3 Ways to Save Money with a Managed Service Provider

Hiring internal staff to take care of your company’s technology infrastructure and help-desk needs can be costly. To cut down costs, an increased number of small to medium sized businesses are turning to Managed Service Providers. Managed Service Providers ensure businesses have all of the necessary IT support staff at a fraction of the cost. In this blog, we will walk you through 3 ways to save money with a Managed Service Provider.

1. Get on a monthly retainer with your managed services provider.

A monthly retainer is the easiest way to save money over time with your IT provider. Providing stability and consistency, a monthly retainer has proven to be the preferred payment method of small to medium sized businesses. An hourly or pay-per-incident payment model is not ideal, primarily because you have no visibility on future month’s technology expenses. With a monthly retainer you know your cost regardless of what might malfunction or break and calls to your Managed Service Provider are covered.

2. Ask your MSP to provide you with an end-of-life timeline for all of your hardware and software.

To further reduce surprise costs, you should have a working spreadsheet or database that stores all of your hardware and software end-of-life information. If you purchase a computer on March 1, 2020 and it has a warrantied lifespan of 4 years, you should be prepared to reinvest in a new computer March 1, 2024. You will save costs by sitting down with your Managed Service Provider in advance to research and purchase the perfect replacement. Without an end-of-life timeline, companies can find themselves making a hurried decision when something breaks. This is also true of software updates. It is easy to miss an email about a new software upgrade and end-of-life on existing versions. A Managed Service Provider maintains this information for you, saving you time, money and headaches.

3. Utilize your Account Manager – that’s what they’re for

Thinking of buying a new server? Need to upgrade your phone system? Call your Account Manager. Your Account Manager will do the necessary research and compile a list of options, saving you more time and money than if you had tried to source the solution yourself. Not to mention, your Account Manager has most likely purchased many servers and upgraded many phone systems – they know what works and what doesn’t. Trust their advice and include them in the planning process.

If you do decide to source the solution yourself, we recommend running your choice by your Account Manager. They will let you know if something will be compatible with your existing systems. Having your Account Manager do the research on the integration between your existing systems and new solutions could save you thousands of dollars in changes in the future.

If you’re feeling hesitant about reaching out to your Account Manager, remember, they are not a sales person. They are there to manage your account. It is important to find a Managed Service Provider with an Account Manager you can trust. Visit our blog on, “5 Tips for Choosing an IT Managed Service Provider”, if you need help in your MSP selection process.

If you would like more information on why a Managed Service Provider is right for you and how you can trust the IT experts at Revolution Group to save your business money, call us at 614-212-1111.