he 10 Best Performing Managed Service Providers for 2022

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Editor’s Desk

Raunak Mhetre Raunak

Wwiththetaskofstreamliningitsdaily processes?

hathappenswhenabusinessgetsoverloaded

Whenthecoreofabusinessiscreatingproductsand services,itbecomesthecentralareaoffocus.Whiledoing so,thelensofmanagingsupplementaryaspectsofthe businessgetsblurredattimes.Thecomponentsthatdrift awayfromfocusincludeITandrelatedservicesthatare incrediblyessentialfortoday'sbusinesses.

It's2022,andbusinessarebuiltuponthefoundationofa greatITservicenetworkcombinedwithsmoothworkflow management.Companiesareforcedtoleveluptheirintradepartmentalandcustomermanagementservicesowingto thealreadyhighstandardsintheever-growingindustry

Takingasimplebutsignificanttaskoutofthecompany's tasklistisbeneficialtomanycompaniesworldwide.But howcantheymanagetodoiteffectively?

Theanswerbringsustoaclusteroforganizationsknownas managedserviceproviders.Itactslikeamanagement platformthatcarriesouttasksandresponsibilitiesof definedtargetsforclients. MSPsserveasaboostto improveoperationsamonglargecorporationsaswellas smallandmedium-sizedbusinesseshelpingthemscaletheir businesseseffectively.

WhatMSPsdoishandlemyriadoperationaltasksthatare criticaltothesuccessofabusinessbutnotdirectlyrelated todirectcustomers.Whencompaniesoutsourcetaskswhich aretime-consuming,repetitive,andcomplextoMSP,they handleitinasystemizedmanner.Whenengaginga managedserviceprovider,thereisnooverallmanagerial controlandoperationshandover.Companiescanchoosethe servicestheywanttobemanagedexternally,leavingthe

otheressentialtaskswiththein-houseteam. OutsourcingspecifictaskstoMSPscanprovetobeagreat budgetleveller.Anunderratedaspectoftheseplatformsis directcostsavings.Providersacceptanupfrontfree followedbyaflatmonthlyfeewhichgivesclientsaglimpse oftheiraccountsandanestimatedbudget.Inaddition,an entiresectionoftheoutsourcedservices'workforcecanbe divertedtoothertasks,creatingawin-winsituationforboth sides.MSPsdealwithallthemanagedservices,andthe clientcompanystickstoitsoriginalniche.

Alongwiththecost-savingbenefitofMSPs,their experienceovertheyearsprovestobetheperfectsolution tothegrowingservice-relatedproblems.Thesecompanies haveyearsofexperienceinIT,payroll,WFM,HRand vendormanagement.Theyuseexactindustry-specifictools, technology,andresourcesneededtodelivertasks,resulting inimprovedvisibilityandclearinsight.Companiesare leveragingthesebeneficialaspectsofMSPstocreatea systemthatisautomizedandintricatesimultaneously.

WhilemanyManagedServiceProvidersaremakingitbig, helpingvariousorganizationsaroundtheworld,somehave outstandingservices,betterthantherest.Knowmoreabout thiscreamylayerofMSPs,in "The 10 Best Performing Managed Service Providers for 2022." Thisversionof InsightsSuccessmagazinehaseverythingyouneedto ventureintotheworldofMSPs.

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CompanyName

The Best Performing Managed Service Providers for 2022

FeaturedPerson

VinodPaul COO Align align.com

AmitGovil Chairman Calance calanceus.com

CIPHER cipher.com

CRYPTYK cryptyk.com

EdBoucas Chairman&CEO

AdamWeigold CEO

GaryFish CEO FishtechGroup fishtech.group

HitachiSystems SecuriltyInc hitachi-systems-security.com

Keypasco keypasco.com

AkiraKusakabe President&CEO

NawTrongLin CEO&Founder

JacobBever SeniorSolutionsEngineer Magna5 magna5global.com

RealITSolutions realitsolutions.com

Virtusa virtusa.com

MattKahle Owner

SantoshThomas CEO

Brief

AlignCommunitiesisaResidentServicesCompanyfocused onaligningtheinterestofitsresidents,teammembers,and owners.

CalanceisaUS-BasedITServicesfirm.Theirareasoffocus include:CustomApplicationDevelopment,ITHelpDesk, ServiceDesk,andothers.

