IT Managed Services
Does Your Current MSP Exhibit These 6 Traits?
Like shoes, socks, and teenage metal bands, IT Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can be outgrown. What was once a promising relationship can sour over time, leaving customers disgruntled and feeling underserved. But how can you know it’s time to pack up, switch ships, and tell your current MSP, “Thanks, but no thanks”?
The following signs are a pretty good indication that you’re outgrowing your MSP and need a new one. Ask yourself, does your MSP exhibit:
Insufficient Skills
If a restaurant takes hours to bring out your meal every time you visit, it’s unlikely you’ll keep eating there. So, if your MSP takes days to respond to a ticket, why are you still working with them? A delayed ticket means a delayed solution, and a single unresolved tech issue can lead to more issues. In turn, these issues can hinder your employees’ ability to meet objectives and hurt your company financially.
At one point, your MSP suited you well. Now, they lack the bandwidth your business needs.
Lack of Automation or Standard Help Desk Functions
Effective help desks are helpful; it’s right there in the name. If your MSP’s help desk creates more questions than it answers, it’s not doing its job—which means your MSP isn’t, either. Additionally, all good MSPs should offer automation features, like Self Service password management, thereby allowing you to handle password management activities without needing to call the help desk. Whether or not you sign up for these automation features is your choice, but SSO, MFA, and other general password management functions should be something you can control. (As an aside, here’s how 1Path automates all these features into one.)
Clouded Judgement About the Cloud
Cloud technology is a must for today’s businesses. All MSPs should offer cloud integration and management, and they shouldn’t be judgey about the type of cloud provider. Your cloud service should be personalized to your company’s needs, not to what your provider prefers.
Rigid Service Offerings
Let’s say you order a vegetable pizza for 6PM and get a pepperoni calzone at 9:30AM. Um, what? Ridiculous! It’s even more ridiculous to sign on with an MSP that doesn’t work with your needs and schedule. If you want someone on site once a month, you deserve someone on site once a month. If your needs change and you request them biweekly, your provider should be flexible and start visiting biweekly.
MSPs are about so much more than infrastructure—they’re also about service. Quality, flexible service.
No Long Range Plan
Support for Windows 7 and Server 2008 ends this year, and if you want your data to stay secure, you’ll need to upgrade your Desktop Operating System. This tidbit probably seems random (isn’t this an article about MSPs?) but there’s a reason we’re letting you know—and that’s because a good MSP should let you know about new products, outdated materials, and changes to your current services ahead of schedule.
Additionally, they should provide a plan that shows how your IT budget will be invested and account for your equipment lifecycle. If your MSP isn’t planning for the long-term, it isn’t really planning at all.
No Focus on Security
It’s not enough for an MSP to deploy a product and then never manage or update it. If your firewall is generating logs that lack proper review or your server is constantly down, then your MSP isn’t doing its job. A good MSP should analyze and handle all threats, take proactive measures against them, and keep you up to speed about cyber insurance and cybersecurity.
Loyalty to an MSP isn’t a good reason to stay with them; by underserving you, they’ve taken that loyalty for granted. Concerns about monthly or transformation costs are also a poor reason. Although another company might charge higher prices, right now, you’re paying for services you aren’t getting. In the long run, those costs are greater.
You probably don’t want to deal with the headache of switching MSPs, or maybe you’re worried your new MSP won’t pick up on your specific needs and environment. Fortunately, 1Path services the healthcare, legal, and financial sectors, and we’re adept at handling a variety of IT needs. We answer tickets on time, automate help features, and eagerly discuss cloud options. We’re also flexible with our services, offer long-range plans, and provide the most effective, up-to-date security. Basically, we do the opposite of everything on this list—and if these items are all indications that you’ve outgrown your MSP, perhaps 1Path is the MSP you’ve grown into.
