The significance of technical flexibility and avoiding technology lock-in when choosing the ideal IT and security Managed Service Provider (MSP) for your business is frequently underestimated. Neglecting these factors can lead to detrimental outcomes down the line. Venture-funded technology and life science firms often demand a level of flexibility that surpasses what many MSPs typically offer.
MSPs often specialize in specific technology stacks, such as Windows PCs and MS 365, and may have adopted standardized solutions for networking, teleconferencing, telephony, backup, and antivirus software. While this simplifies their operations, it can restrict the flexibility required by tech-savvy growth companies, like those supporting Macs and Google Workspace. We’ve observed this doesn’t align with the needs of our customer base, particularly venture-funded growth companies whose management teams often have strong preferences for certain technologies. Many emerging companies initially adopt one strategy and later pivot as they mature. Additionally, solutions favored by high-tech entrepreneurs may not be widely recognized by the IT generalists who serve other types of businesses. Consequently an MSP may resist accommodating your preferences in favor of maintaining consistency across their client base.
In the early stages of launching your company, it’s tempting to entrust the setup of your IT infrastructure entirely to the service provider. Frequently, MSPs will deploy their proprietary software solutions and networking hardware, seamlessly integrating the costs into their services. While this approach simplifies the initial setup process, it introduces potential drawbacks you might lament down the road. Primarily, it obscures the true costs associated with these products. How much are you genuinely investing in these solutions over time, and what portion of that expenditure represents the MSP’s profit margin?
A critical consideration arises when you reach a point of outgrowing your MSP and must transition elsewhere. If the MSP retains ownership of the products, you’re confronted with the expense and upheaval of adopting an entirely new infrastructure and suite of solutions precisely when your company is undergoing growth spurts. Additionally, if you’ve entered into separate agreements for these products with different timeframes than your service contract the separation becomes even more convoluted. While this arrangement may align with the MSP’s objectives, it may not necessarily serve yours.
At KalioTek we serve venture-funded companies with the goal of growing dramatically. Restricting a company’s flexibility doesn’t align with our approach. As they progress and expand, our aim is for them to reflect positively on the decisions we’ve made collaboratively, recognizing that we’ve prioritized their needs over our own agenda. At KalioTek, we pride ourselves on being technology-agnostic. Our diverse clientele includes those exclusively utilizing Macs, others with a blend of PCs and Macs, and some operating solely on Windows platforms. Whether they lean towards Microsoft’s productivity suite or favor Google solutions, we remain impartial and equipped to provide equal support across all technologies. Our objective is to guide and support our clients in selecting the technologies that best suit their business and technical criteria. We have no interest in restraining customers to our services; rather, we encourage them to pursue what’s optimal for their enterprises confident that our enduring and trustworthy partnerships will prove mutually beneficial. For over two decades, KalioTek has forged its reputation on this principle.
Discover the possibilities with KalioTek.
