808-756-0221A Managed Service Provider (MSP) can provide your company with cost-effective, reliable computer network support. Here are 10 benefits to moving from an in-house to outsourced computer network support.
#1: Reliability
By definition, as a small business owner you are wearing dozens of different hats—CEO, research and product development manager and maybe CTO to boot—it’s easy to let things fall through the cracks. Take one important job off your plate and outsource network support, so you can be sure your IT investment is protected. A MSP will guarantee that your network is always functioning optimally and that crucial data is reliably backed up. And more importantly you know you have a trusted resource to call when something bad happens. Murphy’s law says it will always happen at the worst time. You need to be sure you have a resource you can count on to remedy the problem quickly.
#2: Cost
An MSP’s entire business is to provide top-quality service at a competitive rate. They draw on economies of scale, spreading the cost of building the best monitoring programs across all their clients. Because their business is managing computer networks, they can do it more efficiently than you can in-house. They are trained in IT systems and solutions and through their everyday experience can solve problems much faster that you can.
#3: Expertise
A small business can have difficulty staffing its IT department to meet the full range of its needs. MSPs, on the other hand, staff experts in dozens of platforms and technologies. To your business needs, they bring years of experience managing computer networks across industries. They know what works and what doesn’t. They’ll bring best practices to your computer network support to minimize downtime that causes productivity issues for your employees
#4: Optimize Your Human Capital
Don’t let your IT guys get bogged down in routine maintenance. Get the best return on your investment in human capital by leveraging their expertise for higher-level tasks, such as researching the best software products and services for your particular industry or charting the IT future of your company. Let the MSP monitor your computer network and support your employees to allow your IT staff/person focus on the big pitcture
#5: Cost Structure
Outsourcing your computer network support gives you a predictable cost structure since you have a monthly contract with the MSP. You know exactly what you’ll pay each month and the deliverable the MSP provides you and you amortize the cost of system improvements.
#6: Leveraging Advanced Technologies
As technologies for managing and supporting network systems improve, the MSP’s experts stay current, passing on those improvements to their clients. To stay competitive, their company invests in the knowledge that will benefit your business. They’ll be able to inform you when an important new product or service comes on the market or answer your questions on a technology you may be interested in.
#7: Security
Reputable MSPs monitor network security 24/7 through a remote Network Operations Center, which immediately reports any suspicious activity on your computer network. The MSP will ensure that your anti-virus and anti-malware programs are kept current, your backups are running smoothly as well as actively monitoring your system for any problems.
#8 Flexibility
Investing in physical or human capital is a long-term prospect that small business owners are justifiably anxious about. You invest your capital when you can be certain that the network system need will exist for an extended period of time and that the hardware, software, or employee is a perfect fit. In a growing or changing small business, you’re likely to be better off hiring a MSP on a monthly contract to provide services and workers for a need that might prove to be short term or for a service that you might later deem inessential. The MSP frees you from the danger of long term capital expenditures that might not pay off.
#9: Advice about Increasing Capacity
Small business owners wonder how they can best take advantage of the growing range of options for remote data storage and processing. Get some expert advice from a MSP on the possibilities and limitations of moving some of your processing from your network to the cloud. A good MSP will reach out to you a few times a year to discuss your business, and how your current systems are supporting it. Take advantage of this consultation to better understand your systems and options that could save you money or avoid a potential “gotcha” moment.
#10: Building a Relationship that Could Pay Dividends
Of course, if at any time you become unhappy with your MSP’s service, you can terminate the contract or not renew. Once you’ve found an MSP you trust, you’ll have an ally whose help can expand beyond the original computer network support. The MSP will have an incentive to retain a valued customer when your business needs to make a significant IT investment, such as a hardware upgrade, for example, or has a short-term need for extra data processing capacity. At each stage of your business, your trusted MSP can offer you valuable expertise and services.