Five Key Qualities to Look for in an Atlassian Managed Services Provider

When outsourcing to an Atlassian managed services provider, it’s so important to find the right fit. Organizations should look for an MSP who can provide both strategic and operational support, takes a proactive approach, provides flexibility, is transparent and clearly communicates, and assigns a dedicated point person to each account.

As you’re researching and interviewing MSPs, following are some of the most important things to consider:

You Need a Strategic Partner 

Managed services agreements are usually long term, so you’ll need an MSP that is a great strategic partner for the long haul. They should be able to understand your business objectives and help you figure out a roadmap to get you there. Look for one that asks a lot of questions about what’s going on in your business now, as well as where you hope to be a year or two down the line. If they’re not asking where you’re headed, maybe they’re not the right partner to take on the journey with you.

Proactivity and Reactivity...a Winning Combo

This may seem counterintuitive, but a good MSP should be both proactive and reactive. If they’re asking you questions about forward-looking KPIs and growth-oriented metrics, it's a good indicator that they want to be proactive about helping you reach your goals, but they should also be asking you about things that are more reactionary, like ticket volume or ticket flow and incident response.

Flexible vs. One-Size-Fits-All

A lot of MSPs offer packaged services—and that’s great if your needs fall within their scope. Think about what responsibilities you want to keep in-house and what you’re looking to offload—maybe you want to manage the tools on a day-to-day basis and outsource larger or more strategic projects, or vice versa. Look for an MSP with enough flexibility that you can outsource the things you really need support with.

Seek Clear Communication

Communication is important in any relationship, but especially so in one that’s as critical as this. Scope changes happen, new information comes to light, and issues come up—it’s all part of the process. Look for an MSP who is open, honest, and respectful, and does not shy away from tough discussions. They should also have clear processes for sharing information, be easy to contact, and be fast to respond.

A Dedicated Point of Contact with a Team Approach

It’s important to have a dedicated project manager who fully understands your situation and needs and can be easily contacted. It’s even better if that person has deeper expertise in the Atlassian tools and can help them strategize and problem-solve. Either way, look for an MSP who can pull in subject matter experts from among their in-house staff when they’re needed.