Internal IT or MSP? That Is the Question…

As a business grows to meet its goals, the demand and reliance on technology becomes increasingly complex and remarkably time-consuming. There comes a point when a business owner must choose between working on the business or working in the business. At this point, they face a challenging question: “Do I build my own IT management capability, or do I partner with someone who can look after it for me?”

While larger companies can easily sustain the costs of running an in-house IT strategy and support team, the expense and effort associated with building out an internal IT department, coupled with attracting and retaining high-quality talent, doesn’t always make sense when working within the constraints of an SMB budget.

In this article, we will discuss five indicators that it's time to partner with a managed IT services provider, more commonly known as an MSP.

1. “Our current IT support is unreliable”

One of the most common reasons businesses choose to partner with an MSP is because they're tired of dealing with unreliable support and unpredictable IT costs. If your current IT team can't keep up with the growing queue of technology breakdowns or they always seem to be putting out fires without any time to get ahead of these issues, it is time to consider partnering with an MSP.

Chaos in IT doesn’t follow a 9 to 5 schedule. Best-in-class IT support should be available when it’s needed, not when it is convenient. The best MSPs offer 24x7x365 support for any IT emergency that will inevitably happen. Additionally, they will be strategic in their approach to keeping your systems up and running, which means less downtime for your business and more time doing what you do best—serving your customers.

2. “Our customer service is suffering as a result of outdated technology”

Another sign that it might be time to partner with an MSP is if you've noticed that your customer service has been suffering from IT chaos. When your clients are unable to get what they need from you because the phones are down, your account managers are unable to look up client records, or their email is constantly getting trapped by an outdated spam filter, these types of issues will reflect poorly on your business and trigger your clients to look elsewhere.

An MSP should always focus on keeping your technology reliable so that it doesn’t become a roadblock to your business’s success. By leveraging an MSP that is capable of providing support when you need it, you can prevent outages and keep your systems online when you need them most.

3. “Our IT is not scaling with us as we grow”

If your business is growing, but your technology remains stuck in 2005, it's time to think more strategically about IT. An experienced managed services provider will be able to scale their IT support quickly and efficiently to meet the demands of your growing business.

Additionally, a good MSP will offer advice about how to future-proof your systems so that you can continue to support your business as it grows. By looking at your business's current needs, how technology is evolving, and how fast your company is currently growing, a trusted IT partner can make predictions about your company’s future needs and how you can be ready for what’s next. This will help to ensure that you don't outgrow your IT services and have to start from scratch again.

4. “IT chaos is interfering with our success”

If you feel like technology is always blocking the path toward delivering on your goals and you are constantly putting out IT fires, then it is time to partner with an MSP. Dealing with IT issues all the time is frustrating and takes away mindshare toward dealing with more critical tasks.

Working with an MSP will help you focus on your core business while boosting your company's ability to grow. Additionally, a promising managed IT support provider will be able to help you avoid future fires by monitoring your systems proactively and addressing any issues before they cause problems, which can ultimately result in cost savings for your business.

5. “We’re too small to be the target of a cyberattack”

As a small or medium-sized business, you might think you're not a target for cybercriminals. However, cyberattacks are increasingly targeting SMBs.

There are many potential consequences of a cyberattack, including:

● Loss of sensitive data: This could include customer data, financial data, or internal company information.

● Disruption of business operations: An attack could result in massive financial losses and service disruption. For example, in May 2021, Colonial Pipeline fell victim to a ransomware attack that locked up its IT network, leaving the company unable to bill customers and forcing it to temporarily shut down the pipeline’s operations. The shutdown resulted in fuel shortages and panic buying throughout the U.S. East Coast.

● Reputational damage: Cyberattacks can cause a severe loss of customer trust, particularly when confidential customer data is used for fraudulent financial activities and identity theft or sold on the black market.

● Legal liabilities: If sensitive data is stolen or leaked, you could be facing hefty fines from regulators for your failure to protect customer data, follow cybersecurity best practices, and comply with laws and regulations.

An MSP can help protect your business from the growing threat of cybercrime. When you partner with an MSP, you get access to a team of cybersecurity experts who can help you strengthen your cybersecurity posture by monitoring for threats, patching and updating software, and responding to incidents as they occur. Additionally, an experienced MSP will be able to advise you about the best security measures for your business and implement them quickly and easily.

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It's time to think about partnering with an MSP if you're fed up with unreliable support, your technology isn’t scaling at the same pace as your business, or customer service is suffering due to IT problems.

The benefits of partnering with an MSP far outweigh the costs. In fact, leveraging a managed IT services provider can often save you money by helping to stabilize your IT support costs with a predictable monthly budget.

An experienced MSP that can offer a high level of support and scale with you as you grow will also help improve your company's bottom line. Additionally, it will free up your time to focus on your business goals, grow your brand, and gain a competitive edge in the market.

If you are interested in finding out more about how VC3 can partner with you on your IT, get in touch with us today.