If you’re like most business owners, you’re always looking for ways to improve your company. You may have heard about managed service providers (MSPs) and the benefits they can offer businesses like yours. But you may be wondering, “How can a managed service provider near me help my business?” In this article, we will answer that question and provide some information about what MSPs do and how they can help your business grow.
MSPs provide a wide range of IT services that can help businesses improve their efficiency and productivity. For example, MSPs can help businesses with data backup and recovery, network security, email and website hosting, and much more. In addition to providing these services, MSPs also monitor and manage your IT systems 24/7 to ensure that they are always running smoothly. This can free up your time so that you can focus on other aspects of your business.
Security
There are many ways an MSP can improve your company’s performance. To start, a good MSP can offer better security for your data than an individual IT support employee. At this moment in time, all elements of your technological portfolio are fair game for being targeted. In fact, according to TechJury.net email is responsible for nearly 94% of all malware. Considering the day-to-day importance of a simple tool like email, this is a monumental concern for most businesses.
Your MSP will work with you to identify the largest areas of data safety risk for your business and implement strategies to protect your networks from malware and cyberattacks. A managed service provider can also provide guidance for your employees on how to protect themselves on an individual basis. Teaching employees how to identify phishing emails or other social engineering tricks can save your company both time and money in the long run.
Not only can an MSP protect you, but in the event of a security breach, you’ll need an experienced team to recoup your losses. With more and more cyberattacks happening daily, you can’t ignore the importance of security via an MSP.
Cost
Bringing in an MSP can seem like a costly move. However, the reality is that hiring a dedicated IT employee will cost you more in the long run. When looking at the initial cost of managing your own networks, keep in mind that you’re also paying for hardware, in addition to the employee’s salary. When outsourcing to an MSP you will be saving money. Employee salary and benefits will be much more expensive than an MSP.
In the past, you may have needed two IT technicians to handle your networks, or even a small department to manage your infrastructure. In addition to salaries, think of the time and resources spent on training and onboarding a full time employee. With an MSP, you get the knowledge and experience of a full team so you no longer need to hire multiple people to get the maximum benefits.
Support
Before the days of MSPs you would have to wait for business hours to resume to resolve any issues. However, the majority of managed service providers will now offer 24/7 support. This is a huge benefit of MSPs over internal IT staff. Data breaches don’t always happen during business hours, and you shouldn’t have to wait for support, either.
Imagine you’re working late and notice something suspicious. You can call your MSP and get help right away. This just isn’t possible with employees if your IT employees have already left for the day.
Another important benefit to working with MSPs is the real-time notifications they can offer. When a security breach occurs, if you are not in the office, your MSP can notify you immediately. This saves you valuable time and you won’t arrive at work the next day without prior knowledge of the cyberattack.
There are also daily tasks that your business may need assistance with, like managing company directories and user access. An effective MSP will have staff ready to troubleshoot with your employees if an issue arises. Gone are the days of waiting for your IT technician to do something simple like a password reset. Now all you need is your MSP.
Expertise
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a full-time expert on your team? With a managed service provider you will. One of the biggest benefits of partnering with an MSP is their ability to hire and offer experts. You no longer need to weed out people depending on their experience and certifications.
MSPs are on the rise and the demand is growing. An effective MSP can hire the best of the best from the market today, and this expertise is then passed directly to you and your business.
If you’re interested in learning more, contact TAG Solutions today. We are the Albany, New York area’s top MSP and looks forward to helping your business.