Myths and Truths About Managed IT Services
There’s a lot of confusion surrounding what an IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) actually does. Let’s debunk some of the most common myths (and truths) about MSPs to give you a clearer understanding of the value they bring to your business!
Myth… and Truth: Losing Complete Control Over IT Network
The Reality:
When deciding what MSP you go with, be sure to read the fine print. There are MSPs that have a more collaborative and highly communicative approach, and there are others that will just take over your network completely. This might sound enticing to some business owners, thinking that someone will make the hard decisions about your network for you, but you are potentially allowing a group of people or an individual to make costly IT decisions for you. With an MSP that is transparent and collaborative, they make sure that you’re being educated on the decisions you must make and allow you to move forward in whatever direction you wish with confidence.
Truth: High Costs
The Reality:
Partnering with an MSP is an investment. There’s no sugar coating it. However, your investment comes with many valuable features. MSPs provide you with cybersecurity, on-going IT support, data-backup, software updates, patch management and much more. As a business owner, having someone taking care of these very important, but tedious things help you focus more on the mission of your business. Whether you’re a small startup or a large enterprise, there’s an MSP plan that works for you. Plus, the proactive approach of MSPs often saves you money by preventing costly downtime and addressing issues before they escalate. Each MSP has a different approach to pricing. At Axigent, we go by a fixed rate based on the size of your network and the amount of users you have.
Axigent tip: Check out our blog post, Deciphering Managed Services Pricing: Getting the Best Value, for a deeper dive into pricing structures and see what would work best for your business.
Myth: MSPs are Only for Large Businesses
The Reality:
When we speak of large businesses, we’re thinking around 500+ users. On a scale larger than 500, most companies have their own internal IT department. Investing in an MSP as an SMB is worth every penny. When you invest in an MSP, you invest in IT industry knowledge, 24/7 protection from threats, and a group of individuals dedicated to the health and wellbeing of your business. A strong MSP ensures your network is protected with robust measures like warranty awareness/tracking (computer age, storage capacity), patch management, regular updates, and real-time IT support.
Cybersecurity threats increase everyday especially for small businesses. With larger companies investing more into cybersecurity, hackers are shifting their priority to smaller, more vulnerable targets. According to a study by Cisco, 40% of the small businesses (<250 users) that faced a severe cyber-attack experienced at least eight hours of downtime. And this downtime accounts for a major portion of the overall cost of a security breach.
Truth: All MSPs are NOT the same
The Reality:
Not all MSPs are created equally. From pricing models (flat-rate, a la carte, or per-user) to size and scope of services, each MSP is unique. Some MSPs, for example, will separate the per user cost from the security software costs, while others might bundle everything together. Scheduling consultations and getting quotes from multiple MSPs is a strategic way to figure out whose service is the best for you.
Final Thoughts
Making the decision to invest in IT Managed Services is a huge step for your business. We hope that this blog provides you with some clarity about IT services so that you can make informed decisions.
At Axigent Technologies Group, our goal is to make sure our clients get the best service possible. We would love to talk about your options if you are interested in starting your MSP journey. Feel free to get in touch with us by clicking our logo below to schedule a consultation and request a quote!
