# What are MSPs?

MSPs are companies that remotely manage a customer's IT infrastructure and/or end-user systems, typically on a subscription basis. They offer a range of IT services, including network management, security management, IT support, and more, allowing their clients to focus on their core business operations.

#### MSPs typically offer a variety of IT services to cater to their clients' diverse needs. Some common services include:

* **Network Management**: Monitoring, maintaining, and optimizing clients' networks to ensure seamless connectivity and performance.
* **Security Management**: Protecting clients' IT systems and data from security threats through proactive monitoring, threat detection, and incident response.
* **IT Support**: Providing end-user support and troubleshooting for hardware, software, and network issues.
* **Backup and Disaster Recovery**: Implementing data backup and recovery solutions to protect clients' critical information from loss or damage.
* **Cloud Services**: Helping clients manage and optimize their cloud infrastructure, applications, and services.

In addition to the common services mentioned above, MSPs may also offer strategic planning services that can be valuable for small to medium-sized businesses that may not have the resources to hire full-time executives for these roles. Some of these include:

* **vCIO Services**: External IT consultants offering strategic guidance, technology roadmaps, budgeting, vendor management, and compliance/risk management.
* **vCISO Services**: Overseeing information security programs, developing strategies, creating policies, incident response planning, security training, and conducting assessments/audits.

For an overview of the history of the MSP market and more information about MSPs you can view Dave Sobels' video below


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.themspkb.com/msp-foundations/introduction-to-managed-service-providers-msps/what-are-msps.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.