Plenty of business owners start out managing their IT needs on their own, which is fine when your business has just one employee! As your business grows, you’ll probably find that the IT tasks you need to do become more complicated and more time-consuming. If you want your business to scale in a meaningful way, you’ll have to invest in managed IT services. Here are the top 5 reasons a business owner should consider using a managed IT provider:
- Fast Access To Technology
If you’re not keeping current with the latest enterprise-level technology, you can bet your competition is. Fortunately, IT guys always have their finger on the pulse when it comes to tech trends. By starting out with an IT team, they can give you expert advice on how to meet your needs and expectations when you’re starting out. As your company grows, they’ll advise you on how you can scale your tech and give you access to the tools you need.
- Cost Savings
You might think that having a dedicated IT employee in your business is better than contracting out to a managed services team, right? After all, that one IT employee can dedicate their full attention to your IT needs. In fact, most small to medium (SMB) business owners would be better off contracting out their IT services. There are a few reasons for this. The first is that hiring a full-time IT employee is almost always more expensive than hiring an IT management team. The second reason is that if a managed IT team isn’t meeting all your IT needs (like a full-time employee would), then you should look for a new IT company anyway. Finally, we all know that “two heads are better than one.” If a single IT employee can’t work out your IT problem, then he’s on his own. With a managed IT service team, you get access to an entire crew of IT professionals – all while paying a single flat rate, no matter how many people are working on your problem.
- Better Security/Peace Of Mind/Compliance
In today’s world, you’d be right to be worried about computer hacking or having your data stolen. Its one thing if your personal computer gets a virus on it, but if your office server gets a virus and exposes your company’s data, it’s another thing entirely. By contracting out to a managed IT team, they can effectively manage your security needs 24/7 – allowing you to sleep at night.
Some business owners might be in an industry where they have to adhere to certain regulations or practices in order to be “compliant” with that industry’s regulatory bodies. Whether you’re in the medical, legal, or finance world, navigating all the rules for storing and transmitting your sensitive data can be a headache. By using a managed IT services team who has experience in your field, you can be sure that you’re keeping on top of all the necessary protocol.
- A Proactive Approach To Maintaining Systems and Reduced Downtime
Let’s say you buy a house with a great deck in the back. You notice that one of the supporting beams is a bit rotted and should be replaced, but you keep putting it off. Once day, you’re out back barbecuing and the deck collapses. Fortunately, no one got hurt, but now you have a serious cleanup and repair ahead of you. If only you had replaced that support beam when you noticed the issue, you could’ve saved yourself a lot of trouble!
The same idea applies to IT support. Lots of people will only hire an IT expert when they notice there is a problem. The thing is though, that the problem is usually compounded by the time you notice it’s broken, which makes for a more expensive and difficult repair. By hiring an IT team, they will proactively monitor your tech infrastructure for any problems. They’ll fix your small problems before they become big ones, which saves you from having to deal with broken tech.
- It Allows Staff To Focus On The Business
Rick from accounting might say he once worked in a computer store, so it would be tempting to ask him to handle tech issues around the office. The problem with relying on your staff to handle IT is the same problem as relying on staff to do office repairs – it’s not what you hired them to do. By using managed IT services, you’re freeing up your team to work on what they’re good at, and leave the worrying to someone else!
