Why paid IT assessments are key to the future of your IT
When you pay for a full IT assessment, your business saves money and time in the long run. Here's how to reap the benefits.
Key takeaways:
- A paid IT assessment sends engineers onsite to review your network, hardware/software and licensing, governance and security documentation, traffic/capacity, and backup/disaster recovery, then compiles a full‑environment gap analysis.
- The deliverable is a prioritized roadmap with business‑impact scoring and a 12‑month budget, aligning IT investments to growth, compliance, and risk‑reduction goals while preventing costly surprises.
- It’s a broad, system‑wide evaluation (not a penetration test) that you should repeat annually to validate progress, satisfy insurer/regulator evidence needs, and mature toward a responsible IT architecture.
What is an IT assessment?
An IT assessment is a thorough review that finds the gaps in your systems. Then a managed service provider (MSP), such as Integris, can put those gaps into a business impact framework, so you and your executive team know where to start. Our comprehensive assessment starts with a review of your entire network, governance system, and documentation. We check your hardware, licenses, and protocols, comparing them against best practices for your size and industry. We also look at the security and usage needs you’ll have in the future based on current threats and traffic patterns.
What does a paid IT assessment include?
Our assessments cover your entire IT enterprise, including the following:
- Cybersecurity protocols
- Hardware/software recommendations
- Regulatory compliance
- System vulnerability
- Backup and disaster recovery
- KPI and data collection
Once Integris completes your IT assessment, we’ll provide you with a gap analysis, a plan for next steps, and a budget covering your comprehensive needs. We’ll show you exactly how to achieve a responsible IT architecture for your company while keeping your costs scalable.
What a paid IT assessment is not
Sounds great, doesn’t it? It is. However, it’s important to remember that an assessment, at its root, is simply a gap analysis for your entire IT operation. It doesn’t do everything, and it’s no silver bullet for every organization.
Many clients hear the word “assessment” and believe that we’re doing a security penetration test for their business. But a penetration test is a very different task, involving simulated security attacks against your organization and the analysis of your defenses. It’s important not to confuse the two.
Six ways a paid IT assessment can help your business
A good IT assessment takes several hours to do. It can be a bit of a headache digging out all your documentation and allowing our team access to your systems. But with a bit of work on the front end, your business can reap significant benefits. For most companies, third-party reviewers will surface old issues that never got resolved, and ask new questions that can lead to fresh solutions. Let’s get into some of the ways that an outside perspective can solve problems and boost performance.
Benefit no. 1: An MSP helps you create an IT infrastructure plan for the future
What is usage like on your system now, and what do you think it might be in the future? This is a critical question we’ll ask in the assessment process. We’ll look at your current traffic rates, compare that against your upcoming business goals, and recommend what your IT infrastructure will need to achieve those goals. With information like that, you can make solid arguments about resource allocation and set yourself up to operate proactively, not reactively.
Benefit no. 2: An MSP helps you stick to your budget
Once you have an accurate picture of your future needs, creating a realistic budget is no longer a tricky exercise. As your MSP, we can paint an accurate picture of your expenses so that you will have a predictable monthly IT expense. And who doesn’t like to come in on budget? Our goal here is to come out of the assessment with IT, your executive leadership, and finance all on the same page about the needs of the organization, and what it will take financially to get you there.
Benefit no. 3: An MSP helps you stay ahead of your regulatory burdens
Most businesses have protocols surrounding the use of their data. For instance, an online retailer may have strict GDPR regulations about how they store and share their customer data. Manufacturers are subject to CMMC regulations, and healthcare is subject to HIPAA.
Or, maybe your data handling policies are governed more by your industry expectations than regulatory bodies. Law offices, for instance, have strict confidentiality rules and enormous consequences should their data fall into the wrong hands.
Either way, you need to understand and be mindful of the details regarding compliance. During your assessment, our experts will look at your current practices, comparing them against where regulations are now and where they are likely to go in the coming year. You’ll never have to worry about making the right infrastructure choices because you will know you have.
Benefit no. 4: An MSP keeps your reports on point for your cyber-risk insurers
Anyone who has tried to get a cyber-risk insurance policy for their company knows they have strict requirements for the clients they take. Insurers will ask your company to have a long list of cybersecurity tools and operation practices before they consider taking you on. During an IT assessment, we’ll do a gap analysis to see if your company is meeting the cybersecurity standards your insurer is enforcing. It will have a good idea of what they’re likely to be asking for in the coming years and can help you prepare for that. When it comes to your insurance policy, who wants surprises?
Benefit no. 5: An MSP will identify security gaps
Because we look at your usage levels during an assessment, it’s easier for us to see the gaps in your security. We can analyze your traffic too, and gaps in your configuration. Then from there, we can determine whether you have enough security firepower to cover all endpoints and threat vectors. As part of your IT assessment, we’ll recommend any security tools you might need to implement in the coming year. When you make your budget ask, you’ll know what you need and why.
Benefit no. 6: An MSP will boost your productivity
Does that seem like a big claim to make? It’s not. In fact, a good assessment can reveal where the bottlenecks are in your system. We’ll look at where your traffic is getting clogged and where your IT procedures could use cleaning up. We’ll give you strategies and new tools for addressing those problems.
Of course, clients that start working with us usually find we’ve taken so much off their plate that they can focus on getting on with their business. Your assessment is the first step to getting there.
What does a paid IT assessment cost?
The cost of an assessment depends significantly on the size of your company, the complexity of your organization, the number of locations you have, and the number of endpoints in your system. If there are several onsite visits at different locations to consider, that will also impact the price.
For most clients, assessments range in price between $1,500 and $15,000. Usually, our team can complete a paid assessment within a month, depending on everyone’s schedules.
Put your paid IT assessment to work for you
So, as you can see, the gap analysis you get from an assessment can be your perfect planning tool. Once you have that information in hand, everything gets easier. We’d love to be the partner that helps you implement our findings. However, if you are only interested in an IT assessment, we can provide that as well. After all, we pride ourselves on offering our services as part of a full-service stack or a la carte.
We’d love to talk to you about it. Contact us to set up your paid assessment today.
