Exploring Complexity – How an MSP can be a Guide

VUCA - Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity – has become widely used in the business world to describe the unpredictable, rapidly changing, and complex nature of the current business landscape. Volatility refers to the speed of change, Uncertainty to the lack of predictability, Complexity to the number of factors that organizations need to consider, and Ambiguity to the lack of clarity about the meaning of events.

The VUCA framework is important because it helps organizations strategize and make decisions in the chaotic environments, they often find themselves in.

In our last two Blogs we’ve delved into how MSPs can help you navigate Volatility and Uncertainty. Now, we're taking a closer look at the C in VUCA - Complexity.

What Is Complexity?

Businesses often find themselves dealing with a multitude of vendors. Separate software systems for sales, inventory, customer relations, and accounting. Each system requires individual maintenance, and training, and doesn't share data with the others. This leads to inefficiencies and errors from manual data transfers, increased costs due to multiple licenses and support agreements, reduced agility due to inflexible systems, and hindered data-driven decision-making due to siloed data. That is complexity.

Technology is complex – especially the technology required to run a business. Many factors contribute to that complexity, such as:

1. Software & Hardware: Integrating diverse hardware and software platforms in an organization can be complex. They may come from various vendors, run on different operating systems, and need regular updates and patches.
2. Security: With the ever-growing threats of cyberattacks and data breaches, managing security is a complicated task. You need think about things like securing networks, databases, and applications and implementing adequate user access controls and encryption protocols.
3. Networks: Managing network infrastructure involves ensuring uptime, speed, and reliability while also integrating innovative technologies like cloud and IoT. It can also involve complex tasks like managing VPNs for remote workers or dealing with network security issues.
4. Applications: Organizations use a wide range of applications, from productivity tools to customer relationship management (CRM) systems to industry-specific software. Ensuring these applications work together smoothly, stay updated, and meet user needs creates complexity.
5. Communications: With the rise of remote work and digital collaboration, communication technology has become more complicated. It can involve managing various platforms for video conferencing, instant messaging, and project management and ensuring they integrate well with other systems and applications.

How MSPs Can Help Navigate Complexity

For businesses to be successful, technology needs to work together and work efficiently.

The likelihood that you can meet all your business needs from just one or two vendors is virtually impossible. No one vendor does everything – or if they try the question becomes, do they do it well? It can also a poor strategy for other reasons. By using just one vendor you lose the ability to leverage the best-of-breed solutions in each category, risk becoming too dependent on a single provider, and could face difficulties if the provider encounters problems or discontinues a crucial product.

Diversifying your tech stack is a good thing! Still, juggling multiple vendors can be time-consuming. It requires coordination for support, updates, training, and contract renewals. Balancing this with other core job responsibilities can become overwhelming, leading to potential oversights or errors.

This is where MSPs come in. MSPs like LammTech offer Vendor Management as an answer to the technology complexities businesses face. Managed Services Providers bring a unique understanding of what a business needs when it comes to managing complexities while ensuring you have the best tools for each aspect of your business.

More specifically, here's how an MSP can help you mitigate complexity:

Diverse Technology Stacks

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) work with clients who have diverse technology stacks and infrastructures. For example, a client might use Cisco for networking, Dell for storage, Norton for security, and Microsoft for software applications. Managing these varied technologies can be challenging due to their distinct maintenance needs, support systems, and updates.

One way to navigate this complexity is by categorizing vendors based on their specializations. With this approach, MSPs can streamline vendor management and develop expertise and processes tailored to each category.

Interoperability and Integration

When a business uses software and hardware solutions from different vendors, ensuring that these systems work together seamlessly is critical. For instance, a company might need its Salesforce CRM to communicate with its QuickBooks accounting software.

MSPs can make this happen. They dive into understanding each vendor's compatibility requirements, which could involve specific software versions, supported protocols, or necessary middleware. Tools such as APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) can facilitate these integrations by allowing different systems to exchange data and commands.

Vendor Collaboration and Communication

Building a collaborative relationship with each vendor is crucial. This can involve holding regular meetings to discuss performance, plans for the future, and any issues that arise. For example, if a security issue arises with a Cisco router, the MSP would need to contact Cisco directly to address the problem.

These meetings also allow the MSP to align their strategic objectives with the vendor, ensuring they are both working towards the same goals. By keeping communication open and proactive, the MSP can preemptively address potential issues, leading to smoother operations.

Change Management

With multiple vendors, managing updates and changes to hardware and software can be time consuming. For instance, when Microsoft releases a new update for its Office suite, it might affect the integration with other software applications the business uses. Therefore, a robust change management process is essential.

This might involve coordinating with vendors to understand the implications of updates, conducting testing before rolling out changes, having a rollback plan in case issues arise, and documenting all changes for future reference. By effectively communicating with vendors about upcoming changes, the MSP can mitigate potential compatibility issues and ensure a smooth transition.

Final Thoughts

Here's the bottom line. MSPs can effectively manage the complexities associated with multiple software and hardware vendors, streamline operations, and deliver enhanced value to their clients.

Navigating the complexities of IT in your small business can seem daunting – especially when you have other business critical tasks on your plate.

At LammTech, we specialize in managing diverse technology stacks and ensuring seamless integration among multiple vendors. We are here to help you streamline your operations, improve your communication with vendors, and manage changes efficiently. To learn more about how we can support your IT needs and help you focus on your core business, get in touch today.