Hiring a Managed Services Provider Won’t Risk IT Jobs

Some companies pursue partnerships with managed service providers (MSPs) rather than maintaining their own internal IT departments. For this reason, many internal IT teams might be reluctant to suggest partnering with a managed IT support team, out of fear their management will use the MSP as rationale to cut their jobs. But that isn’t always necessary — or even advisable. An MSP doesn’t have to risk IT jobs. In fact, MSPs can make internal IT jobs far more effective, in terms of efficiency, productivity and revenue generation.

Let’s explore the relationship between an MSP and internal IT department — and why internal IT departments shouldn’t fear an MSP.

Managed Services vs. Traditional IT Support

Often, the conversation about an MSP is positioned as managed IT support vs in-house support. In reality, MSPs are often used to augment existing IT support teams.

The advantage of MSPs is that organizations are able to easily outsource routine, mundane tasks (such as a managed IT help desk or IT managed support services) as well as critical support tasks (such as IT breach detection and mitigation). But that’s not all an internal IT department does.

An internal IT department can still manage escalated IT help desk services, while an MSP handles items that are too mundane for the internal IT. An IT department can also handle revenue-building initiatives, major changeovers and optimizing and fine-tuning existing IT strategies.

When properly balanced, an MSP provides support to the internal IT team. And that means that the internal IT team is able to operate far more effectively.

Using an MSP to Complement an In-House Team

So, if an MSP isn’t supposed to replace or subvert an in-house team, what can it do? An MSP can complement an in-house IT team in a few ways:

• Handling day-to-day operations such as data backups. While the MSP ensures that the organization’s data is safe, IT can focus elsewhere. Many organizations find themselves putting off critical tasks such as data backups or security patches specifically because their IT department is already overwhelmed. IT departments can make better use of their time with regular, mundane tasks being handled by someone else.
• Plugging security holes and detecting and mitigating risks. Your internal IT department isn’t necessarily specialized in security. Rather, they are likely experienced in development, infrastructure and potentially revenue-generating activities. Security changes from day to day. An MSP is able to stay on top of these security risks, in a way that would be prohibitively difficult for an internal IT department.
• Fixing IT issues and otherwise operating as a help desk. Simple things like changing passwords can take up a lot of IT time. When IT is busy putting out fires, it really can’t focus on anything else, such as critical infrastructure tasks. MSPs free up the internal IT department to take care of more important things, thereby improving the organization’s ROI.

As the MSP is able to work on the above, the internal IT department is able to:

• Identify core inefficiencies.
• Prepare the organization for growth.
• Audit the organization’s key metrics.
• Embark upon more ambitious projects.

An MSP can work with an organization to determine the most comfortable levels of support for them. Even better, the costs will also be tailored to the organization’s needs. If the company needs IT help desk services and only IT help desk services, they can get it. If they would rather have full services, backups and security, they can get that, too.

Making It Easier to Work an MSP Into Your IT Department

How can you make sure that an MSP doesn’t step on your internal IT department’s toes?

• Having clear boundaries and responsibilities. Your IT department should know exactly what they’re handling; likewise, the MSP should work to ensure that they don’t encroach upon the internal IT team’s responsibilities.
• Regularly assessing whether changes need to be made. Over time, it may happen that it makes more sense for the MSP to pick up more responsibilities, or for the IT department to pick up tasks again. It’s better that this be officially assessed and outlaid, rather than happening piecemeal over time.
• Having specific contact points within each organization. The IT department should always know how to contact the MSP and the MSP should always know who to escalate to within the organization. This ensures that communication is controlled throughout both entities.

Through the above, you can connect with an MSP and use them to fulfill any IT gaps — without potentially losing your own IT team. Your IT team will be more effective than ever… and your MSP will also be able to take action if you need them in an emergency.

Are you wondering how a managed service provider could help your organization grow and thrive? It’s always best to connect with a professional before you make any decisions. Connect with Red River today to find out more.