Cipherisaglobalcybersecuritycompanythatoffersabroad portfolioofproductsandservicesthatmeetsend-to-end informationsecurity

Cryptyk'suniquecloudtechnologytoeliminatepotential liabilitiesrelatingtoanyunwantedbreaches.

Fishtechisadata-drivencybersecuritysolutionsproviderfor anycomputingplatform.Theyidentifygapsandsolutionsto helporganizationsminimizerisk,maintaincompliance,and increaseefficiency

HitachiSystemsSecurityhelpscustomerssecuretheircritical dataandstrengthentheircybersecuritypostureagainstsecurity breaches,dataleaksandintrusions.

Keypasco’suniquepatentedsolutionusesarevolutionarynew technologyforuserauthenticationandprovidessecurityto onlineserviceprovidersandusers.

Magna5isamanagedITserviceproviderfocusinginnetwork andservermonitoring,backupanddisasterrecovery, cybersecurity,helpdeskandSD-WAN.

RealITSolutionsofferscustomizedbusinessIToutsourcing viaITexpertswhounderstandbusinessintherealworld.

VirtusaCorporationisaglobalproviderofDigitalBusiness Transformation,DigitalEngineering,andInformation Technology(IT)outsourcingservicesthataccelerateitsclients’ journeytotheirDigitalFuture.

V E R S T O R Y

JacobBever SeniorSolutions Engineer Magna5

Intendingtobetheonetrustedpartneryouturntofor allyourITserviceneeds,Magna5ispavingtheway todeliverserviceexcellencetoeachcustomer.It bringstogethera24/7/365fullymanagedOperations Centerwithenterprise-classplatformsfromleading vendors.Magna5workswithprivateandpublicbusinesses ofallsizes—fromgovernmentagenciesand manufacturingorganizationstomid-marketandlarge-scale operations.

JacobBever,theSeniorSolutionsEngineeratMagna5, hasademonstratedhistoryofworkinginbothpreandpostsalesintheinformationtechnologyandservices industry.InsightsSuccesscaughtupwithJacobtoknow howMagna5isdrivingbusinesseswithinnovative technologyandsolutions.

CatalystsofCustomersGrowth

Magna5existstohelporganizationstransformthemselves. Theyintegrateadvancementsintechnologyandprocesses todrivebusinessesforward.Thecompanyisfueledwitha passionforsupportingbetter,faster,andsmarterwork. Provenapproaches,well-plannedstrategies,and roadmaps,innovativetechnologiesareallusedtotaketheir customer'sorganizationsintothefutureandbeyond.

Customer-CentricApproach

Asatrustedmanagedservicesprovider,Magna5has broughttogethertherightmixofmanagedITservices, cybersecurity,networkmonitoring,andcloudhostingunder oneroof,whichisfullymanagedbytheirteamofexperts 24X7all365days.

TheCompetitive-Edge

ThespecialtythatsetsMagna5apartispersonability,which takesacustomer-orientedapproach.Jacobadds, “All our engineers are trained on the technical side and the customer service side. We are 24/7 365 and outsource none of our work. We constantly evaluate new technologies and have taken a holistic approach to all our solutions.”

HurdledPath

Thepandemiccausedbusinessesawaveofchallenges,and Manga5dealtwiththemstrategically.Jacobnotes, “We very quickly realized was we needed to adjust the service

Providers

Magna5 works with private and public businesses of all sizes — from government agencies and manufacturing organizations to mid-market and large-scale operations.

offerings we were providing and how we were providing them. A lot of our remote access and cloud tools made the transition easy. We have quickly shifted our focus to protecting end-users who are no longer in the office. Something like putting together a suite of products that will protect an end-user wherever they go quickly and easily became a priority for us.”

Talkingabouttheuncertaintyofthefuture,Jacobpointed outtheirenthusiasticinitiativesofactivelylearningnew toolsinservingthemarketbetter.Magna5teamremains focusedonunderstandingtheclient'sneeds,implementing thesolutions,andalwayswillingtoadapttotheirspecific needsandsolutions.

