Editor's note: This post was originally published on September 4, 2020 and has been revised for clarity and comprehensiveness.
Are your IT costs spiraling out of control with no clear solution in sight? Could a managed IT service provider (MSP) be the answer to your ballooning IT spending?
Discover the true value of MSPs and if – or when – they make financial sense.
As an MSP, we at Intelligent Technical Solutions (ITS) want businesses to get every drop of value from our services. Part of getting that value is knowing the real situations an MSP helps with, so we created this article to discuss these situations.
By the end of this article, you'll know if an MSP is a smart investment for your company.
1. When you have recurring IT challenges
IT should be boring.
If your IT department looks like an action movie, with your team perpetually in crisis mode—constantly dealing with equipment breaking down or communication failures that lead to missed important interactions—it’s time to consider an MSP.
MSPs specialize in proactive monitoring and maintenance, which involves identifying and resolving potential issues before they become serious problems. This proactive approach helps with smoother, uninterrupted operations.
Look at it this way: would you rather deal with constant irritating problems, or prevent them from happening in the first place?
2. When you must follow IT regulations
Regardless of your industry, you have IT regulations to follow. However, stricter IT regulations apply to businesses in sectors like healthcare, law, or finance, making it even more important to have compliance experts on hand.
Some regulations you may need to follow are:
- CMMC 2.0 (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification)
- HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
- PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)
- SOC 2 (Service Organization Control 2)
- FTC Safeguards Rule
Failure to meet requisite IT regulations can result in severe legal and financial repercussions, depending on the severity of the violation.
Luckily, MSPs make it their business to know the ins and outs of these compliance needs. They conduct thorough assessments to identify gaps in compliance and implement necessary measures to address them.
They also ensure that all systems, processes, and data handling practices align with current regulations and drastically reduce the risk of non-compliance and potential fines.
Plus, a quality MSP will also have thorough documentation and reporting capabilities that save you from huge headaches during audits. They maintain detailed records of all compliance-related activities, such as security measures, access controls, and incident response plans.
With a managed IT partnership, you can focus on your core operations while your IT infrastructure still meets all regulatory demands. You deftly avoid legal penalties and improve your overall cybersecurity.
3. When you have unpredictable IT spending
Relying solely on in-house or break-fix IT services often leads to unpredictable IT costs. In-house IT departments are susceptible to staff fluctuations and upfront hardware procurement and maintenance costs.
Meanwhile, break-fix IT services incur unexpected costs only with unforeseen technical problems. They’re pay-as-you-go, with sky’s-the-limit price tags entirely dependent on the urgency of your technical issue.
However, MSPs have completely overcome this problem: they center their entire business around stable and reliable IT. They have consistent monthly costs, which keeps your IT budget predictable.
You get access to a broader range of IT services, will no longer need extensive internal IT staff, and lower your associated costs of salaries, benefits, and training.
RELATED: A Complete Guide to Planning Your IT Budget
4. When your IT department doesn’t have enough experts on hand
While many businesses believe their internal IT team can handle all their needs, reality’s often a different story. Sometimes, you just can’t find enough IT specialists. Sometimes, they’re out of your budget. Sometimes, your experts retire, resign, or get swamped with other work.
With their multiple teams on hand, MSPs don’t have this problem. You’ll have access to IT specialists on holidays, weekends, and at 2:00 am – whenever you need them, they’re there.
This is particularly valuable in emergencies, such as cyberattacks or system failures, where having quick access to the right experts reduces downtime and potential data loss.
Services like these can make the difference between a full system shutdown and a quick, solvable glitch.
5. When you’re fighting against cyber threats and security incidents
If your business has experienced phishing attacks or ransomware threats, it’s a sign you’d benefit from getting managed IT.
Some MSPs specialize in advanced security protocols and implement multi-layered zero-trust protocols to protect your network, data, and systems from future attacks. For example, they have:
- 24/7 security monitoring and rapid response teams
- Enterprise-level security software
- Multiple on-hand cybersecurity experts
- Regular security assessments, training, and compliance management
They also practice incident response planning, preparing them for possible breaches.
Want more information about managed IT costs?
From chronic IT crises to compliance issues in regulated industries, MSPs offer tailored solutions that solve these problems.
MSPs help stabilize IT costs, enhance security measures, provide expert resources on demand, and ensure continuous compliance with industry regulations. Outsourcing IT management to an MSP allows you to focus on your core objectives without the added stress of IT-related issues.
And that sounds great – but how much does it cost?
At ITS, we pride ourselves on our price transparency. While other companies hide their costs, we have a pricing calculator you can use right now – for free, no sign-up required – to get a personalized quote for managed IT services.
But if you want more information about managed IT, like its costs, benefits, and disadvantages, check out these free resources:
- How Much Does Managed IT Cost? (5 Price Factors) [Updated]
- A Guide to Understanding MSP Pricing Models for Cost-Efficient IT [eBook]
- 4 Signs You Don’t Need Managed IT (& 3 Easy Alternatives)