Why Choose AI-Driven MSP Solutions for Your Business

January 2, 2025 |

Artificial intelligence (AI) is infiltrating nearly every area of our lives, and it’s rapidly growing — some generative AI systems already have more than 100 million users. While AI has numerous benefits that can improve daily life, many businesses also realize the advantages of implementing these systems.

Managed service providers (MSPs) can leverage AI to support their internal operations and clients. For MSP customers, selecting a company that offers AI-driven solutions has many advantages.

What Is an MSP?

Businesses without internal information technology (IT) departments can benefit from access to a team of IT and networking professionals who are ready to help when needed. Managed service providers give access to the latest technology and offer excellent support.

An MSP may offer the following services:

Relying on an MSP to provide these services means your team can focus on the work that matters while feeling assured company information and systems are in expert hands. Managed service providers can also help businesses save money because they are often more affordable than hiring a team of full-time IT experts.

Who Should Use an MSP?

Any business can use an MSP. Small-to-medium sized businesses in need of IT assistance typically benefit the most, but larger companies may also use MSPs, especially during busy seasons when their IT team is overwhelmed with queries and requires external assistance.

Some common businesses that work with MSPs are:

Financial services providers
Legal firms
Retirement communities
Healthcare providers
Nonprofit organizations
Manufacturing and distribution companies

Why Do MSPs Leverage AI in Managed Services?

Here are some of the reasons an MSP uses AI technology for IT:

Increased efficiency: AI allows MSPs to automate systems, freeing up employees’ time so that they can spend their workday on more productive tasks rather than administrative duties. Delegating automated tasks to artificial intelligence systems allows MSPs to spend more time on projects that benefit their clients.
Better customer service: AI helps MSPs provide better experiences and services to their clients. AI can directly impact customer satisfaction, such as when customers find answers to their questions using an MSP’s AI chat feature. However, the customer service effects of AI can also be subtle. With AI taking over repetitive tasks, client representatives have more time for one-on-one customer interactions.
Cost savings: MSPs that automate various tasks can spend less money on their operations. They may have lower fees than MSPs that don’t utilize AI and thus need to cover more costs.
Informed decision-making: AI can help MSPs gather data and information about different areas of their businesses. Determining which departments might be lacking and how they can improve them ultimately provides customers with a better experience.

The most reliable MSPs implement clear AI rules for staff to ensure the ethical use of this technology.

5 Benefits of Working With AI-Driven MSPs

There are many advantages of working with an AI-driven managed service provider. Explore five key benefits below.

1. Faster Decisions

Nearly half of small businesses use AI technologies, and one of the main reasons is the valuable insights they can glean from predictive analytics, risk assessments and more. AI-driven MSPs can share these insights with their customers to empower them to make more informed decisions, faster. With an AI-powered partner, your business can get a quick summary of all the IT information you need to make the best decision.

2. Better Cybersecurity

Any business can be susceptible to cyberattacks, especially those that store a high amount of personally identifiable information, such as healthcare facilities and schools. An AI-driven MSP can help protect your business. AI tools can predict security threats before they occur. They assess patterns from past threat data to determine when and where a business might be vulnerable to attacks.

Artificial intelligence also identifies anomalies that may indicate potential problems, alerting MSPs to issues so that they can catch attacks. AI can also assist with predictive maintenance. MSPs can determine when a system may require maintenance and can preemptively patch potential security holes in software. An AI-driven MSP can help protect sensitive data and strengthen your security posture.

3. Customer Assistance

Businesses can also benefit from an MSP with AI-powered customer assistance solutions. This technology ensures MSP clients can get accurate answers to their questions quickly. For example, MSPs can use automated responses to provide basic information or direct the client to helpful resources. This ensures MSP clients are never left waiting. Your business can find IT answers without having to wait to talk to a customer representative.

Another AI solution that MSPs can leverage is chatbots. Chatbots allow MSP clients to get immediate answers to simple queries without waiting for an available representative. The chatbot industry is valued at more than $15 billion for a reason, and when you work with an AI-powered MSP, your employees will appreciate getting fast and accurate responses to their simple questions.

4. Improved Compliance

Complying with security regulations can be complicated, and an MSP can help. Healthcare organizations, for example, must comply with relevant privacy laws, while the financial services industry must adhere to some of the strictest cybersecurity regulations. Reliable MSPs have vast experience in compliance related to different industries, and those with AI capabilities can improve your business’s compliance efforts even more.

