Managed services are the practice of outsourcing the responsibility for maintaining, and administering, complex infrastructure and end-user systems. The service provider becomes an extension of the company’s IT department, providing comprehensive services that allow businesses to focus on their core competencies. When assessing a managed services provider contract, it is important to consider the following factors:

1. The Service Level Agreement (SLA): The SLA should spell out the specific services that are covered by the contract, as well as the levels of service that the provider is obligated to deliver.

2. Availability and uptime: Make sure that the service provider can commit to the levels of availability and uptime that are required by your business.

3. Response times: Find out how quickly the service provider can respond to incidents and problems.

4. Support hours: Determine what hours of support are available and whether after-hours support is included in the contract.

5. Reporting: Ask about the reporting mechanisms that will be used to keep you informed of the status of your IT systems.

6. Pricing: Managed services contracts can be priced in a number of different ways, so be sure to understand how you will be billed before signing on the dotted line.

By taking the time to assess a managed services provider contract carefully, you can be confident that you are making the best decision for your business.

You want a Managed Services Provider who has both support and strategic capabilities.

Even if you do not need strategic capabilities now, you want a company that can take you to next-level functionality if and when the need arises.

Below are the areas you need to assess the MSP:

• Proven Ability to Deliver Strategic Assets and ROI
• Third-Party Vendor Relationships
• IT Budget Planning
• Disaster Recovery Planning
• Security Testing and Monitoring
• Daily Backups and Cloud Services
• Proactive Maintenance
• Employee Support

Managed Services providers (MSPs) offer a variety of IT services that can be tailored to meet an organisation’s specific needs. An MSP will often be contracted to provide a certain level of service for a set period. However, over time, the quality of service delivered by an MSP can degrade, and it may become difficult for an organisation to determine whether or not the MSP is still meeting its obligations. This can be especially problematic if there is a limited understanding of IT within the organisation. In such cases, it is not uncommon for new executives who join the organisation to challenge the existing arrangement with the MSP. This can lead to an assessment of the MSP’s performance, which may ultimately result in a decision to change the contract.

As independent advisors, we have experienced first-hand the challenges and issues that can arise from both receiving and providing Managed Services. We often find that there is a combination of factors that cause difficulties for both Service Providers and their customers. By mediating between both parties, we are able to help simplify the complexity and agree on a roadmap for improvement. This includes identifying legacy IT issues that may be causing problems and working with both sides to agree on a plan for addressing these issues. In many cases, we are able to provide Managed Services that meet the needs of both Service Providers and their customers, resulting in improved satisfaction for all involved.