How to Choose the Right MSP for Your Business

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So you’ve decided it’s time to onboard an MSP! That’s great. But now you’re stuck wondering how to choose the right one. As the need for MSPs grows, so does the selection pool. Choosing an MSP is a massive decision and should not be taken lightly – the organisation you partner with should be knowledgeable and consistent with the inner workings and maintenance of your IT infrastructure. Otherwise, what’s the point in having one at all?

Extensive research and comparisons are a must when choosing an MSP. Think about it as hiring a new employee; you wouldn’t just choose the first person who walks through your door and talks a big game with no references to back them up. You probably have a serious vetting process, with multiple prerequisites and questions to ask, and a pool of several possible candidates. It’s the same with MSPs. There are plenty out there who make a bunch of promises, but are really just money-grabbers who lock you into a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with no intention of actually helping your business succeed.

The first step in choosing an MSP is narrowing down your options. A big deciding factor is assessing whether you need an MSP that is local to your business. A local MSP is able to provide onsite support and maintenance (particularly valuable for major IT emergencies), whereas MSPs that are not local will only be able to offer desktop support. Many businesses find that Helpdesk support is more than sufficient for their needs, so it’s really up to you and the level of support you believe your company requires.

Once you’ve made this decision, don’t just rely on Google searches to supply you with a list of suitable MSPs. Google doesn’t base their search algorithm on company reviews, nor does it base it on an MSPs competence as a suitable partner for your business. On top of Google searches, we recommend visiting CloudTango, particularly their MSP50 page, which lists the Top 50 MSPs in 8 different countries (including Australia).

After you’ve narrowed down your search a fair bit, do a thorough check into each MSP’s reviews, testimonials, and case studies. Look through their website and read through their pages; are they informative and transparent? If these all check out, you can move on to assessing their suitability.

 

1. Clear Communication

One of the most important things to note when choosing an MSP is how and when they communicate. If they are taking a while to respond to emails or calls when you begin contact, it may mean they are too busy to respond or that they are inconsistent when it comes to communication with their clients. This could potentially cause issues down the line when you are facing an IT emergency, and no one is answering the phone or responding to your support requests.

Secondly, the biggest benefit of onboarding an MSP is the fixed monthly costs, but inferior MSPs may try to slip hidden costs into your agreement. Thoroughly check your SLA before signing! Are there any hidden costs? Do they charge extra for onsite visits? What happens when your equipment needs to be upgraded or replaced? A quality MSP will be upfront with these costs, and will happily answer any questions you have about your SLA and modify it to suit your requirements.

 

2. Adaptability

As your business grows, so will your technology, software and IT support needs. One of the biggest benefits of partnering with an MSP is that you won’t need to hire more IT technicians to keep up with the demands of your growing IT infrastructure.

However, an inexperienced MSP may not have the capacity to support you as your business and IT requirements expand. Before signing on, ensure that your MSP is flexible, able to easily scale their support, and can quickly adapt to new projects and initiatives.

 

3. Consistency & Knowledge

An MSP that is able to maintain consistent results and delivery is of the utmost importance. Your potential MSP should be able to provide case studies, policies, and procedures to back up their claims and prove they are experienced and dependable. If they are unable to explain what they do, how they do it, and why it is effective, then you should question their validity. In the same vein, your MSP should possess a deep understanding of the processes and solutions they are offering.

 

Conclusion

Deciding who to trust with your IT infrastructure is a daunting and difficult decision. However, doing the appropriate research into a potential MSP allows you to bypass issues that could occur in the future. Just remember, don’t be afraid to ask potential MSPs questions, and if they get annoyed or frustrated, move on.

