A managed service provider, or MSP, runs a business's IT for a fixed monthly fee. In place of calling someone when something breaks, you pay for the environment to be looked after so that less breaks in the first place.
The day-to-day work
The core of the service is a service desk your staff contact for help, plus the work behind it: setting up new starters, managing Microsoft 365, keeping laptops updated and secure, monitoring servers and networks, and fixing faults.
The preventative work
A good provider spends most of its effort where you can't see it: patching, checking backups, reviewing security alerts, renewing certificates and licences, and keeping documentation current. This is the part that separates a managed service from a support line.
Advice and planning
You should also get someone who knows your environment well enough to plan it: what needs replacing next year, which licences you are overpaying for, and what a new office or an acquisition will need.
What it usually doesn't cover
New projects, new hardware and software licences are normally outside the monthly fee. So is support for specialist business applications, which stays with the software vendor, although a good provider will deal with that vendor for you.
Where responsibility sits
The provider runs the systems. The business still owns the decisions: who gets access to what, how much risk is acceptable, and what gets funded. A written list of who does what prevents most arguments later.
How to tell a good one
Look for clear scope, a monthly report you can read, named people you can reach, and documentation that belongs to you. Ask what they would change in your environment in the first three months.
Want your IT looked after for a fixed monthly fee? Managed IT services
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