Let's Talk About MSPs (And Why You're Probably Reading This)
So, you're looking into Managed Service Providers. I'm guessing something happened, right? Maybe your email went down last Tuesday and nobody could work for three hours. Or perhaps you got one of those terrifying ransomware emails, and suddenly the idea of "managed IT" doesn't sound so boring anymore.
Here's the thing about MSPs... they're basically the IT department you probably can't afford to hire full-time. Instead of paying salaries for three or four tech people (plus benefits, training, and all that), you're partnering with a company that watches your systems 24/7, fixes problems before you even notice them, and—here's the important part—actually knows what they're doing.
Quick Reality Check: If you've got 10 to 500 employees and your business would basically stop functioning if the computers went down for a day, you need one. That's about 64% of small and medium businesses these days, which... yeah, that number keeps climbing. And for good reason.
The thing that really gets me? Most business owners don't realize they need an MSP until something goes spectacularly wrong. Don't be that person.
The Stuff Nobody Talks About Until It's Too Late
When Everything Goes Down (And It Always Does Eventually)
Okay, picture this. It's a Monday morning, 9:47 AM. Your sales team can't access the customer database. Email's down—again. Your "IT guy" is on vacation, and now your office manager is frantically Googling "IT support near me" while everyone just... sits there.
Want to know what that costs? Try $427 per minute. Yeah, per minute. Four hours of downtime? You're looking at over $100,000 in lost productivity, missed sales, and customers who are probably calling your competitor right now.
Without an MSP, you find out about problems the old-fashioned way: when someone comes to your office saying "the internet's not working." By then, the issue's already been happening for who knows how long. MSPs have these monitoring tools that catch weird stuff before it becomes a disaster. We're talking about 85% less unplanned downtime. That's not nothing.
The Security Thing (This One's Scary, I Know)
Here's a statistic that keeps me up at night: 60% of small businesses that get hit with a major cyber attack are out of business within six months. Gone. And the average cost if you DO survive? Over $200,000 when you add up everything—the fixes, the lawyers, the fines, the customers who bail.
The frustrating part? Small businesses face the exact same threats as Fortune 500 companies. Like, the hackers don't care about your revenue... they're using the same sophisticated attacks on everyone. But while big companies have entire security teams, most SMBs have Dave from accounting who "knows computers."
No offense to Dave, but that's not gonna cut it anymore.
The Hidden Time Sink You're Not Counting
Let me ask you something
How many hours a week do you (or someone on your team) spend on IT stuff? Resetting passwords, fixing the printer, figuring out why Susan's email isn't syncing, dealing with software vendors...
If you said 5-15 hours, that's pretty typical. Now, what's your time worth? Let's say $100 an hour (probably more, honestly). That's $50,000 to $150,000 a year of your time. Time you could be spending on, you know, actually running your business.
Just saying.
What Should You Actually Get from an MSP?
Alright, let's talk about what you're paying for. Some of this is non-negotiable, and some is nice-to-have. I'll break it down.
The Must-Haves (If They Don't Offer This, Keep Looking)
Monitoring That Actually Works
Your MSP should be watching your systems all the time. Like, literally 24/7. They've got software that sits on your servers and computers, checking thousands of things constantly. Think of it like a security system for your IT—you want to know about the problem before the building's on fire.
What to ask:"So how often are you actually checking our stuff, and what exactly are you monitoring?" If they get vague or say "regularly," that's not a great sign.
Security (Multiple Layers, Not Just Antivirus)
This is where it gets real. You need:
- Actual good antivirus (not the free stuff)
- Email protection so phishing emails don't get through
- Firewall management
- Multi-factor authentication—yes, I know it's annoying, but it works
- Regular security checkups
- Someone watching the dark web for your stolen passwords (this is a real thing now)
- Training so your employees don't accidentally let the bad guys in
What to ask:"Walk me through exactly what happens if we get hit with ransomware tomorrow morning." Their answer better be detailed and confident. If they hem and haw, next.
Backups That You Can Actually Use
There's this thing called the 3-2-1 rule. Three copies of your data, two different types of storage, one copy somewhere else (not your office). Your MSP should be doing this, AND they should be testing the backups every month to make sure they actually work when you need them.
The question:"If our office floods tonight, how long until we're back up and running?" You want a specific answer, not "it depends."
