4 things your Managed Services Partner should be doing

Digital Transformation is here and Microsoft, along with many organizations, has changed the way they focus on their employees and the services they offer their customers. It is imperative that organizations work with partners who are able to provide effective Managed Services for the entire suite of Microsoft applications.

Millennials moving up the ranks in many organizations today are rapid adopters of new technology and have a different perspective on what technology should be able to do. They expect and adapt to rapid change. Organizations need a support system to effectively manage and support rapid change in order to maintain and attract quality employees and drive success.

Whether it is by using Microsoft Power BI, Artificial Intelligence, or Microsoft Dynamics 365 to gather and manage information to enable and support your organization’s market strategy, your Managed Services partner should be there to help along the way.

A Managed Services partner should enable your organization to focus on high-priority items and provide a team that serves as a resource to help your business solve a variety of technical and operational challenges. Whether you need resources to support a version upgrade, a migration, an unplanned issue, or an enhancement, your Managed Services partner should have a plan that meets your needs and allows them to step in rapidly and support your business.

Here are four key things your Managed Services partner should do for your business:

1. Your Managed Services Partner should support for the entire suite of Dynamics 365

The Dynamics 365 suite, including its predecessors of Dynamics AX & CRM, can be complex and connected to multiple systems inside and outside of the Microsoft suite of business solutions. It is critical to enlist a partner who not only supports the full spectrum of Microsoft applications and technologies, but one who also has experience connecting and integrating Microsoft business systems to other 3rd party systems such as Adobe, QuickBooks, JD Edwards and more.

2. Your Managed Services Partner should be focused on YOUR success

Teamwork makes the dream work, right? A Managed Services partner should support your team seamlessly, and provide scalable support that adjusts to your needs and technology requirements.

It is essential to have a Customer Success Manager (CSM) whose role is to work directly with you to develop a roadmap that will determine the best way to maintain value and add enhancements to your business applications. A CSM will work directly with you and coordinate the team to support your operations and understand your application architecture. This will ensure your business achieves the best possible results and maintains the value of your investments in business applications.

3. Your Managed Services Partner should operate 24/7

Your business never stops, so neither should your Managed Services partner. Your partner should have a global resource team available that operates 24/7.

Global teams can come with their own set of challenges, but a Managed Services team built around your needs that scales the way you need them to, can be invaluable to your business. You need a partner whose hours, resource skills, and team members are able to scale on a short notice, this way you do not lock your business into a fixed amount of support that does not meet your needs.

4. Your Managed Services Partner should be looking toward the future and ready to tackle it

The future is predicated by Cloud systems. As a result, Managed Services is evolving and organizations are seeking partners who can help them gain a better understanding of and better utilize their software investments. Additionally, organizations are looking to these partners to support them in managing changes and enhancements.

Managed Services partners should be helping organizations future-proof their business and maintain the value of their investments in business applications. Adding a whole piece of software or module to your business should be manageable, not a disruption to business flow and day-to-day operations.

Moving forward, a Managed Services partner should be able to help you implement modules and enhancements over an extended period of time and provide you with a manageable mix of project and operational support, without causing a huge disruption to your business.

Managed Services with Hitachi Solutions

Managed Services is more than a break-fix resource, more than technical support. The Hitachi Solutions Managed Services team helps organizations meet the rapidly-changing demands of businesses in the midst of Digital Transformation.

Our team is experienced in supporting the entire Microsoft system of applications and technologies, we can augment or take the place of an in-house IT team, we can assist with patches, bug fixes, and enhancements to increase functionality and add value to your investments in business applications.

Managed Services at Hitachi Solutions enables organizational success through access to continued support and problem-solving by a team of highly skilled professionals. If you’re interested in learning more about our flexible options visit our website, download our practice overview PDF or contact us today.