5 Advantages Of Managed IT Support Services For Medium-Sized Businesses
Most medium-sized businesses don’t have a full complement of IT professionals on staff to provide the total care their technology infrastructure demands. The fact of the matter is that it is an expensive proposition to get all of the experts you need.
You may have a small internal IT staff or you may not have any full-time staff members dedicated solely to your technology needs. We get it and work with lots of companies just like yours.
In our 40 years in the IT business, we’ve often found that medium-sized organizations operate somewhere in the twilight zone between no IT support and not enough. If that sounds like your organization, managed IT support services may (or may not) be a good solution for you.
Find it funny that we say it might not be a good solution? Well, we are committed to honesty and, the truth is, managed it support might not be right for you.
Rather than push our own agenda and services, we believe in providing the information you need to make the best IT decision for your organization. Technology is important to every business and you deserve to have all of the details you need to make an informed decision.
In this article, we’ll focus on 5 benefits we’ve seen managed IT support offer to medium-sized businesses like yours.
What Benefits Does Managed IT Offer Medium-Sized Businesses?
Managed IT support offers many advantages for medium-sized businesses. Here are five to consider:
1. Cost Sharing
One of the reasons many medium-sized businesses don’t have a full complement of IT professionals on staff is that it is expensive. One certified IT professional can command a six-figure salary.
One of the advantages of working with a managed IT provider, is that your medium-sized business will gain access to a variety of IT experts without bearing the full cost burden of hiring and retaining your own staff.
You can have the dedicated IT professionals you need, when you need them, at a fraction of the overall cost.
Related article: Small Internal Team? An IT Provider Can Supplement On-Site Staff
2. Efficiency
Managed IT support services offer a comprehensive solution that provides your organization with efficiency in several ways:
Staffing
The staff turnover rate for IT professionals is higher than any other industry (more than 13 percent).
Managed IT takes the guess work and stress out of hiring and retaining the qualified professionals you need. Learn how managed IT provides for seamless staffing transitions.
Without that burden, you are free to focus on what you do best: running your business.
And, if you do have a small internal IT staff, you can get the best of both worlds by co-managing IT support and maximizing your team’s productivity.
Related article: What Is Co-Managed IT Support? How Does It Work?
Proactive Monitoring, Patching And Updating
Managed IT support services include regular monitoring and updating for your entire network. This proactive approach minimizes crisis moments and puts you ahead of the game, keeping your network safe, available and efficient.
User Support & Service
Providing service support for your users means that managed IT support services free up any internal IT staff you may have to address other issues rather than fighting the everyday fires.
Related article: What’s A Normal IT Response & Service Time? 5 Things To Know About SLAs
3. Security
Small businesses often don’t have the resources to properly assess their risk, keep up on the latest security threats, and implement the solutions they need.
Many managed providers offer cybersecurity expertise, which can help ensure that your cybersecurity policy includes everything you need (like effective data backup procedures).
Your provider’s on-staff experts monitor the latest threat vectors, cybersecurity trends, and related security solutions to ensure that your organization is as protected as possible from impending threats.
Related article: 6 Easy, Cost-Effective Cybersecurity Solutions
Some providers also include security awareness training for your employees, giving them the skills and knowledge they need to become an effective human firewall that keeps your data safe.
Read this article to find out 3 topics every cybersecurity training must include.
4. Predictability
Managed IT support services are predictable in many ways including:
Reliable Cost
Managed IT support providers charge a fixed fee every month.
This article tells you everything you need to know about what managed IT includes and how much it costs.
No more surprise invoices and unexpected costs when something goes wrong.
You can sleep soundly knowing that not only does your provider have it covered, but that you know how much you will pay and that your IT budget will be intact at the end of the year.
Ongoing Service
Managed IT providers work behind the scenes every day to make sure your network is operating at peak efficiency.
They monitor and report suspicious activity, push security patches and other upgrades to your devices, and make sure your business is available for your customers.
5. Strategic Alignment
By taking the time to understand your business and infrastructure, your managed IT support service provider makes sure you have the technology you need in place to successfully achieve your dynamic business goals. They become your strategic partner, rather than your IT fixer.
Since their experts look out for the health of your entire technology infrastructure, your external IT partner will keep you informed about potential risks and help you plan for necessary upgrades.
This planning involves not only selecting the appropriate equipment and coordinating the installation, but also helping you plan for changes in your business and prepare your IT infrastructure and budget so there are no surprises.
Related article: Align Your IT And Business Strategy: Why It Matters, How To Do It
Are Managed IT Support Services A Good Solution For Your Medium-Sized Business?
Only you can decide if managed IT support services are a good solution for you. After reading this article, you are armed with the information you need to make this important decision. You now understand five of the key benefits your organization could realize by working with a managed IT support service provider.
Related article: Is My Business Too Small For Managed IT Support?
In this article, we’ve explored: cost sharing, efficiency, security, predictability, and strategic alignment. But, in spite of these important benefits, the truth is managed IT support isn’t the right solution for every business.
If you still aren’t sure what the best solution is for you, here’s an article that may help you decide whether break/fix or managed IT is the right solution for you.
This article explains what managed IT support services include and how much they cost.
If you are looking for external IT support of any kind, explore several options to make sure you find the right fit for you. The relationship won’t yield its true potential if your IT provider isn’t the right partner for you.
We take this advice so seriously that we’ve written some articles that compare our services to those of some of our competitors.
Why do that you might ask? We are committed to helping people like you get the IT provider that will work best for your organization.
And, as consumers ourselves, we know that the first place we turn when making an important decision is the internet. So we’ve saved you a step.
Here’s one article that provides an honest, direct comparison based on publicly available information on the internet: IT Direct vs. Kelser (Which IT Provider Is Right For Me?) Visit our Learning Center for more comparison articles.
If you are ready to start your IT support journey and explore your options, click on the link below, fill out the two-question form, and one of our experts will reach out to talk with you about your needs, and whether we might be a good fit to work together.
