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How managed IT services can help your company

Your business has IT needs and sometimes your employees can’t always cover them. Read our blog to see what a managed IT service can do for your company.

Laptop cybersecurity
Image: Unsplash

Many companies are now seeking to employ managed IT services. The business world is increasingly becoming reliant on IT and all the high-tech software that can drive their business’s growth. A lot of businesses are also becoming clear on the fact that they can save money while staying ahead of the game by outsourcing their IT services if they’re smart about how they do it. 

Outsourcing managed IT services will give companies an opportunity to have 24/7 support and spend less money on providers than in-house IT departments. These services help companies meet short-term and long-term goals and include monitoring, maintenance, reporting, and more. Managed IT service providers offer real-time hardware monitoring and technical support for staff or customers.

A business can improve on efficiency, speed, and even run a more streamlined operation by utilizing a managed IT service. They don’t have to worry about dealing with issues and problems that crop up on their own, and they can trust they’re in expert hands. 

What are managed IT services?

Before you go on and invest in managed IT services, you’ll want to have a firm understanding of what it’s all about. The term “managed IT services” covers any information technology support and services handled by an outside party through cloud-based or online management software. They often provide round-the-clock monitoring of your systems, along with support, troubleshooting solutions, and repair services. 

Some examples of support include:

  • remote management and monitoring of your network
  • sever maintenance
  • cybersecurity safety measures
  • virtual machine management
  • collaboration and video conferencing tools
  • cloud-based storage troubleshooting. 

Some benefits of a managed IT service include cost-savings, 24/7 service and reduced stress and strain on your own IT staff to deal with issues on a daily basis. Having an outsourced service to help your business can increase your peace of mind that your systems will work smoothly and effectively. 

What to look for

Office

Before we dive into some of the reasons why a managed IT service can help your company, it’s important to know exactly what to look for when searching for the right firm for your needs. Here are some important things to look for: 

  • Make sure they offer a flexible service model
  • They have a shared approach to managed services
  • They have a solid strategic relationship with either your cloud provider
  • Have enough consultants on offer 
  • Provide advanced services
  • Offer support in multiple time zones
  • Provide 24/7 support
  • Ensure they utilize remote management and monitoring for maintenance purposes
  • They have a solid backup and disaster recovery strategy
  • Proof they are reliable and dedicated to your business
  • If they have an established escalation path for larger issues
  • They can work to address compliance issues with your legal team.

If you can find a managed IT service that hits these benchmarks, you’re sure to reap the rewards. Your business will have the chance to grow without placing any excess pressure on your current employees or IT team. 

They’re cost effective

Probably the number one reason companies choose managed IT services is because it’s cost-effective compared to hiring permanent staff. The resources needed to deal with your IT services can be overwhelming and the demand on your IT staff will most likely become too much to handle. Thankfully managed IT services can minimize your overall infrastructure costs.

If you are determined to keep growing your company, outsourcing IT services is a must. This can allow your staff to concentrate on other things. It makes financial sense to outsource to an IT management firm for a small to medium sized business, because your manpower on the home front is very important. 

With a bit of calculation, you can gain an understanding of how much work is required to manage the IT systems each month. This can help determine a budget and you can find a service that works for you. 

Gaining access to the latest tech knowledge

No small or medium-sized business can be expected to stay up to date with the latest technology that is developing all the time. A managed IT service, however, is made up of experts who make it their priority to know what’s what in the tech world. Roughly 46% of businesses say that outsourcing their IT services gives them access to more skillsets that are otherwise unavailable in-house.

This ensures you have access to all the latest tech knowledge, insights and resources you need to make sure that your business stays in the game (and in some cases ahead of the game). You won’t have to pay any extra for this either as the experts who work in IT managed services are on the ball and it’s all a part of the job. 

Focus on core objectives

It’s pretty much inevitable that as your business grows so will your IT needs. Your team might not be equipped to handle the increased workload and difficult technical problems that arise. They might even find themselves overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to be done and inevitably drop the ball in areas where they’re spread too thin. In these cases, the alternative is to assign responsibilities to other employees who aren’t on the IT team which can distract from the business’s core objectives. 

A great benefit of managed IT services is that it frees up your employees’ time to focus on their intended roles. It also enables you to fill in any gaps where needed. Fortunly reports that 49% of companies surveyed say that outsourcing their IT services and functions frees up time and resources for focus on their core business.

A top notch, quality managed services firm will offer you a flexible service model and will allow you to determine what services you need. This could be anything from just keeping the lights on to having a completely outsourced IT department for your company. 

Maximize uptime

Servers

Uptime refers to the time in which a computer network can be up and running. To keep your business’s IT systems running all the time, it’s crucial to have managed IT support from professionals. When emergencies and disasters happen and they will, your company should be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Any downtime could cause damage to your operation’s credibility and the trust of your customers.  

Outsourcing IT to experts can ensure your business has a disaster recovery plan in case of any downtime and someone will know how to fix issues as they arise. 

Support and services

You don’t just receive the occasional check in with a managed IT service, instead you can benefit from 24/7 support and services that make sure your IT systems are running as they should be at all times. No matter how big or small the issue, you can find a solution by consulting the managed IT service. This is why businesses collectively spent USD$118.1 billion on data security and protective services in 2018.

Sometimes you might not even know there is (or was) a problem, because the IT managed support can fix issues as they come up. They can have things running smoothly even before you’ve realized there were any bumps in the road. Any bugs or glitches can be taken care of right as they arise. 

Security and data protection

It’s important for any other organization you work with, and for your clients, to be able to trust you. If your IT system is secure and they know this, they will have no issue doing business with you, or trusting you with their data. With a managed IT service you can confidently know, and share with others, that your system is safe and all your data is protected.

Rules around compliance and regulations are constantly changing. It can be hard to keep up with the latest changes. Using managed IT support can give you peace of mind knowing that your systems will comply with the new policies and regulations. 

Streamlined operations

A managed IT service can house everything under one roof, so there can be no finger-pointing or blame trading if and when something goes wrong. Your managed IT support team can fix the problem, so your operation can be smooth and streamlined without any hiccups.

Centralized management

Remote or flexible working arrangements can be easier to run with managed IT. Not only are you saving money on infrastructure costs but you’re helping to ensure all employees have the same technology experience. This means that employees can benefit from a more flexible approach and they can have the same experience whether they’re working in the office, from home of a café. 

No matter where they are, your employees can log in to your system and enjoy the same security and speed as if they were on-site. 

Takeaways 

There are many benefits that come with employing management services for your IT department. Plus, these benefits cover your entire company too, allowing for smoother operations, freeing up time for your current employees, and (very possibly) saving you money. Managed IT services can offer your business round-the-clock support and give crucial insight and expertise. Plus, it’s another thing that you and your employees won’t have to keep up with. 

You’ll have the time to work in your business instead of on your business. Any bugs or issues can be fixed easily by IT experts who know that they’re doing. Clearly there are many ways your business could be helped by managed IT services. 

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Chris has been blogging since the early days of the internet. He primarily focuses on topics related to tech, business, marketing, and pretty much anything else that revolves around tech. When he's not writing, you can find him noodling around on a guitar or cooking up a mean storm for friends and family.

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