What is a managed IT service?
Also known as a Managed Service Provider (MSP), Managed IT is an Information Technology company that manages all aspects of a client's IT infrastructure, usually including end-user systems. What separates an MSP from the hourly rate ‘Break/Fix’ model is that the bulk of the service is provided through 24/7 remote monitoring, maintenance and repair (Help Desk). Unlimited on-site visits by field technicians are provided as well. Both remote and onsite services generally operate under a specific ‘guaranteed’ time frame for response.
An MSP arrangement is typically based on a monthly subscription or retainer, supported by a detailed Service Level Agreement (SLA) which itemizes the entire scope of the services provided. A true MSP operates on a proactive basis, taking a more ‘holistic’ approach to the network infrastructure as a whole organism, as well as each individual device on the network: workstations, servers, printers, scanners and other devices which are unique or proprietary to the business.
The MSP model is prevalent in today’s IT landscape, becoming a ‘catch phrase’ for most IT providers, even when they do not meet the criteria for a bona fide MSP. It is important for any potential client to read over the SLA thoroughly to be certain what they are getting for their money. For example, if remote monitoring and repair is not included, the offering is not that of a true MSP.
It is common to see many firms interchanging the term "Managed Services Provider", with non-MSP entities like "Cloud Service Provider" These two terms share some similarities, but they do not denote the exact same scope of services. Many MSP clients choose not to have applications or data backups hosted in the cloud.
The Managed Services model began to arrive on the IT scene in the 1990s, following closely behind the emergence of the Internet. The key element that allowed this change was the ability to monitor and repair networks remotely, connecting through the internet – the modern ‘IT Help Desk’ was born.
Early practitioners of the developing web-based service model were Application Service Providers (ASPs), which offered remote application hosting services. As the technology advanced, MSPs, providing remote support for customers' IT infrastructure, and Cloud Computing companies began to appear.
MSPs continue to add services to differentiate themselves from their competition, bundling technologies such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone systems to their offerings menu.
True top-notch MSPs will continue to anticipate the future of technology, expanding their services in kind.
What are the benefits of managed IT services?
They are many and varied here are the most fundamental:
1: Cost Savings and Reliable IT Budgeting
On a monthly subscription/retainer basis, IT costs are predictable and lower than Break/Fix.
2: 24/7 Remote Monitoring and Maintenance (see below)
Increased Productivity and Operational Efficiency
Cost-Effective Access to Peripheral Technologies
With the volume of our technology relationships, we get better pricing.
3: Minimized Downtime
Keeps the client focus on business, not on IT
4: Vendor Management
We bring ALL technology vendors under our umbrella to sort out issues that may not involve us directly. Your staff need not juggle calls with vendors.
5: Virtual CIO
We advise on technologies that effect every aspect of your business, not just IT. We are your IT Directory, your virtual Chief Information Officer.
How a Proactive MSP Works
From the first moment you meet with an MSP, they will ask you questions designed to achieve a thorough knowledge of how your business works (not just the computers), the rate at which you are growing, and where you want to take the company in terms of future growth and expansion, giving them crucial information that allows them to not only take excellent care of you today, but to look through today into tomorrow.
The Best MSPs forecast issues with your system. Let’s say you are in The Cloud, but as the Best Practice, you have local backups that are not connected to your network. This is the fastest method to restore data after a disaster, but physical data storage units have capacity limitations.
The MSP should be able to predict, based on the rate of current data storage, as well as the increases due to new employees with data to be backed up, adding to the storage rate, just how soon you will need to upgrade your storage unit, or other ways to archive less important files to the cloud, or archive them elsewhere.
They also perform this task for your servers and individual workstations – not just in terms of capacity, but of the eventual obsolescence of your hardware and software.
We have just seen the last of the Microsoft support for Windows 10. Without critical security patches and updates, these become vulnerabilities in your network, and cyber criminals wait for just these transitional periods, where they can separate the weakest systems from the herd and attack.
