Brangelina: Is it time to break-up with your Managed Service?

Ben and Jennifer. Batman and Superman. Britain and Europe. 2016 has been tough year for break-ups. But in this quiet year of news, the biggest story has to be Brangelexit:  power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are no more, thus ending the Hollywood fairy tale romance of Brangelina. The divorce of Achilles and Lara Croft has sent the world into a frenzy, with everyone wondering whether ‘true love’ can really even exist. If Brad and Angelina can’t make things work, what hope is there for the rest of us?

Relationships are difficult, and the end of one is never easy on anyone (except in this case, maybe Jennifer Aniston). However, if watching Trisha ever taught me anything, it’s that if you’re not happy in a relationship and can’t make it work, the kindest and healthiest thing to do is to slip out the back, Jack, and find someone who can make you happy. Maintaining a relationship after you know it should have ended is like Channel 4 continuing the Great British Bake Off; you can pretend everything’s just as it was (look it’s the same tent and everything), but without the original magic, no one is going to want to watch anymore. A part of you might want to be loyal, but sometimes you have to put things aside and think about what the right thing to do is. Don’t be a Paul Hollywood. Be a Mary Berry. This is true for romantic relationships, but it’s equally true between businesses and managed services. If your managed service doesn’t treat you right, then pack your bags and find a service who can provide the outsourced management you deserve, sister.  

How Do I Know When to Leave?

All relationships have rocky patches, but what’s key is how you and your partner deal with these situations. You trust your MSP to monitor and manage your IT infrastructure, and through strategic guidance and suggested investments, the MSP is for the most part the one in control. You might occasionally get some unplanned outages and downtime, which depending on your business can be forgivable, but if this becomes regular then you might want to worry. You want a managed services provider who is dependable, the kind who gets back home from the pub at the time he says he will.

Outages are significant because of the associated risks and costs, the biggest of which is perhaps the loss of unrecoverable data. Successful and consistent backup and restore operations are a crucial responsibility, like at least washing their dishes before they put them in the sink. If they can’t get that right, then maybe you should have a think about what you want out of your partnership. It’s hard to put a price on lost data, so unless they have a good excuse, like their data was lost due to a disaster beyond their control, or ‘I just work with her I swear’, then you should end things right then and there if they don’t have your data anymore.

Poor practice for managed services during busy times is neglecting to follow up and following through with their customers. There is a weakness in the process of your managed service if this keeps happening. It’s like texting; if he doesn’t message back when he said he would, he clearly isn’t thinking about you.

Relationships should be symbiotic. You’re not just two people, you’re a ‘couple’. His problems are your problems and vice versa. If this isn’t the case with your managed service, then they can’t be held accountable if something goes wrong on your end.

You should get some value out of your managed services. The strategic guidance an MSP provides done regularly through a well-structured approach should harvest measurable results in terms of cost savings, budget planning, performance increase and better support to foster the growth of your enterprise. If your managed services don’t help you with any of this, and you just think of them as one more headache to deal with, then maybe it’s time to sit them down and tell them that you think you should see other companies.

What Should I Look for in a Managed Service?

One of the advantages of a relationship is that now you don’t have to face your troubles alone. With managed services, monitoring and implementing changes to your infrastructure is no longer a problem. This relieves pressure, helps your business run smoothly and makes your life easier. Managed services can also help you to deal with email hosting, customer relationship management, storage, and backup and recovery as well. If you ever have a problem with your IT, you’ll always have someone who can help. Winter, spring, summer or fall, all you have to do is call.

Unlike traditional outsourcing situations, where you surrender complete control of your IT assets, a relationship with managed services should be much more transparent and open. You can be clear and honest about what you need taken care of, and what you want to keep on handling. This retains full visibility into the process and management of your systems, so you know exactly where you are with your managed services.

Managed services aren’t just a source of monitoring and management. They can also provide a lot of valuable advice and support. A lot of managed services have a lot of experience in the industry, and can catch you when you fall by sharing their knowledge and advice when you need it.

How SAS Can Help

Until they make an app where you can find managed services by swiping right or left, you still have to find providers by spending time looking for the right one for you. This can cost a lot of time and money for your organisation. What if someone else could sort this out for you?

Software Advisory Service provides a shortlist of potential partners depending on the specific requirements of your IT organisation for no charge. Our experienced consultants understand the market in depth, and provide trusted guidance to support the selection process. With the aid of Software Advisory Service’s non-chargeable assistance, you don’t have to waste any time or money finding the right software to dramatically improve your IT services. Think of us as your wingman. Just fill in the form on the right and let us get to work.