MSP Comparison:
Who’s the best MSP in NYC?
Choosing the wrong MSP can lead to unnecessary costs, downtime, and contract disputes. There are plenty of options for businesses in New York, New York looking for an MSP, and it can be hard to separate the good from the bad.
To help you separate the substance from the hype, we evaluated 19 MSPs servicing the area to determine who was the best. Here, we’ll cover some basics on managed service providers, explain our evaluation criteria, compare the top 3 providers, and declare the top MSP in NYC.
What is an MSP?
A managed service provider (MSP) is a business that implements, manages, and maintains IT infrastructure for other organizations.
Of course, “IT infrastructure” covers a broad range of technologies. Therefore, it is no surprise that there are MSPs that specialize in certain niches such as cloud computing, networking, compliance, and printers.
Further, just as they vary in the breadth of their offering, MSPs can vary in the depth of their support. Some may provide installation and integration support and limited monitoring and alerting thereafter, leaving the client to handle issue remediation and IT planning. On the other end of the spectrum, MSPs may handle most or even all of their clients’ infrastructure from end-to-end (design, implementation, monitoring, management, and issue remediation).
Benefits of using an MSP
In short, MSPs allow their clients to focus less on IT infrastructure and more on their core business.
IT is an important part of almost all modern businesses. However, like human resources (HR) and accounting, IT is a support activity in the value chain, not a primary activity.
This means that by outsourcing IT infrastructure management to a third party, businesses can focus more resources on what differentiates them from their competitors. How much to outsource depends on your business model. Some small and medium businesses (SMBs) may need to outsource all of their IT management. Conversely, large enterprises may prefer to keep some aspects of IT in-house and outsource others
Our MSP evaluation criteria
To help you identify the best MSP for your business, we evaluated 19 different MSPs across a variety of criteria.
Comparing the Top 3 MSPs in New York
After doing extensive research on 19 MSPs in New York, we narrowed the list down to 3 finalists. Here, we compare them head-to-head.
1. Company overview
Imagis
Headquarters:
New York, NY
Founded:
2016
Industry focus:
Healthcare, Non-Profit, Professional Services
Power Consulting
Headquarters:
New York, NY
Founded:
1991
Industry focus:
Finance, Education, Legal, Non-Profit, Creative Firms, Startups, & Small Business
Manhattan Tech Support
Headquarters:
New York, NY
Founded:
2012
Industry focus:
Finance, Education, Legal, Real Estate, Construction, Healthcare
2. Response times
Rating:
Average response time:
10 minutes
Response methods:
Phone, Email, Chat, and Online Portal
Helpdesk availability:
24x7x365
Onsite service:
Yes. Nationwide across the USA
Rating:
Average response time:
17-22 minutes
Response methods:
Phone, Email, Online Portal
Helpdesk availability:
24x7x365
Onsite service:
Yes. New York, NY only
Rating:
Average response time:
10 minutes
Response methods:
Phone, Email, Online Portal
Helpdesk availability:
24x7x365
Onsite service:
Yes. New York, NY only
3. Breadth of support
Rating:
Major technology platforms supported:
Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Teams, Citrix Cloud, Citrix Xen App, Xen Desktop, Windows Servers, Hyper-V, Microsoft Remote Desktop Services, and Azure Virtual Desktop
Certifications:
Microsoft Gold Partner, ITIL, PMP, Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert, Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer, Citrix Certified Administrator, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Azure Administrator Associate, Microsoft 3265 Certified Fundamentals, Security +, Certified Ethical Hacker, and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
Major vendor partnerships:
Microsoft, Citrix, Dell, Lenovo, and Cisco
Notable compliance expertise:
HIPAA, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, ISO 27001
Rating:
Major technology platforms supported:
Office 365, Dell, Microsoft, and VMware,
Certifications:
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
Major vendor partnerships:
IBM, Apple, Cisco, VEEAM, Dell, Juniper Networks, SonicWall, Microsoft, Lenovo, RackSpace, VMware, and NetGear
Notable compliance expertise:
GDPR, SSAE 16, PCI, HIPAA, SEC, NY DFS, and SOC
Rating:
Major technology platforms supported:
Office 365, G Suite, Apple, VMware, Dell, Ubiquiti, and Cisco
Certifications:
VMware, Cisco, Google, Apple, Netgear, Symantec, Microsoft , Dell, and CompTIA
