Finding Incredible Audio Visual Equipment

If you don't have the people power to manage your own IT infrastructure and support, working with a managed IT solution service (MSP) makes sense. Working with an MSP can help you reduce overhead operational costs and can help reduce the need to have a full in-house IT team, which is great if your business wants IT support but doesn't have the budget for an on-site IT team. With a managed IT service, you can do a few things to ensure you have a successful partnership. 

Set Clear Expectations

One of the best things you can do to have a successful relationship is to set clear expectations. You will want to work together during the onboarding process and figure out what the managed IT relationships will entail and what each party's expectations are for the procedure. Each company has different needs and expectations, so you will want to make your expectations and needs clear. 

• Who is going to be responsible for setting up new hardware?
•  If there are hardware updates, who will install them? 
• Do you want the MSP to create a network and system that works for you, or do you want them to work with outside vendors? 
• Do you want them to have access to sensitive data? 
• How do you want them to protect your sensitive data? 
• How do you want the MSP to help with cloud applications? 

There are just a few of the expectations you will want to define. You will want to determine who is responsible for installing and updating hardware, taking care of security, and protecting and managing cloud data and applications—setting clear expectations of who is in charge of what will help you have a better working relationship. 

Event Escalations

Sometimes, you might run into issues where you will want the MSP's assistance with an important issue. When that happens, you need to have a straightforward escalation process. 

• Can anyone in your organization contact the MSP for the escalation process? 
• Do you have a point person you want the MSP to work with for all escalation events? 
• Who should you contact at the MSP? 
• What type of response should you expect to get?

Answering these types of questions, and having a straightforward escalation process in place, can help ensure that when you need immediate assistance, both parties can know what that looks like and who they should be communicating with. 

Explain Current Infrastructure

Ensure your MSP has a clear idea of your infrastructure for the best working environment. Take the time to explain how your business functions and the layout of your infrastructure. Investing time to explain your infrastructure and business fully can help your MSP create a plan to offer you maximum support. 

If you want to have a proactive and positive relationship with your new MSP, take the time to explain your infrastructure and business, clearly identify expectations and duties, and establish an event escalation process. Doing this at the start of your partnership can allow you to have a beneficial relationship with your MSP.