Help Desk That Picks Up the Phone
You need multiple ways to reach them—phone, email, chat, one of those ticket portals. And they need to actually respond. Not in three days. The good ones put this in writing with specific timeframes for urgent vs. normal issues.
Try asking:"What's your typical response time when something's on fire versus when it's just annoying?" See what they say.
Updates and Patches
Boring but critical. Your MSP should be systematically updating everything—Windows, your software, all of it—to close security holes. And they should test stuff before deploying it so they don't accidentally break something.
Strategic Planning (The vCIO Thing)
This is where you get a virtual Chief Information Officer who sits down with you quarterly and talks about where your technology is going. Not just "here's what's broken," but "here's what you should be thinking about for next year."
Ask them:"Will we have a dedicated person for this, and how often do we actually meet?" If it's "whenever you want to schedule something," that usually means never.
The Nice-to-Haves That Make Life Easier
Some MSPs throw in extra stuff that makes them worth the premium:
- Managing your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace
- Cloud migrations (if you're still running servers in a closet, we need to talk)
- Compliance help for HIPAA, PCI, or whatever regulations apply to you
- VoIP phone system management
- Dealing with all your vendors so you don't have to
- Handling IT for new hires and departures
- Buying and managing hardware
- Coordinating with your cybersecurity insurance
Not everyone needs all this, but it's nice when it's available.
The Money Part (Because Of Course That Matters)
Let me break down how MSPs actually charge you, because there are a few different models and they all have trade-offs.
Per-Person Pricing (This Is What Most Do)
You pay a fixed monthly fee per employee, usually somewhere between $100 and $250 depending on what's included.
The upside: Totally predictable budgeting. You know exactly what you're paying. It scales with your business. And you usually get unlimited support, which is nice.
The downside: If you've got a lot of employees but don't actually use much IT support, you might feel like you're overpaying. Also, you might be paying for stuff you never use.
This works best for: Most SMBs with normal growth patterns.
Per-Device Pricing
This one charges you per computer, server, whatever—typically $75-150 a month per device.
Good if: You have more devices than people, or if employees share equipment. The pricing's pretty straightforward.
But: If everyone has multiple devices (laptop, desktop, tablet), it gets expensive fast. And mobile devices might not be covered.
Works well if: Your setup is device-heavy for some reason.
The Package Deal (Bronze, Silver, Gold)
You pick a tier based on your needs. Small businesses might pay $1,500-$3,000 monthly, bigger ones $5,000-$10,000 or more.
You can: Choose your level and upgrade later, which is flexible. Might save money if you're small.
But... there are usually strict limits, and they nickel-and-dime you for extras. Plus you'll have to renegotiate when you outgrow your tier.
Best for: Really small teams (like 5-15 people) who know exactly what they need.
Pay-As-You-Go
Hourly rates ( $125-200/hour) or prepaid blocks.
Looks appealing because there's no commitment. Pay for what you use, right?
Except... this isn't really MSP service. It's the old "break-fix" model. No monitoring, no prevention, just reacting when stuff breaks. And it's usually more expensive long-term. Hard pass unless you barely use technology.
Real Talk on Pricing
For 20 employees with full service?
Plan on $3,000-$5,000 a month
That's $150-250 per person and includes everything I mentioned above.
If someone quotes you way less —like $50-75 per user—they're either understaffed, skimping on the monitoring and security, or planning to hit you with surprise charges later.
If they're way more(over $300/user), you're either in a highly regulated industry, or you should get more quotes.
Red Flags: How to Spot a Bad MSP
They're All About Price
MSPs that compete on being the cheapest? There's a reason they're cheap. They're probably understaffed (one tech trying to support hundreds of clients), using cheap security tools, skipping the proactive maintenance, or just... not doing a great job.
Ask about their technician-to-client ratio. Industry standard is one tech per 75-150 endpoints. If they're higher than that, they're stretched too thin.
The SLA Is Vague or Missing
A Service Level Agreement should spell out response times for different priorities, resolution targets, uptime guarantees, and what happens if they don't meet those promises.
Watch out for phrases like:
- "We'll get to it ASAP"
- "Depends on the issue"
- "We're usually pretty quick"
Those are non-answers. You need specifics.
They Can't Explain Security
Any MSP worth their salt should be able to talk intelligently about their security stack in 2026. They should mention specific tools, explain their layered approach, and discuss both prevention and what happens when something gets through.
Test them:"What's your process if one of my employees clicks a phishing link?"
If they stumble or give a generic answer, that's a problem.
