The Difference Between Technology Support, MSPs, and Services Management

Fixing broken things has its place – it's thanks to such repairs that we can keep driving our old cars or avoid dishing out the money for a new clothes dryer.  

But simply fixing broken things isn't a business approach that'll help you grow, innovate, and realize your profitability potential.  

This is absolutely true when it comes to IT.  

But when a business looks for IT support – either to complement an in-house team or take on all IT needs – it can be hard to differentiate one company from the next. IT support is IT support, right?  

Not exactly.  

Specific services contracts can run the gamut, so it's vital to understand what your business needs and what an IT services company offers. From a higher-level perspective, IT support generally falls into a few major buckets:  

Basic technology support is reactive. You have a problem, they fix it. From this angle, IT is just a series of problems for your business, things like hardware failures and software glitches, network crashes, and storage limits.    

Problem fixing is excellent, but it doesn't grow or streamline your business. It doesn't think ahead or ensure you're using the best possible tools in the most-efficient way.  

IT managed services companies cast a wider net. They manage your company's problems along with digital storage, devices, and applications. Often called MSPs, these managed service providers take over all your company's infrastructure. An MSP will patch systems and do security fixes as well as handle printers and desktop computers. On the whole, though, they're focused on handling help desk tickets for those apps and devices. (Meaning: they fix problems.)  

IT services management, on the other hand, is focused on providing value for your business. That's what we do at Uprise Partners.  

We focus on what you see day-to-day and what your goals are longer-term. We concern ourselves with identifying the best possible tools for your specific business requirements. We aim attention at results and building value.  

This includes assessing your business' needs, matching those needs to the best options, implementing the applications or services, training team members, and monitoring performance.  

Consider it like this: If you get shin splints when you go for a jog, a physical therapist can treat your injury and help reduce the pain – they may even instruct you in some stretches you can do to help avoid shin splints in the future. You could take it a step further and invest in new shoes made just for runners who often get shin splints – maybe that company will even send you a new pair every six months, so you're always running on fresh soles with all the right support.  

But what about the rest of you? What are your goals? Are you training to run a marathon, or are you endeavoring to get fit? The objective matters – it informs the best possible path to take and opens up potential solutions you might not have previously considered. Running means thinking about your fuel and your time and your cross-training, not just your shoes. And if your goal is to get fit, maybe running isn't even the best method for you, given your propensity for shin splits. Cycling could be your sport.  

That's how we think at Uprise Partners. Our managed services team always has your business' objectives in mind. We're not simply about fixing what's broken, although we can do that, too (our 24/7 help desk support is here for you whenever you need us). We're invested in your company's success. We want every tool you use to be the best possible solution for your specific needs. We want your applications to hum and your workflows to function smoothly. We want your IT to work for you, helping you grow and innovate.  

We are full service.  

It's a big distinction between what most MSPs do and what we do at Uprise Partners.  

We are an award-winning managed services and security organization. We're among the top 100 Security firms in North America and among the top 500 IT Managed Services firms in North America. Our leadership has experience working with some of the world's leading technology companies, and we've served more than 60% of the Fortune 500. We understand how to use technology to operate, optimize, and transform businesses, and we're proud to bring that expertise to small and medium-sized businesses.    

If you have any questions about your company's IT needs, please reach out. We would be more than happy to help.  

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