Aligning Strategy and IT with Your MSP
Scaling your business is critical to your success. Business is, after all, dynamic. Ideally, it’s growing, but it almost always needs to pivot. When that happens, you need your IT to keep pace. Working with a managed service provider (MSP) to align your strategy and IT can support and even drive agility.
There are times when your business wants to scale up or needs to scale down. Perhaps you’re releasing a new product; maybe your business is seasonal; or, as we all saw in 2020, something unexpected can come along and require you to change the way you do business. No matter what, in today’s environment, you need your technology to evolve with you.
Although MSPs can help fix technology when there are problems, they can do so much more. Taking on an MSP as a partner to help guide your changes adds value to the relationship. Here are several ways the MSP can help.
Help determine what is achievable
As a business owner, it’s part of your job to be visionary and think big. Yet you don’t want to exceed your technology capacity. Demanding more of your IT than it can handle could lead to disastrous downtime. Instead, bring in your MSP’s IT experts to consult on what is achievable and how to get there.
The phrase digital transformation is on everyone’s lips these days. You might want a digital workforce, optimized digital service, or improved business analytics. Yet you won’t get the full benefit of these initiatives if your business doesn’t have the IT framework.
Plan for technology to meet new demands
Bringing on more employees? Congrats! They’ll need computers, phones, and network access. You’ll also need the right software licenses, server capacity, and more. You’re busy enough recruiting and retaining the talent. Turn to your MSP to make sure the tech infrastructure is in place to support your changing workplace.
Working with your MSP to plan for a short-term spike in tech demands can help ensure things go smoothly. For example, knowing that you’re due to be busy, they can test systems to ensure resilience, or they’ll schedule time-consuming updates or system upgrades more conveniently.
Secure the IT whatever you do, wherever you are
In 2020, most businesses had to send employees off-site. IT needs to be changed. Now, many are trying to bring people back, and IT needs are changing again. Maybe it was work from home only before, but now, your business wants to navigate a hybrid model. Whatever the arrangement, the MSP can take on the task of protecting your systems.
When technology isn’t keeping up with your needs, your business can suffer. Employee productivity can falter, as well as morale. Your customers may not get the quality experiences they expect. Aligning IT with strategy supports smooth transitions and satisfied users with cybersecurity prioritized.
Working together for agility
Aligning with your MSP to achieve a strategy makes seamless and secure adaptation possible. IT support can plan with you to set up the reliable and resilient infrastructure you need.
Alignment comes from an ongoing discussion about business goals, budgets, and timelines. Bring in your MSP for more than break-fix support, and enjoy the benefits of more strategic IT advice and planning.
Let’s discuss your business strategy and IT needs today. Book an appointment today.
