10) Cost. Managed service providers (MSP) offer technical support and monitoring for a fraction of the cost a full-time IT employee or IT department.
9) Active monitoring. MSPs offer the unique benefit of software tools actively monitoring for issues. This software flags and notifies IT staff of an issue, often before the end user even realizes there is a problem.
8) Patch update. MSPs can download and send software and security patches to your computer, schedule reboots for patch installations after hours and more…all in the background. There is no interruption of workflow for the business.
7) Anti-virus. Managed anti-virus tools allows technicians to actively monitor for threats ranging from spamware to viruses, trojan worms and ransomware.
6) Backups. Backups allow for recovery of data and operating system files in the event of malfunctions.
5) On-call support. On-call support and staffed call centers allow your business to stay in touch with IT staff, even if you are in different time zones.
4) Knowledgeable staff. IT staff can be trusted to know and learn about your business model, network infrastructure, and custom software.
3) Preventative maintenance, checks & services (PMCS). This is an old U.S. Army adage. PMCS prevents critical hardware failure for the moments when it counts most. Good IT staff will conduct physical hardware cleaning to remove dust/debris from building up in components.
2) Hardware lifecycle. Eventually as technology progresses, software requires better hardware specifications to run appropriately. Have you thought about what happens if your business doubles in size? Having a hardware lifecycle plan can help you plan your budget, thus keeping immediate knee-jerk-reaction impacts on your budget to a minimum.
1) Peace of mind. Having a reputable and well-known MSP on your team can help you relax.
