The Business Benefits Of Using A Managed Service Provider (msp)

By Author: James Walker
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Owners and managers of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) often find themselves drawn away from their core business building and management activities to take care of network outages, server malfunctions, viruses and other classic headache inducers. Sometimes there's an overworked IT employee to help, sometimes there isn't. Yet the problems persist.

Of course, most every SMB wants to grow up to be an RBB (Really Big Business). As a business gets bigger, it needs more IT support, but on top of that, it begins to need different kinds of IT support. Timely, targeted and tech-correct IT support is absolutely critical. There is a certain point in a modern business's growth where managing the IT hardware, maintaining all the systems and "optimizing the infrastructure" start getting complicated, and that's not even considering the many ever-changing security issues.

Does in-house IT make sense?

Naturally, larger and wealthier firms can handle the their business computers, servers, networks and all the associated malfunctions and security issues by creating and staffing an IT department. For an SMB, of course, ...
... this decision-and the ongoing dollar commitment it represents-is much harder to justify.

Even if the financial hurdle can be cleared, and the firm can afford the best IT person around, there is no way of knowing if it will work out. IT professionals are somewhat notorious for moving on to better-paying positions as they add to their stack of Cisco, Microsoft and Novell certifications. Sometimes it seems that it's easier to maintain the computers than maintain the IT employee.

An MSP for an SMB

Fortunately for the SMBs out there, a cost-effective alternative to self-supported computer systems is now available in the form of "Managed Service Providers," or MSPs. An MSP manages IT support and network security for its clients, normally via remote (Internet) monitoring but with on-site personnel as needed. Many of these companies are quite professional and affordable, while the services they provide are scalable and customizable to suit the needs of various firms.

The most important concept to grasp is that you don't call your MSP to "fix problems." MSPs work in a proactive manner, continuously monitoring your systems to prevent the occurrence of problems, even the possible forerunners of future problems, rather than fixing them after they've cost you time or money.

What MSPs do

MSPs will tailor a suitable service package that suits your business in the best possible way, both technically and financially. There are as many kinds of service contracts and pricing structures as can be negotiated by today's business people, but many MSP contracts are annual while others are month-to-month. A MSP typically offers desktop, server and network management/maintenance services covering

- virtual private networks (VPN);
- defense against viruses, spyware and other threats;
- regular, automated data backup and recovery;
- patch updates, asset management, software installation/distribution; and
- laptops, notebooks, WAN, network storage and wireless networks.

Service options normally include remote via Internet and/or on-site management when needed, plus on-call service visits within a specified distance or timeframe. These arrangements depend to some extent on the client's location in relation to the MSP's.

How you benefit

Getting a contract with a well established, reputable MSP confers numerous benefits on your business, but the single most valuable one is the availability of an "exponentially increased talent pool." What this means in practice is that your company gains the expertise of IT technicians who have accumulated a huge amount of specialized knowledge by working for numerous clients simultaneously. They have literally "seen it all," and have a huge reservoir of solutions gained through concurrent service to multiple organizations, with which they can quickly resolve problems.

The additional business benefits of using an MSP are as follows:

- You get the entire package of benefits at an affordable cost with set monthly fees.
- You avoid the headache of staffing and managing another department.
- Your MSP will solve 80% of common computer and network problems by its preventative maintenance.
- The 24/7 remote monitoring and troubleshooting, with available telephone and on-line support (plus on-site visits if needed), ensure your safety.
- Your MSP will prevent actual threats from occurring, and potential ones from becoming actualized, via its automated, real-time, remote monitoring procedures in concert with systematic patching and "vulnerability scans."
- Your MSP can act as a liaison with other vendors, providing you another possible low-cost source for hardware and software purchases.

Technology is progressing daily, which is the same rate at which it is becoming more difficult to manage. With the Internet now a permanent fixture in the networking landscape, security threats are evolving with additional speed and malevolence, becoming hard to handle without more specialized support. If you can work out a good deal with an MSP, you can get back to your main activity, growing your business, while your hired guns can hunt down the hackers and maintain law and order on your network.
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Avoid expensive repairs and recovery costs. At Future Trends.com our network monitoring and maintenance will save you money by preventing expensive network disasters from ever happening in the first place. Visit us online for any los angeles it or computer consulting.