Managed Service Providers, or MSPs, have been around for a while. However, despite the many benefits, the adoption rate has historically been low. Businesses are often nervous about outsourcing but managed IT services can help to reduce the waste of IT resources and offer a better return on investment. 

Get exactly what you need

MSPs offer many different services, so it can be confusing to choose the right one.

• Do you want to address specific functions, like storage, desktop management, or help desk services?
• Do you need support with upkeep and maintenance?

If you have a clear idea of your specific requirements, you can better choose the vendor and package that will work best for you. 

Evaluate your MSP carefully

When you know what your IT requirements are, look at multiple MSPs before choosing IT consulting.

Don’t rely on comparing cost.

The best deal may not offer the services you actually need. Instead, do some research on their business model, make sure they’re stable, have been in business for a while, and other signs of delivering good service.

Ask to see case studies or to speak to their existing clients to get a clearer idea of what they can offer. 

Remember that MSPs are not are replacement for IT staff

Lots of business turn entirely to the outside providers to meet all their IT needs. MSPs are not intended to replace your own IT teams but instead should complement them. Using both is not a waste of resources.

Using an MSP instead should free up your internal IT team to focus on more strategic projects and increase their efficiency. 

Communicate with your MSP

You should work to build a proactive relationship with your Managed IT Services that you can sustain. They should use their expertise to evaluate your existing systems, servers, and workstations.

Most MSPs will offer free consultations or advice that can help you to better plan your future IT work. 

MSPs can be a virtual CIO

The best MSPs will use best-of-breed technologies and equipment to deliver their services. They should be doing this in order to stay ahead of their competition. This means you get access to the best and latest developments in IT.

Schedule regular meetings with your MSP to make sure are able to take full advantage of these benefits and can keep up with industry trends. 

Build a clear data backup and disaster recovery strategy

No matter how advanced a security system you have in place, how encrypted your files are or how secure your storage space is, your data can still be at risk.

These risks could be caused by anything from human error, machine error, hacker, virus attack, or even natural disaster.

With your MSP, get a smart data backup in place to protect your data, and have a disaster recovery strategy. This backup process should be thoroughly tested. An MSP that offers cloud-based storage and superior security protection is what you should be looking for, to minimise the risks of data loss. 

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