At first glance, the cost reductions that come from outsourcing technical talent always look good on paper. The actual experience varies widely, depending on factors you can control and the inevitable surprises you can’t.
For IT organizations, the incentives to outsource maintenance and monitoring, break/fix, and incident support to a Multi-Vendor Support Services (MVSS) provider are growing, and the benefits extend well beyond the dramatic cost reductions. As much as MVSS providers can offload the burden of increasing complexity and its requirement for ever more diverse skill sets, the recent CrowdStrike incident reminds us of one more benefit: external expertise that provides insurance against the kinds of business disruption that can damage both reputations and the bottom line.
Understanding MVSS Benefits
The cost savings and operational advantages of MVSS are well-established, but there’s an operational insurance benefit that often goes unrecognized. It’s worth revisiting both of those issues.
- Cost Optimization: Cost optimization remains at the top of the benefits list, but vendor costs vary widely. Some of the biggest names in tech offer MVSS. Still, they can also be vulnerable to some of the same inefficiencies the customers face while maintenance prices charged by bigger providers continue to rise. Their costs and service levels often reflect that. On the other hand, seasoned, mid-sized providers, purpose-built for MVSS, are dramatically less costly than OEM or service options from big tech. Supporting various in-house technologies from multiple vendors is becoming prohibitively expensive. MVSS providers spread these costs across multiple clients, offering high-quality support at a fraction of the price.
- Reduced Downtime and Faster Resolutions: MVSS providers specialize in rapid response and resolution. Whether it’s the day-to-day break/fix support or black swan events like the July 2024 CrowdStrike fiasco, the MVSS team can often resolve issues faster than in-house teams, with less disruption and the capacity to “have your back” by instantly scaling resources as needed.
- Expertise and Innovation: As new technologies like AI and IoT further diversify the tech stack, MVSS providers bring a breadth of knowledge that’s hard to match internally. They stay abreast of the latest developments, vulnerabilities, and best practices, ensuring clients benefit from the latest advancements without needing continuous training. They can also proactively monitor and maintain systems to prevent problems before they occur.
Debunking Common Misconceptions
Leadership’s reluctance to consider MVSS options often stems from the feeling that they’re handing over some measure of visibility or control—that outsourcing increases risk rather than mitigating it. In actuality, employing the right MVSS can have the opposite effect.
- Loss of Control: Modern MVSS providers operate with high transparency and collaboration. Clients have full visibility into the support process and can set the terms of engagement through customized SLAs.
- Security Risks: Reputable MVSS providers prioritize security and compliance, often implementing measures that surpass those that an in-house team might deploy. They undergo regular audits, adhere to stringent data protection regulations, and employ the latest security technologies.
Selecting the Right MVSS Provider
Surprisingly, there are stark differences among MVSS providers, and knowing what to look for and what not to settle for will help you avoid some of the nuanced “gotchas” before you sign on the dotted line.
- Speed and Reliability of Support: Look for providers with a proven track record of quick response times and swift resolution. Mean time to resolution can vary widely, with the more agile providers routinely resolving issues in less than 3 or 4 days versus as much as 15 to 30 days for the big players. Similarly, by looking beyond the biggest names in tech, you can find leaner MVSS options with response times and financially–-backed SLA plans that beat OEMs and big tech by 20 to 40%.
Ensure your chosen provider offers financially backed SLAs that guarantee these metrics.
- Unified Support Platform: The best MVSS providers offer a single point of contact for all support and, ideally, a fully integrated service portal. Just because an MVSS offers comprehensive, multi-vendor support doesn’t guarantee its ticketing, reporting, and real-time monitoring systems are fully integrated. Some of the big players in MVSS require customers to pivot between multiple portals based on the OEM point-of-failure or use case (reporting, monitoring, ticketing), eroding the business case for their services, even if fees look good.
- Comprehensive Reporting and Analytics: Speaking of reporting, its quality, readability, and accessibility can also vary widely among MVSS providers. The best offer detailed, cross-platform, real-time reporting and KPIs on every aspect of their services—all presented in a clear, easily accessible format. Look for providers that embrace an integrated, non-siloed approach with cross-platform reports. It’s a way of thinking that offers a holistic view of your IT environment to more effectively troubleshoot issues, identify root causes, and deliver faster resolutions.
- Proactive and Advisory Services: Top-tier services let you customize packages to balance prices and blend service options that go beyond merely fixing issues. They can help you optimize your IT environment, manage security, plan for growth, migrate systems, and prevent problems.
The Bottom Line in Outsourcing MVSS
It’s no coincidence that the MVSS market is expected to grow by more than $12 billion by 2027. Outsourcing MVSS offers significant benefits for IT organizations of all sizes and merits serious consideration in every strategic plan. Even though the financial case is stronger than ever, the risk mitigation benefits of engaging a provider for proactive maintenance, active security monitoring, and on-demand response to any IT emergency are priceless.
Is MVSS right for your organization? Ask your preferred reseller if they
offer multi-vendor support. Want to know which multi-vendor support services are powered by
Xcelocloud? Contact us, and we will refer you to a partner that best fits your
needs.
