Despite the market flourishing amid a protracted pandemic that prompted widespread remote work adoption, a fair amount of MSPs are not living up to the lofty expectations set by their ambitious mission statements. The disconnect between promise and reality is a predictable consequence of the MSP gambit; a “hands-on” technical overhaul does not always materialize. Some providers simply don’t have the talent pool or breadth of expertise to achieve these goals for clients. For both parties, well-defined parameters and objectives are the key to a successful MSP engagement.
Adjustments must be made or else the reputation of MSPs will be sullied. Prospective clients are already growing skeptical of their strategies and entering into a contract is now seen as less of a safe bet and more of a throw of the dice. The IT industry’s weaknesses extend to the MSP space -- volatility and high stress come with the territory. The current trend for the narrative is that MSPs are inherently flawed and being labeled as “broken” may put the enterprise into its death throes.
Things can get murky right off the bat if virtual CIO services cannot bring transparent quotes and pricing models to the table. A common feature of MSP intention shortlists is the clearing of red tape-related obfuscation. Imagine the frustration that would occur if an enlisted MSP ended up playing the role of a bureaucrat and abandoned projects arbitrarily.
Sluggish response times for tickets are disheartening, but some clients are experiencing a total cold shoulder on this front. MSPs can act as fair-weather friends and outright ignore escalated tickets. It is difficult to see how this constitutes anything other than an abandonment of duties. Others have been slow to introduce patches to mitigate vulnerabilities or neglect to configure security enhancements for their clients. This level of failure is more than false advertising.
MSPs need their own business overhaul. These shortcomings do not come from fast and loose, predatory practices. Rather, a lack of organization and consistency is holding back the business end of individual MSPs and rendering their offerings anemic.
Urgent need in system security presents the MSP market with an opportunity to turn this on its head. A survey conducted by Channel Futures indicates that MSPs are charting a course with vendors in backup and disaster recovery and managed security services. Jason Ingalls, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ingalls Information Security, said, “You see vendors for risk management products and services being added first and foremost. Cybersecurity risk is increasing and the market is responding. Hopefully the respondents are picking security partners rather than buying security software, unless they have dedicated talent necessary to staff that software.” Adept cybersecurity solutions serve as a means for increased MSP confidence, hinging on immediacy and necessity. Successful contracts in this area will enable MSPs to replicate the work ethic to meet other requirements.
