The Buyer’s Guide To Managed IT Services: Introduction

Introduction

The average small to midsize business simply doesn’t have the extensive technology expertise required to manage their own technology. Unfortunately, hiring someone or finding a break/fix company doesn’t always cut it. Why not? In the simplest terms, both are expensive for the average small to midsize business to maintain. Think about it… Hiring an internal IT person requires a full-time salary, benefits, and other costs that can add up fast. Finding a break/fix company, on the other hand, means you’re left paying for unexpected issues resulting from a lack of ongoing monitoring and maintenance.

If you’re a larger organization and you have an internal IT person, you might find they’re getting overwhelmed with the amount of work. Maybe they’re spending more and more time in the office working on projects – all while day-to-day monitoring and maintenance get pushed to the bottom of their priority list. When you’re searching for a strategic technology partner, you’re bound to hear the term “Managed IT Services” once or twice. By now, you’re probably wondering if Managed IT Services are the right approach.

Does My Business Need Managed IT Services?

Since the early 1990s, organizations of all types and sizes have turned towards Managed IT Services to monitor, manage, and maintain their technology. So, who provides Managed IT Services? Typically, a Managed Services Provider (MSP) would be the best choice. Essentially, an MSP takes care of all your technology needs – acting as your main point-of-contact for all things technology-related. This is beneficial as you have a single source supplier for all the hardware, software, and support you need.

When something goes wrong, you don’t have to worry about which supplier is responsible for the problem. This means there’s no need to stress about having unreliable suppliers who push the issue onto another supplier. You build a relationship with one company (your MSP) who manages everything for you. They’ll help you with time-consuming tasks, such as:

• Monitoring your infrastructure around-the-clock for any potential issues and/or security threats.
• Setting up comprehensive security solutions designed to safeguard against a range of threats.
• Providing support, whether remotely or onsite, for any issues that arise during or after business hours.
• Configuring the network to meet all your unique needs in terms of speed, accessibility, and more.
• Applying security updates and/or patches immediately after they’re released to improve day-to-day operations.
• And much more

The typical MPS provides a multitude of services within a plan. You would pay a flat-rate monthly fee for that plan – encompassing all your technology needs, such as:

• Data backup and disaster recovery
• Asset management
• Network configuration/design
• Hardware maintenance
• Virtual CIO
• Cybersecurity
• Network monitoring/reporting
• End-user support
• Application management

If you’re struggling with higher-level problems that impact your day-to-day operations, an MSP can be great in terms of providing strategic guidance to resolve challenges and achieve goals. They’re familiar with all sorts of challenges – from communication issues to lack of insight into inventory to vulnerability to security threats and everything in between.

Why Choose Managed IT Services Over Break/Fix Support?

Still feeling uncertain about whether you need Managed IT Services instead of break/fix support? Many companies struggle with the choice as they believe a monthly cost is a lot higher than simply paying occasionally when something goes wrong. But here’s the thing: an MSP is working around-the-clock to earn that monthly cost, whether you see the work being done or not. They’re working proactively to prevent issues from occurring in the first place. When you’re trying to decide between the two options, make sure you’re considering the following:

1. The cost of downtime:

An MSP strives to reduce downtime through proactive monitoring and maintenance. If downtime costs you a lot of money, it might be beneficial to have Managed IT Services in place. Think about the following to determine the cost of downtime:

• What is your typical daily revenue?
• How much less would that daily revenue be if you didn’t have technology for a day?
• How many days would it take to rebuild your entire infrastructure from scratch if needed?

Now do the math and you’ll find it’s likely quite a huge expense, day-by-day, if something goes wrong.

2. The cost of a security breach:

You likely store massive amounts of sensitive data, and in the event of a breach, losing this data can be catastrophic (and costly). Some companies will simply need to notify their customers and move on. Others will have to report the security breach to the local, state, and federal authorities. The cost of a security breach ranges from company to company. Think about the following to determine your rough cost:

• How much sensitive data do you store? And what is the context of that sensitive data?
• How damaging would it be if you couldn’t access your data due to a ransomware attack?
• Would your reputation be damaged if your customer’s information was leaked?

As we continue to release the various parts of this buyer’s guide, you’ll find answers to even more questions, such as:

• What exactly are Managed IT Services?
• What are the individual components of Managed IT Services?
• How much will Managed IT Services cost?
• How are Managed IT Services delivered?
• And much, much more

Keep an eye out for the next release. We’re here to help you make well-informed technology choices!

Learn more on how Managed IT Services can help your business.
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