Major vendor partnerships:
Microsoft, Cisco, VMWare, Ubiquiti, and Google
Notable compliance expertise:
PCI-DSS 3.2.1, FINRA/SEC, Fair Credit Reporting Act, HIPAA/HITECH, SO 27001, and OSHA Act Assessment
4. Depth of support
Rating:
24x7x365 helpdesk:
Yes
24x7x365 network operations center:
Yes
Dedicated resources:
Client Success Agents, vCIO, Project Managers, Service Managers, and Support Technicians
Additional IT management support:
Live training workshops, support for client’s internal IT staff, online portal with curated content, reporting and analytics, technology procurement, technology budgeting, and asset management
Rating:
24x7x365 helpdesk:
Yes
24x7x365 network operations center:
Yes
Dedicated resources:
vCIO
Additional IT management support:
Technology budgeting and technology procurement
Rating:
24x7x365 helpdesk:
Yes
24x7x365 network operations center:
Yes
Dedicated resources:
vCIO
Additional IT management support:
Technology budgeting, access to IT documentation, office moves, and cabling installation
5. Backup and disaster recovery
Rating:
Data backup:
Yes
Disaster recovery services:
Yes
Disaster recovery details:
Critical data can be recovered in minutes. Backup data is copied to the cloud. Individual files can be restored if needed. Backed up systems that fail can be booted as virtual machines.
Rating:
Data backup:
Yes
Disaster recovery services:
Yes
Disaster recovery details:
Data is stored in SOC-2 compliant data centers. Business continuity planning and recommendations are available to clients. Periodic testing.
Rating:
Data backup:
Yes
Disaster recovery services:
Yes
Disaster recovery details:
MSP provides a comprehensive disaster recovery plan for clients.
6. Security
Rating:
Security Operations Center:
Yes.
Security Awareness Training:
Yes.
Risk Assessments:
HIPPA and NIST-CSF
Additional security services/offerings:
Strategic consultations for any/all compliance gaps, regular security audits, simulated attacks, and dark web monitoring.
Rating:
Security Operations Center:
Yes.
Security Awareness Training:
Yes.
Risk Assessments:
GDPR, NYRR500, NYDFS
Additional security services/offerings:
Power Managed Care contracts come with $2 million in cybersecurity insurance
Rating:
Security Operations Center:
Yes.
Security Awareness Training:
Yes.
Risk Assessments:
HIPAA, PCI DSS 3.2.1, GDPR, GLBA, NIST, NYDFS, NY SHIELD, California’s CCPA
Additional security services/offerings:
Compliance consulting.
7. Pricing
Rating:
Imagis uses a per-user fee model and offers flexible contract terms. Rates are competitive with other MSPs in the space..
Rating:
Power Consulting uses a per-user fee model and offers flexible contract terms. Rates are competitive with other MSPs in the space.
Rating:
Manhattan Tech Support uses a fixed fee model and offers flexible contract terms. They don’t do long term contracts, enabling clients to switch quickly if they’re dissatisfied.
Why Imagis is our pick for NYC’s top managed service provider
While all three of the MSPs in the top 3 did well across the board, Imagis clearly delivers the most value for their clients.
Imagis’ focus on customer service and continuous improvement were the intangibles that put it just above the competition in most cases. Of course, Imagis check the boxes any full-service IT MSP should such as cloud migration, backup and recovery, infrastructure assessment, and solution design. However, what sets them apart is how they also go above and beyond for their clients. For example, resources such as: live online workshops (which can make your users more productive) and dedicated client success agents go beyond the standard MSP-client services you’d expect. They also demonstrate how Imagis is invested in the success of their client’s business holistically.
Further, the New York-based MSP serves the entire United States, enabling them — and in turn their clients — to benefit from economies of scale. This shows as Imagis is able to keep a support staff of 300+ and maintain a 24x7x365 helpdesk and security operations center for incident response. As a result, Imagis’ clients benefit from a provider that can handle large scale projects, more effectively mitigate threats, and leverage trusted vendor partners when designing infrastructure solutions.
Based on our evaluation and client reviews & testimonials, the benefit of partnering with Imagis is best summarized by Jodi Magee, Executive Director at Physicians for Reproductive Health:
“Working with Imagis has provided us with a trusted and valued technology partner beyond what traditional break-fix IT consultants offer. They are super-fast responders and strategic whole system thinkers.”[3]