Part 1: Managed IT Services for the Consumer

What Will I Gain From Reading This Manual?

If you are a business owner or in upper management within an organization that depends on the information technology or IT resources that handle petabytes of data the business world uses and transfers on a daily basis, you would be wise to read this manual.

What Does 'Managed IT Services' Mean?

The management aspect of managed services means that the operations associated with IT equipment is handled by a party outside of your company. The purpose of managed services is to optimize your operational efficiency, reduce your risk to the lowest level possible and produce maximum financial and time value from a technological perspective.

How Will Engaging a Managed IT Services Provider (MSP) Help My Organization?

Managing IT starts with MSPs. If your organization has its own IT department or if you would like to skip the additional costs and challenges that an IT department adds, Managed Services can ease the burden of IT equipment maintenance. MSPs can also make your systems work harder and more efficiently for you.

An MSP will proactively monitor and manage your IT infrastructure, often with a particular specialization. The specialized services an MSP provides may be variable, with some of these companies providing a security emphasis while others work especially well with particular applications. Many MSPs are able to offer a wide range of services but choose to focus on providing maximum quality services to a particular sector such as aerospace or financial services.

In this day and age, organizations of all varieties and all sizes rely on IT infrastructure. Every action from sending emails and selling products or services online to communicating with virtual offices around the world is handled in this way. Every time someone composes a letter at their computer, IT infrastructure comes into play.

As more companies and other organizations grow into reliance on IT equipment, the risk of attack by hackers and the risks to the hardware and software due to power fluctuations and natural disasters grows steadily. While IT provides great benefits, these benefits come at the price of responsible vigilance. There are malcontents plotting sophisticated attacks on even the best-guarded and most secure networks as personal challenges and attempts to profit handsomely. Virulent software such as viruses and worms are out to get every network at all hours of the day and night. Hackers rarely sleep, and their creations never do.

Often the best an IT department can do is to maintain the basic functions and reasonable protection of their organizational network. Often they have minimal time to focus on further developing the competency required to further advance the organization. However, organizations engage MSPs because of both this and the potential that large upcoming projects present. This potential is both lucrative and challenging, draining an IT department's resources. Even regulatory compliance or mere guardianship of IT infrastructure compels an organization to seek out an MSP's aid.

Regardless of the reasoning behind it, there are numerous benefits to be gained by working with an MSP that businesses and other organizations learn about every day.

How will I know how much an MSP can help me?

Several questions can be helpful, both in self-assessing your needs and occasionally re-evaluating when your organization's needs have changed.

Is IT a part of my organization?

In almost every possible way, yes! No matter if yours is the most technologically sophisticated or simplest business, you depend on IT infrastructure and its effective operation. If you use email, have at least one website or use any other Web or Cloud-based service to conduct your daily tasks, an MSP may be able to help you take your organization's effectiveness to the next level.

But I have an IT department. Isn't that enough?

Your IT department is most likely skilled, professional and dedicated. However, many organizations do not realize how hard they push their IT department. While having your own IT department can "handle" most operations and might feel that their jobs would be jeopardized by using an MSP, the opposite is generally true. Most of the services that MSPs provide are to take over the more mundane tasks that your IT staff is currently handling in order to free up their time and energy for more worthwhile and advanced tasks. Most companies that make use of an MSP develop a deep trust and appreciation for the services it provides because these services allow the organization to grow.

If you have enjoyed this post, be sure to read the second installment that will be posted on the third week of December. Until next time!