 

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER ASKING:

  • What does their onboarding process entail?
  • Do they provide 24/7 support? If not, what are their emergency costs?
  • Do they have references, testimonials, and case studies?
  • Do they provide detailed invoices?
  • What’s NOT included in their managed service agreement?
  • Do they have a guaranteed response time? What is it?
  • How experienced are their technicians? Do they have relevant qualifications?
  • How flexible/scalable is their company? Do they have the means to support a growing organisation?
  • Do they provide onsite support, remote support, or both?
  • How often do they provide progress reports?
  • How can you get in contact with them when support issues arise?
  • What are their cancellation policies?

 

eStorm is a CloudTango MSP50 finalist dedicated to helping you get the most out of your managed it services partnership.

Contact our friendly and knowledgeable team today to discover how we can help!

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 07 3120 0640

4 things to look for in an outsourced IT support provider

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We can’t do everything ourselves. Onboarding partners and team members that have more knowledge, as well as specialised skill sets, is particularly vital when we want to provide the best service, remain competitive and grow our business. This is where we can leverage the power of outsourcing.

Outsourcing helps businesses to reduce costs while reaping the benefits of specialised and strategic expertise in a particular area of the business.

That sounds fantastic! We’d all love to reduce overheads, increase workplace efficiency, gain flexible staffing, deliver faster turnaround times and generate more profit. But how can we make sure we’re getting the most from outsourcing? And what are the key factors to consider when looking to outsource vital areas of your business like IT support services?

1. Ability to Deliver 

For an outsourcing relationship to be successful, you need to ensure that the company you’re outsourcing to can not only deliver what you need, but when you need it. You’re looking to lessen the burden on your resources, so the ability to deliver consistently is a key factor in having a successful relationship.

Sounds obvious, right? But how do we know what someone is like to work with when we’ve never actually worked with them before? The quickest and easiest way to understand what someone is like to work with is to review their previous work—case studies or even news articles, if relevant, can provide a lot insight into previous work.

What do their customers have to say about them?—client testimonials are great for this, but so is a quick Google or social media search. Do they keep their own technology up-to-date? Are they easily contactable and reliable? Do you know who to talk to if there is an issue?

Consider these points when looking to outsource your IT support and business functions.

You can learn about eStorm’s previous work here & see what our customers are saying about us here.

2. Experienced Professionals

Another important factor worth considering is how much access the outsourcing company has to knowledgeable and experienced professionals. Everyone is claiming to be the “leading expert” these days, but are their staff properly qualified or certified? Do they have prior experience doing what you need them to do? Do they invest in professional development and training?

While it’s important to ensure current needs can be met, it pays to look to the future. As your business grows and changes, your outsourcing relationship will need to grow and change too—can your outsourced partner quickly change and move to accommodate your growing needs?

These are important questions to ask as they not only ensure you’re getting the right people for the job, but also that your growth potential isn’t limited by your outsourced provider.

3. Clear Service Agreements

As with any business relationship, you need to ensure that there are clear service agreements in place that outline exactly what will be provided and when.

Consider what’s important. What systems and applications matter and ensure these are covered in the service level agreement.

This ensures all parties are on the same page, are clear on what is expected, what is most important and how the relationship will work.

4. Leverage

Look for an outsourcing company that utilises a leveraged infrastructure model. This is when the company uses shared infrastructure assets across multiple clients, which leads to improved flexibility and reduced costs without sacrificing security. You’ll also share in capital and operational costs, which can add further savings back into your business.

Outsourcing your IT business functions is a great way to free up valuable internal resources and get access to the latest technology and expert skill base.


If you’d like to learn more about outsourcing your IT or Managed Services, feel free to get in touch today by emailing [email protected] or calling (07) 3120 0640 for a no obligation chat about creating an outsourcing relationship that will meet your specific needs.

Our guide to choosing IT Support for your business

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IT support is an important factor for a business of any size in today’s economy. The choice of hiring an in-house tech or outsourcing your IT can be tough so we wanted to give you a guide to choosing the right IT support for your business.

