How to Select Which MSP Services to Offer

How to Select Which MSP Services to Offer
One of the recurrent challenges facing small to very small
MSPs, is what services to offer. Some services, e.g.
providing on-site break/fix across 6 continents with a 1
hour turnaround to the Fortune 10, are obviously a stretch
(although it can be done in an economical fashion with the
use of subcontractors and/or partners). Other services
such as providing MS Exchange email services, are obviously
no brainer can dos. So, how do we know what to offer?

One way, is to look through the IT department in our own
company, to see what services we provide to the enterprise.
Many MSPs start out in a different line of business, such
as an ASP, or a CRM/ERP software vendor. Having the skills
and resources needed to run these services internally,
shrewd IT departments may decide to lower the internal cost
structure of their operations by performing limited
services for their existing clients, often at the behest of
the client. Later, further motivation to continue to
expand these service offerings is demonstrated by a
strategy of transforming IT from a cost center into a
profit center.

As we look around, we notice common internal services that
we may perform quite well, but actually are resource
intensive. For instance:

1. Service Desk. In an ITIL compliant environment (you are
ITIL compliant aren?t you?), the Service Desk is the center
of the universe. Most of your clients face almost
insurmountable challenges in operating their Service/Help
Desk smoothly, mostly due to internal politics and lack of
maturing processes.

2. Desktop build and restore. As part of an organization
directly responsible to external clients for providing a
product such as software or advice, one of our competitive
advantages is the flexibility of our personnel. Directly
enabling this flexibility is the speed and availability of
our PC systems (desktops, laptops, etc.). As a competitive
player in our industry, we would have some type of system
to keep our PCs operating smoothly, such as LANDesk,
Altiris, etc. (this is not an endorsement of any product).
Can we not offer this service to our customers thereby
lowering their annualized costs and learning curve, and our
COGS?

3. System disposal. How often have you had a client ask
about disposing of antiquated systems? How often have you
had to do this for your organization? Just enough to be a
pain. Why not volunteer this as a service? Granted,
normally disposal costs are minimal, but it does take
manpower and research ? two resources you have already
optimized by finding disposal endpoints (e.g. vendors,
schools, organizations) and manpower (temp work
organizations, vendors, etc.). Use these contacts on a
larger scale.

4. Voice/Data Networking. Once your network engineers have
cleaned up the mess you inherited from your predecessor,
you will find that your maintenance is automated, your
alerts decline substantially, and your network engineers
spend approximately 50% of their time on projects, 25% of
their time on maintenance, and 25% of their time helping
other modalities/silos. Why not put them to use lowering
your IT cost footprint? Good network engineers are hard to
find and expensive to source. You can provide this
networking capability at a fraction of your client?s costs.
An added bonus is that this service will enable you to
actually learn your client?s architecture (not an
opportunity to pass up). As you learn your client?s
architecture, you will find more opportunities to assist
them with their internal challenges.

5. Security. Now we are getting into the big gun
challenges. This is a modality which scares EVERYONE. If
you can do this well, by all means offer it. If you even
have a hint of a qualm, pass. A little profit now will not
offset a major lawsuit later. That said, if you are on top
of your game, this is an opportunity to make a substantial
positive impact for your customer, and perhaps save their
business (which directly results in a continuing stream of
income to your business). Be meticulous, and I would
recommend having the knowledge garnered by point #4 above,
before committing to this offering.

And we can add storage, application, data center and other
services, almost ad finitum.

The above is not a comprehensive list of services, it
simply shows the justification or reason for being able to
offer given services, as examples. A general rule is that
any service offered in your enterprise internally, should
be able to be made into a service offering. Further
offerings would be created, designed and provisioned
according to expertise, market need, resource availability,
costs and enterprise focus.

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Sean DAniell is a internationally seasoned I.T. executive
with highly effective technology and organizational
management experience that increases profitability. Mr.
DAniell has extensive experience in creating, managing and
guiding thriving, successful startup and Fortune 500
technology departments. http://www.abilenegroup.com