We’ve seen many scenarios in which an organization is considering switching to a managed services provider. Maybe their current internal department can’t handle the workload of their growing business, their IT Director leaves, or they aren’t getting the level of expertise and strategic planning they need.
However, with the need to switch comes reservations. It can feel daunting. Here are three top concerns about switching to a managed services provider, and why they aren’t as big of a deal as some may think.
On-site Assistance
Many companies who switch from internal IT to a managed services provider are concerned about no longer having someone onsite to assist users with any issues that arise. However, we have found that the root of this concern can easily be solved by re-training your employees.
What’s most appealing to your employees is that they can walk down the hallway to Mr. IT Person’s office and interrupt what he’s currently working on to get help right at that moment. If you were constantly interrupted daily, hourly, or by the minute, would you ever accomplish the larger picture priorities that really move the needle?
Frankly, most common end user issues, like printer problems or password resets, can be taken care of remotely within 15 minutes. An onsite person is not required all the time. And, many MSP contracts provide onsite assistance as required so you will still get onsite service for issues that require it, with engineers being dispatched as timely as possible for your particular situation (just ensure this is part of your contract!).
If this is still a big concern for you, there are certain cases where an organization may consider keeping one or two internal IT individuals, as they can work well with your new MSP.
Cost
Managed services pricing is different than having an internal department in many ways. The most obvious way is that you pay a flat monthly fee rather than salaries and benefits. Depending on your organization’s needs, hiring an MSP can be more expensive than your existing internal department.
However, as a small to medium sized business, you have to look at the services received vs just cost. An MSP typically covers a lot more areas of IT and provides more expertise, since you have access to tens or hundreds of engineers who have deep levels of expertise, not just a handful.
In addition, a major consideration is turnover in the IT space. The average tenure of an IT person is around 3 years. So consider how much it costs to find a new person (and the delta of when the current person leaves to when a new one starts), cost to hire and train that new individual, cost of salary and benefits, and then costs of doing that every 3 years. Plus the time of an in-house HR person to recruit that individual and/or the costs of having an outside firm hire for you. All in, you are likely better off paying a bit extra to an MSP that handles all of that for you.
Migration to a Managed Services Provider
Some organizations are concerned about the process of moving their technology to an MSP. This is probably one of the bigger misconceptions. Any MSP worth their salt will have a very detailed onboarding process that examines your current technological environment and understands it fully in order to make the transition as seamless as possible. They will provide a 60 to 90 day framework, and then move on to a 3 to 5 year strategy to optimize your technology.
Switching to a managed services provider has many components. However, your decision to switch doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. The considerations above should help put your mind at ease about making the switch, and stepping into a new era of proper technology strategy for your organization.
It’s important to complete your due diligence on the MSP when it comes to transitioning and we recommend speaking to a few references who recently went through the transition as they can typically highlight any positive areas or areas for improvement to consider as the transition is made with your new partner.
