Suppose your company is one of the many small businesses or startups that call San Francisco home. If so, much of your time is probably taken up with developing new products and generating growth revenue. Yet, you know that without a trained technician to keep track of and install antivirus software updates and security patches, your company is exposing itself to the ever-present threat of hackers and ransomware.
You may also have learned from experience that unless you have someone to monitor your servers and network infrastructure and attend to glitches, you’ll be facing a lot of downtime. And so, you have decided to partner with a managed service provider (MSP) who can take on all these responsibilities. The question is, with so many out there, how do you find the managed service provider that will best suit your business?
Experience Counts
You want a managed service provider who knows companies like yours because they have the experience. If they understand the technology you are developing or the type of clients you serve, they will have a head start in grasping what your employees do, the technology they use, and the infrastructure on which everything depends. And so, they will be able to develop a proactive strategy from day one.
Balance Counts Too
The right managed service provider for you will offer more than break-and-fix services. They will take a proactive approach and provide regular monitoring of your software and infrastructure both on-site and remotely. This allows them to pounce on any possible problems and resolve them before they result in lost data, business disruptions and extended downtime.
Know What You Don’t Want
You don’t want to be a diva, but you do want someone dedicated to ensuring your business runs smoothly and can focus their full attention on you. If they can’t give you ASAP responses when you need them, they’re probably not for you.
Do you want an MSP who will outsource your support? When a problem arises, you want a technician you know and trust who will hop to it as soon as they arrive. You don’t want a stranger for whom you have to go into time-consuming explanations and answer a string of questions.
What Do Others Think?
And just as you would when interviewing a job candidate (which is what you are doing), ask for references and, by all means, contact them and listen to how they regard the service provider. Ask about experiences (both good and bad) they have had with the service. Ideally, they can refer you to startups or small businesses similar to yours.
If you’d like to learn what Golden Gate Office Solutions can offer your San Francisco business, contact us today. One of our sales associates will be more than happy to answer your questions and schedule a visit.