WeavingtheThread

Usingthebestofthebesttechnology,Magna5isalwaysup todateandintheloopofwhat'souttheresowecan upgradeandimplementnewsolutionstobestmeetits customer'sneeds.Magna5strivestoprovidethebest solutionswithtop-notchcustomerservice,findingthebest fitforthecustomer.

HelpingHand

Educationaleventsandpartneredeventsarealargepartof theMagna5culture.Jacobshares, “One that recently sticks out in my mind was when Briana Thompson, Magna5 Cybersecurity Engineer, spoke with students at Seneca Valley High School (Harmony, Penn.) for SV STEM Alumni Days. Briana shared with students pursuing STEM careers her professional progression, guidance on fields of study in college – including areas she wished she had spent more time on – and revealed typical day-in-the-life of a Cybersecurity Engineer, providing examples of how she made an impact on Magna5 customers' security.”

GoingAhead

Magna5hascontinuedtogroworganicallyandthrough acquisitionoverthepastfewyears. “We have been growing very rapidly, and I see that continuing over the next five years, further strengthening Magna5's position as a formidable player for cybersecurity, data recovery and cloud services in the lower middle market,” concludes Jacob.

Align

the

tailored to the

Vinod Paul Chief Operating Ofcer Align

WhenselectingaManagedServiceProvider (MSP),therearemanykeyfactorstotakeinto consideration.Thoseconsiderationsbecome requirementswhenyouareapartofahighlyregulated industrylikethealternativeinvestmentmanagementspace. Whenitcomestofinancialfirms,theyaresubjecttosome ofthemostrigorousregulatoryandcompliancestandards andfailingtocomplywiththeserequirementscanleadto heftyfinesandotherpenalties.ThisiswhereAlign's ManagedServicesofferingsstandoutsoutinacrowded arena Thefirstmanagedservicesplatformtobebuiltwith thefinancialservicesandalternativeinvestmentindustryin mind,Align'sofferingincludesbuiltincybersecurityandis backedbyateamofprofessionalsextremelyfamiliarwith theregulatoryrequirementsbutmoreimportantlytheir clients'expectations.

HeadinguptheManagedServiceslineofbusinessisChief OperatingOfficer,VinodPaul Vinodbringsover20years ofin-depthfinancialservicesandtechnologyexperienceto hisroleasAlign'sChiefOperatingOfficer

WeatInsightsSuccesswereabletolearnmoreaboutAlign andtheMSPindustrythroughaninterviewwithVinod.

WhatwastheinitialideabehindtheinceptionofAlign?

Sinceitsinceptionover35yearsago,Alignhasbeen committedtoprovidinginnovative,tailoredITsolutionsto ourclients.OurManagedServicesoffering(launchedin 2007),andtheAlignITSuite(launchedin2016)were createdwiththealternativeFinancialServices/investment industryasacorevertical.Weprovidehighlycompliantand comprehensiveservicestooneofthemostregulated industries,constantlyevolvingtomeetthechanging standardsandourclients'needs.

Whataretheprimaryobjectivesandphilosophyof Align?

AlignManagedServicesistheindustry'sfirstManaged ServicesProvider(MSP)builtspecificallywiththe alternativeinvestmentneedsandrequirementsinmind.The financialservicesindustryisunique,inthatitissubjectto someofthemostrigorousregulatoryandcompliance standardsthatareconstantlychanging.Weprovide comprehensiveandincrediblyfocusedmanaged cybersecurityservicestothesefirmsbackedbyateamof

highlyskilledexpertswell-versedinthisnicheindustryto ensurewemeetrequirementssetforthbytheSEC.

Whatareyourtop-notchofferingsthathaveastrong footholdintheMSPIndustry?

TheAlignITSuiteisourManagedServicesplatformwhich featuresdiversecuttingedgeITservices,allsecureand compliantbydesignanddevelopedtomeetourclients' uniquebusinessneeds.Thisincludesday-to-dayIT operations,managedcloudandcybersecuritysolutionsand dataprotection.

Builtinthepubliccloud,theAlign ITSuitewasbuiltfor thehybridworkforcesogloballydistributedteamsand collaborateseamlessly.Nomatterwhereyouare,youare backedby24x7x365monitoring,end-usersupportanda securityoperationscenter.

Weprovideourclientsallthebenefitsofin-houseITona singlemanagedservicesplatform,andwithinapredictable costmodel.

