My New Managed Service Provider Just Told Me I Need a Bunch of New Technology

Are They NUTS?!

No, they’re not nuts. Let’s assume you’ve done your research, interviewed several managed service provider (MSP) candidates and decided you are best aligned with a certain provider. When presented with the contract pricing, you may notice major remediation fees listed.

Basically, they scrap part of your network, backup system, servers, and maybe even your phone system, as well.

If you thought the provider would bring added value, you may be feeling duped. Especially if spending thousands of dollars right off the bat was not part of the plan. You might be tempted to think they must not understand your firm or your needs.

The truth is, you’ve actually picked the right MSP. They’re proving it to you at the outset of the partnership between your firms.

“Companies [that partner with MSPs] typically see four key benefits: improved operational performance, reduced operational risk, cost avoidance and accelerated innovation.” – Forbes

Why it’s a good sign.

Part of an MSP’s due diligence is to examine the technology a prospective client currently owns. Improperly managed clients typically have a mix of technology vendors due to having a mix of technology that was on sale online or that was cheap and readily available.

A strong managed service provider will want you to replace these seemingly cost-effective solutions with ones that they understand and have years of knowledge supporting. This is a good thing. Now your MSP can support your business based upon what they already know.

That doesn’t mean everything has to be replaced at once. MSPs understand budget constraints. But they should put an approved implementation plan in place and meet with you quarterly to improve this plan.

Replacing old technology.

You’re hiring a MSP to help your organization be more IT-efficient. Part of that process is understanding that some of your technology may appear to be running fine but, in fact, has been masking underlying problems that have been there all along.

Good managed service providers will ferret this out, document it and provide a solution.

“72% of SMB decision makers say that technology solutions can help them significantly improve business outcomes and/or run the business better.” – SMB Group

An MSP that is operationally mature will have strong processes in place to help support your firm. One of these processes is to make sure the client is running their internal organization on a solid technology base that the MSP already knows and can support 24 hours a day.

The replacement process can be gradual, but a good MSP will present solid reasons to replace failed, incompatible or outdated technologies in your firm. Remember, you are entering into a long-term partnership with your chosen MSP, so strategic planning and understanding of any new spending is a must.

Your managed service provider wants you to succeed.

If you answered yes to the opening question (Are they nuts?!), hopefully this article helped you realize that the managed service provider you chose is probably doing the right thing and using their experience to help you in the long term.

They’re not just acting crazy.

For more information on our craziness, give us a shout. We give a damn about your business and want to help you choose the technology that works best for your goals.