Small- and medium-sized businesses can experience many changes during a year. While you are busy growing your enterprise, your technology needs will also expand. Instead of ignoring your IT needs or overloading your internal IT department — if you have one — consider hiring a managed service provider (MSP).
An MSP is highly beneficial for companies of any size because the service will take care of all of your business’s computers, servers, networks, and the rest of your technology infrastructure. Despite the service’s usefulness, choosing a managed service provider can be challenging.
Consider the following factors to help you choose the best managed IT, service providers, in McKinney, TX.
Why Invest In A Managed Service Provider
By working with a managed service provider, you will have the freedom to focus on running and growing your business while experienced IT professionals take care of the company’s technical aspects. The MSP can work with your in-house IT team or act as the business’s sole IT department, which is excellent for small enterprises that cannot afford a large IT division.
Though hiring a managed service provider will add to the business’s operating expenses, the service’s benefits will outweigh the costs. With an MSP, your business will have a stronger IT security infrastructure, better regulatory compliance, and increased efficiency. You will also have access to IT knowledge and advice from industry experts.
How To Choose A Managed Service Provider
Hiring an MSP may appear simple, but not all managed service providers are the same. To ensure that you select the appropriate provider for your business, look for these essential features.
Industry experience
Since technology is constantly evolving, IT professionals should undergo regular training to expand their knowledge. However, it is always a good idea to work with an MSP with sufficient experience in your particular industry.
Industry experience allows the IT team to foresee unique situations and circumstances that could affect your business’s operations in the future and create reliable solutions. For instance, managed service providers that work primarily with accounting firms may not be the best to handle the needs of foodservice companies.
Availability
Whether your business operates within standard business hours or not, your company’s computer systems will be up and running 24/7. An in-house IT department might not have the means to take care of the network and servers or address problems after hours. However, an MSP that offers 24-availability ensures that your system will have constant monitoring.
Years in the industry
Sometimes business owners try to save on costs by hiring new managed service providers with cheaper rates than established providers. Your company should have an MSP that has years of managed IT experience. Longevity usually equates to reliability and quality, so check prospective providers’ references and press releases to determine how long they have been around and the quality of their work.
Response time
Sensitive data loss, client dissatisfaction, and loss of business credibility are some of the consequences of ignoring network issues. Any MSP you hire should be available 24/7 and have fast response times to address problems and tend to your network’s needs. Always look for a managed service provider that offers a guaranteed response time.
Insurance
You might not think insurance is a necessary asset for an MSP. However, reputable managed service providers have coverage in case costly mistakes occur. By working with a provider with a current insurance policy, you can be confident you will not be financially liable for errors the MSP makes.
Billing structure
Hiring a managed service provider will require payment on your end. Providers that charge by the hour can quickly rack up costly bills, so look for an MSP that offers flat fees for most, if not all, of the services you need. Providers that offer flat rates tend to make sure they perform their tasks correctly the first time.
Contract terms
Some managed IT service contracts contain strict terms that might not benefit a growing business. Ideally, it is best to seek flexible agreements that allow you to remove or add service without incurring high penalties. Flexibility is vital to business scalability, which is essential for growth.
Disaster recovery planning
Weather catastrophes, criminal cyberattacks, and network outages can be detrimental to a business. A dependable managed service provider will help your business protect its data against future issues and have plans to ensure that the company can quickly recover from any disaster affecting its technology.
Local on-site support
A local MSP is better than outsourcing IT services because local providers can offer on-site assistance. If you do not have an internal IT department, have inexperienced staff, or have unique technical situations, a local MSP offering in-house services can address your business’s needs with on-site support.
Employee support from managed service provider
Your IT team also needs support. Any managed service provider you hire should have excellent customer service skills and exceptional IT knowledge to respond to technical questions and quickly resolve problems. Your in-house staff will become more skilled with the proper employee support, and tech issues will have prompt resolutions.
Daily backups and cloud services
Some managed service providers offer daily system backups and cloud services, which are excellent for keeping vital data secure. Any MSP you select should provide consistent automatic backups to remote servers.
Receive Comprehensive Managed IT Services For Your Business Today
Now that you know how to choose a managed service provider, turn to Network Elites. As a highly experienced CPA team with expertise in managed IT services, our consultants offer customizable solutions to fit our clients’ needs. We take the time to evaluate your business’s tech needs to create viable plans at an exceptional value that will help you grow your business.
The Network Elites team consists of software and hardware experts, cloud specialists, and business consultants, and you will have access to everyone. We work with small- and medium-sized businesses as well as major corporations. Contact one of our team members today to get started or learn more about managed IT services.
