ESSENT IAL BUSINESS TECH EXECUTIVES, PROFESSIONALS & ENTREPRENEURS and even utilities. For businesses, this model provides a cost-saving opportunity to bring expert service in-house without hiring addition- al employees or stretching exist- ing resources. “Today, there are a number of different types and sizes of MSPs ranging from telecommunication companies, global system integra- tors, boutiques, and IT solution providers,” says Dragana Vranic, director of managed services for Forsythe (www.forsythe.com). “All these MSPs, regardless of size, can deliver similar services, including monitoring configuration man- agement, updates, patches, risk management, [and] compliance re- quirements. The difference between MSPs is the quality and flexibility they provide in delivering these services. Clients should review the performance and additional ser- vices—such as on-site professional services—of the MSP in order to de- termine best fit.” INSIGHT THROUGH INTROSPECTION IT needs, whereas larger organiza- tions may have in-house responsibilities for local infrastructure and desktops while they may outsource servers, mon- itoring, and other services to the MSP.” Plaza says companies should also consider whether they need both managed services and project work, because if they do, they’ll need an MSP that can provide both remote and onsite support when required. From Plaza’s experience as an MSP, he says it’s nearly impossible to avoid sending technicians online for certain tasks, such as replacing hard- ware or working on projects unre- lated to managed services. “An organization should also work to understand what the MSP’s operational procedures are,” Vranic advises. “How are they delivering their services? What is the mean time to respond to and resolve is- sues? What types of internal pro- cesses have they adopted—ISO standards, for example—to ensure their performance and responsive- ness? They should also look at on- shore vs. offshore capabilities and the culture fit of the MSP. The client needs to ensure that the agreement Determining the type of MSP that is right for your busi- ness starts with an internal analysis of your own orga- nization. Companies need to determine what they are buying, even if they have already engaged with an MSP, and they need to establish their own service-level require- ments, the pain points to be Dragana Vranic addressed, and any future re- director of managed quirements. This way, Vranic services, Forsythe says, the service-level contract can allow the business to easily “The ability of meet those expectations. the MSP to tailor “The company should con- solutions to the sider how much of their IT customers’ needs needs they want to outsource can be limited to the MSP,” says Vince in the larger Plaza, vice president of IT MSPs, so the client at TeamLogic IT (www.team should take this logicit.com). “Most SMBs can into consideration.” typically outsource all of their they develop with the MSP allows [the client] to meet the needs of their own internal business clients in a way that is a true partnership/exten- sion of their team.” SIZE CONCERNS Part of the equation for selecting an MSP includes the size of an organization, which might even help a business determine that it doesn’t need an MSP at all. Antonio Piraino, chief technology officer at ScienceLogic (ww2.sciencelogic .com), notes that the size of the business can be more vital as an indicator of the need for a service provider than the vertical market it’s in. “Small startup businesses, espe- cially brick-and-mortar businesses, will typically be far more limited in budget, in-house IT expertise, and in the complexity of their IT infra- structure deployment. That means that having the basics of a Web site and email system might suffice, and hence a shared hosting pro- vider is enough. As that business grows, or does more of its business online, the need to have a billing Vince Plaza Antonio Piraino Charles Weaver vice president of IT, TeamLogic IT chief technology officer, ScienceLogic co-founder and president, MSPAlliance “One of the best ways to select an MSP is to ask for and talk to existing customers who the MSP already services. The closer those customers are in size, scope, or vertical, the better.” “A provider can provide you with the environment and tools to make smart commercial business and operational business decisions. [It can] enable your business services and allows you to focus on what you know best: your core business.” “If the company is sophisticated enough, they will know with some accuracy what they need from an MSP. Others may not know what they need but only know what IT problems they are having.” PC Today / December 2011 23