We are all used to Acronyms in the world of business but sometimes we do use them freely forgetting that the recipient of this information may not understand our sector.  MSP or, Managed Service Provider, not Member of Scottish Parliament or Manchester Science Park is one found widely in the technology industry, so what does this mean.

An MSP empowers your business with the technology and the support required to run efficiently and profitably, this is achieved by close management of both the technology and business operation, using both technology (software installed on the systems) and physical intervention (onsite engineers and close account management).

So what should you consider when choosing your MSP to ensure that Technology helps your business rather than becoming an unwanted expense?

1. What type of service do you need, ad-hoc (pay as you go), reactive, proactive. Nobody likes to pay for something that they don’t need.
2. What are the agreement or contract terms, mainly how long do these run for.  It’s difficult to find a good supplier but if you find a bad one, being in a 12 month contract is the last thing that you will want.
3. What Service Level Agreements will you receive?  Technology runs your business so knowing the phone will be answered and action taken to strict deadlines is important. 
4. What are you paying for and what do you get.  Clarity is essential, you know what your clients want so make sure your potential MSP knows what you want, this way you can compare apples for apples.
5. There are other interview style questions that you should also be considering, to list a few: How long has the MSP been in business?, How many employees do they have?, Do they already work with clients in your industry? Is the Company financial stable?..

Whoever your MSP turns out to be we hope that following these tips will ensure you select a supplier that can support your business with a long standing relationship.