You've likely heard of a Managed Service Provider (MSP) and have maybe even considered bringing one on board to assist your organization. There are many different MSP providers out there and there can be a lot of misconceptions about how they can support your business.
Not all MSPs are created equal but there are many who are equipped to help your strengthen your business's security and improve your overall efficiency. Below we are debunking some of the common misconceptions that we hear to help you confidently decide whether working with an MSP could be the right choice for your organization.
Myth 1: Working with an MSP will slow down my day-to-day business functions
A worry that we hear a lot from prospects and business owners is that they are worried about lead times and down times for their users when they no longer have their IT staff on site. While we understand this worry we want to point out that escalations are a normal part of IT work no matter if you have a single person working as your IT admin, an on-site IT staff of various size, or are using a managed services provider.
While you may feel like your issues will be forgotten or take longer, most MSPs (including us) have a large arsenal of technical resources and because there is a range of technical experience available there are typically techs around to deal with lower priority technical work and the more advanced technical staff will focus on the higher priority tickets. You will notice that because many MSPs use an escalation strategy to divide tickets based on technical resource needed and the urgency of the issue at hand, there is really not any significant difference in wait times for your staff who may be experiencing an issue.
Another notable point: as more and more companies have employed a remote workforce, your staff may be working different hours than usual. Most of the time your on-site IT staff will follow standard business hours, which can inconvenience or create problems for those working unconventional hours. Working with a MSP will often times add in the flexibility of 24/7 support so that no matter when your staff is trying to get work done, you have technical resources available to help if there are any problems at any time of the day.
Myth 2: I can't afford to bring in an MSP
Cost is another factor when it comes to IT. You may fear that hiring a separate organization will end up costing your more than handling your IT needs on-site. While partnering with an MSP can seem overwhelming and expensive there are options that work with a variety of budgets. There are many studies and surveys that show that an MSP can actually help save your organization money.
Instead of worrying about paying salaries and benefits for your whole IT department, you only are responsible for paying a single cost to assess the knowledge and resources of an MSP. You'll have access to an entire team of experts with varying levels of expertise and experience that is invaluable when working with something as important as your data.
You'll also save money on cyberattacks that an MSP can effectively help you avoid. According to IBM, cyber attacks cost small businesses $200,000 on average. A good MSP can advise you and help you protect your business assets from a security breach.
Myth 3: My current IT staff will be without a job
This is a concern that we see often. Many organizations already have an IT admin or staff and aren't sure how an MSP would work with this team. This is where the beauty of Co-managed IT comes in. Co-managed IT is a concept that continues to grow in popularity. Co-managed IT allows you the ability to keep your on-staff IT admin while bringing in the knowledge, expertise, and availability of an MSP.
Some benefits of this type of relationship include:
The option of 24/7 support
having backup coverage if your hired IT staff are either unavailable using PTO or too busy with other tasks
manage what your IT admin has to do on a day-to-day basis keeping the things that aren't prioritized for that role out of their to do list
having the knowledge and resources of a large team of technicians to help support your current IT admin
Many MSPs will prioritize working directly with your on-staff IT admin/team to create a working relationship where they can support and work with your IT admin/team to make their job easier and more proficient.
My business is too small to benefit from an MSP
Hiring a separate organization like a managed service provider can seem daunting to small businesses. Some businesses may even feel like working with an MSP has no benefit to them because of their size.
While MSPs are a great option for large organizations who need to supplement their current IT department, MSPs can benefit small and medium sized businesses as well.
Many small organizations cannot afford to hire their own IT team, in these instances hiring an MSP gives a breadth of knowledge and experience at a price that is much more affordable than hiring a staff themselves. According the Sherweb, 39% of SMBs have managed services in some capacity.