Selecting the right MSP is critical to an organization’s overall success. Your MSP is there to support your people, operations, and ultimately your mission. If you make the wrong choice, the impact can have organization-wide effects.
Don’t shop for bargain providers with price as your primary criteria. While the MSP industry is highly competitive offering varying flavors of providers at every tier, it can be tempting to rely on cost as key decision point. Remember the old saying that you get what you pay for. When searching for an MSP, look for a provider that understands your business or mission, is familiar with your industry, and talks less about technology and more about long-term outcomes and their service approach. The provider needs to be able to deliver outcomes that will ultimately empower your organization’s business initiatives or mission. And they need to be customer-centric.
As you search for an MSP, look for firms that offer a wide range of services. Top MSPs expand their capabilities to meet market demand, and most CIOs looks for MSPs that provide advanced services. There are significant efficiencies to be gained by having a single MSP that an provide as many IT functions within their core competency. An ideal MSP should offer a service portfolio consisting of Managed IT, Cloud Solutions, Cyber Security or MSSP, Telephony/Conferencing, Web Development/Hosting, and Technology Strategy/Consulting.
In the past, outsourcing IT functions to an MSP was looked at from a cost savings perspective, perhaps replacing internal IT staff overhead. That has now changed, now organizations look at MSPs from a cost benefit perspective, recognizing how a partner can help the organization become more efficient. Most organizations choose to retain their IT staff to focus on strategic projects. This also provides new opportunities for IT staff to move up within the organization, rather than being stranded behind the scenes in a server room.
Written by: Payam Pourkhomami, President & CEO, OSIbeyond