Enterprise Management Associates recently concluded a study asking why enterprise companies choose to work with MSPs. Jim Frey, Managing Research Director and EMA headed that study. Jim’s research uncovered a few interesting items. I will share a few of those here with you.

The decision to outsource to an MSP was made by:
• 56% CIO
• 14% IT Manager
• 11% Line Manager

Which of the following are the most important considerations in your organization’s decision to outsource IT management to and MSP?
• 41% Better total cost
• 37% Improved technical experience/depth
• 36% Improve focus on core business
• 34% Free internal resources to focus on more strategic projects
• 31% Improve uptime
• 26% Accelerate cloud adoption
• 25% Avoid capital expense
• 22% Better off-hours coverage

Which of the following are the most important considerations in your organization’s decision to outsource IT management to and MSP?
• 14% Better total cost
• 12% Improved technical experience/depth
• 12% Improve focus on core business
• 10% Improve system uptime

Here is where I think the results are most interesting.
What attributes does your organization look for when selecting an MSP?
• 66% Proven experience, depth of expertise
• 55% Reputation/references
• 50% Service level agreements
• 35% 24×7 NOC facilities

I was not surprised to see that barriers to engaging an MSP were tied to fears of:
• 50% Loss of control
• 44% Uncertainty of cost
• 39% Lack of responsiveness

A few of the most commonly outsourced MSP services are:
• 56% Storage/Recovery
• 35% Network Operations Center (NOC)
• 35% Application management

You can click below for the webinar moderated by Jim Frey with two Alvaka Networks’ clients and I as panel guests:

Why Do Enterprise Companies Choose to Work with MSPs?.