Many events can prompt an organization’s decision to explore managed IT services–recent data breach, unpredictable downtime, unreliable IT service, or trouble integrating newer technologies. When these kinds of events arise, it brings about questions.
How can we implement IT solutions that work like they’re supposed to so leadership can stay focused on what’s important? How can we overcome the technology inadequacies that are holding us back from jamming printers and poor software integration? How do we maintain security?
To answer these questions, we’ll look at how a managed IT provider can support business goals while delivering the ROI decision-makers need to justify the expense.
#1 - Create a Secure Technology Environment
Data breaches, ransomware, and other malicious activity have been on the rise over the past 20 years. In 2019 alone, nearly 1500 businesses reported security breaches with 160 million records exposed.
An estimated two-thirds of businesses fell prey to phishing emails in 2019. However, thanks to proactive security measures, many escaped the worst outcomes. And you may not realize that as many as two out of three attacks are against small businesses, so no business is too small to escape being a target.
Even as security improves, criminals find new ways to circumvent security efforts. So creating and maintaining a secure technology environment should be is a top priority. That includes your people. Your employees are your first line of defense against these attacks. Educating employees and creating a security-minded culture are wise investments.
Managed IT services have the security expertise on-staff to design, implement, train for, and maintain a secure environment. They can establish a secure network and computer environment. They can also help you develop policies and create resources to educate and reinforce security protocols and best practices.
A managed IT provider helps you mitigate the risk of losing company data and information by implementing reliable backups and systems. And, as needed, your trusted provider can help you secure access quickly and discreetly during layoffs/dismissals/quitting to reduce the risk of retaliatory behaviors, which you and your former employee would come to regret.
#2 - Offload the Handling of Day-to-Day Technology Management and Problems
A recent downtime study found that the average company loses around $1.5M and about over 500 hours of productivity due to downtime. Yet, it’s a cost a lot of organizations underestimate and don’t know how to quantify. And many small to medium businesses, those who can least afford this kind of loss, lack the resources for full-time IT support needed to reduce this downtime by ensuring that technology works as it should in the first place.
So someone in the office may become the go-to tech troubleshooter. This person (or people) is probably more than happy to do it, but it takes time away from the role that you’re paying them for. And that can be a problem, especially if they end up spending all day on menial tasks like trying to unjam printers, help employees recover lost files, or unlock their accounts.
When you contract with a managed IT provider, they can be available with 20 or more responsive, downtime-reducing troubleshooters to support IT needs. In addition to the support of employees, managed IT can also regularly monitor the status of servers, hardware, software, and systems to limit and prevent team or company-wide downtime.
#3 - Someone You Trust to Be Your IT Advisor
You wouldn’t trust a financial adviser with little experience. Nor would you take your child to an unlicensed doctor. But everyday business leaders are trying to make the right technology decisions for their companies, even though they lack the data or expertise to fully understand the technologies and whether they’ll deliver the right ROI.
Managed IT consolidates company-wide technology management and problem-solving. And that means it’s easier for a single all-inclusive IT provider to identify areas where technology improvements can enhance productivity, reduce downtime, and cuts costs. They can provide you with the data needed to make more data-driven business decisions.
And because they’re IT experts, they can suggest proven technology solutions to business problems that you have to improve efficiency and profitability.
An IT services provider will keep your business informed of current and upcoming IT solutions to help your business stay relevant and competitive. They also have the expertise, knowledge, and experience to handle any major problems that should arise during new technology roll-out and integration.
#4 - Get Better Management of Your Technology than You Could Afford In-House.
How much would it cost to have a team of people who are just a phone call away when employees face technology challenges? What would a full-time security expert plus business technology experts, server maintenance professional, and enterprise resource planning experts cost? Could your business justify the expense? Many small to medium businesses struggle with this dilemma.
When you work with managed IT service, you’ll have an entire team at your disposal with a range of specialties at a price that makes sense for small businesses.
So rather than just one guy or gal who is really good at one aspect of IT, you get access to the entire suite of IT professional resources–security, servers, cloud management, software applications, networks, and more.
This cost-effectiveness is possible because IT service providers can optimize the way they deliver service by:
- Promoting a robust internal culture, which reduces turnover and promotes personal growth
- Distributing client workload among many qualified people, so no one IT team member or team ever feels overloaded or lets their quality and service slip.
- Utilizing state-of-the-art technologies to enhance performance
Each of these reduces the bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and added cost of having an in-house IT team while delivering better service and support than you could otherwise afford.
#5 - Consistent Management and Policies When It Comes to Your Systems
A managed IT provider can bring consistency, predictability, and peace of mind to leadership because managed IT services have the staffing, systems, and technology to deliver this kind of service. You have one go-to managed IT services company you can trust with all aspects of IT, so you don’t end up with a patchwork of technologies that don’t work well together.
Getting Managed IT Services from a Managed IT Provider
You don’t need more IT problems. You want solutions that work and IT services from people you can trust. We have over 20 years of IT experience, a full-range of on-staff IT experts across specialties, and an employee and client turnover rate that is far lower than other industry leaders. We’re doing something right. And that something is delivering responsive, quick resolutions, less downtime, and the expertise you need to compete and maximize profits.
To learn how Managed IT Services can help your business, contact us today for a free consultation.
