Fundamental Questions to Ask Before Hiring A Managed IT Services

Managed IT services are an asset to any kind of organization big or small. Businesses can gain cost-effective IT solutions as well as add an extra security layer for their sensitive data safe. MSP or managed service provider offers multiple digital solutions that range from server security to unified communication solutions.

Ask IT Leaders a consulting session to understand what value they can offer to your business. Discussing your needs and response from prospective managed service providers ensures that you are choosing a suitable IT partner to grow with.

Finding the right provider isn’t the only thing you need to know about managed IT services. In the decision-making process for finding an ideal provider or even offering their own managed IT service provider pricing plays a huge role.

List of questions to ask a managed IT consultant

What happens when my infrastructure collapses?

In the Cyber-centric world, it is unfortunate to experience an inevitable IT disaster. Therefore, find out if the potential MSP is prepared to handle such disastrous situations. The MSP consultant will start talking about DRP or discovery recovering plans including RTO [Recovery Time Objections] and RPO [Recovery Point Objections] that will be needed to set. It means, they will have a pre-prepared recovery policy or work with you on a customizable plan.

What services will be covered and not included under my agreement?

It is wise to ask this in the consultancy phase because it protects you from paying hidden costs down the road. With a clear idea of what your IT requirements are, it saves plenty of time because MSPs can plan on the kind of suites they can offer.

Discuss what your IT needs are and have them clarify their packages and costs. Negotiate and identify if they are restricting services like reducing help desk frequency to encompass a suitable deal. You don’t desire to encounter surprise charges every month.

How do you support business growth?

Businesses grow, so while determining an ideal MSP you need to consider their scalability capabilities. It makes your evolvement easy, where you can accumulate more staff and system with ease.

Depending on your niche, look for MSP with scalability capabilities as well as their ability to accommodate the increased data in the future. Be prepared for progress and expansion today to avoid a hold back in the future.

What is the frequency of infrastructure maintenance and updates? Will it cause downtime?

It is a question, which offers an insight into the potential MSP’s attention level and thorough care of their infrastructure. You get an idea if updates and maintenance will impact your productivity.

Will they alert you in advance and how? You don’t desire to be in a position where you cannot reach the MSPs’ customer service during downtime.

How will you keep us looped in?

You don’t desire to be ignorant about your digital infrastructure. MSPs have some procedures that keep their clients in the loop. Some standard practices you can ask about are –

• Reports
• Meetings
• Admin portals
• Troubleshooting

How are you different from other MSPs?

Generally, this is a question that MSPs encounter regularly, so they have some generic answers. You can end with this question because you will receive a genuine answer as the other questions have forced MSP to think before answering. If you feel the response is canned ask for customer testimonials.

Technology allows streamlining your processes and even its accumulated data is crucial. If the MSP answers vaguely or seems dodgy to answer the above questions, you need to think seriously. Follow your guts and choose one that is ideal for your business needs.