Managed IT Services Lawyers
Technology companies, such as software developers and managed service providers, often face overwhelming obstacles in their day-to-day businesses. One of those obstacles is to provide the best products and services to their customers without jeopardizing their valuable intellectual property rights.
Scott & Scott’s attorneys represent technology companies of all sizes to manage their relationships with their clients and protect their intellectual property rights.
If you are practicing managed services, the risk landscape is changing quickly, and taking a fresh look at your approach to customer contracting makes good sense. If you would like to schedule a demo of our solution, please contact us today.
Learn More → Termination Clauses in Managed IT Services Contracts
What are Managed IT Services?
Managed IT services refer to the practice of outsourcing a company’s IT infrastructure management and maintenance to a third-party service provider. These services can include hardware and software support, network monitoring, security management, data backup and recovery, and other IT-related functions.
The main benefit of managed IT services is that it allows businesses to focus on their core competencies while leaving the IT infrastructure management to experts who can ensure reliable and secure operations. Managed IT services providers can also provide businesses with access to the latest technologies and best practices, enabling them to stay ahead of the competition.
Overall, managed IT services can be a cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes, as they can eliminate the need for in-house IT staff, reduce the risk of downtime and cyberattacks, and provide a predictable monthly cost structure. The level of service provided can be customized to meet the specific needs of each business, making it a flexible and scalable solution for companies looking to improve their IT operations.
IT Managed Services
- MSP Sources of Risk
- Risk Management and Managing Liabiity
- Writing an MSP Contract
- Insurance Requirements for MSPs
- Managed Service Provider Policy and Procedures
Effective risk management starts with identifying the various sources of risk while also managing and mitigating their impact on your business and your service contracts. The main sources of risk our clients may be exposed to are:
- Intellectual Property
- Customers
- Vendors and Channel Partners
- Employees
- Criminal Activity
Managed service providers (MSPs) face more risks than ever before and, as a result, require more legal protections. These risks include not only data privacy and cybersecurity issues but also challenges related to technology, compliance, profitability, and vendors – not to mention ever-increasing competition. It’s a lot, but a steadfast risk management and liability-limiting plan can help pave the way for you to continue growing your business with confidence. Take the first step toward enhanced protections by consulting with a dedicated software and technology attorney today.
The contract is a key component of a managed service provider’s relationship with clients. There may be serious reputational and legal consequences if you do not include comprehensive information that clearly details the responsibilities of both parties and reduces your risk.
As a managed service provider (MSP), you naturally face significant risk, which makes the insurance component of your managed service agreement (MSA) critical.
Too often, MSP contracts are weak on the matter of insurance, which can leave you unnecessarily vulnerable. If you’re an MSP with contract concerns, connect with an established MSP attorney today.
With the tightening of data protection laws that followed the introduction of GDPR over two years ago, enforcement actions have already begun to be more widespread.
Stay alert and address your policies and procedures if you have not done so already. This should include updating consumer privacy policies, developing robust incident response structures, notifying customers as policies change, understanding all data flows in your company, and tracking the developments of privacy laws.
Cloud Contracts
Business executives recognize the benefits of cloud computing. Low upfront and maintenance costs, utility billing, on-demand scalability, and access to enterprise-level software represent clear advantages for any organization.
Cloud computing can deliver greater speed, flexibility and tangible IT cost savings; three reasons why businesses should not disregard the cloud as hype. But entering into cloud computing contracts without understanding the inherent risks can cripple an otherwise healthy organization.
The good news is these risks can be mitigated. Cloud vendors as well as cloud purchasers can leverage Scott & Scott, LLP’s years of experience with software licensing and IT outsourcing to reduce the risks of cloud computing.
The attorneys at Scott & Scott, LLP have extensive experience negotiating cloud computing agreements. Clients benefit from an approach that balances risk using insurance and indemnity provisions, as well as ensuring compliance with the relevant statutory security requirements affecting either party.
Contact us for a complimentary cloud computing consultation.
Service Level Agreements
Scott & Scott, LLP works closely with managed services companies and other IT-related service providers to create integrated documents that effectively manage client relationships. Our attorneys have a long-standing relationship with the MSP Alliance – the world’s largest professional association and accrediting body for the managed services industry. As a result of that relationship and of our extensive experience assisting businesses of all sizes in this unique, dynamic and fast-growing industry, we have the knowledge and expertise needed to make the most of your investment in implementing a comprehensive set of service agreements that can grow as your business grows.
Rather than a “one size fits all” approach to contract management, our goal is to maximize a provider’s ability to tailor its service offerings to the particularized needs of each customer while retaining the structural uniformity and legal protections that should remain consistent from client to client. The result is a modular set of documents that providers can use selectively to more accurately reflect the scope of each client relationship. Those documents may include any of the following:
- Master Services Agreements
- Service Specifications & Service Level Agreements
- Managed Services
- Backup & Disaster Recovery Services
- Remote Application Hosting
- Collocation
- Hardware-as-a-Service
- Project Proposals & Statements of Work
- Short-Form Agreements for services provided to lower-revenue customers
By memorializing client relationships with a set of service agreements targeted appropriately to the services provided to particular clients and to the terms and limits of any applicable insurance coverage for errors & omissions, providers also obtain peace-of-mind knowing that their contracts work with, and not against, their risk-management initiatives.
Finally, our attorneys have extensive experience assisting IT service providers with other mission-critical agreements that may not be client-facing, such as software reseller agreements and independent contractor and employment agreements.
Internet Marketing Contracts
Scott & Scott, LLP has the expertise to deal with issues confronting the media industry in technology and intellectual property litigation, as well as general business disputes, corporate transactions, business financing, and state and federal regulatory matters. We have successfully assisted media companies in protecting their valuable trade secrets and other intellectual property.
Mergers and Acquisitions
Scott & Scott, LLP’s attorneys have experience representing technology clients on all aspects of mergers and acquisitions. Our clients seek advice and guidance on stock and asset purchases, sales, divestures, and restructurings. Scott & Scott has the technology to inventory the assets being transferred and schedule the assets so that the acquiring entity can easily prove that it is the owner of the software assets.
