The IT landscape is constantly changing, impacted by many factors from innovations by technology vendors, to a more disparate and global workforce and even increased regulatory compliance demands. As corporate purse strings tighten, many small businesses and mid-sized enterprises have outsourced IT management to consultants and other specialized service providers. As such, the market opportunity for IT consultants has increased.
A managed service providers (MSP) can generate and benefit from various revenue streams—ongoing monthly retainer service contracts, margins associated with deploying new technology and additional value-added service delivery. With an increase in revenue, MSPs can focus on customer retention and customer acquisition, which yields additional leverage as a MSP builds out its third party technology vendor network. There are essentially no downsides to this type of business transformation, but the process of becoming an MSP is easier said than done.
This whitepaper is intended as a guide for IT consultants, offering a strategy that takes advantage of the increasing demand for IT services to improve business operations. The approach is centered on transitioning from a role as a consultant to building a business as an MSP.
Before outlining best practices for a managed service provider and identifying technology to support MSPs, let’s identify the differences between the two roles. The most important distinction is how companies engage with an IT consultant versus a managed service provider.
Complete the form on this page to receive this whitepaper in its entirety.