[See updated 2019 article HERE.]
Back in 2012, a huge chunk of my day would involve transcribing 30-40-minute interviews that I have conducted the day before. I remember using an audio foot pedal to go back 15 seconds into the audio file to make sure that I heard a word correctly or that I did not miss important information that my interviewee mentioned. One step on the pedal would take you back for 15 seconds and two quick steps would take you back for 30 seconds. Such a hassle, right?
Then I discovered outsourcing.
After agreeing to a fee, my virtual assistant would do all the transcribing for me while I went out on the field to
interview more people – and, when I came back to work, I had all the transcribed content in my email ready to be written into a blog post or a press release. Ah, those were the days.
Imagine having the same type of assistance and service for your company’s IT needs. Not just for one person
– no. Imagine your whole company being serviced by a team of IT professionals effectively and efficiently.
Sounds too good to be true? Well, you’re in for a treat.
In this day and age, loads of managed IT services exist to help any type of business cover their IT needs which, in turn, allow businesses to lower their costs and become more effective in their day to day operations. These services vary from server management, customer support, to server backup. But what does managed IT services really mean?
Managed IT services is a type of outsourced service that provides reliable, affordable, and timely solutions to a business’ IT needs. Simply put, you – as a business owner – would never have to worry about your IT needs ever again as you have someone taking care of it for you. Someone whose business revolves around technology and someone whose main selling point is to take IT services out of your hands and worry about it on your behalf. Now you might be scratching your head out of confusion because it shouldn’t be this simple, right? Okay, let’s look at the advantages of hiring a managed services provider:
- Salary of a full-time IT employee costs more than hiring a managed services provider
- The breadth of knowledge of a team of IT professionals is always greater than one IT employee
- No more worrying about downtime due to an IT employee not making it to work – depending on your contract, managed IT services could be 24/7
Still unconvinced? Here comes the best part:
The success of the relationship between a business and a managed IT services provider lies when they work hand in hand. What does that mean? Let’s look at it this way: imagine the break-fix model of the good old days which literally meant that if something broke, a company would call a technician and a technician would come out to fix it. The company would then pay an hourly rate and, once it’s fixed, the technician and the company would shake hands and that’s it. The break-fix model isn’t ideal nowadays for two main reasons: time and the modern company’s reliance on technology. A financial company couldn’t wait two, three, four hours just to have the servers fixed – they need it pronto.
A managed IT services’ income heavily relies on a client’s smoothly-run system as the more problems you have, the more resources they spend.
Remember:
- Managed IT services provide timely support using the expertise of industry-trained individuals.
- Managed IT services give you and your company time to stay competitive and hungry for expansion.
- The success of your relationship with your managed IT services provider lies on clear communication paths and goal alignment.
Still curious? Talk to an IT service provider today to know more about managed IT services!
