations, more team members, more places your team can work remotely from, you need to plan for it.
Otherwise, you’ll quickly reach a stage where very little is controlled, you spend more than you need to, or huge holes appear in your protection.
An MSP will help you make sure that your IT system is ready to grow as your business does.
5) Cybersecurity is a concern
Many SMEs (and even some worryingly large organisations) overlook cybersecurity. But cyberattacks – malware, phishing, and numerous others – are hugely on the rise, especially post-COVID.
Every month seems to bring a story of a new brand suffering huge costs and terrible publicity because they failed to put sensible protections in place.
Using an MSP ensures you can hold your own private data and personal client information with confidence. You’ll know that your setup is secure and if any problems occur, they are going to be monitored and handled.
Want to talk through what using a Managed Service Provider is like with zero commitment?
Arrange a quick chat with Chief Geek Gildas Jones today to see how Dial A Geek has already helped nearly 1000 businesses in Bristol and the UK. Let’s see how we can help you too.