As I’ve been working remotely for the past several weeks, I started thinking about all the different software that’s replaced our typical office interactions. The conference room has been replaced by video conferencing software like Zoom. Popping over the cubicle wall to talk has now become instant messaging like Slack. Email and phone are basically the same – especially if you have a soft phone or VoIP capability. File sharing and collaboration is also, depending on what you had setup previously, mostly the same with software like Dropbox or your traditional file servers accessed through a VPN. But what all this software doesn’t replace is the platform to have all these interactions happen and interact with one another. Previously that was the office itself.

The MetroHartford Alliance’s “Pulse of the Region” radio show recently dedicated an episode to the IT collaboration between Kelser Corporation and Hoffman Auto Group. The conversation is a great example of a premier Connecticut company taking a proactive approach to cybersecurity and technology infrastructure through a partnership with Kelser.

Joining forces with an IT managed services provider (MSP) gives you the benefits of having a full-time IT staff, without the full-time expenses that go with them. MSPs can enrich even small and medium-size businesses with a wealth of IT knowledge and experience that wouldn’t be available at the same price point with in-house employees.

Throughout our decades in the IT business, we’ve heard every reason in the book for why you don’t actually need a local IT managed services provider (MSP):

As part of my role as CTO at Kelser, I am also vCIO for some of our clients, such as Hoffman Auto Group. A vCIO, also called a virtual or fractional CIO, performs the strategic function of a tech executive for an organization that doesn’t necessarily need a fulltime CIO in house.

Many managed service providers (MSPs) will tell you that they offer network security services—but how do you know that their offerings are actually high-quality and useful to you as an organization?

From tornadoes and floods to security breaches and employee error, unexpected catastrophes can befall any type of business. While you may not be able to prevent or even anticipate disaster, you can be well-prepared before it strikes in order to minimize the impact and downtime. The importance of testing your plans for disaster recovery and business continuity can’t be understated.

Unless you're already in the IT field, small and medium businesses likely don't have all the knowledge or in-house staff required to manage their IT infrastructure themselves. That's where a managed services partner (MSP) comes in.