16 Important Questions to Ask Potential Managed IT Service Provider

If you’re looking for an IT Service Provider, it’s important to make sure that you are choosing the company that fits your business needs.  It can also be an intimidating process, which is why we’ve compiled 16 questions to ask an IT service provider, and why they are important, so that you can be informed throughout this process.

4 Questions about Company Overview

1. What happens to my IT department once we begin working together?
   • Many people think that bringing in a Managed IT Services Provider (MSP) means that they must get rid of their entire IT department. However, 94% of the time, companies keep their existing department and bring them in to supplement. The purpose of an MSP is to take care of the tedious tasks so your employees can get back to doing what they enjoy. 
2. How many employees would be assigned to this project?
   • While this number shouldn’t be a factor in who you choose – more isn’t necessarily better – it is important to be aware of your support team.  A company can have only a handful of employees, but each employee is incredibly smart and skilled.  
3. Tell me about your biggest client-facing issues.
   • This question may seem a lot like one you would ask in an employee interview, but it’s popular for a good reason. Asking about their biggest client-facing issues is a great way to understand how they may approach an issue with your business and shows if they learn from conflict. 
4. What is your current average uptime?
   • Like your cloud provider, most Managed IT Services Providers will have a service level agreement (SLA). While the SLA is important to be aware of, asking for their average uptime gives you a better sense of their reliability.    

3 Questions About Security & Data Protection 

1. Who is responsible for my data?  The Managed Service Provider, a 3rd party, or me?
   • With data privacy being top-of-mind, it’s important to understand responsibilities for something as critical as corporate data. Companies should have a clear picture of what risk they own before engaging with a Managed IT Services Provider. 
2. How do you keep my data secure?
   • Your IT Services Provider should have a strong security stance and be able to walk you through the protections in place.  If they are the ones responsible for your data, then you should be aware of the security measures they have in place in case something goes awry.   
3. How can data be retrieved in the event of contract termination or acquisition?
   • While nobody wants to think about contract termination, especially when in talks of signing a contract, you need to be aware of protections in place in the event of termination or acquisition. Does the data get returned to your company? Is it automatically handed over to a new company, perhaps with a weaker security stance?

3 Questions About Price 

1. What services are included?
   • This may seem like an obvious one, but not all Managed IT Services Providers are created equal.  Asking them to drill down into their pricing tiers and offerings gives you a better sense of their ability to meet your business needs.
2. Can you describe your add-ons and explain why I should consider them?
   • Many of them offer additional services, at an a-la-carte pricing model.  If their included services don’t meet your requirements, you may be able to add on extra support or security through their add-on offerings.  Examples include bringing support staff on-site, patching systems, and providing extra support with a higher SLA.
3. What are your contract renewal terms?  Are there benefits to renewing early or signing a long-term contract?
   • If you’ve been in talks with an MSP that you really like, it may be helpful to look to the future and see what pricing discounts and incentives they offer.  A lot of the times they will offer discounts to customers that sign a long-term contract since they are guaranteed revenue.  It might feel strange to ask about renewal before the paper hits the pen, but future you will thank current you. 

3 Questions About Your Benefits 

1. Do I need to buy licensing through my MSP?  If so, what are the benefits?
   • Most Managed IT Services Providers will require you to purchase licensing through them. There are so many benefits to purchasing licensing through your MSP, like ensuring that your systems meet business requirements, discounts, and the streamlining of all your licenses into one bill.
2. Will subscribing to a Managed Services Program free my staff so they can focus on strategic initiatives?
   • Bringing in an IT Service Provider is a fantastic way to free up staff. MSPs reduce workload and costs and improve efficiency by removing the noise so that IT can focus on strategic initiatives.
3. Do you have OS and hardware requirements?
   • A good MSP will have hardware and software requirements to ensure that they are able to support the environment. In addition to support, having base requirements ensures that your systems are secure and up to date. 

3 Questions About Company Qualifications 

1. What accreditations do you have? Why are they important?
   • When choosing your Managed IT Services Provider, certifications and recognitions are a must. They vary between cloud services, but each provider has their own version of certifications to show which partners have best-in-class capability within a solution area.
2. Can you provide reviews or testimonials from your previous MSP clients?
   • Testimonials may not be readily available on an MSP’s website due to contracts, but every IT Service Provider should be able to provide positive reviews from their clients.  While the company will only provide you with positive testimonials, you will still be able to glean information from them, like how the company works and their dynamic with customers.
3. How can I know that your employees can handle our systems?
   • Every MSP should have employees that can work with a multitude of environments.  This question will give you a broad overview of what certifications and experience their employees have that is relevant to the scope of your project. 

We are a trusted Managed IT Services & Support & Microsoft Gold Partner

Choosing an MSP is a daunting task, especially with just how many are out there.  Synergy Technical has a 15-point security strategy to ensure that your data is safe and secure.  In addition to keeping your data secure, we are a global leader in the Microsoft space, and we are a MS Gold partner.  Our employees are encouraged to earn Microsoft certifications to ensure they stay educated on Microsoft technology.  We are the seal team of MSPs, with a strong, highly qualified group of engineers that can handle whatever your organization needs. 

Would you like to learn more about Synergy Technical’s Managed IT Services and Support offerings or find out the benefits of managed it services?  Learn how our support team can take your organization to the next level!