In our last blog, we discussed what are the main attractions for organizations to consider outsourcing some or all of their IT to an outside service provider. In this article, we will share our thoughts on things to look at when evaluating your options. Organizations have many choices when it comes to managed service providers. Choosing the right one can mean the difference between having a business partner who adds value to your organization and helps you move your business forward and a provider who is more interested in your money than making your IT systems run smoother.
Here are some things to think about:
High touch/high value: Does the service provider emphasize customer service and personal attention? Do they sit down with you to fully understand your business goals and how you see IT supporting or driving those objectives? Are they both proactive and responsive? It’s important to work with a managed service provider who values working hand in hand with you every step of the way.
Data center focused: Choose a service provider who has demonstrated expertise in the data center as their core business. Sometimes managed service providers have their roots in PCs and help desks, and are trying to expand their services inward. Providers who understand the nuances of designing, deploying, and managing sizable data centers and demonstrable investment in bullet-proof data centers and architectures will give you the highest level of success.
Flexible: Working with a managed service provider that offers a variety of options will be in your best interest. Organizations all have unique requirements. Sometimes all that is required is extra staffing and monitoring of existing on-site equipment, other times a full hosting of infrastructure and applications is required. The ability to mix and match services based on needs can make the experience much easier. Additionally, businesses are dynamic, so as your business changes, your IT needs will too. Look for a provider who can make that transition along with you.
Expertise: If your organization is fairly large and your data center is complex, you should be seeking a managed service provider who has the expertise, not only with enterprise level infrastructure, but has the certifications and credentials to really understand the nuances of how all the pieces work together for optimal performance and availability. Data center management is not only about the operational aspects of all the piece parts, but from a business perspective – knowing how to keep the business applications up and running 24/7.
Committed to Strong Vendor Partnerships: Whether you own your own infrastructure and have a service provider manage it, or utilize an MSP’s hosted data center, it’s important for the MSP to have deep, strong relationships with their vendors. Data centers consist of a variety of components: compute, storage, networking, and application, and data protection. Understanding how all those components work together to achieve the SLA goals is key to your success. For example, if you are running SAP as your ERP application, on top of Hewlett Packard servers and storage, with Cisco networking infrastructure, you need a service provider who has deep technical relationships with all of these technology providers.
While this is not an exhaustive list, it will give you a head start in selecting a strong managed services provider who can meet your needs and help you grow your business. Next time, we will discuss the value of a solid data protection plan when considering if managed services can help you.
Interested in learning more? Give us a call: 847-637-4300