Let us handle IT so you can focus on growing your business.
Empower your IT team with scalable co-managed support.
Get multichannel 24/7/365 expert end-user support.
Protect, detect, and respond—Dataprise keeps your business secure.
Maximize uptime with with industry-leading DRaaS.
Swiftly mitigate cyber threats and restore security.
Improve efficiency, productivity and outcomes with cloud.
Ensure all mobile devices, everywhere, are secure.
Gain a competitive edge with strategic IT solutions.
This battle-tested checklist enables your team to swiftly initiate a ransomware response.
IT for businesses of all sizes, in any industry.
Empower institution growth with custom IT solutions.
Ensure your firm is always in compliance.
Improve patient care and staff morale.
Deal with pressing legal matters, not IT.
Keep up with the evolving digital landscape.
Focus on your mission by outsourcing IT.
Keep production running with secure, always-on IT.
Accelerate PE client deals and secure data.
Empower Your Municipality with Secure, Reliable IT Services
Execute initiatives and develop IT strategies.
Get the latest industry insights and trends.
Join us at events in person and online.
Hear from clients and learn more about strategic IT.
See how Dataprise can make IT your greatest asset.
Get informative technical resources from IT experts.
Stay on stop of emerging cybersecurity threats.
Discover the key areas of DR your organization needs to address to ensure downtime is minimized.
Gain a strategic asset by bringing harmony to IT.
Ensure 24/7 support and security with dedicated teams.
Drive business forward by partnering with Dataprise.
Discover the recognition Dataprise has earned.
Help us help businesses with strategic IT.
Grow through acquisition and partnership with Dataprise.
Embracing different perspectives and backgrounds.
Find a Dataprise location near you.
Dataprise is committed to empowering more women to consider a career in technology.
Explore our trusted partnerships with leading tech innovators.
Posts
By: Dataprise
Table of content
For many companies, choosing a Managed Service Provider (MSP) starts with one question: How much will it cost? But the better question is: What will it cost if you choose the wrong one?
An underperforming MSP doesn’t just lead to slow help desk responses or the occasional outage. It can expose your business to cybersecurity threats, increase downtime, create compliance risks, delay strategic initiatives, and leave your IT team overwhelmed instead of empowered.
MSPs have evolved well beyond outsourced technical support. The best providers act as strategic technology partners, helping organizations modernize infrastructure, optimize cloud investments, strengthen cybersecurity, prepare for AI, and align technology with business goals. So how do you separate the best from the rest?
Here are ten criteria every organization should use when evaluating an MSP, and why Dataprise consistently exceeds expectations in each area.
Many MSPs are excellent at fixing problems. Fewer excel at helping you avoid them. The best providers don’t simply respond to tickets, they become an extension of your leadership team. They understand your business objectives, help prioritize technology investments, and develop long-term roadmaps that support growth. Ask potential providers:
Dataprise combines day-to-day operational excellence with strategic consulting through dedicated technology advisors and vCIO services. Clients receive ongoing guidance around infrastructure modernization, cybersecurity, cloud optimization, AI readiness, compliance, budgeting, and future technology planning. Instead of reacting to problems, Dataprise helps prevent them.
Cybersecurity is no longer a standalone solution. It has become the foundation of every IT decision. Many MSPs still bolt security onto traditional managed services as an optional add-on. That’s no longer enough. IT teams should look for providers that integrate security into every layer of service delivery. Key capabilities include:
Cybersecurity is woven throughout every Dataprise engagement. Its security specialists continuously monitor billions of security events daily while helping organizations improve their security posture through managed detection and response, vulnerability management, penetration testing, governance, and ongoing risk assessments. Security isn’t treated as another product. It’s part of how Dataprise delivers IT.
Would you trust a financial advisor who’s managed only a handful of portfolios? Probably not. The same applies to IT. Technology environments are becoming increasingly complex. IT teams need a provider that has successfully solved similar challenges hundreds or thousands of times. Evaluate:
With more than 30 years of experience, Dataprise supports approximately 2,000 organizations, has completed over 6,000 IT and security transformations, manages more than 386,000 endpoints, and employs professionals holding 750+ technical certifications. That depth of experience enables faster problem solving and more informed recommendations.
Employees don’t judge IT by infrastructure diagrams. They judge it by their daily experience. Every slow response, unresolved issue, or frustrating interaction impacts productivity. What you should expect from the service desk:
Dataprise has modernized the traditional service desk by combining knowledgeable technicians with intelligent automation. Its AI-powered capabilities streamline routine support while ensuring complex issues receive expert attention from experienced engineers. The result is a better employee experience, not simply faster ticket closure.
