How to Roll a “Lucky-7”: Play and Win the IT Outsourcing Game

These are the Top 7 reasons (not in any particular order) why companies outsource their critical applications and infrastructure to a proven managed service provider (MSP):

1. Cost reduction – By leveraging the economies of scale of the MSP’s technical support team, companies can reduce their internal staffing budgets and shift current IT team resources towards forward-looking, business-driving projects. Technical support and consulting services are contracted at an hourly rate reducing the need for expansion of permanent IT staff as the company grows. An additional benefit to an organization is the elimination of the need for staff reductions, during cyclical downturns in business, as hourly outsourced IT labor can be quickly scaled-back to reduce costs.
2. Budget-conscious and predictable – MSPs that offer subscription-based or MRC (monthly recurring cost) pricing models for infrastructure and services allow organizations to easily forecast and control their IT spending. Whether you are an educational, not-for-profit, or commercial business, a seasoned MSP, such as Advanced Technology Group, will be intimately familiar with your budgetary process and continuously strive to help reduce costs and maximize ROI on your technology investments.
3. Proactive monitoring – MSPs that deploy highly tuned monitoring and management systems are in a position to help their customers detect problems early while helping them avoid costly downtime or damage to critical systems. Furthermore, this early detection and prevention model helps to ensure protection of the organization’s reputation by providing the up-time and availability their clientele demand. Advanced Technology Group has been committed for more than 15 years to providing the highest levels of monitoring and management of our customers’ remote systems and connectivity.
4.  Faster response – Enterprise class, 24×7 monitoring of your infrastructure and services allows for the rapid response and recovery of critical systems and services. Advanced Technology Group’s Network Operation Centers (NOCs), in both the US and Eastern Europe,  are on-call around the clock to quickly troubleshoot and remotely resolve issues. In situations where a technician must be dispatched, we are in a position to provide the “boots-on-the-ground” necessary to support customers in those geographic areas we serve. Make sure the MSP you select has both the onsite and remote coverage to meet your operational needs.
5. “On-Call” IT Professionals – Whether you are experiencing an outage that requires immediate technical support, or you are seeking advisement on issues of strategic planning and alignment of IT to your business’ objectives, a seasoned MSP will have the depth and breadth of talent to address your needs.
6. “Worry-Free” operations – As an owner or manager you are challenged by the limited availability in time and attention to give to all aspects of running your operation. By outsourcing the day-to-day aspects of technology to a proven managed services provider you are able to refocus your financial and IT team resources towards new business initiatives as well as projects that will drive both the growth and profitability of your organization.
7. Consolidation of vendor management – The myriad of IT solutions that must be employed to address your company’s infrastructure, security, continuity, application, and connectivity needs can often cause an IT manager or business owner to become overwhelmed with the tasks of navigating all those relationships. When multi-vendor solutions are managed centrally by the MSP, companies benefit from a single-point of contact and responsibility for all systems and services keeping them running in a reliable manner. Advanced Technology Group has architected and consolidated the management of thousands of hardware, software and related services for hundreds of companies. As a single vendor, full-service company we are in a position to provide a “One-Call” solution for delivering all of your IT product and service needs.

In 2016 and beyond we see the “Top 7” reasons above as the driving force behind companies of all sizes moving away from the traditional outlay of IT capital expenditure (cap-ex) to the more predictable and elastic benefits of an operating expense (op-ex) model. The right MSP can make a huge difference in your bottom-line as well as act as that springboard to both greater operational efficiency and future business expansion.

In a competitive business climate where redundancy and reliability can make the difference between you retaining your customer, or potentially losing them forever to a competitor, it is vital to carefully assess the track record and capabilities of your business partner or MSP. When evaluating a prospective MSP’s computing infrastructure, their team member’s technical skills and competencies, as well as their commitment level to both regulatory compliance and ongoing technical proficiency,  you should gain the comfort you need in knowing that you will be choosing a  “trusted” IT solutions partner.