Why Cheap MSPs Cost You More

(The Math They Don’t Want You to See)

The hidden economics of managed IT

Many businesses choose MSPs based on price alone—until they discover:

• The “Bare Minimum” Trap: 62% of low-cost MSPs only meet SLAs 70% of the time (Ponemon Institute)

• Security Neglect: No real 24/7 monitoring = average breach cost of $4.45M (IBM)

• Vendor Lock-In: Cheap MSPs often use proprietary tools that make switching painful

Smart businesses look for:
✔ Transparent pricing (no hidden fees for “emergencies”)
✔ Proactive patching (prevents 85% of attacks)
✔ Clear exit clauses (you own your passwords/data)

*Example: A local accounting firm saved $28k/year by switching from a break-fix model to our flat-rate MSP plan—with 99.9% uptime.*

What I’d Do If I Was Searching for a Managed Service Provider Near Me

An IT insider’s cheat sheet

Step 1: The “Friday 4:55 PM Test”

• Call their help desk—do you get a human or a voicemail?

Step 2: Demand a Network Health Report

• Real MSPs will expose risks (like outdated firewalls) for free

Step 3: Stalk Their Clients

• Check LinkedIn for unsolicited endorsements from actual users

Step 4: Ask for a Disaster Recovery Drill

• Do they have a tested plan, or just promises?

Is a Managed Service Provider Worth It? (Spoiler: Only If You Do This)”

When to hire vs. DIY

Worth every penny if:

• You have >5 employees (complexity explodes after this point)

• You handle sensitive data (healthcare, legal, financial)

• Downtime costs you >$500/hour

Waste of money if:

• You’re a solopreneur with just a laptop (but still need backups!)

• The MSP doesn’t offer fixed-fee pricing (hourly = infinite bills)

The ROI: Businesses using top-tier MSPs experience 43% less downtime (Gartner) and 31% lower IT costs over 3 years.