As businesses migrate to the digital space and become heavily reliant on IT systems, ensuring a reliable, responsive and efficient IT system remains a common challenge among organizations. Having an IT management plan that is cost-effective, reliable and technologically up-to-date is vital.
Maintaining an IT department to manage and monitor your technology and network is a popular approach in IT management. But lately, a new IT service model has emerged and is fast becoming the preferred route of many organizations. This is known as Managed IT Services. It is estimated that managed IT services will grow by 11.5% from 2017 to 2021.
Managed IT Services means outsourcing your day-to-day IT management responsibilities and needs to a third-party contractor. An IT specialist at Morgan Systems, an IT support company from Dallas, explains that with Managed IT Services the responsibility of managing, monitoring and upgrading your technology and network is shifted to an outsourced provider. However, organizations with existing IT departments may still need the help of managed IT service contractors to augment or supplement the department’s functions and technology.
Managed IT services offer a range of services that may include data storage, IT services, back-up, network management, Internet monitoring, systems management, and more. You decide on which services your organization needs. For example, the IT service provider will simply monitor your system and then send a notification, your IT personnel will then resolve the issues. You can also choose to subscribe to full and more intensive services that include monitoring, problem resolution, and system updates. Managed IT Services is a cost-effective approach to maintaining your organization’s IT systems.
Wondering if your organization needs Managed IT Services? An easy way is to determine how much your company is spending on managing your IT systems and compare it with the quote of a reputable managed IT services contractor. This should give you a clear picture of how much you’ll save if you outsource your IT needs.
There are also other signs that tell you that Managed IT Services is right for you:
Absence of an IT department or professional IT staff
Hiring an IT professional or setting up an IT department can be a challenge to many small- and medium-sized businesses. Often, the task of maintaining and managing the IT systems is assigned to the unlucky, tech-savviest personnel in the workplace. Initially, this approach may work for your company, but as the IT needs of the organization grow, it may overwhelm the skills and time of the dedicated IT staff.
The lack of proper knowledge and technology also makes managing the IT infrastructure costlier and less effective. They also lack the tech knowledge and skills to plan how to handle future IT needs, thereby putting your system at higher risk. Other times, the dedicated IT person may not be around, leaving your operations hanging. The lack of a reliable IT support can ultimately hamper the productivity of your organization.
Inadequate IT department or staff
Even if you have an in-house IT team, are they technologically capable and knowledgeable to cover all the IT needs of your organizations? Are they able to continually implement system upgrades and security updates, daily data and server maintenance checks, and other technology and network maintenance? With so many tasks on hand, it’s not uncommon for IT professionals to be overrun with work. Furthermore, major and higher priority issues crop up every now and then, resulting in delays in implementing some essential tasks.
A managed IT services contractor can help lighten the load of overworked and stretched-out IT departments. As a result, they are able to perform day-to-day functions and ensure the efficiency of your IT infrastructure.
Recurrent problems requiring outside help
If your IT system is frequently having issues that need repair of an IT company, it might be more cost-effective to subscribe to managed IT services. Usually, you spend more when you pay for someone to come on-site to troubleshoot problems. The operations and productivity of your organization are also hampered every time the system breaks.
With managed IT services, you minimize the hassles you experience with break/fix IT work. Continuous monitoring and maintenance by an IT service contractor will help identify problems immediately, thereby avoiding major crashes, which are often very costly to resolve.
Other reasons to subscribe to Managed IT Services
If you are experiencing any of the issues mentioned above, Managed IT Services might very well be a good option for your business. Other organizations that should consider Managed IT Services are: start-up companies with limited financial resources to set up an organic IT department, established companies with growing IT needs or in need of temporary IT services, and specialized businesses that need to focus on their operations more than their IT infrastructure, such as banks, financial institutions, and accounting firms.
So, does your company need managed IT services?
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