At times it may seem improbable – happier employees, increased productivity, and less stress are within any business owner’s reach. It all hinges on one crucial decision — who will you entrust with your data? When it comes to partnering up with a Managed IT Services Provider (MSP), here are five important questions to ask before you seal the deal.

1. DO YOU PROVIDE STRATEGIC PLANNING?

Long-term growth is all about strategy, not buying products from your IT provider. In today’s global marketplace, it’s not enough to simply outsource your technology platforms, hoping they’re reliable and secure. You need a forward-looking plan to help your business grow. The right MSP will start with strategy, rolling in remote helpdesk support, billing and administrative operations, scheduled maintenance, monitoring and ensuring your data is safe from all angles.

2. DO I HAVE A BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN?

When the pandemic hit, did your business struggle to maintain daily operations? Have you ever experienced a security breach? Disruptions like these can take a big chunk out of your productivity if you are not prepared. The right MSP will work with you to make sure that both disaster prevention and business continuity plans are in place.

3. WILL I ONLY PAY FOR WHAT I NEED?

Lots of technology solutions are priced in a manner that quickly adds up, including hidden fees for bandwidth and data transfers. This is a pitfall for many small- to medium-sized businesses, as budgeting for this expense is impossible. Make sure your MSP offers predictable, fixed monthly costs based on what you actually need and will use.

4. WHEN SOMETHING IS WRONG, WHO CAN I CALL AND WHEN CAN I CALL THEM?

These days, business doesn’t end before dinner. Technology doesn’t share the same schedule as humans. When something happens, it’s important to ensure your MSP is responsive and nimble. Finding the right provider will give you peace of mind, knowing that help is only a call away 24/7/365. You’ll never need to rely on your own in-house employee base and worry about stretching them too thin outside of normal business hours when emergency assistance is needed.

5. HOW DEEP DOES YOUR SECURITY ACTUALLY GO?

Choosing the right MSP is critical to your business’s long-term cyber security – an important goal for any organization. No matter what business you’re in, success starts and stops with security — finding the right secure managed services partner is key. Ask potential providers if they have multi-layered protections in place to ensure continuity for your operations in the event of an emergency outage. Trust your data to no one, unless they can demonstrate a healthy number of built-in stopgaps to protect it.

Curious to see what ROI a secure MSP solution might provide you? It won’t cost you your peace of mind, and it doesn’t have to break the bank. An experienced MSP partner will seek to understand your business and your staffing structure. They should offer flexible plans and options that give you the coverage and security you need while letting your employees focus on the jobs they were hired to do. Learn more and request a free consultation here.