How Managed It Services Benefits You
Let’s start with a quick review of what a managed services provider (MSP) actually does. Essentially, an MSP becomes your company’s outsourced I.T. department. They take inventory of your entire I.T. infrastructure – devices, systems, and applications included – and manage, monitor, and maintain it to ensure that no issues, compatibility challenges or security threats get in your way of being productive. They can also provide you with fully managed backup and disaster recovery solutions, as well as end-user help-desk services.
Again, an MSP becomes your own enterprise-grade I.T. department, with all of the benefits that come along with it, but without all of the staff, infrastructure and costs associated with a large internal I.T. department.
Naturally, this allows you to focus on executing strategic initiatives that bring in revenue, rather than worrying about technology. When IDC (The International Data Corporation) researched the value of managed IT services, they found that for every 100 users, just under $400,000 could be saved on a yearly basis. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Let’s take a look at the benefits:
Control Your Technology-Related Expenses
Choosing managed IT services means you’re able to switch that cost to an operational expense wherein you pay a flat-rate, ongoing monthly fee for all your I.T. management and support needs. This gives you a more predictable and controllable way to pay for your technology-related expenses, which is always a great idea. In many ways, you save money due to eliminating the cost of staffing, training, consulting, and emergency troubleshooting and/or repairs.
Boost Productivity In The Workplace
You’ve likely heard about the high cost of downtime before, but did you know unplanned downtime costs roughly $58,118 per year for every 100 users in the workplace? If your employees aren’t able to work, you’re not able to bring in any revenue. It’s a common challenge many businesses face, and oftentimes, they think downtime is inevitable, until they make the switch to a more proactive approach like managed services.
Access To A Team Of Certified, Trained Professionals
When you don’t have managed IT services, you’re often left wondering where to find someone to help you when you embrace new technology, process or protocol. When you do have managed IT services, you have access to an entire team who have the training, certifications, and qualifications you need. There’s no need to worry about finding, hiring, and retaining talent for each change your business faces. Your managed services provider has that talent on staff, in spades!
Immediate Support From Knowledgeable Experts
As the old saying goes, “time is money” and you can’t afford to lose it. When you have managed IT services, you’re able to request support immediately when something does go wrong. This means you won’t have to worry about employees waiting around for someone to figure out their technology issues, or worse, trying to figure them out on their own. Instead, an expert will be available to resolve the issue quickly.
Fewer Risks That Can Compromise Compliance Efforts
If you’re operating in an industry that’s mandated under specific regulations to ensure data security, such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, FINRA, etc., managed IT services make good business sense, as you’re able to significantly reduce risks that can compromise your efforts to maintain compliance. An MSP can implement the right cybersecurity solutions to detect and resolve threats within the network.
Greater Flexibility To Scale Up Or Down As Needed
As your business grows, your information technology environment will evolve – you may need additional bandwidth on the network, new user licenses for software, and other changes made. An MSP can have these discussions with you about scaling up or down whenever necessary, and in turn, they’re able to make changes fast. They can expand your services in a moment’s notice whenever necessary.
For more information on the benefits of managed IT services, click here to get in touch or call us at (409) 727-7080.
