3 Reasons Why Your Business Should Be Using Managed IT Services
The business landscape has shifted significantly over the past decade and never has the technology and the way we do business changed at such a rapid pace as it now. Every day there are new systems, rules, and working practices to get out heads around, and IT is central to many of them.
Adjusting to a continually evolving and technology-reliant business climate means that systems need to be put into place to adapt successfully to external factors and environments. Businesses of all shapes and sizes in all industries must embrace flexible IT solutions to remain relevant and competitive in a world where digital processes are king.
The managed IT services market is thriving and growing year on year. The reason for this is that this service can be leveraged to improve productivity and efficiency, thus creating faster growth and higher turnover.
With the majority of businesses using IT to run core operations, managed IT services are more in demand than ever, but what exactly are they and why should your business be using them?
What are managed IT services?
Any IT function that is outsourced to a specialist is referred to as a managed service. Businesses can benefit from this third - party service agreement because they will be working with a professional.
During this configuration, the Managed Services provider is responsible for the IT services and equipment involved, and the client then pays a fee - usually monthly - for services provided.
Why does your business need it?
Security: Hackers are continually finding inventive ways to circumvent cybersecurity, so as soon as you think you have fended off one threat, another one appears. Managed IT providers are proactive against threats, embodying the capabilities available to handle possible threats.
Efficiency: When it comes to IT and managing it in house, the chances are that unless you hire specialists - which come at a cost - many of your employees will lack the specific skills needed to manage an entire and complex IT network. When staff are given roles beyond their regular skillset, they are likely to make mistakes, and this can lead to low morale in the workplace and burnout - and a high turnover of staff. Working with a managed services provider means that you will avoid the inefficiencies of in-house staff, who can be better used in other areas.
Cost-effectiveness: Firms generally budget for things like maintenance costs, IT, network infrastructure, hardware, and software costs. Many companies struggle to keep up with the ever-changing face of IT, using outdated software that hampers productivity and can leave you vulnerable to cybercrime. When working with a managed services provider, this is not a concern. They can scale their solutions and network in line with the growth of your business. This allows businesses to forecast monthly IT costs, plan for improvements, and benefit massively from the overall cost-effectiveness.
Using managed IT services allows you to shift your focus from your IT to the critical task of building and growing your business while ensuring you have specialist support and the most up to date technology behind you.
The cost of opening up a physical store can be great. If you’re going to do so, we highly recommend keeping these three things in mind. They’re not the most obvious costs to account for, but before your first week of business gets underway, you’ll need to see about them.