A Top-Notch MSP would make sure that these vulnerabilities can never take root.
Some software and hardware (printers, connected copiers & scanners) do not ‘play well’ with the network and cause issues, just as Windows updates occasionally wreak havoc on the connections within your infrastructure. We foresee these impending issues and effect reliable solutions so that these problems become non-recurring.
With the unpredictability of Windows updates: we know when they are going to happen and monitor the updates effect on your network so that necessary corrections can be made immediately.
A Break & Fix IT person will rarely do this.
Day to Day
On a routine basis, an MSP prevents many issues, but when they do occur, they use a ‘Ticketing System’, which allows the quickest response as well as ongoing analysis of the situation and accurate reporting.
How it works:
The end user has an issue and opens a ticket in one of 3 ways:
- By telephone to our Help Desk
- By email
- Via our website.
Once the MSP receives the ticket, an immediate response is sent back to the user. If it is necessary to ‘remote in’ and take over the computer for repair, we ask for the best time to do so, then call the user when we begin the process.
Nobody likes to be surprised while they’re working when suddenly their mouse isn’t controlling the cursor, but a remote technician is. For non-crucial issues, we will affect repair after hours.
It’s simple: The MSP should always be there, and always quick to respond.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the break-fix process?
While an MSP is proactive, break/fix purveyors are reactive. Because it’s extremely rare for break/fix IT companies to have remote monitoring and repair, here’s how ‘the waiting game’ usually works:
Something breaks, you call your IT guy, and then you:
WAIT for a callback, then you
WAIT for the tech to show up, then you
WAIT for him/her to troubleshoot the problem, and then you
WAIT for him/her to fix it.
Does that sound like a lot of downtime?
It is.
What is the break-fix help desk?
It is virtually non-existent. It’s extremely rare for break-fix guys to have any kind of help desk. Repairs typically happen in the manner described in the previous FAQ.
IT inhouse or outsource IT?
You have to become a very sizable company before ‘in-house IT’ makes financial sense. Evaluate the salary and benefits for a single, qualified in-house IT person (average about $90k) it seems quite clear that you get better service by outsourcing to a reputable MSP – not just anyone who hangs out an ‘IT sign’. You get much more, much faster, and for much less money, and your MSP doesn’t take sick days, vacation days, or holidays off.
What do managed IT services cost?
It typically boils down to a per-user/per-month price, no matter how the price breakdown is presented, according to Gartner, the price range is between $100 to $250 per user per month. If you poll reputable MSPs in the IT community, it will be rare to find one that charges more than $175 per user. The $250 figure must be from a place where there is literally no competition.
How secure is your network?
As a longstanding, reputable member of the Charlotte IT Support community, ITFIRM.COM offers a FREE, no-risk network and cybersecurity assessment. We perform a non-intrusive scan that allows us to deliver a comprehensive report of the state of your system and its vulnerabilities that is yours to keep. There are no strings attached, and you are under no obligation to ever to use our Managed IT services.
The two best defenses are next-generation network cybersecurity to protect your data from theft, and a top-notch Managed Services Provider (MSP) to ensure continued reliability and defenses against newly emerging threats.
We put our 100% Money Back Guarantee in writing, so there is no risk in trying us out. Because we do not require a ‘hard’ contract, our clients can fire us at any time with 30 days’ notice. We have to be good.
Among the Managed IT services we provide:
IT Desk Service
Onsite IT Support
Cybersecurity
Cloud migration and management
Email migration services
Backup and disaster recovery
VoIP phone systems
IT disposition and recycling
Office moves
White label services (IT to IT)
Planning an Office Move?
Contact ITFIRM.COM today! We have the experience to ensure a seamless transition. After the move, your employees will arrive at the new location to find their IT infrastructure ready and open for business!
For more information on moving, or to receive your FREE no-risk network and cybersecurity assessment, just fill out the form on this page or call us at:
704-565-9705
