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Take Control of Your Company's IT Tasks Through a Managed Services Provider

By Laura Stotler
TMCnet Contributing Editor

The prospect of handing off the tasks of an internal IT team to a managed services provider (MSP) can be daunting for any business. But with IT budgets remaining static or shrinking in today's market, while technology grows by leaps and bounds, outsourcing the way you deliver your IT services offers a great compromise and value. Handing off vital IT functions to an MSP does not mean you will lose control of an in-house process. You will actually gain greater control of that process by handling it more cost effectively and efficiently through an outsourced provider.

There are four strategic steps a company must follow when determining how to support their IT infrastructure while increasing ROI, according to eWeek.com. A company must first figure out how outsourcing will fit with their existing infrastructure and what types of opportunities exist to outsource various IT tasks and services.

Define Candidates for Outsourcing

Perhaps you already realize certain technology areas within your company are in need of improvement. Defining the weak points within your IT infrastructure and establishing a set of objectives for rectifying these issues is a great way to pick and choose which IT tasks are the best candidates for outsourcing.

Cost Reduction is Key

Reducing your spending should always be a major consideration when defining areas and tasks to turn over to an MSP. Assess the amount spent on individual tasks as well as the amount of time internal IT personnel spend on these tasks so you will have a basis for comparison when pricing MSPs. You may be surprised by how much you can save once you scrutinize your MSP's service contract.

Choosing an MSP Partner

It is critical that you develop an action plan for comparing various MSPs' offerings and service-level agreements (SLAs). Services delivered on Information Technology Infrastructure Library Version 3 (ITIL V3) are extremely valuable and will impact your service levels. Pay close attention to the response times of various providers when compared with their resolution times. Be sure you are comparing the same services from each provider so you can analyze their offerings on a level playing field.

Take the Plunge

Now that you have defined the weak points within your IT infrastructure and have come up with a competitive plan to address your issues through an MSP, you can make your move. Be sure not to hand off too large a task for your first time out, but make sure the task can be tracked and measured accurately.

Communication is essential for working with an MSP, and assigning an internal contact to work with a provider is critical. The contact should be able to accurately explain your company's core objectives from the beginning of the project, and will be able to continuously update the MSP throughout the course of the project/services being provided. This person will be able to oversee and assess the MSP's work and treat the provider as if it were a company employee, holding it to the same standards of accountability.

Taking the plunge to outsource some or all of your internal IT functions to an MSP does not have to be a frightening prospect. With proper planning, analysis and communication, the process can give you some valuable insight into areas of your company needing improvement as well as ways to realize major cost savings. By gaining control of areas of your IT operations that have been consuming valuable internal resources, you are giving your company a major advantage and freeing up your staff to focus on other important tasks. And there are always other and more pressing tasks that need attention.

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