Decisions about technology solutions and partners should be based not only on your needs today, but projected needs five years from now to ensure alignment with your business goals. This is especially true of your managed services provider (MSP).
Switching your MSP can be a significant business decision. If you’re unsure whether it’s time to make the switch, here are five signs that might indicate you’ve outgrown your MSP or should consider finding a new one.
1) Lack of Scalability
As your organization grows, you need IT infrastructure and partners that are capable of growing with you. Lack of scalability in your MSP can hold back your progress and cap your growth potential. Essentially, an inability to scale thwarts success.
An MSP must offer the resources to support growth and seamlessly integrate new technologies that enhance business operations. Overburdened servers and networks frequently causing performance issues and downtime are clear indicators of an MSP lacking the knowledge, experience, and capability to keep up with your organization’s growth.
2) Over-reliance on On-Premises Servers
The digital age demands flexibility and accessibility. Similar to scalability limitations, relying solely on on-premises servers can hamper your business’s agility and responsiveness, both of which can have a direct impact on the end-user experience, the customer experience, and organizational growth.
On-premises servers can create bottlenecks that limit accessibility to network resources and data for remote teams and get in the way of collaboration. On-premises servers are also expensive to maintain, upgrade, and replace, making it more difficult to scale up during peak production periods or down during quieter times to optimize costs.
A good MSP will have strong partnerships with cloud providers, along with access to a vast network of engineering resources to ensure your needs are always met.
3) Reactive Support, Slow Response
First, high ticket volume is a sign of underlying issues with your MSP. A properly functioning IT environment should not generate excessive support tickets, which indicate insufficient monitoring and maintenance and a reactive approach to handling IT issues. Delayed responses to critical and even non-critical issues can affect productivity and lead to prolonged downtime.
Effective communication and a healthy working relationship are crucial for the success of any business partnership. If you find your current MSP doesn’t respond to your specific needs in a timely manner, fails to communicate effectively, or doesn’t seem to be doing enough knowledge creation to prevent reoccurring IT issues., This negative cycle hinders collaboration and can impact your business. And it’s a sign you may have outgrown your MSP.
4) Inadequate Security
Outdated security protocols and slow deployment of security patches and software updates make it virtually impossible to keep up with constantly evolving security threats. This increases the risk of breaches that expose sensitive data and lead to compliance violations. Security incidents can cost millions of dollars and tarnish the image of your organization. Continual maintenance and monitoring of your IT environment is a core responsibility of any effective MSP.
In today’s business computing landscape, modern, robust security is non-negotiable. If your MSP isn’t doing enough to protect your data and assets, it’s a significant red flag.
5) Misaligned Goals and Priorities
Your MSP should operate as an extension of your business. The services provided should align not only with day-to-day operations, but long-term, strategic business objectives. A disconnect can lead to missed opportunities and inefficiencies that hinder growth.
If the priorities of your MSP don’t align with yours, the MSP resists adopting new technologies to spur innovation and revenue, or there’s simply a lack of communication and collaboration, it’s fair to question whether the MSP is operating with your organization’s best interests in mind.
Conclusion
As with many things in life, early detection is key to a positive outcome. Identifying these warning signs as early as possible can help you find an MSP that meets the current and future needs of your organization. Making a change can help you improve performance and productivity, reduce risk, and drive innovation and growth.
A comprehensive technology assessment from a neutral third party can provide a clear window into your IT environment. This assessment can pinpoint problems and provide a roadmap for choosing an MSP that positions your organization for sustained success.
Changing your IT service provider is a big decision. We encourage you to carefully evaluate the current state of your MSP relationship and consider weighing options.
If you’d like to discuss concerns with your IT environment or schedule an assessment, contact us to speak with a member of the Resultant team today.
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