How To Determine If Managed IT Services Are The Right Fit For Your Business

March 14, 2023 No Comments

by Nancy E. Schley

Today, the global information technology (IT) budget is predicted to reach over USD$3.9 trillion as more companies continue to invest and integrate IT solutions to boost their business processes. Your company’s IT infrastructure plays an essential role in your daily operations. It keeps your business running smoothly by helping you with different business processes, such as:

– Providing timely and more streamlined communication to customers

– Improving data keeping through digital storage

– Providing better protection and safeguarding sensitive and valuable business data

– Making collaboration easier and faster with your business partners and suppliers

With the assistance and benefits of IT, businesses are now building their in-house team of IT personnel to give themselves an edge over competitors, especially in technological advancements. 

Managed IT services: At a glance

Although having an internal IT team in your company is essential, it doesn’t necessarily have to be completely in-house. Working with managed IT providers is a wise move, especially when your business is constantly growing and your current IT team needs more help in dealing with the increasing demands and changes of IT.

Managed IT services can help take care of your business’s technology, allowing you to focus on more important things. You can leave it to a team of reliable IT professionals to handle your computer systems. 

Some services they provide may include:

– Software updates and upgrades

– Software and hardware maintenance

– PC and other device repairs

– Virus prevention and removal

– Support desk management

– Network monitoring

Hence, investing in managed IT services can make a massive difference to business operations. 

Managed IT providers: Are they the right fit for your business?

Unfortunately, not all business owners know when it’s time for them to offload their IT management. Some tend to be confident about their internal IT team and try handling tasks in-house until they realize too late that they need an expert’s help. 

This article will provide a few factors that will help you determine whether managed IT services are a great fit for your business.

1. You’re dissatisfied with your current internal IT team

Having an internal IT team has its benefits. You can be more hands-on with the day-to-day processes and customize them to your business needs and specifications since you built them from the ground up. But as your needs change and the support tickets from other employees increase, your in-house IT team can quickly decelerate, unable to focus on critical tasks and meet their responsibilities.

Distraction and failure to fulfill their responsibilities will eventually lead to dissatisfaction. Investing in managed IT services can take some, if not all, of the workload off your internal IT team. You can avail of the services and let experts serve as helpdesk support or hire them as a replacement for your in-house team. 

2. You belong to small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs)

One common misconception some SMB owners have is that their small companies are at less risk for cyberattacks because they have fewer assets than large companies. On the contrary, small-to-medium-sized businesses are three times more likely to be victims of cyberattacks than larger companies. 

Hackers prefer to target SMBs due to their limited internal IT budgets and inferior security measures. Statistics also show that out of 43% of cyberattacks aimed at SMBs, only 14% of companies are prepared to defend themselves.

Some small businesses, particularly startups, would hire one IT employee to oversee their cybersecurity. This is a good start. But as the business expands and gets busier, the IT employee will have to deal with increasing workload. Along with that burden, your company’s network may have some security gaps, putting you and your valuable data at risk of cyberattacks.

So, whether you’re a startup, a small organization, or a medium-sized company, you need to allocate enough budget and invest in managed IT services. You can find managed IT providers that offer affordable and superior alternatives to help you set up wider and more robust network security than something developed by a single IT employee.

3. You don’t have the means or resources to build an internal IT team

Building your own internal IT department from scratch can consume much of your time, money, and resources. You’ll need to hire suitable candidates, buy their needed equipment for the job, and set aside office space for them. Furthermore, you must budget for the IT team’s salary, PTO, and benefits. All these expenses can quickly build up and even cost higher than hiring managed IT services.

That’s why others would prefer hiring one person to serve as their single IT personnel and let them handle the company’s entire IT infrastructure. However, managing your business IT shouldn’t be considered a one-person job. Otherwise, this will just overwhelm your IT personnel, as well as compromise the quality and security of your business network. 

So, if you don’t have enough resources to create your own internal IT department without compromising your network security, go for managed IT services. Your managed IT provider will be your third-party IT department that helps protect and manage your network security remotely. 

4. You prefer a hands-off approach to IT

Some business owners want to be hands-on with the daily management of their business network security and will likely opt for an internal IT department. However, if you’re one of those who doesn’t have the time to oversee the network effectively, you’ll benefit more from a managed IT service provider. 

A managed IT service provider will notify you of any major changes or updates about your network, security issues that may arise, and future upgrades they’ll implement. They’ll also deal with network troubleshooting and data backups necessary for daily business operations. With their assistance, you and other staff members can devote more time to important tasks.

5. You don’t have proper backup processes

As part of cybersecurity measures, businesses must set up a proper data backup and disaster recovery process. Top vulnerable industries, such as finance, healthcare, and information, require this kind of process since hackers often steal valuable data (e.g., bank/credit card details, passwords, money) that they can use for ransom, financial gain, and sabotage. 

If a ransomware attack hits your business and you don’t have a proper backup and disaster recovery process in place, you could permanently lose your data and face significant financial loss.

When you hire a managed IT provider, they’ll install cybersecurity software like antivirus software and help you set up a proper data backup and disaster recovery protocol. You can use this protocol in case of any cyberattacks or compromised business data to minimize downtime and maximize data security.

Conclusion

All businesses must be proactive in improving their cybersecurity measures and procedures. If any of these factors apply to your company, then it’s time to invest in managed IT services. You can trust your provider to strengthen your business network and help you save time and resources.

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