Why Your MSP Should be the Support Service You Retain at All Costs

The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to major economic consequences and the effects are likely to be felt by many businesses for months and even years to come. Naturally, when facing an uncertain economic future, you may need to look to cut costs and this means evaluating what is necessary, and what you can live without.

However, one of the support services you should retain at all costs is that of a managed service provider. In this post, we will explore some of the main benefits and explain why this is an IT support service you cannot be without.

Cyber Security and Data Protection

On a basic level, one of the main advantages of working with an MSP relates to gaining extra protection against the various cyber security threats that exist, as well as internal security issues related to human error.

As an article from Norton points out, cyber threats are evolving all the time. It is no longer sufficient to be aware of issues like viruses, malware and phishing, because modern threats extend to include ransomware attacks, DDoS attacks, AI-powered cyber-attacks, identification fraud, social engineering attacks, and more.

Working with a managed service provider is one of the best ways to contend with the constantly changing nature of cyber security issues. After all, companies specialising in cyber security have the required level of expertise and are able to dedicate sufficient time to learning about the very latest threats and the best solutions.

An MSP can also be invaluable when it comes to protecting company data and devising a reliable disaster recovery strategy. This may mean going beyond standard data backups and using things like infrastructure virtualisation.

Furthermore, businesses are obligated to keep customer and employee data secure and there are a growing number of regulations connected to this issue, making it more and more complex. By retaining the services of an MSP, however, you can help to transfer some of the responsibility for compliance to a team that understands the relevant legislation.

Network Infrastructure and the Cloud

Managed service providers are often extremely helpful when it comes to optimising your network infrastructure and this has never been more important than in the current climate, where businesses are having to embrace concepts like remote working, while trying to limit associated risks. Meanwhile, MSPs can also help with cloud computing demands.

While cloud storage and cloud data backups are an important component, statistics published by Statista suggest that as much as half of the total cloud computing market's revenue stems from software as a service (SaaS) solutions.

Here at Fifosys, one of the major services we offer is deployment of Microsoft Office 365 and we are a dependable Microsoft partner, with ample experience in helping businesses to implement cloud-based productivity solutions. This level of expertise can be extremely useful to have available on demand, whereas it may not necessarily be financially viable to employ individuals who are experts in this field on full-time contracts, especially if you are cutting costs.

Productivity and Reduced IT Costs

Another major benefit of working with a managed service provider - and one which is often overlooked - is the ability to free up your own in-house IT team to work on the front-end systems that are most important to your day-to-day business operations. This can be achieved by having your chosen MSP handle all of the back-end aspects.

Examples of back-end IT functions include things like software upgrades, patch installations, network monitoring and performance optimisation. If you do not retain the IT support service offered by an MSP, this work will need to be handled in-house, potentially making your own IT staff significantly less productive.

On top of this, an MSP can save you money in other ways. For instance, with your own in-house team, you are going to have financial obligations, such as paying sick pay, holiday pay, training costs and employee benefits, whereas these do not apply when you are outsourcing work to a third-party.

With an MSP, you also only pay for the services you use and these services are usually fully scalable, meaning the extent of the services and the amount you pay can change as your business grows or downsizes.

The Last Word

The coronavirus pandemic has put many SMEs in jeopardy and it is likely you will be looking for ways to cut costs to contend with the financial uncertainty. However, the potential consequences of things going wrong with IT systems mean that it is crucial that you do everything in your power to maintain the support of your MSP. It is the one support service you should retain at all costs.