If your company is looking to hire a Managed Service Provider (MSP) to enhance your security but isn’t sure where to begin or what to look for, you’ve come to the right place. More and more businesses are choosing to hire MSPs to handle their security and access control needs.
Every company has its unique access control demands so choosing the right MSP is more complex than you might think. Which things should you consider?
Factors to consider when choosing your access control MSP
Prior to comparing your local MSPs, spend some time reflecting on your access control needs. This will help you in finding the right fit. Think about:
- Industry-specific expertise
- Scalability and flexibility
- Advanced technology
- Security
Once you have a clear picture of what you’re looking for, it’s time to compare the MSPs on a few criteria:
- Availability and support
- New vs. old companies
- Social proof
- Contracts
Last but not least, ensure the perfect MSP is within your budget.
Let’s dive deeper into each factor so you can easily pick the right MSP for your company.
Take a look at our vetted list of MSPs (at the end of this post) that excel at security and access control.
Industry-Specific Expertise
One of the first things to consider is the technical security expertise of the MSP. Most offer a broad range of services, but consider if they also have experience in your specific industry. Hiring a Managed Service Provider that is specialized in your industry helps ensure they understand how to manage your security needs.
Most MSPs that offer access control are experts in technology and keep up to date with the latest trends. Choosing one that has gone the extra mile to specialize in one or two specific industries will be beneficial to your company.
Scalability and Flexibility
Growth is a vital component of any business. Decide on an MSP that has the flexibility to meet any changes in requirements and is able to manage and sustain your access control needs as your business expands.
This requires creating a solid and scalable infrastructure to handle the demands of your business over time. For instance, your access control solution should be ready to support all your future global locations under one centralized management platform.
The MSP should be ready to propose applicable security and access control solutions for your company’s specific needs. A solution that works for one company doesn’t necessarily work for another.
Advanced Technology
When looking for outsourced access control services, you should make sure the MSP you choose is fluent in the latest technologies and trends. More established MSPs will generally utilize the latest tech and keep up with the latest trends, software updates, and compliance requirements. They invest in training and certifying their staff to provide you with the best expertise and smoothest experience.
Security
Managing extensive client networks and data, MSPs are an enticing target for potential attackers.
Having received multiple reports of advanced threats, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) encourages MSP clients to be vigilant and implement a defense strategy. MSPs must make security their focal point since they are responsible not only for their data and infrastructure but also for their clients.
How to determine if the particular MSP takes security seriously?
They should follow the principle of least privilege and use a robust network and monitoring solution that recognizes potential malicious activity and behavior. Ensuring all log information enables maximum detection and focuses on monitoring account misuse is also necessary.
You should also make sure that the company meets and complies with all security qualifications, such as HIPAA or PCI.
Availability and Support
Besides evaluating the quality of the MSP’s staff, their training and expertise in the field, you should also consider the quantity. Having 24/7 IT support plays an important part in picking the right MSP for your access control needs.
Even though you won’t be working at all hours of the day and night, bad actors might be. An adequate number of trained MSP staff members is essential to deal with round-the-clock requests and potential threats. This way, you can rest assured that if any issues arise, you can sort them out by getting help immediately.
New vs Old Companies
Both newer and established MSPs have benefits and drawbacks.
Some businesses prefer to hire well-established MSPs who have been around for years because they know what they’re doing and have plenty of experience in the field. While this is true in most cases, don’t disregard the newer MSPs.
The majority of the new players are just as qualified. Given their novelty, they also tend to keep in touch with the latest trends and technological advancements. This rings less true for older companies that can get stuck in the more traditional, old-school practices.
Social Proof
Reading the case studies, reviews, and testimonials of a company is an excellent way to determine whether the MSP can meet your requirements. Case studies are informative as they provide real examples of what the company has accomplished for other businesses. Reviews and testimonials show whether people were happy with the service they received or not.
Doing this research allows you to assess the MSP’s expertise, experience, and professionalism.
Contracts
Lastly, it’s important to consider whether you should sign a contract that locks you in with an MSP for several years, or if it’s better to pay for services every month. A long-term contract offers stability and builds trust, while shorter contracts allow you to see if the relationship is a mutual fit.
Budget
Ultimately, the MSP’s pricing determines whether they’ll be the right hire, given your dedicated budget.
Pricing variety and flexibility attract most customers, so there might be some wiggle room. Different MSPs use different pricing models to bill their clients. The most common models are per-device and per-user, where MSPs bill based on the services they offer per device or user.
Access Control MSP List
Google is a great place to start your MSP quest, but it offers more than 10 million results for ‘access control MSP’. Researching MSPs from scratch can feel overwhelming with all that data at your fingertips.
To give you a head start, we created a list of MSPs that excel at figuring out and supporting companies' access control needs.
List of USA MSPs with Service Areas
- Innovative Services Technology: New York
- Boxtechs: Pennsylvania
- IDR Technology Solutions: New York
- 5K Security Systems: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida
- Networking Technologies + Support: Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland
- Enitech: North Carolina
- Portside Technology: South Carolina
- C3 Communications: Georgia
- MHD Communications: Florida
- Safe and Sound Security: California
- Surveillance Audio Video: California
- Right Click, Inc: California
- M-Theory Group: California, New York
- Network Right: California
- Maxwell IT: Washington, Oregon, Alaska
- Cabling Solutions Group: Arizona
- Procellis Technology Inc: Minnesota
- Granite Technology Solutions: Montana
- J7 Security Technology LLC: Colorado
- nSide: Mississippi, Alabama
- Felix Media Solutions: Texas
- Howard Industries, Inc.: Mississippi
- Texadia Systems: Texas
- ES2 - Engineered Systems & Energy Solutions: Oklahoma, Arkansas
- Granite Networks, Inc: Michigan
- Realnets LLC: Illinois
- Smart Pro Technologies: Kansas
- Munger Technical Services: Wisconsin
- Paratech MSP: Missouri
List of International MSPs
- Komit: Mexico City, Mexico
- IWP - Intelligent Workspaces Partnership: London & Manchester, UK
- Connex Telecommunications Inc: Ontario, Canada
- POMT: NSW, VIC, QLD, ACT, WA, SA, Australia
- Comgene: Tel Aviv, Israel
Final Thoughts
Hiring a good Managed Service Provider for your access control is essential for your company’s security. It allows you to focus on the core goals of your business, while allowing your in-house team to focus on their unique skill sets. With so many options to choose from, this guide should help you narrow down your choices and find the perfect MSP for your access control needs.
Ashley Davis
Ashley is obsessed with words, Chinese food and all things tech.