Migrating to Microsoft Azure or Microsoft 365 isn’t the finish line. It’s the starting point. Unfortunately, many companies discover rising cloud costs, performance issues, governance gaps, and security concerns after migration. The right MSP should continuously optimize cloud environments. Ask about:
Dataprise helps organizations maximize cloud investments through continuous Azure optimization, governance improvements, performance tuning, backup strategies, and cost management. Instead of treating cloud migration as a one-time project, Dataprise helps clients continually improve their environments.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving from experimentation to everyday business operations. But successful AI initiatives require much more than purchasing software licenses. Organizations need:
Dataprise helps organizations prepare for AI through comprehensive AI Readiness Assessments and AI Strategy services. Rather than encouraging organizations to deploy AI immediately, Dataprise helps ensure their environments are capable of supporting AI securely, efficiently, and responsibly.
Businesses evolve. Your MSP should evolve with you. Whether opening new offices, acquiring companies, expanding internationally, or supporting hybrid workforces, your provider should scale alongside your business. Evaluate whether they can support:
Dataprise offers nationwide field services alongside remote support, enabling organizations to receive consistent service regardless of location. Whether supporting a single office or hundreds of locations, clients benefit from one integrated provider.
Backups are important. Recovery is essential. A complete Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) strategy ensures organizations can quickly recover from ransomware, natural disasters, cloud failures, or human error. Ask providers:
Dataprise develops comprehensive BCDR strategies that combine backup technologies, disaster recovery planning, cloud resilience, and ongoing testing to help organizations minimize downtime and protect critical operations.
Technology shouldn’t feel mysterious. Your MSP should provide visibility into:
Organizations deserve regular reporting, not surprises.
Dataprise provides clients with meaningful operational and strategic insights through regular business reviews, technology planning sessions, security reporting, and proactive recommendations. This level of transparency enables better decision-making and stronger business outcomes.
Technology changes too quickly for organizations to remain static. The best MSPs continuously invest in:
Innovation shouldn’t require switching providers every few years.
Dataprise continually expands its portfolio to help clients navigate changing technology landscapes, from AI readiness and cloud optimization to advanced cybersecurity and modern service delivery. Its focus isn’t simply maintaining today’s environment. It’s preparing organizations for tomorrow.
Choosing an MSP isn’t simply selecting an IT vendor. It’s selecting a long-term business partner. The right provider reduces risk, improves productivity, strengthens security, enables innovation, and helps technology become a competitive advantage. Dataprise distinguishes itself through:
There are plenty of MSPs that can monitor servers, reset passwords, or respond to help desk tickets. Far fewer can help your organization navigate cybersecurity threats, optimize cloud investments, prepare for AI, improve resilience, and align technology with long-term business objectives. When evaluating providers, don’t ask who offers the lowest monthly fee. Ask who will create the greatest long-term business value.
That’s where Dataprise stands apart. By combining deep technical expertise, strategic guidance, industry-leading cybersecurity, cloud optimization, AI readiness consulting, and an unwavering focus on customer success, Dataprise delivers far more than managed IT services. It delivers confidence that your technology is ready for whatever comes next.
What does a managed service provider (MSP) do?
A modern MSP does far more than outsourced technical support. The best providers act as strategic technology partners—modernizing infrastructure, optimizing cloud investments, strengthening cybersecurity, preparing organizations for AI, and aligning technology with business goals.
What should I look for when choosing an MSP?
Evaluate ten areas: strategic partnership, built-in cybersecurity, proven experience, service desk quality, cloud expertise beyond migration, AI readiness, scalability, business continuity and disaster recovery, transparency, and continuous innovation.
Why is cybersecurity so important when selecting an MSP?
Cybersecurity is now the foundation of every IT decision, not an optional add-on. The right MSP integrates security into every layer of service—24×7 monitoring, threat detection and response, vulnerability management, identity and endpoint protection, incident response, and compliance support.
How is a strategic MSP different from basic IT support?
Basic support reacts to tickets. A strategic MSP becomes an extension of your leadership team—understanding your objectives, prioritizing technology investments, providing a dedicated advisor or vCIO, and building long-term roadmaps that help prevent problems rather than just fix them.
Should I choose the MSP with the lowest price?
Not necessarily. The better question is what it will cost if you choose the wrong one—downtime, security exposure, compliance risk, and stalled initiatives. Focus on the provider that creates the greatest long-term business value rather than the lowest monthly fee.
INSIGHTS
Subscribe to our blog to learn about the latest IT trends and technology best practices.