If you’re tired of struggling with technology challenges, it can be tempting to sign with the first MSP provider whose price fits your budget—but, it could end up costing you down the line. If you don’t choose the right MSP partner, you could find yourself stuck in a contract without seeing a significant improvement in your operations.

 

Watch out for these three red flags which can be tell-tale signs of an MSP that either doesn’t prioritize your best interest or doesn’t have the resources and experience needed to fully support your technology.

 

1. No Clearly Written Escalation Policy

An outage could stifle your earning potential and damage your reputation. You need an MSP partner that treats your business like their own—they should meet a breach or major interruption with as great a sense of urgency as if it affected their bottom line. Make sure you have a clear understanding of their escalation policy and iron out worst-case-scenario details up front and in writing.

 

2. No Change-Management Outline

Acquiring new technology and implementing best practices for business IT is a major benefit to partnering with an MSP. You don’t want a technology partner with stagnant services, but you also don’t want software and solution transitions to interrupt your operations. A reliable IT service provider will provide a change-management outline that ensures that any updates, upgrades or migrations will be completed with minimal disruption.

 

3. No Clearly-Defined SLAs or Processes in Place

The first two red flags are just two examples of complications that arise from insufficiently defined SLAs. A trusted MSP partner will be transparent—they’ll provide solutions you need without inflating their bottom line by trying to lock you into services you don’t need.

 

Your business depends on secure, efficient technology operations. Make sure you’re fully vetting IT Managed service providers before jumping into a contract that could cause even more headaches and costly consequences. You deserve an MSP partner that takes your business as seriously as you do. Contact us to see if see if we get the white flag.