As a business owner, the idea of adding a big technology bill on top of your other operational costs makes it hard for you to fully commit to partnering with an MSP. Allocating your business’s IT growth and health to a managed services provider (MSP) will save long- term costs, but it can be hard to imagine how much you’re saving when deciding on a technology budget. After all, depending on the industry, the general rule of thumb is the more difficult your business’s IT is to maintain, the higher the cost.
Put your business’s future first—get an MSP
Before you talk yourself out of partnering with an MSP, consider the following:
- What is your company’s technology budget?
If you don’t have a technology budget already, get one. Find a healthy range you’re willing to reinvest in your business. If you find more services you want to add on and have the breathing room to do so, you can extend that range.
- What IT services does your business need right now?
MSPs can do just about anything you need when it comes to technology, but it can be overwhelming to pinpoint what services are a priority.
If you’re not sure, don’t worry; MSPs look at your company’s infrastructure on the inside and out to determine where the faults are and what they can do to address them. Sometimes this means a technology upgrade, or maybe it means backing up your sensitive data to a cloud server. Every business is unique in their goals, and MSPs are here to guide you down the path to meet them.
- Don’t do pay-per-hour models.
It may be tempting to go with the cheaper option; pay-per-hour MSPs. Although it would save a dime, pay-per-hour technology solution models treat your business with the break-fix approach, meaning they’ll only be here for emergency fixes. Your business cannot hope for any scalability if their IT partner’s only function is to put out fires.
The future is not their goal, but yours is—The right partner should care about what your company’s goals are and how they can align your technology standing to encourage those goals.
How much does an MSP cost?
In general, MSPs operate on annual and monthly billing cycles. Although every MSP’s service packages are different, their service agreements typically include:
- What services are included in your plan
The MSP bill can vary depending on what services your business needs to maintain and improve its operational technology. This can include:
- IT Helpdesk Services
- On-site repair services
- Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plans
- Cybersecurity Solutions
- Device monitoring
- Technology strategy
- How many devices/users they’re supporting
- And more!
Along with what service agreement you have with your MSP, the base cost accounts for every device/person in the organization. Larger companies tend to hire in-house because of how much that can cost, but for small businesses, this pricing model is much more beneficial. Currently the average range per person/device is $125-$150.
If seeing the costs on paper is making your throat dry, keep in mind what disaster can occur from any sort of technological mishap. In fact, 60% of small businesses never make a recovery after a data leak or security breach, so it’s better to keep your bases covered and protected. The cost of not having an MSP for your business far exceeds any bill.