There’s absolutely no doubting the fact that the advanced world of information technology has provided many significant benefits to the business world. Automation increased marketing exposure and seamless sales processes are only a few of the many advantages that technology provides to business operations.
However, one of the negative side effects of leveraging advanced IT services in your company is the level of complexity that goes into IT management. That’s why more and more businesses today are finding themselves turning towards a service provider to manage their technology requirements.
In this article, we’ll help you with this process as you search for the right managed service provider for your needs. Here are five things you need to know as you embark on this journey.
1. Know Network Availability
Your employees may go home at the end of the day, but your network can’t! Each second of downtime costs your business money. Research shows that the average cost of a single minute of downtime is well over $5,000 per minute.
Thus, when you pick a managed service provider to support your business, you must pick one that has a reputation for excellent network availability and uptime. Your networks must be available 24/7, all days of the year.
2. Evaluate Industry Expertise
The next thing to remember is that all service providers were not created equal. Some have more experience supporting business operations in specific industries. For instance, if your company is in the film industry, then you want to choose only from the best MSPs for film, or you may find that they are not well-versed in one of the technical operations that you need for your company’s day-to-day workings.
3. Check Scope of Customer Support
One of the most significant aspects of any kind of IT service is customer support. Technology is still at a point where network-related issues can pop up all the time, especially if prompted by user error. Before you sign a contract, you should ensure that the scope of customer support offered by the service provider matches what your in-house team will require.
4. Analyze Billing Structure
Different service providers charge in different ways for their services. Some charge flat monthly fees, while others have rates according to network usage. Which one does your finance team prefer? Make sure to loop them in on your final decision
5. Test Security Measures
Last but certainly not least, cybersecurity is uber-important in a world where those with nefarious individuals are only a few keystrokes away from accessing your private data. Evaluate and test the service provider’s security measures so that you know that your data and operations will be safe in their hands.
Hire the Right Service Provider, the First Time
Hiring a managed service provider is an expensive process. Thus, it’s important that you get it right the first time. With these five tips, you’re well on your way towards doing exactly that.
For more business advice, be sure to take some time to check out the rest of the articles on the website!
