5 Reasons Why You Should Engage a Managed Service Provider

May 19, 2020

While some tasks can be handled internally, there are others that are better left to a third-party vendor. This certainly rings true when it comes to managing your services. A Managed Service Provider will provide you with the support and expertise you need to ensure the following are running successfully:

Infrastructure (IT Infrastructure): Physical, Virtual Machines, Storage, Network, Firewalls, …

Platform (Software Platform): Operating Systems, Web Servers, Databases, ESB, Big Data (Hadoop), DevOps

Solution (Business solution, IT function): CRM, ERP, Data Warehouse/Data Lake, Master Data Management, Reporting and Analytics, …

Here are five reasons why engaging a Managed Service Provider will help you ensure the stability, security, and efficiency of your operations.

1. Reduce Costs

One of the key benefits and also a common reason organizations decide to engage a Managed Service Provider is cost reduction. Firstly, you won’t have to hire resources with specific skills for IT projects, and your IT team will have more time for other tasks. Second, one of the main functions of a Managed Service Provider is producing a cost summary, enabling cost optimization. They will ensure you aren’t overspending on certain platforms or tools, and that you are only paying for what you need. Lastly, with managed services and 24/7 support, you will reduce downtime and business interruptions, minimizing losses.

2. Flexibility and Scalability

Scaling operations up or down internally can be extremely challenging. For example, as your staff works from home, your servers might be working at a high capacity, and you need to scale up. Purchasing servers is costly, and in a few months, you might want to scale down. Or perhaps you must run a one-time project which entails hiring resources with specific skillsets, and after the project, you will no longer require their support, so you must let them go. These kinds of time-consuming and costly situations can be circumvented with a Managed Service Provider as they are prepared to scale with your organization’s unique and evolving needs.

3. Expertise

Organizations invest in robust infrastructure, be it on-prem, cloud, or hybrid, as well as numerous platforms and tools, to ensure they can provide the best services and products for their customers. In the same way that your workforce has expertise in a given field, a Managed Service Provider has an experienced talent pool that can provide expertise in managing your systems. For optimal function, especially in the evolving business climate, in-depth knowledge, attention to detail, and years of experience is needed to ensure your infrastructure and platforms are protected, managed, and optimized. With an MSP, you can rest assured your operations are in good hands, so your workforce can continue to focus on value-added work.

4. Cyber Security and Recovery

Cyber-attacks have become extremely common, and the next cyber threat seems to be lurking around the corner, especially during these times of uncertainty, where companies seem to be at a greater risk than ever before. A Managed Service Provider offers numerous services that will help to protect your business. These include monitoring your networks, managing anti-virus protection, encrypting your data, and executing vulnerability assessments to find and address any areas which may be lacking. Unfortunately, with today’s continually evolving hacking methods, it is impossible to ensure 100% security. On top of attack prevention and security maintenance, your Managed Service Provider should have a recovery strategy in place, to mitigate downtime.

5. Enhanced Analytics and Reporting

Business insights are critical to ensuring success as they help you to identify weak points and inefficiencies so that you can strategically make improvements. With a Managed Service Provider, your data will be centralized, improving its quality and integrity across your organization. This will ensure your data is ready to be quickly and easily leveraged for numerous use cases and within various departments. With high-quality analytical capabilities and accurate reporting, you will be able to improve and optimize your processes.