When looking at your SAP Managed Service Provider (MSP), it’s easy to accept your current support as “good enough.” As long as the system is up and running, the easy assumption is that things are fine and there are no problems. But, as you may have heard before—you don’t know what you don’t know.

System support problems can lie beneath the surface.
It’s likely you may not know what questions you should be asking because you don’t even know the problems that exist. Or maybe you are seeing problems but remain complacent because finding a better solution seems even more daunting. But settling for project delays, a mediocre Basis team or unexplained SAP technical issues poses a dangerous risk for your company. And the power and responsibility you hold as a decision maker to ensure your system is thoroughly supported leaves no room for complacency.

Look at your current MSP and consider these questions:

  • Have you had a production outage in the last 12 months?
  • Are you frustrated by not knowing the status of work being done by your MSP?
  • Are your SAP systems ready to take on all of your business challenges?
  • Do you have SAP technical issues but no visibility to what’s happening or explanation of the problem?
  • Are you always comfortable with your vendor’s solutions before you sign their contract?
  • Do you consider your current Basis team Rock Stars?
  • Have you experienced any project delays?

The transition doesn’t have to be difficult.
If you are having issues with how your current system is being supported, it’s extremely important to make a change now. You may think switching to a new provider seems like too much work, but consider this—how much time and investment have you already lost and continue to lose from dealing with an inadequate support team? The transition would be well worth it to eliminate production outages or unexplained technical problems.

The best MSPs will work with you to ease that transition. First, working through the contract should be straight forward and deliverables clearly defined so you know exactly what to expect. They should also have a process to learn the details about your SAP environment to take on support. And finally, they will identify the transition period required to replace the current MSP to ensure there is no gap in support.

What to look for to find a Basis solution that works for you:

  • Senior-level team members that manage your systems
  • Transparent portal with up-to-the-minute status
  • Long-term planning to keep up with your business demands
  • Regular meetings to discuss trends, technology and strategy
  • Flexible, price-competitive, customizable solutions
  • Quick availability for any SAP question or concern

Your MSP should solve problems, not create them. It’s time to stop settling for an unsatisfactory support system and step up to make a change, contact Managecore to get the proper MSP support your systems require. 


Frank Powell
About the Author:

Frank Powell

Partner/President
Frank is an experienced Information Technology executive that excels in high-level strategic and operational guidance to help manage and grow businesses. With 25 years experience in IT and over 19 of those years specifically in SAP, his thought leadership on industry trends, process improvement and best practices at SAP events, conferences and educational webinars are invaluable assets for companies. Frank provides his past experience in developing new technology initiatives with ever-evolving innovations to grow businesses and achieve high-performing solutions at a lower cost of ownership for your company.