I've been freelancing ever since a huge layoff hit my team of 200 engineers a decade ago. It's been a rollercoaster managing my clients, which range from complex multi-site failover clusters to small office setups. Lately, I've been struggling to keep up with M365, Azure updates, and patching while juggling the everyday demands of my job. I used to have the time to learn and adapt, but these days I'm mostly reacting to crises rather than being proactive. I'm considering hiring help through Upwork but I'm uncertain about whether to go for US-based freelancers or those overseas. What has been your experience? Should I look for someone local instead? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
Are you operating as a solo Managed Service Provider? If so, bringing on a full-service MSP might be a good strategy. It’s pretty tough for one person to handle everything you’re describing. You deserve some backup!
I use both Upwork and Fiverr. For high-expertise tasks, I prefer US freelancers. Overseas help is generally better for simpler, repetitive jobs because their knowledge can be a bit narrower.
For patching, I’d suggest looking into Autopatch. As for Upwork, I consider it a mixed bag. I wouldn't risk using it for client-facing work, but it could work well for setting things up on a test tenant, like configuring CA policies or troubleshooting Intune settings.
I totally get you. Security is paramount. I would need to be involved during the changes, or they'd have to guide me through everything.
Yeah, calling myself a one-man MSP works. I’ve been in situations with other MSPs before, and it's just wild to think about sticking someone with this workload.