This article, "How Managed Services Providers Can Help Nonprofits," originally appeared on BDO.com.
According to our most recent Nonprofit Standards Benchmarking Survey, 64% of nonprofits were planning to invest in new technologies. As organizations continue to expand their digital capabilities in the year ahead, managed services providers (MSPs) can help them maximize value for both their employees and the communities they serve.
What is a Managed Services Provider?
MSPs can supplement all or parts of organizations’ IT operations and provide strategy and advisory support to help them realize the full value of the cloud. From helping organizations ensure business continuity and manage cyber risks to creating exceptional end-user experiences, MSPs allow IT teams to elevate their impact by focusing on projects that enable their organizations to thrive.
How Do Managed Services Providers Work?
MSPs bring together the people, processes and technologies needed to accelerate maturity for their clients and pinpoint areas of improvement and efficiency to drive down IT costs. Their goal: to continually increase the value that IT brings and ensure that investments are aligned with priorities that enable desired outcomes.
MSPs can help right-size an organization’s resource and skillset allocation based on demand, mitigate risk, improve operations management and ensure cyber compliance. MSPs can also assist with remote work considerations—something that’s become all the more important since IT management has been further challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Drivers for MSPs/strategic outsourcing include:
- Delivering cost optimization and reduction
- Supporting growth and expansion
- Delivering scale and expertise when needed
- Producing strong ROI on IT initiatives
- Aligning business priorities and technology investments
- Improving security and maintaining compliance
How Can Managed Services Providers Help Nonprofits?
When it comes to IT, key priorities for many nonprofit organizations include:
- Keeping the personal information of existing members and donors secure
- Leveraging data to attract and retain participants and supporters of their cause
- Maximizing technology investments
- Optimizing IT support and costs
As nonprofits continue supporting their communities through this uncertain time, it’s important for them to remember that they’re not alone. MSPs are there to help organizations navigate the ever-changing IT landscape so they can focus their time and resources on what matters most: their missions.
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