Tips for Choosing the Right Managed Service Provider

Whether you have just started your business, your company is growing or your company is well-known and established, as an owner to any of these kinds of businesses you have a lot of work on your hands. If you do not have an internal IT department and manage all your IT tasks on your own, then you will surely find hiring a managed service provider (MSP) a great benefit to your business. The right managed service provider can help you focus on the more important things which you do best – running your own business.

Choosing the right managed service provider for your company can be very complicated. We have listed some tips on our guide to ensure you choose the right managed service provider for your company.

Experience in your business’ industry

Most IT experts will be very interested in facing new challenges, but having a managed service provider with real experience is probably the best for your business. If you run an accounting business, then an IT expert with experience in that industry will offer you much better service than one who has previously worked with restaurants and other food services. A managed service provider with the proper experience in your industry will ensure to fulfill all your business’ needs and anticipate any potential issues.

Positive references

When considering a specific managed service provider make sure you ask the company for a reference of previous clients to confirm the experience and skills they have in your industry.

Longevity

You will want a managed service provider who will be able to service your company as long as it lasts. You can make sure a provider is reliable by checking their history with previous clients. You can do this by asking for financial statements, checking up with the clients on references and searching for any press releases.

If you are looking for a managed service provider or any other kind of IT services then we recommend you check out 360 Smart Networks.

Insurance

By ensuring that your managed service provider is properly insured, you can be sure that the cost of any mistake made by the provider will be paid. Like you would do with any outside vendor make sure your provider has a current policy in place.

Billing

The way the provider bills will affect a lot more than your bank account; it can reveal the true quality of a company’s integrity. Avoid providers that charge by the hour, look instead for providers who will charge flat fees for some certain services. For these kinds of managed service providers, doing the job right the first time will benefit both companies.

List of services

Before hiring your next managed service provider make sure you get a contract and a list of the services which will be able to handle your company. Will the company be able to handle all your business’ needs, like laptops, phones, tablets, cloud computing, payment systems, and servers? You do not want to sign a contract with a provider that is not able to handle all your needs.

These are one of our most important things to consider before hiring a managed service provider.