Proactive vs reactive support: What makes a next-gen MSP?

In the era of managed services and continuous digital transformation, it’s better to take care that a problem does not happen than to have to resolve a problem afterwards. In other words, be proactive not reactive.

Receiving a proactive level of support from your Managed Services Provider (MSP) is essential for success – not just for preventing technical issues before they escalate, but to make the most of your chosen technology solutions, keep systems protected and retain competitive advantage.

Compared to the traditional model of reactive support, which provides assistance only when businesses reach out with a problem, it’s easy to understand why proactive support is valued.

Many older support providers only offer support on a highly reactive basis – that is, the typical hands-off approach, only concerned with keeping your systems up and running and dealing with tickets when you log them. This is no longer enough for success.

When we combine proactive support with modern cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure and Software as a Service (SaaS) such as Microsoft 365 for Business and Office 365, which:

The consensus is proactive IT support is critical for businesses, in order to realise the many benefits of the emerging cloud office and modern workplace business models.

MODEX believes, the current definition of ‘proactive’ needs fine-tuning – and that there is another key differentiator that elevates ‘proactive’ to ‘next-gen’ in terms of customer experience… Call it MSP 3.0

Proactive support vs reactive support vs next-gen support

Reactive support in the area of managed services refers to a support model that only helps customers when they reach out with a problem and require a solution.

Proactive support, meanwhile, doesn’t just help prevent downtime or close your support tickets; it helps your business keep systems secure, and continuously find new opportunities for improvement, optimisation and innovation via the use of monitoring and constant communication to ensure problems are solved or prevented before they become real.

So, what makes up ‘next-gen’ support?

The next-gen approach to proactive support is about helping businesses leverage and use all aspects of your technology solutions, aligning them with your business objectives.

With Azure and SaaS, there’s less traditional problems with applications not working or servers going down, meaning there’s less need to prevent these problems – and less of this type of work for managed service providers. Because Microsoft manages their cloud platform end-to-end, MSPs generally don’t need to prevent downtime like they once needed. For businesses on the cloud using proactive MSPs, are you getting value for money?

MODEX’s approach to next-gen support and managed services

MODEX believes IT support needs to go beyond the proactive support (monitoring and optimisation to prevent problems) and reactive support models (responding to tickets), and into helping businesses make the most of technology – whether it’s Microsoft 365 Business, Microsoft Azure or third-party toolsets.

This is the key differentiation between MSPs supporting organisations with Microsoft 365 Business and Azure to achieve the modern workplace. A next-gen support model will ultimately help SMBs get the best value out of their managed services heading into 2020 and beyond.

So, what are the exact benefits of this next-gen approach over proactive support?

Many SMBs lack a digital strategy that aligns the technology they adopt with the business goals they set to achieve. The current proactive support approach typically does not include this built-for strategy as part of its model, while reactive support doesn’t even consider it.

Traditional MSPs would likely look at this aspect as an infrastructure strategy, so they’re not looking at it from a holistic perspective of apps, infrastructure and business objectives.

A next-gen proactive support provider like MODEX helps you understand where you are from a technology standpoint and how specific platforms and solutions like Microsoft 365 Business and Office 365 help – by creating and implementing a digital roadmap that fuels your business goals.

Cloud platforms like M365 are constantly being enriched with new features and tools that boost productivity and security at no additional cost. Without an expert IT team to review and implement these updates, you won’t be making the most of the platform.

A next-gen support provider not only keeps your technology current to the latest version and toolsets, but ensures you understand and are able to use every new feature in a way that’s relevant for your business.

Updates and new features from M365 come very fast and unless someone in-house is able to evaluate and implement, the value and potential of these new features and changes are lost.

Next-gen MSPs like MODEX take the time to not only help you solve helpdesk tickets associated with these things, but we also help you understand each new feature/update, how it fits with your business objectives, and how to utilise them on a case-by-case basis.

Modern workplace technologies aren’t a set and forget implementation.

It takes time and education as new tools and technologies will change the way your staff work. By understanding how your business operates and how your teams work together, we translate the technology to your business and your staff.

A next-gen proactive support provider educates your staff to improve their IT literacy, making them more tech savvy and ready for the future. They are empowered with always up-to-date solutions and training, so they can continuously realise the benefits of a modern workplace.

Cybersecurity now extends beyond your office borders into your identities and where your data rests.

A next-gen proactive support provider will not only secure your data and monitor threats to keep you safe, keeping your security tools and practices up-to-date, but help your staff in-house understand each and every function of these security toolsets, why they’re necessary, and how they’re useful.

How MODEX provides next-gen proactive support

MODEX is a digital solutions provider and next-gen MSP that focuses on providing a modern experience to our SMB customers – that includes the way we approach and handle support.

Large-scale enterprises appreciate proactive support in a different way to small and medium sized businesses (SMBs). Given their size, they can often manage their solutions and systems internally, while SMBs require a hands-on MSP partner to provide that same level of expertise, protection and competitive advantage. This is what we strive to offer.

We help small and medium sized Australian businesses transform their current IT services by leveraging every aspect of the Microsoft technology platforms and tools they adopt – Microsoft 365 Business, Office 365, Azure – to better drive the business outcomes they desire.

Our approach to proactive, next-gen support lies in our continuous change management process.

Ultimately, our next-gen approach to proactive support is centered around business partnership. Rather than just being a helpdesk to fix your support tickets, we effectively become your IT team with a mission to help you go digital.