Competing effectively is only possible when you focus on the core strength of the business and ensure that all the departments are aligned to those goals- including the IT.The common theme for IT departments around the world today is that they are now expected to step up and contribute to the strategic strength of the business. IT personnel can no longer be relegated to daily operational tasks and support functions.
The only way the IT team can do more is if they have a solution that helps streamline operations to free up their time. With the free time, they can focus on improving infrastructure, identifying disparate systems and integrating them, offering improved intelligence, and driving innovation.
One of the ways you can free up your IT team’s time is to enlist the support of a Microsoft Partner for managed services.
What is a managed service provider (MSP)?
When businesses initially look for ways to ensure that their Microsoft applications are functioning adequately, they think about getting support. This break-fix support is reactive and no longer sufficient. Managed services go beyond this basic support.
With managed services, the Microsoft Partner takes on the responsibility of maintaining the entire system for you and proactively monitoring it. The approach here is to prevent incidents from occurring in the first place rather than having a knee-jerk reaction to troubleshooting.
You can choose from a range of services from your managed services partner (MSP) that includes :
- Setting up the Microsoft solution in the cloud
- Managing the infrastructure
- Proactive monitoring of systems
- Ensuring security and role-specific access to your data
- Optimizing the solutions for best performance
- Performing regular tests and updates
- Training employees to get the most out of your systems
The MSP will take on the operational and time-consuming work, which will free up your IT team’s time to focus on innovating and adding strategic value to your business.
What tasks will be assigned to the MSP is entirely up to you. You can choose which areas of the business you want the managed services partner to handle and what you would like to keep in-house.
Advantages of using a managed services partner
- Focus on core business instead of system maintenance, support, and problem fixing
- Optimize performance to get the most out of Dynamics applications
- Free IT personnel from mundane tasks and shift their focus to strategic initiatives
- Take advantage of the latest technologies without the need to hire specialized talent
- Have the flexibility to scale up or scale down the use of managed services offerings
- Save costs with a subscription-based model and have tighter control on budgets with predictable spends
Considerations for selecting a managed service partner
Knowing how to choose the right managed services partner is an important next step. The right MSP will be able to deliver on your business outcomes and offer more. Here are some of the criteria you can use to evaluate different Microsoft Partners.
Experience in Dynamics solutions
Dynamics solutions offer some of the best features and capabilities in the market today. However, only an expert in these systems will be able to help you leverage the full potential of these technologies.
While evaluating the MSP, ask for details about the consultants such as the number of years of experience in the domain and how many projects they have worked on. It is also important to ask the number of years the company has worked in this field – not just in the broader ERP sector but also Microsoft solutions specifically.
Objectives like boosting bottom line and promoting innovation
When choosing a Microsoft Partner, consider what strategic value they offer. Few MSPs have the expertise of Microsoft systems, your industry vertical, and the broader ERP domain. Such partners will be able to not only make sure your systems work efficiently but also offer advisory services to make sure they boost your bottom line and create systems that promote innovation within your business.
The right partner with sufficient experience will be in a position to align the goals of the project to your business outcomes and focus on building a long-term strategic partnership.
If you have a presence in multiple countries and have employees speaking different languages, you should consider working with a global partner who will be able to offer coordination, stakeholder management, and other benefits through proximity to your in-country offices and business entities.
A top Microsoft Partner will also have direct access to Microsoft engineers. Working with such a partner will help you resolve issues faster, prepare for change, and get more out of the solution.
Specialized services or one-stop solution for all your needs
Some companies specialize in certain areas of Microsoft applications. Whether it is specific solutions like the Power Platform or a broader offering around cyber security, you will find small to mid-sized businesses that have developed expertise in specific areas.
If you would like to engage with a partner who has experience in a broader scope across the Microsoft stack, can cater to the needs of enterprise business, or has offices around the globe to ensure 24/7 coverage, you can choose from one of the top Microsoft Partners.
sa.global, for instance, has consistently been a part of Microsoft’s Inner Circle, which is an elite group that represents the top 1% of Microsoft Partners around the globe.
Why choose sa.global as your managed service provider
sa.global is a consultants-led Microsoft Partner that has an advisory approach to help businesses like yours to optimize costs and streamline operations, to become a dependable partner for all managed services and technology innovation needs.
Why choose us? Here are just a few reasons:
- 100% Microsoft focused with our consultants having an average experience of 14 years
- Presence in 25 countries and implementation experience in 80 countries
- Our Global Service Centers (GSCs) strategically located in the Americas, EMEA, and APAC to bring you 24/7 coverage
- Expertise in offering platform advisory services
- Guidance on Dynamics licensing to optimize costs
- Dedicated account manager and resources to ensure faster action, local language skills
- Over 400 pre-built automated test cases to optimize performance
Want to know about sa.global’s managed services plans, what you get, and what they cost?
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