Contract Nightmares
One to three-year contracts are pretty normal, but watch out for:
- Auto-renewal without telling you
- Huge early termination fees (more than 25% of what's left)
- Refusing to give you your data and passwords if you leave
Better MSPs offer trial periods or reasonable cancellation terms after year one.
Support That's Only Overseas
Not all offshore support is bad, but if it's ALL offshore, you might run into time zone issues, communication problems, or teams that don't really get U.S. business practices.
Look for: MSPs with onshore primary support. If they use offshore for backup, they should be upfront about it.
They Don't Ask About Your Business
This one's big. Great MSPs want to understand your business model, your industry challenges, compliance needs, growth plans, current pain points...
If they skip straight to technical specs and pricing without understanding what you actually do? They're just taking orders, not being a partner.
Questions You Should Actually Ask
When you're evaluating MSPs, here's what you need to cover:
About Them:
- How long have you been around?
- How many clients, and what's your retention rate? (If people keep leaving, ask why)
- Got any case studies from businesses like mine?
- What industries do you focus on?
- Are you financially stable? (Not awkward to ask—you need to know they'll be there)
About Their Team:
- What certifications do your techs have? (Look for Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco, security certs)
- How long do technicians typically stay?
- Who's my main contact?
- What happens if my issue is really complex?
- Do you handle everything in-house or outsource?
About Service:
- What exactly are you monitoring?
- Walk me through what happens when you detect a problem at 2 AM
- How do you prioritize when multiple clients have issues?
- Average response time? Resolution time?
- How do after-hours emergencies work?
About Security:
- What certifications does your company hold? (SOC 2, ISO 27001)
- How do you stay current with threats?
- Do you train our employees on security?
- Have any clients been breached? What happened?
- Can you help with our compliance stuff? (HIPAA, PCI, whatever applies)
About Communication:
- What reports do we get?
- How often do we hear from you about our IT health?
- What's in the quarterly reviews?
- How do you track your own performance?
About Transitions:
- What's onboarding like?
- How long does it take to fully transition?
- Will you document our current setup?
- How do you handle knowledge transfer from our current IT person?
About Fine Print:
- Contract term and cancellation?
- What happens to our data if we part ways?
- Any hidden charges or extra fees?
- How do you handle big projects outside the normal scope?
Making Your Final Call
1 Know Your Deal-Breakers
Write down your absolute must-haves based on budget, compliance, support hours, security concerns, and current problems. Cut anyone who can't meet these basics.
2 Score What's Left
Rate the remaining candidates (1-10) on:
- Technical skills (25%)
- Service quality (25%)
- Culture and communication fit (20%)
- Price and contract terms (15%)
- References and reputation (15%)
3 Actually Check References
Don't just call the references they give you—those are obviously handpicked. Also:
- Check online reviews (Google, Clutch, G2)
- Ask references: "What would make you switch?" and "Where could they improve?"
- See if you can talk to former clients
4 Test Them
Before signing, submit some questions or test their help desk. See how fast they respond and how they communicate.
5 Start Small If Possible
Some MSPs do 90-day pilots. Try before you commit long-term if you can.
Your First 90 Days: What to Expect
Month 1: Discovery
They'll: Inventory everything, document your network, assess security, deploy monitoring, spot immediate risks.
Your job: Give them access and answer questions.
Month 2: Implementation
They'll: Implement backups, deploy security, update outdated stuff, establish processes, start maintenance, train your team.
You: Test things and provide feedback.
Month 3: Strategy
They'll: First business review, technology roadmap, budget planning, baseline metrics.
You: Share your goals and discuss growth plans.
Final Thoughts
Look, choosing an MSP can feel overwhelming. There's a lot to consider, a lot of questions to ask, and honestly, it's not the most exciting way to spend your time.
But here's the reality— the right IT partner transforms technology from this constant headache into something that actually helps your business grow. The wrong one (or worse, no MSP at all) leaves you vulnerable to expensive disasters and endless tech problems that keep you from focusing on what you're actually good at.
So take the time to do this right:
- Be honest about where you stand with IT right now
- Figure out what you actually need (use this guide)
- Get proposals from at least 3-5 MSPs
- Check their references thoroughly—this matters
- Get everything in writing with clear expectations
Your business deserves IT that just works. With the right partnership, that's exactly what you'll get.
Now go forth and find yourself a good MSP. Your future self (and your employees) will thank you.
