EF Fall 07.indd - National Association of Professional Allstate ...

That sounds so Lex Luther…AS: Will you stop with the super herostuff? I said “encryption key”EFM: Whatever. Anyway, it soundspretty safe. Is that the only way to backup my data and is it the best way?AS: Great question! Your MSP willdiscuss the options available to you andwhich of them make the most sense foryour particular needs. The option yourMSP recommends will be based uponhow you do business, how much data youstore, and what makes the most sensefrom a business standpoint. Remember,good MSPs are there to work with you,not for you.EFM: What’s the difference?AS: When an MSP works with you,they are looking for the options that willbest fit your growth strategies and youroverall needs, not where they can make aprofit from you.EFM: MSPs are looking to makemoney?AS: Sure. They are a business like anyother. Maybe, now is the time to talkabout how MSP operate.EFM: I’m listening.AS: An MSP is a different businessmodel than a typical IT services company.Have you ever found that sometimesit takes a long time to get things resolved,or one problem is fixed and another onearises? Or the technician gets called awayin the middle of your project…EFM: What about being told that itwill take three hours to fix something,but it takes two or three times longer andnow you have to find the extra money tocover the work?AS: Or, how about living with a problembecause you don’t want to pay for thetime it takes to fix it?EFM: …so you wait for more problemsto arise to justify a service call?AS: Exactly. Many MSPs live up totheir name; Managed Services Provider,with the emphasis on managed.EFM: Meaning?AS: Before the relationship begins,your MSP contact sits down with youand takes inventory of what you have,the current state of your environment,and your short and long term plans. Aftergathering this information, a price isdetermined to support your agency’s individualneeds.EFM: Where is the managed part?AS: I’m getting to that. In my case, myMSP set a monthly price and doesn’t deviatefrom that no matter what happens.I like that because I can budget my ITcosts for the year. By keeping my systemstuned and operating at peak efficiencies,I am less likely to need an emergencyservice call. I call it preventative maintenance.I do it with my car and my health,so why not do it with my office technology?And, let’s face it, when your systemis down you lose money and so does yourMSP. Basically, nobody wins when youexperience a preventable emergency.EFM: So you get less support?AS: Quite the contrary. I have a muchhigher level of support than I ever expected.My MSP performs preventativemaintenance, keeps spyware off my computers,and fixes things in a timely manner;usually on the first visit. The mostimportant thing is that I have somethingI never truly had before.EFM: And that is?AS: Peace of mind. Same thing we offerour clients.EFM: Is that all I need to know?AS: There’s more. Since the onus is onmy MSP to support me no matter howmany hours it takes, they operate withgreater efficiency and I, in turn, have lessof a need to call them. But, when I doneed them, I don’t have to worry abouthow big or small the task is. It’s all thesame in importance. Because I don’t haveto live with the small problems, I findthat our office is more productive than ithas ever been. I can offer better supportto my clients, and can add additional clientswithout needing to increase staff.EFM: Is this the way all MSPs offertheir services?AS: MSPs offer their services in a varietyof ways, depending on their businessmodel. Some offer blocks of hoursthat you pay for in advance and use asnecessary. Some offer a price for basicsupport plus the cost of special projectsas needed. Some offer a guess of howmany hours of support will be used overthe course of a year, with money beingpaid or refunded for additional or unusedhours at the culmination of the year.EFM: That’s confusing.AS: Not really. The MSP that you decideupon will help you feel comfortablewith how things work. In my case, myMSP provides an “all you can eat” flat fee28 — Exclusivefocus Fall 2007