By this point in the guide, you know what an MSP does (Part 1), whether you should rely on in-house or outsourced IT – or both! (Part 2), and how to determine if you should get an IT security assessment (Part 3). You may not know which MSP services your business specifically needs though, so that’s what we’ll be covering in this section.
This is Part 4 of the 10-part Seattle Business Owners’ Guide to IT Security, so if you haven’t checked out Parts 1-3 yet, please click the links above to get up to speed.
It’s time, so pour yourself a fresh cup of coffee — or order an espresso, we’re happy to wait while you get yourself your favorite caffeinated beverage — and let’s discuss your options for MSP services.
You know how when you’re at the grocery store, those little labels on the shelf tell you how much one type of pasta costs per pound and another tells you how much it costs per 12-ounce package? If you want to get an accurate apples-to-apples comparison (or “pasta-to-pasta” comparison, rather), you’ll need to break out your cell phone calculator and figure the ounce-to-ounce cost of the pasta.
It’s frustrating, but that’s how comparing MSPs works too. They all offer different MSP services and different pricing, which means your job is to break down the service-to-service comparison of their offerings, so you can get an accurate understanding of exactly what you’ll be getting from your provider.
Your organization is unique, so you may need some unique MSP services, such as software licensing management or HIPAA audit compliance checks for your industry. A good local managed services provider here in Seattle can help you sort through your specific industry needs, but the following are the most common services that a wide range of businesses rely on.
Good MSPs will deliver the top MSP services along with a handful of industry-specific services, but the best MSPs will help you design a personalized services plan that meets your specific needs, now and in the future. That way, you can ensure you have exactly the IT services and support you need – nothing more and nothing less.
The benefit to this approach is that you won’t have to worry that you’ll end up paying for costly “out of scope” IT support all the time, and you’ll be able to relax because you’ll know that all of your IT is taken care of.
If you’re ready for your personalized MSP services plan now, you know that all you need to do is reach out to Interplay, Seattle’s award-winning IT support company and one of the area’s only true MSPs.
However, if you’re not ready to get an actual quote and you’d like to do more research on your own, we also offer a DIY approach you can use to plan for your MSP needs.
Check out the Network & IT Health Self-Assessment to learn where your IT setup is working and where you could use some help. As soon as you need us, we’ll be there for you.
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support@interplayIT.com
16300 Christensen Rd Ste 304 Seattle, WA 98188
(206) 329-6600
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