IT Support Models And The Managed Service Provider (MSP)

As a business owner, or someone who makes decisions regarding technology for your business, you understand the importance of having a good relationship with your IT support firm.

by Press Office

(SEOSamba and WireNews+Co) - London, England - 22 May 2012

As a business owner, or someone who makes decisions regarding technology for your business, you understand the importance of having a good relationship with your IT support firm (http://www.tarrytech.com). There are lots of choices, and as someone who may not “talk the talk”, the options can be very confusing.

When it comes to supporting your technology, there are a few options: you can hire someone internally to support your IT needs, you can outsource your IT support to a “break/fix” type firm, or you can engage with a Managed Service Provider, or MSP.

Companies that hire someone to manage their IT internally usually fall into one of two categories –larger company with dedicated IT staff, or smaller company with a go-to-IT guy on staff. Larger companies sometimes feel that they need to hire someone full time to manage their network. In many cases, and in almost every case for organizations with less than 125 PCs, this is not a good use of your funds. Hiring an IT manager is expensive. You have to pay a full time salary, health insurance, and retirement benefits. In addition, this manager still takes days off for vacation and illness, leaving your firm without IT support. In many cases, these IT “professionals” are really learning networking on your dime, and jump to a higher paying opportunity when it presents itself. This leaves you scrambling to fill the position! In a smaller firm, many times there is a go-to IT person. This is the person who has designed websites, and likes to play with computers at home. Although you may feel as though your firm is saving money by outsourcing their IT, it is always the opposite that is true. This person is constantly interrupted having to support the IT needs of the staff, and cannot efficiently perform their core job responsibilities! In addition, the go-to staff is not qualified to configure and support the core infrastructure of your business, and end up costing you more through the mismanagement of your systems.

The second option for IT support is to hire a break/fix type of firm. Although these types of firms might fix some of your computer problems, they have several downsides. The primary downside, is that they don’t truly manage your network. Most of these firms will setup your server, antivirus, PC, firewall, or whatever project you have contracted them to do. Once it is setup, however, who is managing it? For example, it is not uncommon that a break/fix firm sets up your backup system, and when you go to restore a file or server, you find out that your backup has not performed for a month! Or possibly you check the user list on your server, and see that there are scores of ex-employees with active email accounts, because nobody disabled them! This is because nobody is watching your network to make sure that the proper maintenance is performed. In addition, break/fix type firms, by definition, cannot provide good service. Their revenue model forces them to go to where the money is. Even though you have been a great customer for years, more attention will be paid to the new client with a new network installation, rather than focusing their attention the ½ hour required to fix your printer.

Although it may seem as though your monthly cost is lower with a break/fix type of firm, the actual check that you write to these vendors is not the true cost of IT support. Although it is a portion, the majority of your IT costs come from items such as productivity, efficiency, security, and reliability. Your firm ends up paying much more than the check to your vendor for these other items, when your network is not managed correctly.

Finally, there are Managed Service Providers (http://www.tarrytech.com/it-support-services.html). Tarrytech Computer Consultants has been a managed service provider for the last 9 years. An MSP is an IT support company that consistently delivers exceptional network performance for a predictable price. Our firm has perfected our MSP offering over the last 9 years, and our MSP product, the Shadow Support Solution, delivers a superior network experience! We manage all aspects of your network, allowing you to focus on your business! As an MSP, we become your business partner, and focus our efforts on our four core delivery areas:

Proactive Technology Management
We provide you with process, procedures and best practices to assure your PCS and servers have the latest service packs, antivirus, scans, and updates. We provide you with antispam software to keep your email spam and virus free, document all of your systems, and design, implement and manage a disaster recovery plan for your core systems.

Reactive Support Services
Our team of support experts is available every day to provide you with remote and onsite support for all of your systems, including your vertical applications.

Network Administration (http://www.tarrytech.com/network-data-backup-recovery-business-continuity.html)
Our entire business is based on producing a predictable result for a predictable price. If your network has been mismanaged in the past, or if we identify network items that present a risk to your business, we remedy these items to assure your business operates efficiently

Technology Consulting (http://www.tarrytech.com/it-consulting.html)
In our MSP offering, Tarrytech offers what we call the Virtual Chief Information Officer role, or VCIO. We meet with you several times a year to discuss your network, goals, and business initiatives, and make sure that your technology is aligned with your needs.

At Tarrytech, we are totally committed to our MSP clients. We do not take on any break/fix type business, as we know that we need our staff available to support our existing clients. Our price model allows us to attract and retain talent, while providing you with an exceptional network product. All services are available in unlimited quantities for a flat monthly fee! You will no longer need to manage your IT staff, or worry about items that aren’t being addressed on your network. Call us today at 914-432-3056 to arrange for your consultation on how we can work with your firm!


About Tarrytech :

Tarrytech Computer Consultants provides comprehensive professional IT services for organizations looking for a single technology provider offering affordable, predictable pricing. Tarrytech matches your particular needs with our processes and tools to ensure the secure, proactive management of your network and computer systems. Tarrytech will work with you to ensure that your technology platform is an efficient asset to your organization, keeping an eye on the smooth operations of your systems while also providing you with strategic, proactive technology advice as your organization grows and changes over time.

Contact Tarrytech in Westchester, Southern Connecticut, Bronx, Queens, Rockland, North Jersey, Orange, Putnam http://www.tarrytech.com (http://www.tarrytech.com) 828 South Broadway Suite 104, Tarrytown, NY 10591 – Tel (914) 432-3056