Are you wondering if your current managed service provider(MSP) could be doing a better job?
It can seem complicated to determine whether or not you are with a managed service provider that sufficiently meet your needs. To help make it a little easier, here are some easy-to-recognize signs that you can use to determine whether your managed service provider isn’t cutting it.
Especially when you're trying to run a small to medium-sized business (SMB), IT services should make technology as seamless as possible. One thing that will disrupt your workflow is a slow response time when something goes wrong.
When you are experiencing an issue, the first thing that you typically do is send in a service ticket to your managed service provider. When you do this, how long does it take for you to hear back from them? If it takes more than two hours for your provider to address a minor issue, this is cause for concern.
Slow response times are almost always a sign that they don’t have the resources necessary to support you. You should feel prioritized by your MSP, and if they aren’t taking your service requests seriously, it may be time to explore other providers.
If you are experiencing an IT emergency, the response from your managed service provider should be immediate. If your issue is not prioritized, this can be a sign that they lack a well-mapped-out process to deal with incidents. They could also simply lack the staff or other resources to address it in a timely manner.
If your MSP is not providing quick support when you need it, your business could incur more significant damage during downtime. To learn about the ways you could inadvertently lose money due to poor technology or service, read our blog: The Hidden Costs of Faulty IT Infrastructure
Does your MSP have the status of expertise they need to support you? Are there issues that have occurred over and over again and never get resolved? If you find yourself having a recurring problem, this could signify that your managed service provider doesn’t have the expertise they need to support your IT infrastructure.
Your MSP should have a team of specialized experts who work together to create a long-term solution, not just a solution for a temporary fix. Having a reliable and knowledgeable team will ensure the problem isn’t recurring, leaving you with constant downtime.
You may have suffered one or more cyber attacks under your current MSP's watch. This can be a sign of inadequate security protocols or a lack of basic protections like multifactor authentication or threat mitigation tools. These are both major service gaps you should address immediately.
If your business is constantly dealing with breaches, this is a clear sign that your MSP doesn’t have the proper security protocols in place. Security should be the number one priority with your MSP.
Your MSP should make MFA (multi-factor authentication) a requirement. MFA is one of the most basic yet effective security tools to block someone hacking into your secure network. Multi-factor authentication requires users to provide two or more verification factors to access an account, application, or VPN.
Anytime that someone attempts to use your credentials to gain access to any of your devices, there will be another layer of protection to keep them out.
Endpoint detection and response (EDR) is an integrated endpoint security solution that monitors your system for suspicious activity. The solution will monitor and collect information from your endpoints and look for potential threats.
If a threat is recognized, the system will automatically respond by either removing or containing the threat. This ensures that threats are identified before they can cause harm to your network. A threat analysis is done to determine where it may have come from.
Endpoint detection and response is a proactive threat detection solution that should be implemented to mitigate risk for your business. Being proactive is the best way to ensure you can avoid the headache of constant breaches which could halt your business goals.
If your MSP does not take these necessary precautions and implement EDR, this could put your business at risk for breaches, ransomware attacks, and other security threats.
To read more about proactive vs reactive cybersecurity, read our blog: Proactive vs Reactive Cyber Security: Examples & Trade-Offs
If your network is always running slow or crashing, this could be a sign of the following:
Viruses can be a significant reason for a slow network. If you don’t have the proper software installed to fight off viruses, they can easily infiltrate your system, causing it to slow down or crash.
If your equipment is old or out of date, this means that your software won't be able to update to the newest version. Old or outdated software can immensely slow down your systems and put you at risk of security threats. It is essential to have constant equipment refreshes to ensure everything is running in the quickest way possible.
It is crucial to have constant cybersecurity training. Knowledge of cyber threats can help your users avoid phishing scams and countless other security threats. Phishing scams are becoming more common; therefore, users should learn the latest techniques hackers use to infiltrate their systems.
The training should make users aware of suspicious internet activity to easily avoid a situation that could put them and the company at risk. Training should occur monthly so that your employees stay alert.
Your MSP must have a plan if you are to incur a ransomware attack. Having a backup and disaster recovery plan are two of the most important things for your MSP to have in place.
A backup will ensure that all your important files are safely stored in the event of a network attack or a network crash. The backup will grab snapshots of your files every hour. This way, if you lose essential data, you can go back to the most recent snapshot and retrieve the data. The backups are typically stored locally but can get off-sited in the case of an absolute disaster.
A disaster recovery plan is a strategic plan put in place by your MSP that aims to minimize damage and downtime in the event of any network disaster that hits your company. The goal is to prevent disruption if you underwent a breach, ransomware attack, network crash, etc.
The idea behind managed services for small businesses is that your provider should offer a diverse team of specialists at your service. This eliminates the need to pay for pricey in-house IT departments that likely won't offer the same experience or resources.
You should consider it a major red flag if your IT support team cannot keep up with the frequency or complexity of your IT tickets. No one person can be an expert in all areas of IT. Network security and maintenance--including SMB network security and maintenance-- takes a fully staffed team of experts to handle.
Don't rely on a 1-2 person team to keep you up and running. The more specialized members of the team, the greater level of expertise they'll have to support your business.
There is also an advantage to having a large support team to ensure that your MSP is never understaffed. If someone on the support team gets sick or takes a vacation, it is essential that if something were to happen to your business, you would still have a team ready to take your call and get you back up and running.
Does your IT service offer a vCIO to help manage your IT infrastructure? This is a great indicator that a provider has the resources to assist you in planning, budgeting, roadmaps, and more.
A vCIO will have decades of experience in the industry, often with a focus on cybersecurity. They will assist you with planning, strategizing, and implementing IT solutions for long-term success.
To read more about unique ways IT can help SMBs, read our blog: How Outsourced IT Services for Small Businesses Are a Secret Weapon For Success
If you notice that your managed service provider is not meeting some of the expectations in this, this is a sign that it may be time to make a switch. SMB managed IT services should help your business thrive without causing additional cybersecurity issues. They should also work to consistently enhance your infrastructure to set you up for future success.
Switching providers can seem like a scary task to take on. If you are wondering what switching managed service providers entails and how to get past this hurdle, read our blog: “It’s Not You, It’s MSP”: How to Break Up with Your MSP.
To get in touch with an IT expert who can walk you through what a provider switch could look like, click the button below.