A managed service provider (MSP) is a company that offers IT infrastructure and network management support for other businesses.
MSPs serve multiple industries, including high risk sectors like government, finance and healthcare. They work with businesses of all sizes, ranging from small startups to large enterprises.
Support services are typically offered on a per-contract basis. Most MSPs offer flexible plans that align with the needs of their customers. For example, it’s possible to buy IT support from an MSP in chunks of time, or as it is needed. It’s also possible to purchase a plan that comes with full 24/7 support.
One of the main advantages to working with an MSP is that it is a cost-effective way of obtaining reliable network coverage. Business networks are extremely complex – and expensive – entities, and are highly error prone. They require constant surveillance in order to ensure they remain operationally efficient and secure. When an issue does arise on a business network – like a server error or a broken cable – rapid-response troubleshooting is required to restore uptime before it negatively impacts productivity.
An MSP can provide a variety critical support services at a rate that is affordable for the average organization. These services can include cloud management, data backup, disaster recovery, hosted email, network monitoring, virtualization, website hosting mobile device management and more.
One of the most important services that an MSP will offer is cybersecurity expertise. An MSP will offer a variety of cutting-edge tools to combat cybercrime. This is particularly important when considering the fact that cybercrime is at an all-time high.
By outsourcing network management functions to an MSP, an organization can focus less on troubleshooting and more on business growth. Most importantly, an organization can often gain access to an entire MSP tech team for less than the price of a single hire while not worrying about vacation or sick days.