In-House IT Support

An internal IT department can definitely be beneficial to businesses both big and small. The team will develop an in-depth knowledge of your company, allowing them to implement programs and systems that are most fitting for you. Having your IT team know your company inside-out can provide quick fixes to problems that may otherwise be difficult to locate. With techs working in-house, support will be available quickly and efficiently as they are always onsite.




However, internal IT support is costly. With a lower-level tech’s salary ranging between $50,000-$80,000 p.a. (experienced IT managers will expect much more) plus the cost of regular training and the need to frequently sit certification exams to stay current in the ever-changing technology industry, in-house support it can be expensive.




As well as this, it can be a mistake to just reply on just one or two people to run your IT support. If one member is on holidays and the other calls in sick there will be no one to fix problems that may arise on the day.

Outsourced IT Support

Generally outsourced IT support is more cost-effective than in-house support. With the ability to call someone just when you need something fixed, or have 24/7 support and monitoring of your IT systems, outsourcing allows you to choose what works best for your business. There is generally pricing options of fixed fees, hourly rates or contracts available when outsourcing, tailoring the outgoing costs to suit you.




Outsourcing also gives you a larger bank of expertise. If you choose a good IT support company the staff will have experience and qualifications in a range of areas. The company will always have someone to help you, no matter what your requirements are. As well as this, the company you outsource from will have a large team of people so, you can guarantee that someone will always be available to help you.

Conclusion

The choice of what IT support option is right for your business ultimately depends on your business needs. If you are looking for someone to always be on site, but you will be okay if no one is available for a number of days, in-house support could be the better option for your business. If you are looking for 24/7 support and monitoring or techs who will be available ‘on demand’ and have a broad range of knowledge, outsourcing could be the best option for your business.




If you are looking to outsource your IT support, contact the eStorm office today to find out what services are available.

The Benefits of Outsourcing your IT

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Technology is advancing at a rapid rate, which can place a strain on your business to keep up and compete against other companies already harnessing the benefits of rapid IT evolution. Businesses are forced to become more reliant on their IT systems, so companies looking to outsource their IT frequently approach us. If you’re considering outsourcing your IT we have outlined some of the benefits below:



REDUCED COSTS

Reducing costs is the main reason why companies choose to outsource their IT needs; savings can be seen with both labour and hardware. It is often cheaper to outsource instead of hiring your own IT administrator. With fixed termed contracts you can budget your IT expenditure, saving much-needed dollars over the long term.



LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

Outsourcing your IT gives you access to resources usually reserved for much larger multi-national organisations. For often less than the cost of a single staff member, you can have the support, expertise, experience and efficiency of a large IT support team.



INCREASED EFFICIENCY

IT administration is usually not your core competency and therefore not the most effective use of your time. It is however the core focus of the IT company you outsource from. Outsourcing allows you to have a complete IT team at your fingertips, with a number of technicians holding skills and knowledge across a wide range of areas. This allows you to focus on growing your business, which is what you do best.



FUTURE PROOF YOUR IT

By being immersed in everything IT; the company you outsource from invests in research and development to find and test new technologies that can be utilised in your work place. This means that when a project is proposed, it will be up to date with the latest and greatest technology available. This ensures there are no shortfalls when it comes to your IT infrastructure. The projects will be managed from conception to completion.



ACCOUNTABILITY AND RELIABILITY

Outsourcing your IT department means that you have 24/7 IT support. You no longer have to worry about members of your IT administration being away or leaving your business. It is the responsibility of the company you outsource from to ensure they have technicians ready to help as and when you need it. They are accountable for the work they undertake, so your IT investment is protected.



VENDOR PARTNERSHIPS

IT companies often partner with leading vendors to ensure the best pricing and support for both hardware and software. Our partners at eStorm include HP, Microsoft, Apple, VMWare, and Amazon. This diverse group of partners allows us to select the most appropriate hardware and software for your business.





If you are thinking about outsourcing your IT, contact the eStorm office today to find out about how we can help you.