Using managed IT services is synonymous with growth, scalability, cost reduction and complex task management. Yes, it’s a great synonym, but that’s the way technology is, what it touches it improves.
In this blog, you will learn how IT managed services support business growth, offer expert solutions, and allow your team to focus on core goals—making it easier to scale operations without worrying about IT problems.
Why Managed Services Has Become Go-To Solution for Businesses
The managed IT services comes with preventative network monitoring to reduce downtime, better technology planning, the peace of mind from knowing you have a certified team of experts who is making your business part of their mission.
Today’s economy is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to examining why businesses require smarter IT services to help them positively impact their budget, maximizing budgets for better profitability.
This fact is among the most significant reasons why a larger number of decision makers are exploring around the managed IT support services option. It is a partnership that brings value to your business and quite frankly makes sense when you are trying to get ahead in the competitive marketplace.
According to Gartner IT services spending is expected to increase 4.2% in 2017, with investments in “services optimization and innovation” fueling growth in this space. Businesses today are hyper aware of the economic challenges and it drives the need to find solutions within IT services that deliver solutions beyond simple management and monitoring, and works not only towards a technology roadmap but also towards budgeting to achieve the goals that drive companies to remain operationally technology enabled and device first to keep a competitive advantage in their growth.
The extensive portfolio of IT services included under managed IT services allied with its predictable and scalable pricing model has made this the preferred solution for modern-day businesses to strategically optimize their IT operations and technology around organization-wide growth strategy.
How IT Managed Services Enable Business Growth
IT managed services support business growth by providing specialized knowledge, cutting-edge technology, and flexible solutions without the cost of a full-time in-house IT department. As businesses scale, IT requirements become more elaborate — from managing growing data volumes to protecting sensitive information and maintaining business continuity.
Managed service providers (MSPs) smooth the path for many of these processes so corporations can stay fixated on their primary goals while handing over the responsibility of technology management to experts.
MSPs allow for the rapid rollout of new tools, support for remote teams and systems remain running smoothly—all of which leads to improved productivity, increased customer satisfaction and rapid growth. Uninterrupted support and proactive monitoring help businesses remain agile and competitive in evolving markets.
Key Benefits of IT Managed Services for Scalability
If you are looking for scalability, then you need to sign up with a managed IT services provider. Here are the main benefits that will reinforce your business objectives.
Flexibility to Scale Resources On-Demand
Managing resources at will is the primary benefit. Managed IT services give you the perfect flexibility to manage seasonal peaks, new initiatives or growth without significant upfront investments.
Cost Predictability and Savings
If you like to manage resources at will, then predictable costs are your thing, and this is just another benefit of having an MSP. This means significant savings on hardware, software and IT staff.
Access to Latest Technology and Expertise
With the group of managed services, businesses get to take the benefit of advanced tools, cybersecurity solutions, & expert IT professionals. This ensures that technology does not lag and remains aligned with industry best practices, ultimately improving efficiency as a whole.
The aim of a managed services provider is to maintain your network with consistency, and streamline your company’s software management and technology planning.
Managed IT Services Fills in the Gaps to Alleviate Surprises
Managed IT support services handle the nuances of the IT operations and mitigate the surprises that can derail a day’s worth of business operations — so leaders can keep their attention on running the business, and employees can stay engaged to execute the company growth strategy.
So for instance, imagine that you walk into the office on Monday morning to find that your network has been down all weekend long. All of sudden you have to scramble to hire outside techs who are not familiar with your company’s IT infrastructure and its mission critical objectives, which can be productivity disaster for the week.
One Financially Efficient, Scalable IT Services Solution
When you take a look at the complete range of included services, you find that you have a single solution available to you to meet your needs for IT support services — a provider that stands to enhance your organization’s scalability while continuing to provide budget efficiency in the form of a managed services pricing model.
In the examples above; network monitoring, proper administration and a solid technology roadmap have been touched on, but these are just the tip of the iceberg in a robust managed IT support services plan. Regular network checkup visits are a vital part of proactive IT management, technology management and IT help desk support to maintain the smooth functioning of your network infrastructure.
What should a good managed IT support services package include? To ensure that your networks remain healthy, and that your business productivity does not slow down; what you need to include are:
1) Technology management as a centralized service for all of the following:
- Network Security: covers all patch management, anti-spyware and anti malware management and also spam management.
- Mastering all desktops/laptops/mobile devices and coordination of all documents
- Management of e-mail
- Voice services
- Back-up of data administration
2) Network Administration by implementation of a dedicated network administrator, including: monitoring of the network, a tailored technology checklist for your company based on industry best practices and a comprehensive report review on provided services.
3) Your dedicated, knowledgeable Technology Account Manager for technology consulting accompanied by the Technology of a fractional Chief Information Officer focused on the following:
- Technology roadmap
- And scheduled network checkup visits
- Technology budgetary planning
4) An internal end-user IT support desk team
- Make sure the MSP does not have an outsourced ticketing system, as you would want your employees to be able to have access 24/7 to expedite resolution to any of the IT needs. A good MSP provides a team of internal resources for the following services:Help desk and on-site support
- Problem identification and remediation
- Educating a knowledge base
- Client portal and mobile support
All of these things allow the scope of IT services management that will actually help improve productivity and keep that network spinning (less downtime!) and let you sleep well at night knowing that you are giving your company all the IT system management and maintenance it requires. Most importantly, sleep well at night without worrying about what the next big problem is that will surely rear its ugly head and how much it will cost.
With tailored managed IT support services, you’ll find your monthly costs will still be cheaper than hiring in-house staff members for all the skills provided. The value added you will inevitably have, will be far superior over hourly, break fix technicians, and with a much tighter cost!
Because of the importance of extensive IT management, your company should have an agile business solution, that allows your company’s scalability, not restricts it! Your monthly bill is based on how many employees you have due to the flat fee pricing model; thus, your pricing can grow or shrink based on the size management needed for your business.
How to Choose the Right Managed IT Service Provider
These are the aspects you have to take into account to guarantee a fluid IT operation and the success of your business in the long term.
Assess Experience and Industry Knowledge
You should look at the background. When choosing an MSP, the first thing to look at is their history of providing services to companies like yours, with challenges like yours and compliance factors… yes, like yours.
Review Service Offerings and SLAs
Confirm that the provider has services for a over a variety of areas—network management, cybersecurity, cloud support—and has clear Service Level Agreement (SLAs) that spell out performance and response times.
Check References and Support Capabilities
Check if they have client testimonials and case studies as well as 24/7 availability for help. A good MSP will provide 24/7 monitoring, remediation, and strategic IT consulting to help your business scale.
Download our FREE Business Guide to Managed Services eBook for a comparison of IT management models and use the included checklist to assess your company’s current IT performance.
