Managed Service Providers (MSPs) have become an increasingly popular option for businesses seeking to outsource their IT operations. With rapidly advancing technology, many Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are struggling to keep up.
MSPs offer support, expertise and latest technology at a fraction of the cost it would take SMEs to set up and maintain their own IT departments. As a result of this, MSPs have become a crucial part of the modern business landscape.
In this article we will explain what MSPs are and why businesses choose to hire them.
What are Managed Service Providers?
An MSP is a company that manages the customer’s IT infrastructure on their behalf. MSPs offer a range of managed IT services including broadband connectivity, phone systems, hosting, security, software and backup solutions.
MSPs offer an affordable alternative to in-house IT departments for SMEs, Charities and Local Authorities. A defining feature of an MSP is that they provide ongoing management, support and maintenance of their customer’s IT infrastructure.
Some MSPs may specialise in a specific area of IT, for instance Cybersecurity or Data Storage. Meanwhile, others might offer a broader range of services. Most MSPs will offer a mix of their own native services and services from other types of providers.
7 Benefits of using a Managed Service Provider
1. Expertise
Hiring a team of IT professionals is too expensive for many SMEs. However, using an MSP you can have access to expertise at a more affordable and predictable monthly cost. MSPs keep their clients’ technology up-to-date and maintain equipment and software.
2. Single Point of Contact
Using a single MSP for all your IT requirements has the benefit of having a single point of contact. When you have a problem you just contact the same trusted and reliable support team. Some MSPs may also assign a team member to your business, so you can speak to a familiar person each time.
3. Staying Up-To-Date
As mentioned earlier, staying up-to-date with technology can be difficult. This is especially true for SMEs with limited resources. But, it is something you don’t have to worry about if you hire an MSP. The responsibility of keeping technology up-to-date falls on them. As an IT focused company MSPs have an easier time navigating the ever changing technology landscape.
4. Reduced Costs
Hiring IT professionals and the costs of initial set up are often outside of many SME’s budgets. But, even larger organisations often opt to outsource their IT services as it is more cost-efficient. By hiring an MSP, you are minimising the combined cost of Hardware, Software, Premises and Staff.
5. Scalability
As your business grows, your technological requirements may quickly outgrow your available resources. Likewise, you might need to downscale. MSPs provide you with support and services as needed, making scaling much simpler. It will usually just be a matter of agreeing to any extra services you may need or dropping any you don’t need.
6. Resilience
IT service providers are in the business of setting up professional IT infrastructures. Thus, in most cases their data centres will be more robust than those of an SME with a strict budget. In case of an incident you are more likely to keep some functionality and have issues resolved efficiently.
7. Power Saving
By using external data centres and virtual platforms you save a lot of energy. Running your own servers actively consumes a lot of it. This translates into higher energy bills. When you use an MSP and their cloud services you are offloading a lot of those costs.
Conclusion
Using managed IT services is an effective way for SMEs to access expertise at an affordable price. MSPs provide improved scalability, reliability and up-to-date technology, ensuring your business can remain productive with minimal downtime.
When choosing an MSP, opt for one you can trust. Look for a provider like Globe2 Ltd that has a proven track record of helping businesses like yours and an excellent reputation for customer support.
