You may not have heard of the term managed service provider or MSP but going into 2020 as a business owner having an MSP is something you should be looking into. An MSP can help transform your business in more ways than one through the implementation and maintenance of your information technology infrastructure. You can think of an MSP as a shared IT department. An MSP offers many advantages over traditional forms of IT management such as in-house staff or break-fix IT shops. In many ways MSP’s offer business owners peace of mind by offering solutions that reduce downtime and increase productivity without having the over usage of internal company resources and capital. That being said- in the article I will be discussing the top advantages of having an MSP and why you should be considering an MSP going into 2020.
Reduced Operational Cost
An MSP works to streamline processes and concentrates its resources into delivering IT services that scale according to your business's needs and scale. Also, MSPs have a shared pool of resources spreading the cost of management across the MSP’s clients.
Free Up Internal Capital
The average salary for an IT professional is $74,000 per year or about $6,200 per month. The average MSP contract for a small office on average carries a cost of around $1,200 per month. By using an MSP, the reserved savings can be used on other revenue-driving expenditures.
IT Talent
The number one issue small businesses face is the acquisition of IT talent. By using an MSP, the responsibility of hiring that talent falls onto their shoulders.
Best Practice IT
Since an MSP is a service-oriented technology business they need to be up to date on all the latest technologies and how they can help their clients become more successful. This relationship means that your IT infrastructure will keep up with the latest technology trends as well as new best practices will make their way into your infrastructure while adopting these technology trends.
Reduced Risk
In 2019 cybersecurity firms have seen a 20% increase in cyber-attacks and a jump from median cost for losses associated with cyber incidents up from $229,000 to $369,000. Also, around 60% of small businesses will fail within 6 months of a cyber-attack and those that don’t fail will see repercussions lasting years to come. An MSP helps you navigate these risks by applying best in class security technologies such as DNS filtering, two-factor authentication, and spear phishing protection.
