6 Signs Your Business Needs A New Managed Service Provider

IT has become a core component to most modern businesses, especially those handling important client data. If you’re a mid-size company or bigger, you probably have an IT department. Whether it’s a few experts or a whole team, IT handles the technical issues of a business, whatever this entails. In some cases, companies outsource this to a Managed Service Provider, a third party handling your IT needs. This has its benefits; however, no MSP is perfect. If you currently feel like you MSP is not performing to standards, here are a few things to look out for when considering whether a change is needed.

1. An unpredictable budget

Often you have an MSP to cut costs and work on production. Less focus on small technical problems means on site productivity increases. Often, an MSP has a predictable, stable budget which helps factor fiscal predictions. But when costs just keep changing and things get more expensive, or you can’t get a beat on what your projections look like, it could be a sign your MSP isn’t worth the investment.

2. Unresolved IT issues

Problems shouldn’t be mounting with an MSP, and if you find your services are down to a slog because the third party hasn’t gotten around to dealing with them, it’s clear you’ve got to move on. For whatever reasons, you absolutely must get the service your business pays for. It’s especially apparent if you encounter redundant or repetitive issues. No band aids here. Get the full fix.

3. Not identifying business needs

Outsourced IT and service providers need to respond to the needs of your company. If you need to offload software requirements into cloud emulation, they should handle this. If you need them to simply host email services on their servers, it shouldn’t be a point to contest. An MSP which doesn’t respond to the needs of your company isn’t really a great match, more or less just a middle man.

4. Poor response and communication

Your business may run into issues which need immediate attention. A good third-party will address these issues as quickly as possible. But, if you’re dealing with slow response times and lagging communication between solutions and error, this is a problem. A good MSP will work towards immediate solutions, while a cheaper, overwhelmed MSP will have issues all the way through.

5. Vague terms and pricing

An MSP needs to be upfront with you about the costs you’ll incur with their service. Even if they are high, the honesty is important as it allows you to form proper budget plans. Sudden spikes in monthly bills which an MSP conveniently glossed over are a big problem and should be avoided. While not all third party clients emphasize security options since they focus on IT tasks, if you deal with sensitive client data, it is imperative your MSP has options. A lack of clarity about this is a warning sign and grounds to seek a different third party.

For more information on MSP’s and options for your company, please contact us at 877.599.3999 or sales@trafficjams.com

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