AI systems can gather information extremely quickly and more accurately than humans, meaning they can effectively identify areas where businesses are not compliant and help them solve these issues. If you’re a client of an AI-driven MSP, it’s a significant advantage to know your compliance efforts are a priority. You can reduce your risk of noncompliance, stay updated on the newest regulations and navigate compliance complexities.

5. Enhanced Reporting

Reporting can take time, especially for MSPs with multiple clients and a significant amount of data. Managed service provider employees could spend their time in better ways than creating detailed reports, and humans are also more prone to errors than machines.

Fortunately, MSPs can use AI to collect data and create reports in a fraction of the time, with fewer mistakes. AI reports save teams time and effort and allow your business to receive accurate, timely reports from your MSP.

Need an MSP? Contact Morefield

Morefield is a trusted MSP that can assist your business with IT services. With 80 years of experience in the industry, our technology solutions will help you enhance your operations. We understand the importance of getting the service you deserve at a price that suits your needs, which is why we offer various price points.

Call us today, or contact us online to get more information.

What to Look for in an MSP

December 2, 2024 |

Regardless of their size, more and more organizations depend on technology to streamline operations and facilitate growth. Yet, keeping up with rapidly changing technology while managing information technology (IT) systems can be tricky.

If you are dealing with the burden of managing your business’s or organization’s IT, hiring a managed services provider (MSP) can be a strategic move. To help ensure you select an MSP that aligns with your company’s needs and objectives, you need to know what to look for in a provider.

The Benefits of Partnering With an MSP

Managed services providers (MSPs) are indispensable in IT management, providing key offerings ranging from cybersecurity to network monitoring.

You might not have the resources to hire a full-time team with the same capabilities as an MSP. However, by relying on outsourced IT services from a company like Morefield, you have more affordable access to highly skilled professionals with a wealth of IT knowledge.

Beyond responding rapidly to technical issues, managed service providers can help prevent issues from occurring entirely and keep downtime to an absolute minimum. Downtime can cost large organizations up to $9,000 a minute. The 24/7 support and monitoring offered by most MSPs are vital to remaining competitive and maintaining continuity in the digitally driven landscape in which your business operates.

When working with an MSP, companies can also prioritize strategic goals and initiatives as they no longer have to deal with time-consuming IT tasks each day. Working with a MSP allows you to boost productivity and efficiency for your employees and equipment, allowing you to serve more customers and reduce operating expenses.

6 Things to Look for in an MSP

MSPs play a crucial role in the success and growth of businesses, so selecting the right company is essential. To help you identify a suitable partner, here are six things to consider:

1. In-depth Expertise and Industry Experience

An MSP with expert skills and significant experience in your industry is nonnegotiable.

Although there may be many providers, only some will have worked in certain industries. Whether you work for a health care, educational or governmental organization or are a business owner, MSPs with experience in your vertical are better equipped to grasp your unique needs and challenges. Plus, they’ll have the necessary knowledge of any relevant regulations to help you stay compliant.

Along with evaluating a provider’s industry experience, you should check:

Years in business: Seasoned companies with many years under their belt are likely to be reliable problem-solvers.
Past and present clients: An MSP’s client base can give you insight into the types of businesses and organizations they work with. While big names can indicate the provider’s level of proficiency, clients operating in industries similar to yours are also a green light.
Reviews and references: Contact both past and existing clients to learn about their experiences and how satisfied they were with the services they received. Reviews and testimonials are also valuable resources for gaining insight into the MSP’s reliability and performance.

2. Comprehensive IT Services and Scalable Infrastructure

If you are looking for one partner to provide end-to-end support, a versatile MSP with extensive service offerings is a must. Various services are crucial when selecting a provider, such as:

Network management: Your network is paramount for keeping your information safe. You need a dedicated team to maintain your network’s security, connection and peak performance.
Cloud solutions: Few businesses function without cloud services. Look for an MSP that can manage and secure your cloud environment.
Cybersecurity: Security solutions are vital for securing your systems and data. Look for services such as employee education, vulnerability assessments, endpoint detection and response programs, and data backup strategies to protect your business from possible threats.
Data backup: To safeguard files and folders from natural disasters and other losses, backup as a service (BaaS) is becoming increasingly common for businesses spanning many industries.

