If you’re an MSP and you’re managing clients’ IT infrastructure without a solid MSP business continuity plan, I’ve got news for you: you’re walking a tightrope with no safety net. And if you don’t take this seriously, it’s not a matter of if things go sideways, it’s when. Your clients are counting on you to keep them operational, come hell, high water, ransomware or a power outage. If you can’t do that, someone else will.
Let’s talk about how to get this right…and how it fits into a smart MSP strategy.
Start With A Risk Assessment. No Exceptions.
First things first: you cannot create a meaningful MSP business continuity plan without knowing where the risks are hiding. That means you need to perform a proper risk assessment for each and every client. Not some boilerplate checklist you hand out like Halloween candy. I’m talking about a custom, deep-dive audit into their infrastructure, cybersecurity posture, hardware, software, geographic location and anything else that might compromise uptime.
Power grid instability? Document it. Legacy hardware? That goes on the list. Employee habits that increase phishing risks? You’d better be tracking that too. You’re not just a tech provider, you’re a risk manager.
Disaster Recovery, Data Backups, And Remote Work Readiness
Once you know the risks, now we’re talking solutions. Your continuity strategy should include three core pillars:
- Disaster Recovery – What’s the plan if the building burns down? What if their cloud provider fails? If you can’t answer that in 30 seconds or less, you’ve got work to do.
- Data Backups – This isn’t about whether they’re backing up, but how often, to where and how fast you can restore. RTO and RPO metrics matter.
- Remote Work Capabilities – We all learned during COVID that the ability to work from anywhere isn’t optional anymore. Every client needs a plan for continuing operations off-site immediately if needed.
A well-documented, functional plan is the foundation of a long-term MSP strategy that builds trust and retention.
Document Everything (Because If It’s Not Documented, It Doesn’t Exist)
Now here’s where most MSPs drop the ball: documentation. If you’re relying on tribal knowledge or hoping your techs will “figure it out” in the middle of a disaster, you’re setting yourself up for failure—and worse, lawsuits.
You need to clearly outline:
- Who the point of contact is for each step
- What systems get recovered first
- Where backups are stored
- What vendors need to be contacted
- How to communicate with the client’s staff
- How to handle PR if customer-facing services are impacted
This isn’t just good practice. It’s a professional standard. Having these materials in place strengthens both client confidence and your internal training.
Test The Plan…Then Test It Again
A plan that looks great on paper but falls apart in action is worse than no plan at all. You should be running mock disaster scenarios at least once or twice a year, what we call tabletop exercises. Walk through it with your techs, your client’s leadership and anyone else involved.
Yes, it takes time. But guess what takes longer? Recovering from a botched response to a ransomware attack because no one knew who was supposed to do what.
Keep It Updated, Because Business And Technology Never Sit Still
You wouldn’t tell a client their firewall from 2017 is still “good enough.” So don’t let your MSP business continuity plan gather dust either. Revisit the plan annually—at a minimum. Ideally, you’re updating it any time the client adds new locations, adopts new software, changes vendors or alters any part of their infrastructure.
Every year, every client, no exceptions.
This Is What Differentiates You From The $99 Break-Fix Guy
Having a thorough, tested and client-specific continuity plan is exactly the kind of proactive, high-value service that justifies premium pricing. Properly packaging and pricing your MSP services is easier when you’re offering this level of risk management and strategic foresight.
Want to stop competing on price? Then stop delivering commoditized services. MSP marketing strategies that highlight your ability to protect and future-proof a business will always outperform one-off IT fixes.
Final Thought: Be The One They Call When Things Go Sideways
If you position yourself as a strategic advisor—not just the “IT guy”—you’ll not only make yourself stickier to your clients, but you’ll also get higher margins and fewer headaches. You want to be the one they call in a crisis—not because you’re the cheapest, but because you’re the one they trust.
