5 Questions to Help Select Your Managed IT Services Provider

Picking a managed services provider is one of the biggest decisions a modern business can make. Managed IT Services Providers serve as partners, tech support personnel, and telecommunication aides for your company. Because this decision is so important, it is absolutely essential to make the right choice. Here are some things to look for in a managed services provider.

1: Do they have a single point of contact?

Your managed services provider needs to be easily accessible at all times. If anything goes wrong and you can’t get in touch with somebody quickly, your business could be significantly set back. Be sure that the provider you choose for you managed services has a single point of contact that can get you in touch with experts quickly. This will save you from having to go through a maze of different phone numbers, forwarded messages, and other hurdles.

2: How flexible is your Managed IT Services Provider

One of the signs of a good Managed IT Services Provider is a flexible continuum of service. Does your provider offer only one single package, or do they have different levels of services that can be tailored to your business? Even if a provider with a small array of choices meets your needs for now, you might want to be wary. Fewer choices offered now means less flexibility when your company expands in the future

3: What diagnostics tools does your MSP use?

By forming an agreement with this provider, you will be trusting that organization with the data and important files of your business. That means that any attacks or hacking attempts that come their way may affect your data. Before you form an agreement with a managed services provider, you should make sure that you know how your data will be protected. There should be strong encryption methods used, and regular diagnostic checks to keep out any Trojan viruses or worms. A provider who relies on freeware or bargain diagnostics is a much riskier investment than somebody who takes security seriously.

4: How in-depth are their analytic tools?

In addition to solid diagnostics and security, a managed services provider needs to be able to tell you useful information about the data you are storing. This can mean a variety of things to different businesses, but the most common analytics include a breakdown of common data usage, the speed at which certain files are retrieved, and how many users access a particular program or file in a given time span. This will allow you to identify potential problems before they become an issue.

5: How willing are they to work with you?

Is the organization willing to sit down with you and discuss the best possible solution? Are they willing to adjust their normal packages and price models to fit exactly what you need? The more flexible a Managed IT Services provider is, the better your chances of being able to work with them long-term. If a provider isn’t willing to adjust things now, how can you trust them to modify their plans in the future when your needs become even greater? The more you know about your Managed IT Services Provider, the better your working relationship will be. If your potential provider can answer these five questions to your satisfaction, you might have a long and prosperous future with them. [widgets_on_pages id=”Managed IT Services Posts”]