WhataretheroadblocksthatAlignfacesintheever changinglandscapeofthebusinessworld?

Thereareanumberofchallengeswefaceonaday-to-day basis.AsacybersecurityadvisortoourManagedService clients,wefacetheever-increasingriskofcyber-attacksas hackersandchangingthreatlandscapeasthesehackers growevermoresophisticated.Additionally,thereare increasedcybersecurityrisksofthedecentralized workforce.Asindividualscontinuetoworkfromhome, theyaremorelikelytocreateopportunitiesforbadactorsto exploitvulnerabilities.Additionally,wehavetonavigate theconstantlychangingregulatoryenvironmentviathe SEC,FINRAandourclientsoperationalduediligence process.

HowisAlignadaptingtomarketorientation?

Theworkforcehaschangedsignificantlybecauseofthe pandemic.Wewilllikelyneverseein-officeworkatthe levelswedidpriortotheonsetofstay-at-homeorders.

Luckily,AlignManagedServiceswaspurpose-builtforthe decentralizedworkforce–aworkforcethatissplitbetween thehome,theoffice,andahybridmodel.Withour comprehensivecybersecuritysolutions,wehavealways beenaheadofthecurvebyconsistentlyprovidinga

seamlessandsecureexperience,whetheryou'reinthe boardroomoratyourkitchentable.

Whatisyourstanceonimplementinginnovative technologies?

AtAlign,weareconstantlyinnovating,notonlywithour solutionsandtech,butwithourworkloadsandprocesses. That'swhyweconfigureourManagedServicesPlatformto meetclientneedversusofferingcompletelycustom solutions.Byconfiguringinsteadofcustomizing,wehave beenabletoscaletoaccommodatethousandsofuserson ourplatform.Thisenablesustoachieveathorough understandingofourclients'needsbecauseourclientsuse thesamesetofsolutions(i.e.,software,hardware,etc.).As aresult,wehavebeenabletobuildoutarobustclient portalthat1)givesclientsaccesstoeverythingtheyneedat theirfingertips—fromeveryassetorreportintheir organizationtotheabilitytoputinnewrequestsorchat withalivehelpdeskagentwhenever,wherever—and2) helpstooptimizethecustomerexperiencethrough consistent,top-tiercustomersupport.Lastly,asa Tier1 MicrosoftCloudSolutionsproviderformanyyears,weare attheforefrontofinnovationwithMicrosoftTechnology solutions. Wetakeprideindeeplyunderstandingour client'sbusinessesatthecore,soweknowwhatkindof technologiestobringtothetable.Bymaintainingsucha keenunderstandingofwhatourclientsneed,wecan identifythebestopportunitiesforemergingtechnologies. WewererecentlyawardedTheVanguardAwardfrom ChannelFutureMSP501forleadingthewayintermsof technologyandserviceinnovation.

InwhattraditionsisAligncontributingtothe communities?

AtAlign,wearecommittedtogivingbacktothe community Wesupportavarietyofcharitiesand philanthropicorganizations.Mostnotably,weareaglobal sponsorofHedgeFundsCare,whichsupportsHelpfor Children,aglobalfoundationsupportedbythegenerosity ofHedgeFundsCare,PrivateEquityCares,andthewider alternativeinvestmentcommunity.HelpForChildren providesgrantstothemosteffectiveandefficientchild abusepreventionandtreatmentinterventionsinsix countries,makingtheworldasaferplaceforchildren.

WhatisthenextchapterforAlign?

Wehavebeenexperiencingarecordyearofsuccessand growththatwehopetocontinue.Weplantomaintainthis

momentumwithimprovedcybersecurityofferings,new technologies,andcontinuedsupportoftheever-evolving decentralizedworkforce.

Wehavealsoinnovatedandmodernizedoursolutionsfor thechangingworkforceneedsofthefutureworkplace.With alloftheseimprovements,ournumberonefocusisa partnershipwithourclients,fundamentallywearefocused ontheclientexperience.

Vinod Paul, Chief Operang Officer

John Araneo, General Counsel & Managing Director

Chris Zadrima, Senior Director

Real IT Solutions

YOUR One-Stop Solution for Technology Services

Focusingtoimprovecustomers'liveswithafullscopesolutionstothetechnicalproblemsof micro-enterprises,MattKahlefoundedRealIT Solutionsin2006.AdamPetersonjoinedthe companyin2007.Togethertheyhavegrowntooverten people,continuingwiththeirmission.

