Choosing an IT services company is one of the most important decisions you will make for your business. In this day and age, managed service providers (MSPs) operate on a simple business model: offer services that your business needs. That’s all there is to it. If your business needs something done quickly, and you currently don’t have the necessary skills in your in-house team to address it, you outsource it to an MSP.
MSPs allow businesses to scale their operations and pay for only what they need. As a result, businesses lower their costs and run a more efficient operation by doing away with the break-fix model of the old days. MSPs provide an agile approach to better cater to the needs of an ever-changing business landscape.
But, when it comes to IT, how are things managed? The answer lies in managed IT services.
What are managed IT services?
A managed IT service is a type of outsourced service that provides reliable, affordable, and timely solutions to a business’ IT needs. The goal of managed IT services is to provide a simple cost-effective approach to your IT functions and take the bulk of those functions out of your hands. The best managed service providers are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to cater to a client’s day-to-day IT needs.
But what if I already have an in-house IT team?
Contrary to popular belief, having an in-house IT team actually works well with having an outsourced IT services provider. Why? Because given the right planning, one could complement the other and vice versa. Think of your in-house IT department as the main point of contact for IT infrastructure and strategic planning whereas your managed IT services provider could function as your IT support in day-to-day IT operations like data backup, network management, IT security, and hardware configuration just to name a few.
So what exactly are the benefits of a managed IT services provider?
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Predictable costs to better plan your budget
- In some cases, the salary of a full-time IT employee costs more than hiring a managed IT services provider. With a managed IT services provider, you get a team of IT professionals that live and breathe IT for nine to 10 hours every day. The MSP model allows clients to easily allocate resources, especially expenses, on a monthly basis rather than planning a much bigger budget for an in-house IT department. Managed IT service providers usually offer fixed-rate monthly fees and offer scalable options if ever you need more bang for your buck.
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Trained, qualified, and experienced technicians
- MSPs only employ trained and qualified individuals that are well-equipped with the latest technology surrounding IT. If you’re looking for a managed IT services provider, one of the most important things you should look into is the qualifications of an MSPs staff. This gives you an overview of how well your prospective MSP can service your business’ needs.
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Focus on growing your business instead
- By outsourcing your IT needs, you are allowing yourself to focus on much more important things like growing your business. Small and medium-sized businesses, understandably, try to do everything themselves because of budget restrictions and limited resources. However, the best thing about managed IT services is that you won’t have to spend a fortune to avail of their services. With the help of MSPs, you and your staff can effectively work on growing the business and focusing on your core competencies rather than worrying about your IT needs.
- As mentioned above, managed IT service companies won’t ask for an absurd amount of money from you because they offer scalable solutions for businesses of any size. You can mix and match the services that you need without breaking the bank - pay for what you need when you need it. Hiring a managed IT services provider means you can efficiently allocate your resources to much more pressing goals. And, when your business experiences rapid growth and expansion, you can talk to your MSP and negotiate a more expansive contract.
- Chances are your business deals with sensitive information. Having a holistic approach to securing your infrastructure, your operations, and your assets should be every single business’ priority. “Managed IT service providers oversee large data centers and put multiple layers of protection in place,” says Emil Isanov, CEO, ETech 7. “However, users may still be breached by hackers. It is of utmost importance to understand that as technology evolves, cybercriminals evolve with it.” MSPs oversee your company’s IT infrastructure to make sure that preventative measures are in place to combat cyber threats.
Ready to make a decision?
We’re not saying that one is better than the other. Having an in-house IT team and hiring an MSP bring their own plethora of benefits. It all depends on what you, as a business, need. If you’re looking for more scalable measures and cost-effective solutions, then hiring an MSP might just be for you.
If you’re interested in more information about MSPs, contact us today.