Corporations have needed to employee IT services at various levels since computers began showing their value and later their necessity. But the question on whether to hire an IT team internally or outsource remains an individual question for each company. For those that have determined an external IT group is needed is just the start of the questions and usually leads into a much larger and confusing landscape. To help with the decision, companies will want to hire an IT services company that offers Managed IT Services.
Managed Services can be flexible and tailored to each company needs but they all offer one primary point of value. They provide a flat-fee that allows them to budget their IT expenses at a level that makes sense for their needs. When an IT company offers hourly rates for their work the management of their time and work is the responsibility of the client. The IT group is happy to work for as many hours as needed to get a job done with little accountability towards efficiency. They will even propose additional work which may not be essential but benefits them for hours worked. Under Managed Services, this role is reversed. The IT company is held to a specific budget with the guarantee that they will respond to requests and resolve issues without any additional charges. This puts the onus on the IT company to be efficient, look for ways to reduce issues, and only work on those activities that benefit performance and stability. The IT company then has a vested interest towards systems continuity and lower service calls as that is where they have an opportunity to increase their earnings.
Some of the other benefits of employing an IT Services company with Managed Services:
– Navigate the complex and sometimes confusing technology industry
– Better management of equipment
– Operate hardware without the upfront expense
– Knowledgeable IT staff for all areas of your business
– Customized Services
– Better Security
Here is a look at a few reasons why using managed IT services is crucial for today’s business model to succeed and why you should be thinking about it for your business.
Saving Time is Saving Money
For many small and even mid-sized businesses, hiring a dedicated IT professional is too costly to consider. When issues arise, it falls on the staff to handle it, which takes away from business efficiency. Not to mention, the staff is unlikely to have the knowledge to deal with the problem so it can persist for much longer than expected before being resolved.
Having someone take a trial and error approach can cause more serious problems like a security breach or loss of data. This spiraling situation can quickly get out of control until clients are lost and the business as-a-whole is headed in the wrong direction.
A managed IT provider can help your business avoid all of that, saving you and your staff time, and the cost of fixing a larger problem. Even worse than that, you can lose hard earned clients. Managed IT services can stop problems before you even know they exist, creating a seamless environment for you to continue on with your business. This alone is a great reason to outsource all your IT.
The specialized equipment and technical expertise that managed IT service providers have in place can monitor systems in real time. This helps ensure the best uptime for your systems. So it is full speed ahead for your business to grow efficiently and effectively.
Some statistics point to small businesses benefiting in a big way from working with a managed IT service. They can lower IT costs by as much as 40%.
The reasons for this are eye-opening:
– As a client of a managed IT service provider, you do not need to operate any of your own equipment, which saves time and money on equipment cost and upgrades.
– There is also no need to hire a dedicated employee with IT knowledge, which saves on salary and benefit costs.
– Most managed IT services can be scaled to the needs of the business, so you are only paying for what your business really needs.
Stay Secure
As small businesses are less likely to have full-scale security measures in place with the right equipment and personnel to handle it, they are at greater risk of cyber attacks.
That no longer needs to be the case. Working with a Managed IT service provider that offers state of the art security protocols, can protect your business from determined hackers who want to cause havoc and steal client or business information. This is usually offered at a very reasonable cost and the thought of being victimized by such an attack can make it quite worthwhile.
Expert Advice
Today’s technology is often obsolete the next morning. That is an exaggeration of course, but the idea holds true. Technology continuously needs to be upgraded with new hardware and updated with new software.
Most small businesses, and even large ones, do not have the time or the budget to stay up to date on all that progress. That’s where IT service providers come in. It is their business to stay on top of the rapidly changing technological landscape. They have to keep upgrading their equipment and software or they also become obsolete.
Your business can take advantage of the up-to-date technology that managed IT services provide to get the best possible technical service. And, because they are also staying on top of the latest technological trends, they are able to advise you when you experience issues.
They are just a phone call away if you have issues with accessing information or you do not understand how to create a secure communications pathway. You will have instant assistance as if you had hired an internal IT specialist. There are many service providers that offer round the clock emergency hotlines for you to take advantage of when you need it most.
Customization
No matter what sector of business you are in, or how small your business is, with all the IT service companies available you are bound to find the one that is right for you at cost effective rate.
They are flexible and customizable to fit any business needs:
– Work with a managed IT service on a one-off basis if needed.
– Arrangements can be made for them to handle tasks periodically. This can include monitoring your business over a stretch of holidays through online customer support services. Perhaps you and your staff are interested in being trained in some aspects of IT management or security.
– If you feel comfortable maintaining some parts of your IT tasks but only need to farm out certain others, that can also be an option.
– You may just want all of your IT solutions handled by a trusted service provider so you can focus on what matters to your business.
As you can see, working with a managed IT service provider has many benefits, some of which you may not have thought of before. It is well worth the effort and the small cost to your business so that you can stay secure and have great peace of mind.
You will always have the most cutting-edge technology on your side with a managed IT service provider in your corner. That makes it easy to move your business forward and be a global player. For that reason alone, you may want to speak to some managed IT service providers to find out from each what they can do and how your business can benefit.