Organizations choose Managed IT Services Providers over hiring in house because of the complexity of modern cybersecurity & IT Support. Small details can allow hackers in your network. Even with a great in-house IT team you are not 100% safe. They probably don't have the time to focus on every single of your technology needs. Most in-house teams are not equipped to handle comprehensive cybersecurity, while ensuring stellar IT support and maintaining networks & infrastructure.

Hiring a Managed Service Provider is more cost-efficient, it negates risks and improves flexibility. Recruiting, hiring, training, and managing in-house staff is costly and risky when it is not your core competency. When you hire a Managed Service Provider you are hiring a proven team of experienced professionals equipped with best-in-class technology that will set up your business for success. This allows managers to focus on their businesses instead of worrying about the company’s IT. A managed service provider also evaluates current and future IT needs, to guide what type of products and services a company should implement in the future. That being said there are occasions where in-house staff is a better fit or a necessity but even in these instances it usually makes sense to outsource some responsibilities to a managed service provider to allow your in-house team to focus on what they do best.

It depends, MSPs can provide a wide variety of options to match client requirements. Some MSPs bill per user, others bill per computer or per server. Some offer a flat fee for a set of agreed upon services. That makes it complicated to compare apples to apples. Regardless of these specificities, MSPs pricing should be fairly close from one to another in a specific area. If there are wide differences in pricing, there is a probably a reason. If a proposal looks too good to be true make sure to dig deeper. MSPs can list similar items that look comparable in what's included but in reality the level of service would not match. Be sure to ask extra questions to understand who will be performing the service, what tool and solutions will they use etc. That will enable you to make an informed decision. If a proposal is way more expansive, you need to ask how the proposal breaks down and what do you get for the money. Also we strongly recommend to take some time to call current clients of the MSP you are thinking of hiring to get insights on their actual performance.

Leveraging Local MSPs allow for strong relationships to be built between your team and theirs as well as easier access to their resources. If you’re working through an international call-center, their hours aren’t going to be the same as yours, even if they work around-the-clock. That combined with cultural differences and language barriers often leads to lackluster service and frustration. Last but not least, remote service can’t send a tech out to your physical location. This is probably the biggest issue, as there will be times when talking to someone over the phone just won’t cut it. Finally your business can benefit from your relationship with your local MSP from more than just the quality of the services provided. A good MSP will have a lot of connections in your area which can be a great source of additional opportunities.