In addition to reviewing an MSP’s services portfolio to ensure your business’s or organization’s current needs are met, you must keep the future in mind. You need a provider that offers flexible services and can scale its infrastructure according to your company’s growth and technological advances.

3. Security and Data Protection Best Practices

In 2023, more than 3,200 data breaches were reported. Also known as data leakages, breaches typically result from intrusions from external attackers who gain unauthorized access to bank account information, credit card numbers, financial records or social security numbers.

Data is the lifeblood of many modern organizations, so security should be a top priority for your chosen MSP. Security measures such as data encryption to prevent unauthorized access and an effective system for identifying potential intrusions are critical. The right provider can help shield your organization or business from cyber threats and data leakages, mitigating the risk of operational downtime, loss of customer trust and other ramifications.

4. Reliable Disaster Recovery Solutions

Vandalism, weather disasters or other outages can happen without notice. An IT disaster recovery plan can save the day and ensure your operations continue in an emergency. As their name suggests, these plans contain detailed steps to manage disasters that are either natural or caused by humans, allowing businesses to make a speedy recovery.

A suitable MSP will be able to help you prepare for future emergencies, secure your data, and offer you peace of mind that your business can recover from an otherwise catastrophic event. Your provider’s disaster recovery solutions should include:

Regular data backups: Backups help ensure your data is available should the recovery plan need to be implemented.
Frequent testing: These plans must be tested frequently and updated as needed. Doing so allows you to make the appropriate changes ahead of time rather than becoming aware of faults while dealing with a disruption.
Off-site storage: Disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS) is a cloud-based protection solution. With DRaaS, your company can use an off-site server to back up and store its data. This way, you can avoid the loss of important data if the disaster is on-site, such as computer theft or hurricanes.

5. 24/7 Customer Service and Support

Due to the nature of IT management, time-critical concerns or questions are expected. Before selecting an MSP, ensure they will be available when needed. While your business or organization isn’t operational 24/7, your network and security are — and so should your MSP.

In addition to evaluating a provider’s availability, you should consider the level of customer support they offer:

Responsiveness: Timely responses can solve minor issues before they escalate. Determine how quickly an MSP resolves general inquiries and more severe problems or emergencies.
Communication channels: The channels you use to report an issue must be accessible and easy to use. For example, your provider could use a ticketing system or require you to phone them.
On-site support: Although many services can be offered remotely, partnering with a local MSP can be hugely beneficial as they can provide hands-on assistance. If you are based in Pennsylvania or Northern Maryland and are looking for managed IT services, Morefield is happy to help.

6. Transparent Contracts and Pricing

Understanding the Service Level Agreement (SLA) is vital — these contracts generally outline specifics such as uptime guarantees, response times, problem resolution procedures and more. SLAs should state whether there are any penalties or termination clauses, building the foundation for a dispute-free partnership.

MSPs should also be transparent about their pricing model, whether a flat fee, billed per device or user or a tiered plan. Be sure to ask if there are any extra costs for specific features or services.

Although cost can be a deciding factor when choosing a partner, remember to consider the total value your chosen provider offers. This can include their level of expertise and the quality of services you will receive as well as how they will help you reduce downtime and boost the efficiency of your organization’s IT processes. As these outcomes may increase profitability, the services from an MSP are a worthy investment.

Partner With a Top MSP

If you want to streamline your business’s or organization’s IT, Morefield is here to be your trusted partner. With years of experience, we are a top MSP in Pennsylvania. We work with companies to integrate and optimize their technology, including manufacturing businesses, legal and financial services, health care facilities and nonprofit community organizations.

When you partner with us, you will gain access to highly qualified engineers and technicians and experience who provide consistently good service with industry-leading response times. We also have remote offerings that can resolve various issues, from fixing faults to upgrading software. To learn more about our managed services, contact us online.

MX2024 Manufacturers’ Expo Highlights

November 14, 2024 |

Thank you The Manufacturers’ Association for another fantastic expo! Our team of Michael Velasco, Dan Hall, Briana Carr, and Andrew Steffen had an amazing time connecting with everyone who stopped by our booth and were thrilled to catch up with so many of our valued clients. We truly appreciate all the effort you put into making this event a success!

Dan Hall and Michael Velasco had an awesome time at The Manufacturers’ Association 1st exhibitor happy hour. Thanks for stopping by to say hi! It was great to talk technology, manufacturing, integration and automation!