Does my business need an IT Managed Service Provider (MSP)?
We are in an age where every business needs to be agile and adaptable. The question that must be asked do I have the time, money, and effort required to run an efficient IT system?
The reality for many SME businesses is that they are falling behind. Rather than taking this business-critical exercise on the solution could be to partner with a professional and established IT managed service provider (MSP).
This blog will overview what an MSP is, what the benefits are, whether you should partner with one, and what to look for when choosing an MSP.
What is an MSP?
An MSP is an outsourced service responsible for the administration and management of a particular service. In our case, we focus on IT MSPs. These can cover a range of IT-related solutions, ie day-to-day support (help desk), Cybersecurity, Digital Transformation, business continuity & disaster recovery (DR).
Once you select an MSP, they can have as little or as much input on your IT as needed and a required to ensure your business is IT compliant and cyber secure. You may need the entire suite of services or a particular service. Engaging with an MSP such as Kogo will allow the flexibility to customise a solution that meets your specific business needs.
Benefits of an MSP
The benefits of partnering with an MSP will be determined and guided by your business needs and requirements.
Cost-effective
One of the key benefits is that an MSP can contribute to significant savings.
- Significantly reduce the upfront cost of building an IT infrastructure. This is particularly beneficial for start-ups and smaller businesses.
- Recruitment cost is almost non-existent when working with an MSP. Instead of hiring a team of IT support staff or engineers in house, you will (usually) pay one flat fee to an MSP that includes all the staff you could need.
- vCIO service on a consultancy fee basis, significantly less costly than paying an annual salary for an in-house It Director. A critical service to facilitate long term planning and IT strategy
- MSP and client partnership to develop an IT strategy that will help plan for IT expenditure over a period thereby minimising unexpected costs.
Expertise
Access to a large IT team’s vast knowledge and experience. As a service provider to multiple clients, it is unlikely your MSP will come across an issue that they have not previously seen before and will find a solution to the issue quickly and effectively.
Scalability
Scalability for an SME business is a competitive advantage. Especially, if you are planning or already in a growth phase. By planning, project managing and procuring hardware and software your MSP ensures your business maintains productivity and reduces downtime whether scaling up or down.
Trend Visibility
MSPs provide services to a wide range of businesses in various industries, this gives them the opportunity to be the first to spot trends or new technology, applications and even threats. Sharing this knowledge, your MSP will ensure your business is up to date and protected.
Business Continuity
A crucial benefit of an MSP is that of disaster recovery (DR) and crisis management. Cyberattacks are increasingly frequent, more sophisticated and more aggressive.
An MSP will provide you with regular backup, off-site storage, crisis management and disaster recovery solutions. In the event of a cyber breach (any type), your MSP will take control and work with you to restore and recover your lost data/information/hardware and software quickly and effectively.
24/7/365 monitoring and support
Many MSPs offer 24/7/365 monitoring and support. Many cyber-attacks happen out of business hours and over holiday periods, such as Christmas, as malicious actors know fewer people/no one working will notice that the attack is taking place.
This service is invaluable, as very few businesses can monitor their IT 24/7 or have IT personnel available for support 24/7.
Avoid expensive downtime
Whether your business is relocating, expanding, implementing new software, hardware and updates, ultimately transforming your digital environment, or experiencing a cyberattack, you can rely on your MSP to work in the background to minimise expensive downtime.
Security
Cyber threats are evolving constantly and becoming more sophisticated and less detectable by security solutions. Your MSP will stay up to date with the latest security threats, implementing proactively sourced solutions for your businesses before an incident can occur. A good MSP will have access to the latest security solutions and have access to the best security providers.
It is good practice to work with your MSP to undertake security audits and vulnerability scans on a planned basis. By so doing you increase visibility across your IT infrastructure and highlight weaknesses that need to be prioritised and addressed.
Do I need an MSP?
You do not have a dedicated IT team/staff:
Many SME’s do not have a dedicated, trained, and experienced IT staff. Usually, you’ll find a computer-savvy person whose primary role is not in IT and does the IT function ‘part time’. Assume your network is compromised. The result.. client data is stolen. Who takes charge and control of the situation?
IT is at the core of you running a successful business and entrusting this responsibility to someone who has limited knowledge of how to implement and manage an IT infrastructure properly will significantly reduce business productivity scalability and open your business up to a plethora of cyber threats.
You want to save money/ you do not have enough money to hire a dedicated team:
If your business does not have the budget or is too small hire a dedicated team of IT professionals or is looking to save money on IT-related costs. In this case, an MSP is for you!!!!
You’ve experienced an attempt or successful cyberattack.
Worst case scenario. Your business is targeted and there is an attempted cyber-attack, especially a successful attack. In this case, your MSP will work with you to offer solutions that protect your business from future events. Cyberattacks can be detrimental to a business; it can cost thousands of pounds to recover data and information. In addition, you may need to replace and update hardware and software.
Your MSP will regularly audit your business assessing weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
What to look for in an MSP
Every MSP differs and depending on your business needs will depend on what qualities of an MSP is important to you.
Sone of the important attributes when looking for an MSP:
- Support/Help desk
- Fast response time
- Layered cybersecurity solutions
- Scalable support
- A proven track record
- Digital Transformation/ Cloud migration services
- Accreditations, certifications, and a good reputation
- Options tailored to your specific business needs
Why choose Kogo:
We are a B2B IT support and Cybersecurity company for small to medium businesses. We know first-hand that every business is different and as a result has different needs. This is why we tailor-make our packages to specially fit your unique needs, allowing full protection and IT support even as your business continues to grow.
We believe in a layered security approach and give free consultations and advice on which solutions best fit your business. With our highly qualified and continuously trained technical and support teams, offering you 24/7 support. Alongside our technical teams, our professional and dedicated account managers ensure your every need is met.
We know just how catastrophic a data breach or faulty server could be to any business and feel strongly that no one should ever have to go through having their years and years of hard work destroyed. We believe in a strong relationship with our clients and see ourselves as an extension of your business.
If you are considering or looking for an MSP and would like to learn more on how Kogo can help your business, get in touch with our Kogo team on 01342 333000 or contact us at sales@kogo.co.uk
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