What To Look For In A MSP

Many small and medium sized businesses (SMB’s) find themselves in the unenviable position of having to limp along with inadequate IT resources. Putting a team of in-house IT professionals on their payroll is prohibitively expensive, and recruitment of IT staff is difficult at best in today’s economy and hiring environment.

The challenge of the current market means that for many SMB’s, outsourcing IT services makes a lot of sense. But there are a ton of Managed Services Providers (MSP’s) out there vying for your business. How do you know which one is right for your organization?

Virginia Business Systems is a trusted MSP for hundreds of SMB’s in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and we have curated several tips to help you decide which MSP is best for your company.

1) Do you have clarity on why you need an MSP or why you want to partner with a new technology provider?

Ask yourself these questions: Do you have a current MSP? If you don’t have one, have you thought about what you want in an MPS? If you have an MSP, why are you looking to switch? Are you unhappy with the level of service you have received from your current MSP? Do you think you are paying too much for what you get? Have they been slow to respond when you have a problem? Do they have the breadth and depth of expertise to effectively support your business?

One way to be better prepared to answer these questions is to document your IT infrastructure. It will help give you the clarity you need to understand the scope of services you will need from your MSP.

2) Does your current MSP take the time to ask good questions, and do they really listen to your answers?

3) What kind of support do they have?

Any MSP worth it’s salt should offer options for on-site support as well as remote support. Remote support can save your company a lot of time and money, since a remote support engineer can log in and solve many problems without having to travel to your location. You also know that there are always going to be problems that are best solved on premise in real time.

4) How long have they been in business?

Are you willing to put your IT operation into the hands of some company that just got started in business? Worried that the young kid they sent over to fix your backups will be over his head? One of the best things you can do is check out their BBB ratings and feedback. Also, ask them for reference from companies that are similar in in size, scope, or industry to your company. Ask them tough questions. You will be glad you did your homework.