Many small businesses start out managing the IT tasks for their office themselves. This can work if your business only has a couple of employees. However, when the business starts to grow, you will not have the time or the patience to complete data backups, software updates, and employee tech issue troubleshooting. If this situation sounds familiar to you, then consider outsourcing your IT tasks to a Managed Service Provider (MSP).
Why does your business need an MSP?
- You cannot afford system downtime and data loss: Let us say your data backup and recovery systems stopped working for weeks without you realizing it. Then, your email server goes down. Since your company did not back up the email server data, valuable emails such as customer information, legally binding documents, and company reports, are gone. Long-term repeated outages and data loss issues can hurt your business operations, create distrust among your clients, and even threaten to shut down your business altogether. An MSP will create fast and secure IT operations by assessing your current technology environment, then creating a customized business technology plan. Over time, executing this plan will help increase employee productivity, cut down on monetary loss, and ensure peace of mind.
- Monitoring IT systems can get too complex: Most businesses need to use multiple vendors for their computer software, such as Microsoft, Adobe, Symantec, VMware, Oracle, and much more. An MSP already has a comprehensive alerting system in place for monitoring the activity of your applications, devices, data backups, and security. Plus, they will send you reporting via email at an interval you prefer (daily, weekly, etc.).
- Systems operation could be at risk from unapplied software patches: Software vendors, such as Microsoft and McAfee, will send updates for their products to fix any problems relating to performance, usability, and security. For example, if the company does not apply a patch for McAfee, your employees can leave their computers vulnerable to virus and malware attacks and then lose hours of work from downtime. An MSP will keep track of your software and update it regularly.
- You might be losing money fixing a preventable issue: Traditionally, small businesses usually call on an IT support technician only when something breaks. However, if something major breaks down, such as a server, a technician could spend many hours trying to save the device. These hours of labor can lead to a large invoice for your business. An MSP uses a combination of quantitative data and real-world experience to forecast any upcoming IT issues. That way, you and your MSP can still have the option to find and use less expensive and less time-consuming solutions.
- You may have limited expertise in IT support: You may know your industry like the back of your hand. However, someone who has been focusing on running a restaurant, for example, will not have the same amount of expertise in IT. An MSP’s employees are a source of true IT knowledge, thanks to a combination of certifications and on-the-job experience. You, the business owner, can access this expertise with one phone call to the MSP’s help desk.
- Your tech systems do not allow for company innovation: Most companies typically spend 80% of their budget keeping their basic infrastructure running, which does not contribute to the growth of their business. An MSP can help you spend less overall by providing a predictable monthly fee for keeping your IT systems well-maintained. With your savings, you and your MSP can discuss using technology to grow your business and adapt to changing business conditions. For example, you might consider purchasing automated software that will help your employees complete everyday tasks more efficiently.
If you’re interested in hiring a Managed Service Provider for your business, SwiftTech Solutions can help. You can call 877-794-3811 or email info@swifttechsolutions.com for a free consultation.
SOURCES
Cisco Systems, Inc. (2007). Are Managed Services Right for Your Business. Retrieved from: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns339/ns416/ns458/net_brochure0900aecd805cedea.pdf
Tonge, S. (2012). Five reasons why Managed Services help with IT-Business Alignment. Retrieved from: http://blog.unify.com/2012/08/five-reasons-why-managed-services-help-with-it-business-alignment/
Sweetman, D. (2012). How to Increase Your Profits As a Managed Service Provider. Retrieved from: http://www.crn.com/blogs-op-ed/channel-voices/240002262/how-to-increase-your-profits-as-a-managed-service-provider.htm
Smith, J. (2011). Do you need to hire a managed service provider? Retrieved from: http://www.quora.com/Jenny-Smith-14/Posts/Do-you-need-to-hire-a-managed-service-provider
Peretson, R. (2011). Managed Services The Win-Win Model for Your IT Support Business. Retrieved from: http://www.mspbusinessmanagement.com/sites/default/files/whitepaper/WP0003-v1.0-EN-win-win-model-it-support.pdf
Goodrich, R. (2013). Managed Services: Advantages of Outsourcing IT. Retrieved from: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5115-managed-services.html
Rouse, M. (2007). managed service provider (MSP). Retrieved from: http://searchenterprisewan.techtarget.com/definition/managed-service-provider
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Software Patches & OS Updates. Retrieved from: http://ist.mit.edu/security/patches
Processor. (2006). Accurate IT Forecasting. Retrieved from: http://www.processor.com/