5 Reasons to Use a Managed Service Provider (MSP) 

More and more businesses are discovering the benefits of a managed service provider (MSP). In 2016, nearly two-thirds or 64% of organizations were using some form of managed services, according to CompTIA’s 2016 Buying Guide for Managed Services , and those numbers are expected to continue to grow. While cost savings has always been one of the primary reasons companies turn to MSPs, there are additional benefits many business owners may not consider.

The cost of hiring, training, and maintaining an internal IT staff is often cost prohibitive for small to medium-sized businesses. A Managed Service Provider (also known as a Managed IT Services Company) allows businesses to outsource all or part of their day-to-day technology and IT needs.

Essentially, an MSP becomes either all or part of your IT department and provides a team of well-trained and experienced IT professionals that monitor your network and fix your IT issues 24/7. Even if you have someone internally to handle your IT needs, one individual or a small IT department could never provide the level of knowledge and skill that an MSP can.

And the focus of an MSP is all things related to IT! Their professional technicians are continually updated and trained on all of the latest IT products and viruses. They also attend industry conferences to learn about new products, and typically, an MSP will have a lab of sorts where they develop and test new products before introducing them to their customers.

MSPs also develop partnerships with major distributors and leading companies like Dell to provide hardware and software products at the best prices. They also establish partnerships with companies that don’t sell directly to businesses – only to partners and resellers.

The Bottom Line : MSPs provide IT support at a fraction of the cost of hiring an entire IT team. A good MSP works collaboratively with your internal IT department (if you have one) and becomes a business partner focused on helping you utilize technology to achieve your business goals.

1. Minimize downtime, Improve business continuity, and increase productivity
If you’ve ever had your computer system crash or experienced slow computers, you know what it can do to productivity (and even employee morale). The entire focus of MSP technicians is ensuring that their customers have the best technology available to them and that the technology runs as smoothly as possible. They take a proactive approach to avoid many IT problems, but when issues do arise, they’re able to respond and resolve those issues quickly.

2. Improve security
There was a 38% rise in cyber attacks from 2014 to 2015, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers , and 43 % of cyber attacks target small businesses, according to Symantec. The IT professionals at MSPs stay up-to-date on the latest security threats and the best security software to ensure the safety of your data.

3. Predictable cost structure
The cost of technology can drastically change from month to month, which can make budgeting very difficult. Most MSPs can create a long-term plan along with a budget to keep all of your technology at peak performance. Plus, they usually offer a monthly rate for their services.

4. Expertise, Focus, and Scale
An MSP’s core business is keeping its customers’ technology running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Now if you’re paying a flat monthly fee, a smart MSP will do what they can to solve your problems as quickly as possible, so it pays for them to hire the best IT professionals in the business who can do just that. Plus, due to economies of scale, most MSPs can offer the most competitive pricing on both hardware and software.

5. Peace of mind
With a reliable MSP like Eberly Systems LLC, you can rest easy knowing that your IT needs are in the most skilled IT professionals.

Nearly every business needs IT, but not every company has the resources to invest in recruiting and training an entire IT department. MSPs are designed to provide skilled IT professionals to act as your external IT department.

If you're considering outsourcing all or some of your IT needs for your small or mid-sized business, give Eberly Systems a call at (610) 374-4049 or contact us online . We have some of the most talented IT professionals in the business ready to take care of your IT needs.