RealITSolutionsoffersahostofmanagedITservices,with itsflagshipRealCare™Serviceastheheadliner.Itpartners withsmallmanufacturersaseitherawhollyoutsourcedor fullyintegratedco-managedITdepartment.Mattasserts, "A key focus area for us the last few years has been cybersecurity. We have seen too many small businesses get attacked – few of which make the news, but it happens every day. Most of these attacks are preventable. There are many basic protections we can implement that most companies aren't even aware of and don't break the bank."

NameYouCanTrust

RealITSolutionsisthepreferredchoiceforlocal, small,manufacturing,andengineeringcompanies becauseoftheircommitmenttotheirindustry TheyhavedeliveredITservicesandsolutionsfor smallmanufacturersforover16years.Mattsays, "We feel like we do a better job than anyone else at understanding and meeting the needs and challenges of these businesses."

RealITSolutions'corevaluesarestructuredaroundtwo keyareasrelatedtoitscorefocus.Itwantstoimprovethe livesofitscustomerswithExtraordinaryCustomerService, ImpeccableQuality,Integrity,andAccountability.

Thesecondfocusareaisimprovingthelivesofitsteam withcollaborativeTeamwork,OngoingLearning,and RememberingtohaveFun.Ithires,measures,manages,and

Delivering real results to fast-growing manufacturers in West Michigan.

rewardsbasedonthosesixCoreValuesandconstantly strivestofindnewwaystoimprovethosekeyareas.

Mattmentionsthat,likemanyothercompanies,therapid shifttoremoteworkandadistributedworkforcedisrupted thetraditionsithadinplacetomaintainitscompany culture. "We've really had to get creative and find new ways to promote our Core Values while still allowing workplace flexibility," explainsMatt.

HurdlesAlongtheWay

Mattthinksthattheimpactofthepandemiconthe technologyservicessectorhasbeenmuted.However,it acceleratedthemovetomoredecentralizationandmore remotework,butRealITSolutionswasonthattrajectory already.Mattshares, "I do think it's had a large impact on other industries. The vast and rapid enablement of remote workers was a sea change. It forced many people to evaluate how they were spending their time and maybe reset

their priorities a bit. I think we saw that with the so-called Great Resignation, and I think we continue to see it as companies are having to raise wages and benefits to attract and retain talent."

Mattstatesthatthedecentralizationandremoteworktrends affectingthemanufacturingindustryarelesspronounced thaninmanyotherindustries.Manufacturesarevery heavilyfacilitiesdependentandrequirelocalIT infrastructure.Oneotherissuethathascometothe forefrontforthisindustryistheneedforbetter,more pervasivebroadbandinternet.Mostmanufacturingplants arenotincitycentersandaren'ttypicallyclosetoexisting fiberinfrastructure.

GoingAboveandBeyond

RealITSolutionscontinuestogrowandprovideadditional expertisetoitscustomers.Mattthinksthecompanywill continuetoexpandbeyondtraditionalmanagedITservices andsecurityservices.Mattnotes, "We always try to listen to the customers and address their pain and concerns, and if I'm hearing them correctly, these are some areas of concern."

"One key area I think you'll see us focus on is helping our clients learn more and get smarter about their operations through data collection and analysis. By modernizing shop floor equipment, we are getting good data from a huge variety of sources. We want to help them to make sense of that data and turn it into actionable intelligence. Part of this effort will also involve automation wherever it's pragmatic to do so. We see increased investment in augmenting the workforce with robotics and other automation systems to promote workplace safety and improve productivity," clarifiesMatt.

Mattfeelsthatcloudandremoteenablementwillcontinue tobeafocus.Betterbroadband,unifiedcommunication, collaborationplatforms–hugeinvestmentsarebeingmade intheseareas,andRealITSolutionsneedstocontinue evaluating,recommending,anddeployingthesesolutionsto itscustomers.

"Overall, I think the future is incredibly bright for Real IT Solutions. We have an amazing team of really smart people, and I'm excited to see what the future holds," Matt concludes.