From startups to mid-sized enterprises, it is critical to have an IT infrastructure that scales with your business. And, as your business expands, you may find that you need to outsource management of particular IT functions and employ the help of a managed services provider (MSP). An MSP can deliver innovative, secure, and flexible technology solutions tailored to your business needs.
However, that means placing a crucial aspect of your business in the hands of a third-party. Before retaining an MSP, you need to perform your due diligence to ensure you are working with the proper IT partner who has the right experience, credentials, processes, expertise, and services.
Are you considering cloud services or looking to implement cloud security? Are you interested in integrating AI and machine learning capabilities into your operations? Perhaps you’re just looking for infrastructure management support. Whatever the service that you require, make sure the MSP can deliver it!
IT requirements differ significantly between small, mid-size and large organizations. There are also compliance regulations that need to be followed according your industry, such as GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, PCI DSS or FFIEC-IT. To remain in compliance, you may need to implement auditing/monitoring/reporting; ensure that your MSP can accommodate.
Check for demonstrable experience, like client testimonials, technical certifications or partnerships; some may even list awards recognizing exemplary services.
Once you know the services you require and confirm the MSP can deliver, ask questions about service coverage and guarantees.
The contract and SLAs should illustrate the level of service that a customer should expect from their provider. This agreement details the areas of maintenance included, the speed of response to requests, the monitoring and reporting services and the punitive consequences for the provider not meeting SLAs, which may include reimbursement to customers.
Ideally, an MSP can offer you zero downtime, but you have to be prepared for the rare outage exception. Align's Managed IT Services, for example, provides 99.99% availability through a 24x7x365 Help Desk, giving our customers peace of mind.
In addition to bolstering your own internal systems, verify that the MSP has documented and tested security processes and systems.
Additionally, verify that the provider will take the appropriate steps to mitigate risks to your infrastructure, and that they maintain a robust security posture.
Finally, once you’re fully-informed about your MSP, ask if your top choice provides cloud migration or transition services.
Another factor to consider is whether the MSP can continue to deliver services to scale with your growing business. Align's fully packaged Managed Services provide scalable solutions that encompass everything from managed cloud to managed ITSM and security, enabling businesses flexibility to build their optimal future state.
Running successful IT operations and mitigating risk is complicated, and new requirements will arise as your organization evolves. Ensure that you select the right MSP who can provide cutting-edge solutions and allow you to focus on strategic priorities.
In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, partnering with an MSP that stays ahead of the curve in areas like AI, machine learning, and cybersecurity can give your business a significant competitive advantage.
While the due diligence process requires both time and effort, finding the right partner to meet your precise technology needs will make a significant difference—from lowering IT spend to saving critical downtime and allowing you to focus on more strategic priorities.
Schedule a Meeting with the Align Managed Service Team