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Every business is in one of three positions right now: happily working with a Managed Service Provider, actively looking for one, or quietly unhappy with the one they have. If you're in the second or third camp, the instinct is usually to start comparing prices per user. It's the easiest number to compare and it's also the least useful one.
Here's what actually separates a good MSP from a cheap one, and the questions worth asking before you sign anything.
The lowest quote is rarely the lowest cost
Comparing MSPs on price alone is a bit like comparing builders on their quote and nothing else. The number looks clean and comparable until six months in, when you discover the real cost wasn't in the invoice. It was in the downtime nobody planned for, the documentation nobody can make sense of, the security gap nobody flagged, or the second provider you end up paying to clean up after the first.
None of that shows up in a per-user price comparison. All of it shows up in your bottom line eventually.
What you're actually paying for
Any provider can resell you Microsoft licences, antivirus and backup software, that part is commoditised. What you're really paying an MSP for is harder to put a line item against:
- Judgement about what your business actually needs
- Documentation that's usable, not just filed away
- A plan for when things go wrong, not just when they're working
- Someone who understands your business well enough to say "you don't need that"
- Someone who answers the phone when it actually breaks
Technology is only ever part of the service. The rest is judgement and judgement doesn't show up on a rate card.
Seven questions worth asking before you sign
1. How do you learn about our business?
If the first conversation is about products rather than how you operate, what's critical, and what downtime would cost you, that's worth noting.
2. Who owns the documentation?
Will you actually receive network diagrams, credentials, asset registers and recovery runbooks or does that information stay locked inside the provider?
3. What happens if we ever want to leave?
A good provider makes an exit possible, not painful. If nobody can answer this clearly, assume it will be difficult.
4. How do you test backups?
Notice the phrasing. Not "do you take backups", how do you *test recovery*. Anyone can schedule a backup job. Far fewer providers actually verify it would work when needed.
5. How do you approach cybersecurity?
Do they talk about people, process and governance alongside the technology or only about which product they'll sell you?
6. How are changes and projects managed?
Is there a plan, a pilot, and a rollback option or does work happen out of hours with fingers crossed?
7. How do you measure whether it's working?
Ticket volume and response times are easy to report. Whether your business is actually running more smoothly is the number that matters.
Good signs to look out for
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They ask about your business before recommending anything
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They talk in terms of business risk and impact
- Documentation is yours, and it's actually usable
- Security is discussed as people, process and technology together
- Recovery is tested, not assumed
- There's a roadmap, and complexity goes down over time
The bottom line
The right MSP for your business won't necessarily be the cheapest, and it won't necessarily be the biggest name. What it should do is leave you understanding your own IT environment and its risks better than you did before the conversation started.
If you're evaluating your current provider or shopping for a new one, it's worth running them through the list above before the monthly fee becomes the whole decision.
*Not sure where your current setup stands? Intergence offers an independent review of your IT environment, no obligation attached. Get in touch with us at contact@intergence.com or through our website at www.intergence.com.