If My Company Has an IT Team, Do We Need a Managed Service Provider (MSP) Too?

Your company’s internal IT team plays a critical role in ensuring your team members can stay productive, connected and efficient.

But there’s much more to maintaining a strong and protected technology environment than the average IT team at a small business is staffed or equipped to offer. That’s where a Managed Service Provider (MSP) comes in.

So, what does an MSP do? And how can you tell if your company (and your IT team) really needs an MSP to supplement the technology work you’re already doing in-house?

What’s the Difference Between an MSP and My Company’s IT Team?

IT team members at a small or medium-sized business are typically IT generalists. They must be very knowledgeable about a range of general technology issues, including your company’s IT infrastructure, apps and digital tools. This allows them to be an agile and helpful resource for your other team members who may encounter a wide variety of technology issues on any given day.

On the other hand, an MSP offers deeper specializations in specific areas of IT, including IT strategy, software selection, policy management, technology performance monitoring and niche technology consulting. The scope of an MSP’s responsibilities is much deeper and more focused in these specific areas to help an organization establish and maintain a healthy overarching technology operation.

Another key difference between your IT team and an MSP, is that while your IT team is on the company’s payroll and works solely for your company, MSPs are third-party vendors. An MSP typically provides services under contract or a service level agreement.

How Would I Know If I Need an MSP in Addition to My IT Team?

Determining the benefit of having an MSP in addition to your IT team will depend on various factors specific to your organization, like your IT staffing level, tech expertise, risk appetite, tools, approach to technology and plans for the future.

In general, it may be beneficial for your company to invest in MSP consulting in addition to having an IT team if:

Your IT team lacks capacity.

Your IT team may already be consumed with existing operational responsibilities and urgent requests, leaving little room for high-level strategy. An MSP wouldn’t replace your IT team’s function but would serve as a supplement to support them when it comes to your company’s overarching IT plans.

Your IT team lacks niche expertise.

Highly specialized IT skills are required to tackle many of today’s IT problems. An MSP can provide your company with expert resources so you can make the most informed decisions for your organization, even in areas beyond your internal team’s expertise.

You have known vulnerabilities.

MSPs understand the IT landscape and the threats that continuously target companies like yours. Your MSP can identify possible vulnerabilities in your company’s IT infrastructure, prescribe measures that can mitigate the risks and take responsibility for implementing those measures.

You have a complex infrastructure.

As your company adopts new tools and technologies, your company’s IT infrastructure may become more difficult to maintain. An MSP is well-versed in advising organizations about complex IT infrastructure management.

You anticipate company growth.

As your company grows, your IT needs will likely become more complicated. An MSP can scale up—or down, if necessary—quickly.

You operate in an industry with strict compliance requirements for your data.

An MSP can offer advice about the latest compliance developments and industry-specific regulations pertaining to your company’s data access and storage (such as HIPAA or PCI DSS).

You desire more objectivity.

Because they are working directly for your company, your IT team may be unable to provide the high degree of objectivity required to make critical decisions about some IT issues. An MSP team can be objective in determining inefficiencies in your IT processes and infrastructure.

I Trust My IT Team. How Would I Know I Can Trust an MSP?

Because an MSP will have an integral role in handling important aspects of your company’s IT, it’s essential that you can extend the same level of trust and confidence to them as you would to your internal IT team.

Establishing a relationship of trust begins with thorough vetting of your MSP candidates. An ideal MSP should:

• Have extensive experience with companies of your size and industry so they can make recommendations that can actually benefit your company
• Have team members with certifications demonstrating their expertise in niche technology areas
• Have several years of expertise related to your company’s IT issues
• Be able to provide plenty of references and credentials to support their credibility
• Handle its own IT environment well and implement their own strong security measures

Keep in mind that during your relationship with your MSP, you, not the MSP, will always have complete control of your IT operations. The final decision about how your IT is handled will always be yours.

Can an MSP Get Your Company’s IT to the Next Level?

An MSP will never replace your IT team, and an MSP is not there to take over the detail of support that your IT team has. Both must work together to provide the optimal IT environment for your company and be available for when your internal IT needs assistance or to take vacation.

In the event that your company does not have internal IT personnel, an MSP can manage the day-to-day support.

Connect with your Warren Averett Technology Group advisor to learn more about MSP consulting services, or ask a member of our team to reach out to you to get the conversation started.