Clarinets have a beautiful sound and range, but when you listen to a clarinet play by itself for three hours, you realize that there’s a reason why they’re usually just one part of an entire orchestra. Your business may find itself in a similar situation with your IT provider. Unless you have the most basic of IT needs, using a one-person operation won’t give you the harmony your company needs. Today, we’ll discuss what to look out for and why you may want to explore other options altogether.

The “Tech Wiz”

If you need help with electronics, the rule a lot of people use is to find the youngest person in the room to help you. That may work well with personal cellphones or laptops, but when it comes to your business, you need to be more judicious.

This is especially true because most people who have graduated from high school within the past twenty years will have computer skills. But having learned a few tricks in 10th-grade computer lab does not an IT professional make. Using or hiring someone based on being young also has another drawback: business IT needs are different from “pop tech.” Even someone qualified enough to work as an Apple Genius may not know their way around networking, servers or cybersecurity.

“I Know a Guy”

In a similar vein to the last section, it seems like everyone knows someone who knows everything about technology. When taking recommendations from a trusted friend or colleague for your company’s IT needs, make sure the person has actual qualifications. Remember that everyone’s mother is impressed when the WIFI is miraculously fixed, even though they just unplugged it and plugged it back in again. Also, the reason for an enthusiastic recommendation might have ulterior motives — such as getting an unemployed brother-in-law off his back.

IT Department

This is perhaps the most obvious solution to having something better than a one-person operation, and for good reason. For starters, you’re working with a team that is dedicated to your company’s IT needs and are available if any problems come up (and they will). Unfortunately, this option comes with its own downsides.

For instance, now you have to worry about new personnel and management responsibilities. In addition, there’s very little flexibility if you’re trying to keep your costs at a minimum. For instance, what If your needs are heavy at times and then slow at others? You can’t keep hiring then laying off employees — you have to keep a fully-staffed department at all times, whether or not that makes financial sense.

Online Experts

Some people will try anything when their computer isn’t working, and searching for help online is usually a desperate act. The problem is that anyone can say they can repair a computer, install WIFI, or connect your network. But the truth is that you won’t know for sure until you hire them. By then it may be too late!

I’m not saying that there are no well-trained computer experts who advertise their services online. I’m just saying that you need to be careful when you’re hiring someone who can make or break your business IT on the same day you need help. Do your research. Use your best judgment. And, most of all, when you find a good person who does a great job, make sure to keep their contact info!

The Online Computer Repair School Grad

This may be your most dangerous choice. Not only will a recent grad have a head full of non-relevant information, but they will be super eager to show you everything they’ve just learned. Everyone has to start somewhere, but it takes time to get to know the endless issues, set-ups, and complications that small businesses face every day. Give a new grad a chance to learn if you can pair them with a mentor, but be careful not to let them loose too early.

MSPs

Managed Service Providers give you an option that ends up being the best of both worlds: the professionalism of a dedicated IT department with the freedom that comes from hiring a single contractor. You hire the company, not individuals, so there are no HR issues to worry about.

MSPs typically offer comprehensive Service Agreements where, once everything is set up, you pay a monthly fee, (usually less than the cost of one full-time IT person), and they’ll come in on an as-needed basis to resolve any issues that may arise. Plus, they’ll often monitor your site around the clock. That’s something most small to medium businesses cannot afford.

Yet another benefit is understanding that MSPs are business technology experts and focus on educating themselves on the latest, ever-changing technology landscape. When you have an MSP in place, you can take IT off your plate and focus on your area of expertise, and they can focus on theirs. In that way, you create a partnership where everyone is focused on your company’s success.

A one-man band may be fine for a coffeeshop concert, but it won’t sell out stadiums. If you truly want your business to grow, using an MSP can take you from the local underground to an international superstar!

As a business owner, you need to decide what level of IT support is right for you. Small businesses frequently operate under the “break-fix” model. Break-fix is exactly what it sounds like: you run your business normally until something breaks, then you pay an IT support company to fix it. Large corporations usually have an in-house IT department to take care of their computers, servers, networks and phones. Then’s there’s the middle ground. Managed Services offers a monthly service agreement to handle all of your IT support, but not all managed services is created equal – don’t get nickel and dimed.

Break-Fix Model

While the break-fix model appears the simplest out of the gate, it ends up costing more than you think. The ‘breaks’ cost you more because you’re stuck with unexpected hardware and software costs, and the ‘fixes’ cost you a lot more due to downtime, outages, and lost potential revenue. At some point, you’ll get tired of your CFO running into your office with a stack of bills from all of last month’s fixes.

In-House IT

You’ll then probably ask yourself, why don’t I hire a full-time IT person to take care of my needs? Well, that is certainly an option, but when you take a deep look into the ROI you’ll notice a huge gap between hiring one person vs. contracting with a fully staffed company. Let’s break down the costs.

We’ll keep the math simple and say that a full-time IT person will run around $50,000 a year, starting salary. That’s $24.50 an hour, Monday through Friday at 8 hours a day. The actual cost will be a whole lot more! Your new hire will need a desk, a computer, a laptop (for remote work), maybe a gas card or car if you have more than one office, a cellphone and high-speed internet access. And they’ll also cost you vacation time, sick time, holiday pay and probably a lot of overtime. At the end of the year, you’re probably close to paying out twice their base salary. And you’re still basically operating under the break-fix scenario because that individual is not available to do everything you need 24/7.

Managed Services

There are really two lists of services to consider when it comes to Managed Services.

Permission to Play Services

A good list includes the following permission to play services:

• Remote Support
• Remote Desktop Sharing Assistance
• Onsite Support, as needed
• Help Desk Phone Support
• Office & Mobile Phone Support
• Network Administration
• BDR (Backup Disaster Recovery)
• Software & Security Updates
• SPAM control

Real Managed Services Providers Also Include

Good Managed Services providers go above and beyond this list to include:

• Parts Replacement
• Vendor Management
• Technology Consulting
• Compliancy
• Cybersecurity
  • Intrusion Prevention
  • Virus, Spyware, Botnet and Phishing protection
  • Dark Web Monitoring
  • Staff Training

Managed Services Costs

If you’ve looked at hiring a Managed Services Provider before, you may have experienced sticker shock when they quoted you the price of their monthly service agreement, especially if it included all of the above at a flat rate. However, if you examine the benefits of a monthly agreement you’ll see that it will work well with your business plans and help take your company to the next level without unexpected costs of break-fix or the added costs of hiring a staff person.

There’s A Problem in the Industry Today

However, there’s a problem in the IT support industry today. When offering Managed Services, some people say they’ll cover everything with a ‘flat rate.’ Then, they end up sending you a bill at the end of the month for drive time, after-hours service, or parts. They may have promised you a clear-cut agreement, but then nickel and dimed you to death with a pile of invoices. Doesn’t sound much different than a break-fix arrangement at that point does it? With Managed Services you should be able to budget for a set monthly rate. As you look for a Managed Services provider make sure you ask about the things that are not included in this ‘flat-rate,’ so that you know if you’re about to be nickel and dimed or if you’re working with a quality Managed Services provider.