Your MSP Says It Innovates. But Does It Really?
Businesses looking for managed IT services in Boston hear the word innovation all the time. Every Managed Services Provider (MSP) wants to position itself as an innovative “Strategic Partner” and I’ve talked about the importance of innovation ad nauseam. In fact, if you visit the Auxzillium website, you’ll see the word throughout our messaging, often alongside “Strategic Partner,” which I addressed in last week’s post.
But while innovation is a fantastic word to use, what does it actually mean? More importantly, how can a Boston business tell whether its MSP is truly innovating or simply upgrading its technology? Like I’ve done before, I think we can best answer that by first describing what innovation is not.
An upgrade to something in your technology platform does not define innovation. If it’s a 1 for 1 exchange, how has your business benefited from the “upgrade” in an innovative manner? For example, replacing humans at a toll booth with a basket that catches coins is an upgrade. Replacing the toll booth with an EZ Pass is innovative. You can correlate this with old servers and new servers. Sure, the hardware capabilities are enhanced but, in a world, dominated by the cloud – you aren’t innovating at all.
Implementation of new technology in your business does not define innovation. Its implementation could reveal just how far you are behind the times. Let’s revisit the toll booths I mentioned previously. The Georgia 400 implemented high speed tolls in 1993. New Hampshire implemented its first high speed toll lanes in 2010. That’s nearly 20 years later. Sure, it was new to them, but it wasn’t innovative. The decision by your business to implement Multifactor Authentication (MFA) or leverage cloud services today, is more an indictment on just how far behind your business is technologically.
Your MSP should be led to innovate externally and consider ways to innovate for immediate client needs internally. What does that mean? External influence shouldn’t come from an issue of Wired magazine dated from the year 2000. There are many external sources that should guide your partner. Your partner should have a hunger for these sources because they know if their business doesn’t innovate, then the platform they manage for you is standing still.
How does an MSP innovate for immediate client needs. This doesn’t mean figuring something out with tape and bubblegum. This means leveraging modern technologies in existence today, constructed in a fully supported manner, meeting a critical demand. I have seen Auxzillium do this very thing 5 years before a vendor introduced it packaged together within its own platform.
See, your business will find tremendous value in an MSP whose approach to innovation is consistently on display. I can’t think of a better example than Auxzillium’s commitment to provide clients with choices, advise on the pros/cons, and guiding your business to make the best selection, not choosing for them. Therefore, while you may think your business is leveraging the very best, it’s worth exploring that thought with Auxzillium.
