What are MSPs and are there Benefits for Your Company?

The need for businesses to be technologically connected to the rest of the world has never been more important than it is right now. We carry tiny handheld computers that double as phones, and the expectations of timely service have become so small as to make a 2-minute wait on anything a severe inconvenience.

While it's not as important for a small business to have its own designated IT department (often, an employee with a cursory knowledge of basic computer repair can suffice), larger companies absolutely require a separate department devoted to their IT needs. All it takes is one person to download something improper or to click the wrong link and an entire building full of computers working off the same server can be rendered inoperable, costing you millions in replacement equipment and lost revenues. Managed IT services in Greenville, SC, can help businesses avoid these easily preventable issues with around-the-clock monitoring of your IT system.

What is MSP?

MSP stands for 'Managed Services Provider.' An MSP is either the person or group of persons hired to oversee the managed service. Essentially, this is the group you've chosen to monitor your IT needs. Through a defined set of terms and services, the MSP can assess and evaluate exactly what your current IT needs might be, while also allowing for certain wants to be attainable as well. An MSP can typically streamline your service, only charging you for specific services you need rendered.

MSPs originally started with a company calling when a problem arose. If someone else had created the IT system in use, the MSP had to navigate the ins and outs in order to find particular issues, which was time consuming and didn't always get to the root of the problem. Sometimes, different problems would arise on different days and stem from different aspects of the IT system, necessitating another call to the MSP. This is what's commonly known as the "break-fix," meaning if something in the system breaks, fix it, though it lacks any kind of permanent preventative oversight between breaks.

As the technology industry grew, so did the systems that MSPs could utilize by helping a company at the ground level, setting up its entire IT system so that problems could be found and fixed easier. Couple this with the evolution and implementation of security technologies, and you have a well-oiled, well-regulated system that alerts the MSP whenever a problem arises.

Benefits of Utilizing an MSP

Even if you already have your own IT department, contracting an MSP to help take over the majority of the IT workload may be more beneficial than you might first think. Perhaps, as a small business, your current IT person isn't even really an IT person – he or she is just an employee with some computer experience. Utilizing an MSP can help make sure that your systems are backed up properly and that all your security and subsequent security patches are in place to help keep your system safe.

Another benefit is that, if you do have an actual IT department, using an MSP to help take over the larger overview of the system can allow for your smaller IT department to focus on the necessary smaller projects within your office with more accuracy and focus.

The break-fix mentality of the past shouldn't be brought back for nostalgia's sake. Your equipment and your profit margins can't afford to fall apart because you were ill-prepared for your system to go down. Managed IT services in Greenville, SC, can help assess and implement the right MSP service for your company so that you can be assured of your system's strength and security. 

Source : articlesbase.com