Nowadays, it’s hard to imagine any organization that doesn’t have an IT team. Computers and the Internet have become integral parts of our lives, and we use them for just about any office process. From logistics to accounting, sales, and operations, there isn’t a single thing digital systems can’t solve.
Given that in-house teams are expensive, especially if you’re a small business or nonprofit, many organizations opt for a managed IT provider. “The best thing about external agencies is that they offer a customized, scalable solution for your business,” shares IT Management Solutions, a premium provider from New Hampshire.
In this article, we want to focus on the impact of managed IT providers on nonprofits. Despite their limited budgets, these organizations can benefit greatly from having an external team.
How Do Managed IT Teams Help Nonprofit Organizations?
Managed IT providers, or simply MSPs, are organizations that take on the role of external tech employees. As they’re not on the regular payroll, they come at a much lower cost than internally-made IT departments. By hiring these agencies, you can effectively reduce your expenses and micromanagement while retaining the same quality of service.
As there are many differences between commercial and nonprofit entities, MSPs that specialize in this branch have significantly different characteristics. They are well aware of the daily issues nonprofit organizations face, as well as the common regulatory challenges. Here’s how this subtype of MSPs differentiates from the traditional providers:
- Different Focus
Unlike commercial businesses, nonprofits usually pursue a specific goal. The overall approach is significantly less aggressive and less money-oriented. Because of that, nonprofit MSPs usually focus on providing stability instead of setting a basis for aggressive growth.
- Compliance and Regulation
The different laws apply to nonprofits than to regular businesses. As with commercial entities, each organization has to worry about specific industry law but also other policies. For a managed service provider to be effective, it needs to understand the privacy policies within a specific field.
- Budget Constraints
Perhaps the biggest issue for MSPs comes in the form of budget constraints. Given that these providers employ some of the best informatics minds, they require appropriate compensation for their work. As a result, MSPs working in this field are usually forced to cut corners on their work hours and software.
- Stakeholders Requirements
A traditional nonprofit organization relies on community members, donors, and other entities for their finances as well as daily operations. A provider needs to understand the difference in dynamics between traditional firms and these entities.
Main Benefits of Hiring a Nonprofit MSP
Nonprofit MSPs offer various benefits to their clients, including:
- Time-Efficiency
Nonprofit organizations usually have limited resources for creating an internal IT department. Even if they hire a specialist, they’re probably retaining the person on limited hours. External entities can provide a customized solution, charging you based on the number of work hours or monthly retainer. This means you won’t underpay or overpay for your IT management.
- Fantastic Scaling
For the same reasons, external providers are much better at scaling. Most of these agencies have a basic team and many connections with external freelancers. When the need arises, they can hire assistance on a temporary basis to fulfil your current needs. Alternatively, they can increase their team without you having to incur additional expenses.
- Predictable Expenses
MSPs charge a fixed monthly fee for their services and usually allow you to upgrade or downgrade services without any legal fuss. You don’t have to worry about sudden increases in software and other unpredicted expenses, as your fee will remain the same throughout the year.
- Faster Results
Creating an internal IT department is a lot of hassle. First, you need to find the right supervisor/manager, after which you’ll need to onboard the rest of the team. Because of that, many companies have to wait for months without end until they have proper support. An external agency can start working immediately.
When to Hire a Nonprofit MSP?
Based on everything that has been said so far, your best course of action is to hire an external provider as soon as possible. Nowadays, given all the cybersecurity threats looming around us, you need a professional who will keep your systems in check. The need for an MSP increases if you’re a tech-driven organization with complex operations.
MSPs are especially great for growing, mid-sized nonprofits. As your organization increases, you’ll need to tackle even more technological challenges. When such a situation occurs, most agencies scramble to create an internal department, which might leave them vulnerable for several months to cyber threats.
By simply hiring an external organization, you can continue growing without having to worry about upcoming challenges. Another major benefit of an MSP is that it reduces all the micromanagement that comes with in-house IT teams.
How to Find the Best Provider?
Due to all the peculiarities of NGOs, you need to find a provider that’s not only good at informatics but also specializes in this area. Here are a few main things to focus on when choosing a future partner:
- The most important thing is finding a partner who has extensive experience with nonprofits. The best way to do so is to ask for the names of past clients and their track records.
- Given that price is such a major consideration, you need to hire a partner who would be affordable enough. More importantly, you need to emphasize that you don’t have money to increase their fees in the future months so they don’t have unreasonable expectations.
- The best external providers are also the most flexible ones. They emphasize communication and quick response. Given that the IT team needs to react immediately to potential cyberattacks, you need to find an agency that is available around the clock.
Last Thoughts
In most cases, hiring an external MSP is much better than forming an internal team. These providers can significantly reduce your usual IT expenses and make them more predictable. By having an external instead of an internal team, you’ll also reduce the overall micromanagement.
