IT Support in Houston: How MSPs Help Businesses Stay Ahead
We’re back with another city blog, where we explore communities across the country and how managed service providers (MSPs) help give businesses the edge they need to succeed.
Today, we’re stopping over at the “Energy Capital of the World,” the city that shoots for the stars, and where you can always go for a good Rodeo – Houston, Texas.
Home to thousands of oil and gas companies, NASA, and some of the best Tex-Mex you can get, this powerhouse of a city has a lot to offer any growing business.
In this post, we’ll look at what makes Houston so unique and how an MSP fits into its world-class skyline.
Saddle up, and let’s get going.
The Houston Business Environment
Houston is a welcome location for start-ups and small businesses alike. Thanks to its combination of business incentives – like the Texas Enterprise Fund – and lack of state, corporate, or personal income tax, more funds are available to invest into business growth.
With plenty of high-ranking universities, there’s no shortage of potential, well-educated employees for your growing business.
“Business-Friendly” Doesn’t Mean Easy
All the perks aside, there’s stiff competition for employees, and rising infrastructure costs can make small to medium-sized businesses feel as if they’re up against a wall. Compared to the Fortune 500 companies that make their home in Houston, smaller businesses lack the resources to invest in upgrading their entire technical environment while hiring full-time IT employees.
That’s why partnering with an MSP can make a huge difference. For a monthly, flat-rate fee, you gain access to the tech experts and scalability that simply wouldn’t be possible alone.
Big Industry = Big Tech
Houston is famous for its energy, aerospace, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors. These sectors require immense technological investments, which are only increasing. Several tech giants are answering the call, with both Apple and Nvidia announcing plans to introduce AI-powered manufacturing facilities and AI supercomputer plants, respectively, in the Houston area.
With such technological demands, small to medium-sized businesses may feel pressured to keep up with the big players, further emphasizing the struggles already faced. Partnering with an MSP helps level that playing field, giving smaller businesses access to the same advanced tech and support that big companies rely on.
A Demand for Smooth Logistics
Home to one of the busiest ports in the country, Houston relies on smooth logistics to support its manufacturing and energy sectors. With that scale of movement comes a heavy reliance on technology, particularly IoT systems and AI.
AI fleet optimization, GPS-enabled tracking, sensors that monitor cargo conditions and equipment health, all play a role in keeping supply chains moving. These devices provide real-time visibility, but they also introduce complexity. Managing, maintaining, and securing those devices takes serious work for a small to medium-sized business.
MSPs are uniquely positioned to take the bulk of this burden off SMBs. From their agentic AI knowledge to their expertise with IoT devices, MSPs manage endpoints, deploy updates to monitor network performance, reduce security risk, and automate workflows, all to make sure your supply chain stays running smoothly.
Hurricane City and Natural Disasters
Situated on the Gulf coast, Houston has had more than its fair share of Hurricanes. Back in 2017, Hurricane Harvey alone caused around $125 billion in damages.
While not every storm is as powerful as Harvey, storm season can bring unplanned outages and costly downtime. Add in the fact that Houston also experiences around three tornadoes a year, and it’s no surprise that natural catastrophes make for the #3 top risk to businesses.
Keeping your business resilient is a key part of working in Houston.
MSPs, like The 20 MSP, help small to medium-sized businesses craft clear and concise disaster recovery programs that include robust data backups, so when Mother Nature comes knocking, your business is more than fit to weather the storm.
Aging Hardware and Compliance Pressures
While there are countless hoops needed to stay in compliance in sectors like energy and healthcare, a more subtle point is the quantity of aging hardware used by small businesses.
These older systems – called legacy systems – create significant security holes that can seriously damage small businesses. That’s because not only does aging hardware struggle to perform, but many of these systems are also no longer receiving security updates they desperately need to keep up with modern threats like ransomware, malware, and more.
MSPs can help small businesses stay in compliance by staying on top of evolving regulations, preparing SMBs for compliance audits, and providing a plan for replacing old systems. And while replacing computers may be expensive, many MSPs can also secure their partners with vendor discounts and other benefits.
Cybercrime and Security
Energy, aerospace, and medical sectors all have one thing in common – they’re prime targets for cybercrime. Sensitive information is ripe for the taking in Houston, and the stats back this up with a 33% increase in financial losses due to internet crimes since 2024, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Cybersecurity should be a pillar for your business, backed up by a trusted security expert like an MSP. It takes advanced security software, data redundancy, and consistent training to keep your systems even remotely defended from the rise of attackers. And no matter how business-friendly Houston is, a ransomware attack can shut you down for good.
Scale With a Growing Metro
From its oil rigs to its rockets, Houston’s been a powerhouse that scales at every level. This booming city is practically begging for more businesses, but making room for yourself in a crowded and competitive market is not something everyone can overcome.
That’s why working with an MSP is so important. MSPs have long since moved away from simple break-fix and have entered a new era of business consulting and growth assistance. From cloud optimization, AI integration, compliance assistance, and far more, there’s a lot for a small business to benefit from when partnering with a dedicated MSP.
If you’re a small to medium-sized business in Houston, consider reaching out. At The 20 MSP, we’ve been supporting businesses in the Houston area for decades, helping them grow and scale alongside the Energy Capital of the World.
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About The 20 MSP
As a leading provider of managed IT services, The 20 MSP serves thousands of businesses nationwide, including single and multi-location organizations, delivering white-glove service, secure and streamlined IT infrastructure, and 24/7/365 support. We believe in building lasting relationships with clients founded on trust, communication, and the delivery of high-value services for a fair and predictable price. Our clients’ success is our success, and we are committed to helping each and every organization we serve leverage technology to secure a competitive advantage and achieve new growth.
