Is your IT ready for modern work?

Technology is a crucial part of navigating the world of modern work, but as many as 83% of organizations have trouble finding employees with the right technological skills and experience according to a study. A Managed Service Provider can help bridge that gap and ensure that your organization can keep up in the modern work environment, but what are the most important factors to consider when selecting an MSP?

Here are the five most important things to consider as you select your MSP:

Strategic Planning

When looking for an MSP you should always consider an MSP that does more than just fix problems when they arise. Base level IT support is important, but it’s also important to ensure that you have a strategic forward-thinking provider that offers insights into technology and modernization trends. It’s vital to consider how they will modernize your organization and how they will keep you there. An effective MSP will help set you on a strategic path toward modernization and will continue to help you adapt as the modern work environment continues to change.

Ask questions and get to know how they approach strategic planning. Making sure that they focus on more than just core infrastructure items is important. Are they looking at critical business functions such as productivity, collaboration, training, communications, and security? And something that is becoming increasingly important, do they have application development capabilities, and can they automate and streamline operations for you?

Learning

Learning is the most overlooked and undervalued topic of conversations when engaging with and selecting an MSP. Unfortunately, very few organizations take the time to understand what Learning represents for an MSP and how they address it. What does your MSP do for Learning? How do they ensure that their staff stays up to date with the rapidly changing landscape in technology? Learning is critical on so many levels, and you should take the time to understand how an MSP values it. Learning impacts three essential components of a healthy IT service: first, the ability to deliver a quality service; second, the ability to grow staff and keep turnover to a minimum; and third, the ability to understand, deploy, and support changing technology. You want to make sure that the MSP you work with has a clear learning program for the core technology that you utilize, such as Microsoft. And learning is not just for an MSPs internal operations; it should also extend to their clients. As an MSP, what can they do for your own staff? Do they have a learning platform? Do they have certified trainers? Do they provide training for clients?

Selecting an MSP is a big decision. When you are entering a partnership, trust should be a priority. How can you know that your MSP has the experience, expertise, and learning programs to support your needs? Certifications can tell you a lot about the quality of service you are likely to receive from an MSP. A recent study found that 91% of IT professionals said certification increased their confidence in their own abilities. Microsoft Certifications display not only an MSP’s in-depth understanding of Microsoft’s products but also a commitment to ongoing training and education within their organization.

Will they be there for you?

This might sound obvious, but when selecting an MSP, you need to know that they will be there for you when you need them the most. This boils down to a few simple questions. How easy is it to work with that MSP? What level of executive commitment will they bring to the table? When contacting them, will you be on hold forever or end up on a voicemail? Do they utilize a mobile app and a desktop app? Are there alternatives to getting in touch with them? Ease of access is vital to quality service.

A good MSP has clear procedures and processes that make up a stable delivery model. Your MSP’s delivery model for managing and monitoring your IT should instill a sense of confidence. You should be able to know who to reach out to when you need technical or strategic support. You should expect quality support from a service desk, and you should be able to trust that when you call, someone will answer. Service delivery can make or break your experience with an MSP. If you don’t choose an MSP that provides timely support when you need it most, your operations could reach a standstill, and that’s the last thing you want. When you’re looking for an MSP, you want to find one with a track record of providing clients with high quality, responsive support.

Scalability

You don’t want your IT to hold your organization back from growth. The world of modern work is constantly changing, and if you’re going to keep up, your MSP must keep up, too. The MSP you select should offer a comprehensive range of services—a range that not only fits your organization’s needs at the time you choose them but provides the flexibility to adapt to your needs as your organization grows. When you’re looking for an MSP for your organization, make sure that they can offer a level of service that will grow with you and drive your organization to success.

Culture Fit

Company culture is an important factor with any partnership, especially one with an MSP. It’s important to think of your MSP as not just a partnership but an extension of your organization. And when you take that into consideration, it’s important to ensure that the MSP you choose is a good cultural fit for your organization. An MSP is effectively your IT department, and it’s vital to have a cohesive, connected culture.  Ask questions about your MSPs cultural values. What drives their commitment to their clients? What are their core values? And equally important, what do they do to nurture these values with their staff. You should also consider if the MSPs cultural values are compatible with your own set of values.

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Bonus Item:

How do they participate in the broader tech community? Connection to the wider tech industry is central to ensuring your MSP is up to date on the latest developments and in touch with the ways workplace technology is changing and adapting. Partnerships are a key indicator of how an MSP might participate in the broader industry. Is your MSP a Microsoft Partner? Do they partner with other companies that provide services or devices to enhance modern work? What strategic advantages do their partnerships provide to clients and end users? Asking these questions can help you ensure that your MSP is capable of keeping up in today’s fast-paced tech landscape.

When you’re looking for a new MSP, keep these five factors in mind to ensure that you’re making the right decision. Working with an MSP is about partnership and driving your organization to success, not just today and tomorrow, but for years to come.

If you want to learn more about what to look for in an MSP, check out our eBook on the importance of managed services in the modern workplace. And if you’re ready to begin your journey, contact us today to get started.