Managed Services is no longer considered a new technology for most. Adoption started with enterprise companies and trickled down, and even today there are a decent amount of mid-size to small companies utilizing it. SMB companies are cost-conscious by nature and are always looking for ways to save money. Being an IT Consultant, we see many SMB clients opting out of these services in order to save a few dollars in the short run. The problem with doing so, is that after accounting for productivity losses, unscheduled maintenance fees, and even damage to their reputation, the decision not to engage in a managed services contract can end up costing them much more in the long run. Since cost is the first thing most companies look at, it is even more important when discussing managed services to understand the value that it can bring your organization.
- Prevents your business from downtime. When you are proactive with the maintenance and monitoring of your IT environment, it can prevent downtime for your business. Imagine if 1 employee lost productivity for an entire day, 5 employees, or worst case scenario, your entire team loses a day of productivity due to your systems crashing. How much money would you lose if your entire operations shut down for an entire day? Managed Services can improve productivity, efficiency, and also give you a cost savings.
- Easier to budget for. Predictable spending is any business owners dream. Managed services uses a recurring monthly billing model, which means you will be billed the same amount every month. This will allow you to budget appropriately, as well as avoid unscheduled expenses due to unplanned outages, which could end up costing you more in the long run. Unexpected expenses can put a strain on any business, so why not avoid it when you can.
- Provides a safeguard for your data. Proactive data protection and managed IT security together can offer total protection for your critical data and infrastructure. Imagine having the peace of mind that your data is protected from any future loss. I am sure you have talked to colleagues or even other business owners that have had a bad experience with data loss. They can tell you first hand how that loss impacted their business operations. We have signed up new clients after they have experienced something catastrophic in their IT environment. I bet if you would have told them ahead of time what was going to happen, they would have done all they could to protect themselves from that happening. It is great they are taking steps to prevent it from happening again, but it should have never happened in the first place.
- Expert level knowledge. The true value of Managed Services lies in the expert knowledge IT providers can bring to your business, the type of knowledge and experience that it’s very hard to put a price on. Although it can be tempting to manage your own IT, it could take you years to become proficient enough to do so with ease, confidence and expert ability. Even if you hired another staff member to manage all of your IT needs, they might still struggle to keep on top of the workload, due to the ever-changing nature of the digital world.
It is not enough to just make the decision to use Managed Services in your organization, you will also be faced with choosing the right MSP. They need to have a strong understanding of your business, your goals, and be willing to provide solutions to help you get the results you want. You want to partner with an MSP that is proactive and is consistently looking for ways to improve your IT infrastructure and overall IT strategy. To be successful in business, especially with today’s demanding and always changing technology, you do not need to wear every single hat. You just need to make sure you form partnerships with the right people. 2W Tech offers both Managed Services and Infrastructure solutions and would be happy to discuss if Outsourced IT is the best path for your business.
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Infrastructure Solutions
Managed Services