How to Find the Right Managed IT Services Provider in Los Angeles
Managing your in-house IT team can be a struggle. This article will detail what you should look for in a Los Angeles managed services provider.
Focus on Core Needs
As the business landscape grows more connected, companies often face difficulties meeting their customer’s needs and growing their company in a sustainable manner.
IT services are a big part of this struggle. Today’s IT staff need to balance in-house support such as software and hardware installation and management with responding to customer questions about a company’s products. These tasks can soak up a significant portion of your staff members’ time, affecting their ability to address core needs.
A solution for technical and customer support
One cost-effective solution that can reduce the load on your IT staff and increase your productivity is to look for a managed services provider or MSP.
These providers, which typically offer cloud-based support services, have been proven to benefit companies by increasing cost savings and scalability.
It’s also useful to know that outsourced IT can benefit businesses of all sizes. While larger corporations may recognize the most cost savings, small and medium businesses will notice a significantly larger impact on their day-to-day operations. Small businesses in particular can use managed services to gain access to technical support that is far higher in quality and lower in cost than they would receive by hiring additional employees.
What is Managed IT?
Managed IT is the practice of outsourcing typical IT functions to a third-party vendor. All managed IT services providers are different. Some specialize in specific solutions, such as technical support or answering customer chats. Others offer a wider variety of services, which can bring even greater cost savings to your organization.
Generally speaking, the best providers:
- Work with your company to determine your needs
- Offer cloud based solutions to common IT problems
- Include centralized dashboards for ease of use
- Consolidate billing and vendor management
Some companies can also bundle IT services with cybersecurity, video surveillance, and SD-WAN for a holistic package that lets you get even more support.
What to look for in a provider
No matter which vendor you ultimately select, it’s important to do a thorough analysis of your own IT needs. If you don’t know what your own pain points are, you can’t easily determine whether or not a given provider will help.
Another essential step is to assess vendors via a maturity model or other tool to ensure that they will be able to offer you the solutions you need in the long term.
Here are a few of the things that are important to look for.
Clear expertise
The vendor you choose should be able to back up their knowledge of what they’re providing.
Good signs in this area include industry accolades such as awards or inclusion in “best of” lists. Explainer videos that break down complex topics simply and accurately and staff bios that highlight individual expertise are also good indications.
Flexibility and transparency
No two organizations are alike, and vendors should understand this.
Steer clear of companies that offer “cookie cutter,” one-size-fits-all plans, as these will not be able to adjust if something goes wrong. The best providers understand that IT needs are driven by business goals and work with you to determine what yours are.
Transparency is important ahead of time, but you also need to ensure that you understand what vendors are doing through the use of dashboards and clear, easy to understand reporting after you select them.
A co-managed approach
Look for companies that will work with your organization as a partner, rather than just another service provider.
With a co-managed service, you’re able to decide exactly how involved you want to be in the processes you pay for. This not only increases the effectiveness of the services but can grow your IT staff’s expertise over time as they work with the vendor to create shared solutions custom tailored to meet your organizational needs.
Consolidated offerings
While it can be tempting to select a separate provider for each type of managed service you need, this approach quickly becomes unwieldy.
A more effective solution is to seek out vendors who offer expertise in several areas at once. Many of the best providers specialize in different types of services, including IT, cybersecurity, physical security, and enterprise software. Cutting down on the number of third party providers you work with will significantly reduce your costs and the complexity of your operations.
Local offices
Almost all managed services live in the cloud, so people are often surprised by on-site needs.
The fact is that having local staff can be a life saver. From installation and regular maintenance to crisis management, it’s essential to be able to reach out to someone nearby.
A provider with a single call center located three time zones away just can’t offer the same level of service as one with local offices.
Meriplex: your managed services solution
Meriplex is a managed IT and SD-WAN solutions provider, and we have built our reputation around delivering cost effective, flexible, business-driven services to companies in many fields. We have been named as a winner in Channel Futures’ MSP 501 awards two years running.
We pride ourselves on meeting the needs of organizations of all sizes and in all fields, but specialize in:
- Retail
- Healthcare
- Oil and gas
- Financial services
- Automotive
- Industrial
We also understand the importance of balancing local personnel with the expertise a national company can attract. That’s why we have offices around the country, including near the City of Angels. Our Los Angeles offices are in nearby Ventura, San Bernardino, and Orange Counties, allowing us to deliver high quality service to businesses throughout the LA Metro area.
Learn more about managed IT services
If you have questions about managed services in California or would like to know how Meriplex can help your organization reach its IT goals, contact us today. Whether you’re curious about customer support or enterprise software, our team of experts are on hand to answer your questions or concerns.
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