Have any of you launched an MSP practice? These are the operating objectives that seems to matter:
MSPs have a clear incentive to standardize the software, and hardware that their clients are using.
There are several really good reasons for this.
1. It's easier to support one solution
Imagine being an MSP and having to support 5 different types of Endpoint protection, this would be a real problem for them. 5 different monitoring policies, 5 different update policies, 5 different products staff have to be trained on etc.
2. Scale increases margins
In some cases MSPs resell software solutions to their clients. Standardizing on a specific suite, or stack, of products can increase the purchasing power and margins.
3. MSP need to control the whole environment
Shadow IT is the term given to someone using a product or service that hasn't been authorized by the IT team. In the MSP case, they are the IT team so need to be aware of any attempts to install unauthorized software or access SaaS applications. This is about taking control of the whole environment and also potentially preventing data loss through malicious applications. MSPs can use monitoring solutions to prevent or audit unauthorized software installations and web content or DNS filtering to prevent access to unauthorized SaaS apps.
