Why Managed Information Technology Services is Essential for Small-Medium Sized Businesses.
In order to find out why a Managed Information Technology Service is essential, we should first define exactly what it is. For the sake of argument let’s just equate “managed” with “outsourced”, basically a Managed Information Technology Service is outsourcing your IT to a knowledgeable third party vendor to monitor, maintain and troubleshoot your IT systems.
When owning / running a small to medium sized business time and money are key components to your success. If certain tasks are taking up to much of your time and are not producing revenue for your company this could become a pain point in your business’ growth. There is an ever growing list of things to keep up with in regards to IT (e.g. updates, security, data back-up and recovery, firewalls, network management …) and the list goes on. A full-time IT employee might not be feasible or necessary but it is imperative that these tasks are taken off your plate so you can focus on growing a successful business. That is where a Managed Service Provider (“MSP”) is a great choice for you, having someone that is an expert in the field of information technology to complete these tasks timely and effectively. MSP’s can also delve into tasks that you might not have the capability to do yourself (e.g. patch management, maintaining Virtual Personal Networks (“VPN”), encryption services, etc.)
By having someone monitor and maintain your IT systems, you can prevent major breakdowns in the future that could cause significant down time (e.g. virus / malware, e-mail outage, data breaches, etc.) In the event that something like this does happen your Managed IT Provider can troubleshoot these issues and have you back to work as soon as possible.
Also, keep in mind that certain things cannot just be ignored, to be effective in business you have to be up to date on the technologies that are out there. A good MSP will alert you to new technologies and features that are available to help your company remain efficient and current. With their keen knowledge on rapidly changing technologies and the IT systems your company uses, having and MSP will make a great match for finding innovative ways to improve your business’ technology resources.
If you’re an organization that has a significant number of desktops, laptops, servers, etc. then you are in need of IT support. Look for a Managed Information Technology Service provider that offers monitoring, maintaining and troubleshooting. Most MSP’s offer these services at a monthly charge and will work with you based on your size and needs.