Even though MSPs are constantly reevaluating their technology bundles to fit the needs of their customers, the COVID-19 crisis has forced them to completely rethink their approach to managed IT services.
Readjusting to the “new normal” is going to take businesses time, but MSPs should be the ones on the front lines assisting them with this transformational change, and, in many ways, they already have.
There are a few areas of your technology stack you should consider reevaluating going forward.
Businesses are continuing to invest in cloud technologies — they have to
Unlike other areas of IT, the IT infrastructure market is projected to grow to $237 billion this year, nearly a 4 percent increase over the previous year, according to analyst firm IDC. Researchers attributed this market’s growth to the increasing number of businesses turning to the cloud during the COVID-19 pandemic since many of them still need to store and manage business data.
"Where there is growth, most of it is in the cloud," said Stephen Minton, program vice president in IDC’s customer insights and analysis group. "Overall software spending is now expected to decline as businesses delay new projects and application roll-outs, while there is a fundamental link between employment and spending on things like software licenses and campus networks.
On the other hand, the amount of data that companies must store and manage is not going anywhere. Increasingly, even more of that data will be stored, managed, and increasingly also analyzed in the cloud.”
Further reading Managed Services Provider Problems in 2022
Do your customers know about your VoIP services?
Workers don’t always have access to a company phone system when working from home. This presents a problem for businesses for a number of reasons. For instance, customers can’t reach their company representatives when issues arise (a major disruption to any business). Despite what some employers are urging, IT professionals know from experience that asking employees to use their own devices when making and receiving calls isn't a safe alternative to their using an office phone system. Personal devices typically weren’t designed with privacy and security in mind.
There’s also the issue of employers reimbursing employees for cell phone use. Your clients can avoid many of these obstacles by purchasing your VoIP services in addition to your other managed IT offerings.
RMM solutions are key to managing client IT infrastructures in the “new normal”
With nearly everybody working from home, including IT professionals, RMM solutions are more important today than ever before. Access to a client’s IT infrastructure is limited during the COVID-19 crisis. Despite this obstacle, IT professionals must still be able to assess a client’s networks and systems to resolve issues when they arise.
Further reading Don’t Think You Need an RMM Solution? Here’s Why You Do
While it may still be necessary for your techs to visit a client’s office from time to time, your RMM tool should enable you to solve many problems before they happen. This also reinforces your ability to work remotely to your clients. You and your team are capable of getting the job done, even though you’re not physically present to assess the situation at hand. After the COVID-19 crisis passes, many of your clients won’t mind techs working remotely.
Further reading MSP Software and Hardware Tools
Cybersecurity concerns are growing, so what are you doing about it?
Hackers have been waiting for an opportunity like the COVID-19 crisis in order to pounce. Threat actors are exploiting the pandemic in a variety of ways. For instance, hackers are using phishing emails to profit from the coronavirus outbreak. Cybersecurity is a top priority for many MSPs during the pandemic, with 37 percent of them believing that they’re more prone to cybercrime now than in 2019, according to Kaseya’s 2020 MSP Benchmark Survey. Now's the time to reassess your cybersecurity solutions.
Further reading COVID-19 and Cybersecurity: Main Threats and Protective Measures
Choosing the right solutions for your technology bundle is typically challenging for many MSPs. Use this time to reevaluate the needs of your customers. Then, adjust your technology bundle accordingly.
Read our free whitepaper for tips on:
- Adapting your service bundle;
- Marketing your managed services;
- Reviewing and adapting processes;
- Working with clients remotely.