What To Look For In A Managed Services Provider
As more companies are turning to outsourced services for their business needs, finding a provider who understands the firm’s needs and plans and actively works on achieving the set goals is an absolute necessity. Especially when it comes to managed IT services, the professional team from the IT consultancy must possess certain qualities and expertise along with being renowned to supplement advice that is supported by solid industry experience that can help elevate your business’ brand image and effect in the market. The criteria to assess a future managed services provider (MSP) is explored below to help emerging companies and established firms find the right partner to help achieve their business goals and dreams.
Evaluating the Portfolio
Getting to know the service providers’ experience in the market is possible by two methods: evaluating their client portfolio and assessing their technical skills and expertise. The former gives more information about what services they have provided so far to customers and how have they done so. If the portfolio is diverse with various clients from different industries then it provides more information on the MSP’s capabilities and how the agency works to adapt its skills across different business sectors. Having this prior experience is important as it changes the manner in which services are catered, industry standards are met and problems are dealt with in a way that goes beyond the usual standard protocols.
Market presence is another factor to take into consideration along with any notable accolades that the IT agency has acquired since its establishment. Furthermore, collaborations with giants of any industry also add credibility to the managed IT services provider which is important to consider when evaluating an MSP. The testimonials and reviews made available on public sites and forums also help gain insights into the quality of service provisions and their worth as a whole. Further details can also be garnered about the working relationships that the services provider maintains with their clientele which will help companies gain more confidence when deciding to go ahead with a particular IT partner.
Assessing Technical Skills and Expertise
Besides reading testimonials that reflect on the MSP’s skills and abilities, looking at the certifications the IT crew has gathered is another useful factor when evaluating an IT provider. Credentials of the team and official partners of the agency with organisations such as Google, Amazon, etc help understand the depth of knowledge that the consultancy as a whole possesses and can then share with an enterprise to help them implement and grow. Looking at how recent and current these licenses and qualifications are, provides more details about their proficiency and competence in the field.
In addition to this, looking at particular technological licenses is another aspect that proves the prowess of an MSP. Keeping up with technological trends and providing services that are inclusive of the latest updates is also vital. Reading case studies can further help discern the expertise of the professional team and evaluate the proven results and track record of the managed IT consultancy. Directly asking the crew questions about their experience with cloud systems, disaster management, data recovery and migration, security protocols and provisions and compliance with local laws can also give an idea about the MSP’s technological dexterity.
Looking for RMM Provisions
RMM or Remote Monitoring and Management consist of a group of tools and software that help IT systems to keep running smoothly by monitoring the health of the system and managing any glitches on an immediate basis. The software helps to automatically address small problems that arise in the system that can cause disruptions to its working if not dealt with at the right time. If any troubleshooting cannot be immediately dealt with by the IT systems, it notifies the IT team to look into errors and major breaches and manually have it corrected to ensure 24 hours a day, 7-days a week and 365 days a year service provision continues as expected.
An on-site team is not needed to continue this maintenance rather the system can be remotely accessed and arising issues can be resolved at any hour of the day across any country in the world, ensuring maximum convenience for its users. These RMM provisions are in place not to replace but to complement the scheduled technological audits that the team will manually complete at regular intervals to maintain the security and agility of the IT system. If the MSP is providing such remote control provisions, the IT consultancy firm is a good fit for an enterprise to collaborate with to upgrade and enhance existing systems or altogether install new software and infrastructure.
Appraising the Total Services Package (range of services, what all is included/ should be included)
Besides the technical skills and experience that a managed IT services provider supplements to a corporation, the soft skills of the employees and their work culture and relations with clients along with the ability to support and assist the customers is also of prime importance. The entire services package in inclusive of all these minute considerations and helpdesk availability that must also be taken into account prior to finaliing a MSP for a business. If the IT service provider is willing to work beyond the scope of the usual services, their commitment and responsibility to an enterprise can also be gauged by this allegiance.
When a network error is experienced, sudden downtime or unexpected diffucltiesand hurdles, the manner in which the team deals with the client to resolve these issues and resume normalcy for unitrerruped customer service must be appraised. Besides the support services and returns of investemnt, having a package that is monetarily also feasible is essential to ensure that taking the service does not prove to be a financial drain to the firm. An ideal IT partner is one that shares the vision of ultimate customer saifaction and works with the establishment to provide that optimally.
Leading managed IT services provider in Dubai, Citrus Consulting can help clients reach their business goals in an efficient and efficacious manner by providing results that last. If your firm is looking to hire a team of experts that deliver excellence, our professional crew at Citrus Consulting can help your enterprise implement state-of-the-art technology and IT solutions that help achieve sustainable growth and success both in the short and long run.
