Table of Contents
Topic Breakthrough
Debunking Managed Service Provider Myths
Facts/ Key Takeaway
Conclusion
FAQ
Outsourcing IT services is not a new concept. In fact, it has been around for decades now and continues to evolve with the changing times. Outsourcing IT services involves handing over some or all of your in-house IT staff and workload to a third party.
The extent of the outsourcing depends on your organization’s needs, resources, and business objectives. While this may seem like a straightforward process, there are many common misconceptions about outsourcing and managing IT services within an organization.
This article debunks those misconceptions, so you know exactly what you’re getting into when considering a managed IT services partner.
Debunking Managed Service Provider Myths
Myth 1 Managed IT Services Are Expensive
Busted: Managed IT services are not expensive. They can easily fit in the budget of SMBs as well. On top of that, it is an investment and in the long run, can save your company dollar bills. All you have to do is budget well and ensure transparent pricing.
Cost is always a big concern when it comes to any type of service, and that definitely includes managed IT services. You should always make sure that your prospective MSP is being completely transparent about their costs and how they charge.
Once you do sign a contract, your provider should go over all of the terms again with you, including the final price. However, it's important to remember that the contract is just one part of your overall IT budget. Some MSPs might not include after-hours service in their initial contract price, so you should factor that into your budget.
You should also budget for replacing or upgrading equipment. The expansion of your company may benefit greatly from the top-notch IT solutions provided by managed IT service providers. Not only that, but MSPs also assist in a 30% to 40% reduction in your ongoing internal expenditures. They provide you and your team more time to devote to your primary duties rather than IT issues.
Myth 2 Will Lose Control Over Your IT By Outsourcing
Busted: The majority of business owners have this misconception about outsourcing companies and IT-related solutions. Contrary to popular belief, working with an MSP won't mean you lose control over how your business operates.
How much decision-making power you want to give the supplier is entirely up to you. A detailed service-level agreement is required for every partnership with MSPs. Setting explicit expectations regarding control and power in various areas are mentioned in it. Also, the type of services to be provided and their sphere of influence, metrics for gauging effectiveness, and other things are made easier with the use of this.
As a result, you may specify your criteria in advance, talk about them, and select an MSP that satisfies them. Although they occasionally provide their client's comments and recommendations, trustworthy managed service providers never question their clients' authority.
Myth 3 All Managed IT Service Providers Are Same
Busted: While all services may appear to be the same, each MSP has a unique area of specialization. Knowing what duties and services you want for your company is essential before deciding on the appropriate supplier for you.
To begin, each MSP brings a somewhat different set of abilities and expertise to the table. There are MSPs that specialize in cybersecurity, MSPs that assist firms in making the transition to the cloud, and MSPs that do it all.
When you narrow your search to a certain category of managed services providers, you'll notice variations in the SLAs they provide, the industry best practices and standards they follow, and their readiness to fulfill your expectations.
Myth 4 Our Data May Be Jeopardized By MSPs
Busted: Well outsourcing any service may make business owners hesitant. They believe their data will be compromised and will be available to third parties. But this is not true. MSPs have the access that you provide them. On top of that, MSPs specializing in cybersecurity will protect your business from other threats.
Cybersecurity is one of today's trendiest tech buzzwords, yet it is critical for all businesses. An MSP may assist its clients by implementing cutting-edge protection and personnel training throughout the organization.
Other dangers that enterprises of all sizes must actively defend against include phishing, insider breaches, ransomware, assaults on IoT devices, and zero-day exploits. A cyber-savvy MSP may provide its customers with protections and hands-on training to keep these and other dangers at bay, reducing the likelihood of an expensive and reputation-damaging data breach.
Myth 5 SMBs Don't Require The Services Of MSPs
Busted: While major enterprises and medium-sized businesses were the first MSP clients, small businesses may also profit from managed IT services. Managed IT Services are for all, SMBs as well as large businesses. This myth stands false.
Small and medium-sized organizations may overlook managed services because they assume MSPs are only interested in partnering with giant corporations. This comes from the fact that, traditionally, corporations and huge organizations have been among the first to embrace new business techniques. Today, all firms must adopt digitization in order to compete, yet they have a limited set of resources to work with.
Key Takeaways
There are many myths about outsourcing IT services. Some believe that it’s not a cost-effective solution and you can’t reduce operating costs by outsourcing your company’s IT needs.
However, the truth is exactly the opposite. Outsourcing your company’s IT operations can help you save time, money, and resources.
You can also free up your team so they can focus more on strategically important things rather than menial tasks like managing user access or updating software versions across all of your company’s devices.
Conclusion
The final verdict from companies that have tried it? Outsourcing IT is not a once-and-done affair, but an ongoing process. The extent of the outsourcing will depend on the organization’s needs, resources, and business objectives. But the benefits are manifold: You get to focus on your business and not have to spend time on maintenance activities, which you can instead outsource to experts at a fraction of the time and cost it takes you as an in-house employee to do it.
We at iBovi are aware that for many businesses, managed IT services can be a time and resource-intensive task. In order to help your business be free from all burdens, we have designed our services. We walk you through every step of the services we provide, from planning and managing to realizing the value and reaping the rewards.
FAQs
Q. What Separates Managed Services from Outsourcing?
While managed services and outsourcing have certain things in common, their approaches and offerings are distinct. You receive the necessary technological and IT infrastructure help from experts in both fields. An MSP assists your company's IT over the long term, boosting your organization's overall IT posture.
A consultant service terminates with the installation of specific demand. An MSP proactively manages and administers the client's IT infrastructure and end-user systems. An IT consultant puts up the framework for the efficient use of IT. Managed services deal with the implementation necessary to run a certain application or service, whereas IT consulting focuses more on guidance.
Q. How Do I Pick The Best Managed Service Provider in the US?
It might be difficult to select one choice among the many offered in the US IT Managed Services market. Finding the best MSP, however, usually starts with a self-assessment that includes a review of any gaps that exist, potential areas for growth, how you use technology, and your overall IT posture. Once you've done this, you will know precisely what you desire. Finding a partner who perfectly matches your requirements comes next, followed by a review of their portfolio and market presence.
Q. What are the costs of managed IT services?
Because so many MSPs make it difficult to comprehend the services they provide, there is no such thing as "standardized pricing" for managed IT services. Your best choice is to locate the MSP that gives all-in, fixed-fee pricing without additional fees if you want to get the ideal MSP at the right price for your needs. But you can pay per service, by choosing which service you need.
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