The competition in the modern market for small and medium-sized firms is fierce. These firms face significant difficulty in keeping up with the rapid rate of change and remaining competitive. When he outlines the significance of Why IT Experience Matters, Richard Luna, CEO of Protected Harbor, touches on this subject. His weekly video series Uptime With Richard Luna, which is uploaded online every Thursday, also covers subjects like these and many others.
SMBs (Small & Midsized Businesses) need to work with an IT Service Provider or MSP (Managed Service Provider) to help them manage their technology while also handling all of their daily operational tasks if they want to succeed in this digital age. Benefits of an IT service provider often include cost savings, scalability, and efficiency.
You should be aware of why IT experience is crucial when choosing an MSP if you’re thinking about working with one or already do. We’ll go over the value of experience and what to look for while evaluating your options below.
The Importance of Experience
The level of experience a provider has is a key determinant of the quality of their services.
It first aids in determining their level of expertise. Second, past experience provides insight into how an IT service provider or MSP will handle your collaboration, particularly when dealing with varied business and client types. The secret to ensuring that your PCs and other IT equipment run smoothly and are safe from cyber threats is experience.
MSPs have experience and know what works best for various firms, so they can guide you in choosing the finest technology for your needs. But it’s also important to remember that MSPs are not perfect. Nobody can assure uninterrupted service or that their clients won’t encounter any disruptions or service interruptions because they vary from one MSP to the next. In short, nothing is guaranteed. Even though your MSP can help you avoid many problems, plenty can still occur.
The First Rule of IT: Panic
The initial response to an emergency is panic. Your own workers may be impacted by this, and there may not be any available IT staff at the time. Fortunately, MSPs are ready for any emergency. While some MSPs offer a quicker 15-minute response time, the majority of MSPs operate with a standard response time of 30 minutes, which is applicable to a variety of difficulties. It’s crucial to comprehend how quickly an MSP responds to issues and the methods they take to fix them when they deal with you. This could be quite important in figuring out the level of service that customers get.
What’s occurring is always the first question that comes to mind in an emergency. The most frequent responses we receive are that a cluster node (a piece of data center) or the main firewall blew up, knocking out thousands of customers.
In this situation, Richard Luna, CEO of Protected Harbor, recommends focusing on what’s working. In a crisis, this is the best thing to do; it will tell you what you can move to, what infrastructure can be used, and what was lost.
Emergencies Occur, and They Can be Resolved
Successful MSPs and IT service providers are those who have planned for everything. They are aware that emergencies can happen at any time and that they require quick action. All of these catastrophes, including power surges, interior flooding, fires, and earthquakes, can seriously harm your IT infrastructure and have an effect on your employees, clients, and business as a whole. However, all of these problems are resolvable, especially if you have a capable and reliable MSP on call.
Hiring an MSP is Not Always the Best Solution
When you need a new IT infrastructure quickly, you might be tempted to employ an MSP on an “as needed” basis, but doing so could result in you paying more for the work done and not having what you ultimately need. You have limited control over how your IT system is set up if you use services from a third party. You may not have access to all the backups and other data you require for your business continuity strategy, and you cannot upgrade your hardware or software anytime you need to. There is no assurance that you will obtain the same staff if you deal with an MSP on an “as needed” basis.
The Optimal Solution: Experienced People With A Plan
You want to look for seasoned professionals who have a strategy when working with an MSP. Additionally, the team should have a track record of accomplishments working with other clients in your sector. Simply put, you ought to seek out MSPs with a solid track record. When working with an MSP, you should have complete confidence in their staff, as well as their ability to react to any changes and fix issues as they emerge. You should be able to work with an MSP without being concerned about any potential problems with your IT infrastructure.
“The optimal solution in this situation is a blend,” Richard explains that in order to get the best, you will need to have the best of minds, experienced people who have been through crises before and understand the long view of the technology, intermixed with fresh minds or a brand new staff will give a terrific blend of a solid, communicative, collaborative team.
This is an approach that we use internally at Protected Harbor.
Summing up
How you handle your business’s IT infrastructure can make or break your organization.
The best way to ensure that you have a strong IT foundation is to partner with an experienced MSP. When you choose an MSP with experience, you can be sure that your IT systems will run smoothly and efficiently. You can expect your systems to be managed appropriately, and they can also help you to use resources in your systems more efficiently. With an MSP, you can rest assured that your IT team will be ready to respond when an emergency occurs.
While most IT service providers or MSPs offer a one-size-fits-all approach, Protected Harbor has been set apart from the competition by its focus on providing an individually tailored experience to its clients. Whether it’s an enterprise company or a mid-sized business, you can expect to be treated as an individual.
If you’re looking for managed IT services for your company, you deserve more than a cookie-cutter solution. You deserve a trusted advisor who understands your business and technology challenges and works with you to create a solution that meets your unique needs.
Protected Harbor is not your typical MSP. We have the experience and focus on solving issues for our clients, not selling service plans. We work with you to build a relationship based on trust and transparency. We have a 95% client retention rate and an average of 15 minute ticket response times. Don’t just take our word for it; check our testimonials.
Contact us today to get a free IT Audit and experience for yourself why IT experience matters.
