In the MSP industry, we often get questions from prospective clients that are something along the lines of “How do I know you can handle my company’s needs?” In short, the answer to this question is relatively simple: we operate every day along the lines of our carefully built and tested Best Practices along with a deep bench of resources for big projects or large regional events. The combination of these two factors is essential in order for us to provide reliable small business IT support to our clients that we are known for.
The Evolution of Small Business IT Support
When the MSP industry was first getting started, the common understanding was at that time, companies needed one technician for every twenty-five users. Because of the evolution of industry best practices along with technology improvement over time, this stat has changed drastically over the years. Now, you only need one technician about every two hundred and fifty to three hundred users. Although, there are a few variables that can cause this number to change. Some things that impact the tech-to-user ratio include:
- How many remote or mobile users does your company have? These users typically require more support from technicians than traditional, in-office users.
- If your company using current technology? This entails the use of Windows 10 and Microsoft Server 2012r2 or later. Companies that are not current with their technology not only require more support to deal with issues but also require our time and resources to transition to the latest technology when the time comes to do so.
- Does your MSP use managed solutions for AntiVirus, updates, and upgrades? Managed solutions are much more time effective. Rather than doing everything manually, we are able to automate these processes, to save you time and money.
- Does your MSP practice 24/7 proactive monitoring? By taking a proactive approach, potential problems can be solved before they even occur. Take, for example, if your MSP can predict that your machine is going to get sick before it does, we save time while also saving you downtime and cost. Without managed services preemptive solutions like this are not possible. If you are a managed services client of ours, you can expect operational uptime for servers and workstations of at least 99.8% on a monthly basis, we which regularly report to you.
It is also vital to hire an MSP that has a network of resources available to them, should they need assistance in taking care of their clients. For us, having a network of strong connections with other MSPs and MSP associations has come in handy when we have a very large client or prospective client who needs extra resources. In cases like these, we are able to pull in local MSP’s who we have a relationship with to provide extra support. Alternatively, in the event of a major incident like a hurricane, or some other natural disaster that causes widespread outages, we know we have the support both locally and nationwide that we need in order to get our office and our clients’ offices back up and running.
To summarize, it is important when vetting a new IT vendor, or even evaluating a current provider, to ensure that they have the resources needed to take care of your company even in extenuating circumstances. Over the years, the demand for large-scale IT companies has diminished as less and less resources are needed per user. In the place of this manpower, chose an MSP that has chosen to move towards Best Practices and proactive managed services, but still has a network of resources and support available to them, if needed. This proactive approach will save you both downtime and cost, while also ensuring your company is always in good hands!
This is a constantly evolving field. Please feel free to reach out for more info or with any feedback and we’ll help/update as needed.