Are you considering managed IT services?
More and more businesses are using managed IT services to improve their efficiency and IT infrastructure. But if you haven’t ever used managed IT services before, you may not be aware of how they can help your business.
We are here to help. If you’re still on the fence, read on for the top five reasons you should reconsider managed IT.
1. More Regular Maintenance
Your operating system and apps must stay up to date. It’s not about having all the features, but more about bug fixes and patches. When your software is up to date, it’ll be more reliable in a security and operational sense.
When a software company finds security breaches or bugs in their program, it gets fixed. Getting prompt fixes for security holes is especially important for avoiding data breaches.
For example, look at Equifax and the issues that had in 2017. This hack originated from patches that weren’t applied. In the May, Equifax confirmed the attacks were through a web-application vulnerability. But that vulnerability had a patch back in the March. This ended up costing Equifax a whopping $575 million! That’s a lot of dollar on the line.
Another important part of maintenance is data management and configuration. A well-configured system will be more efficient with resource distribution. It’ll also make sure only the appropriate people have the right levels of access. You’ll have fewer issues and better response times too.
Fixing systems once they’re broken (or breached) is costly. It’s expensive in time and money with the disruption it causes. Managed services prevent this with better, more regular maintenance.
2. Better Compliance & Security
Compliance and security are a huge concern for all businesses in any industry. Smart devices, operating systems, and other tech store and transfer data all the time. This means you need to be on top of your security protocol.
For every business, falling victim to a hacker or a breach in your security is a huge fear. I breach can cost you money, but also your reputation. Managed services will help protect you from security breaches. And if one does slip through, it lets you take quick action to put a stop to it.
On top of this, every business within their industry must be regulation compliant. This is especially the case for those in the health and legal industries. Managed service providers add is extra policies, protocols, and procedures as needed. This will make sure you’re always compliant in your industry.
3. Less Downtime
Technology is playing an ever-increasing part in our daily activities. To handle this, your business needs a proactive approach to IT strategy. It will allow you to fix issues in a quick, efficient fashion when they crop up.
Too much downtime can cause huge damage to a business. In a 2016 study, unplanned outages lasted an average of 130 minutes. This totaled up to $946,788. Broken down, this comes it at around $7,200 per minute lost!
With a managed IT services provider, you’ll have an expert team on standby for when you need them. Whatever the IT emergency, they’ll be there to help.
From power outages, security breaches, data loss, and other disasters. This is vital for protecting accounts and preventing your business losing its credibility.
It’s their job to become familiar with your IT network. This intimate knowledge will help them prevent and limit the impact of any downtime. And keep those downtimes to a minimum. Not only will this save you time and money, but it’ll also help maintain your reputation.
4. Better ROI & Cost Effectiveness
Using a managed IT service will bring the benefit of considerable savings. You can have better control of ongoing expenses and in turn, see an increase in ROI.
Most IT budgets consist of things like:
- maintenance costs
- labor
- hardware costs
- network and software infrastructure
If you can’t afford to keep up and end up stuck with outdated software, it can impact your ROI in a big way. By outsourcing to a managed provider, you’ll always have access to the most up to date versions.
It’s easy to project expenses for IT services per month. This means you can plan well in advance for any large projects or improvements in the future. Well-managed IT services play a vital role in making sure you’re staying cost-effective.
5. Scalability
If you’re looking for flexibility, outsourcing to a managed IT service won’t disappoint. As you grow and expand, or go through periods of drought, being able to scale up or down is vital.
With an in house team, you won’t have that flexibility to scale up or down with ease. If you need to scale up, you’ll need to buy extra software or permits, and hire new staff.
This often only happens when current staff are already overworked over a long period of time. This will mean your systems are already strained.
Then you need to hire and train these new employees. This will take time and money to do. You’re not even factoring in at this point that if an employee isn’t the right fit or an existing staff member quits. You’re back at square one again!
With managed IT services, you won’t have any of that. These services are easy to scale up or down as and when you need them to. And there are always experts on hand to do the job. Providers have a thorough vetting process for staff so you won’t be at risk of attacks.
Managed IT Services for Any Business
As you can see, not only will managed IT services improve your infrastructure, help you scale and save you money, they can also better protect your business. Few companies will be able to survive paying fines for compliance breaches, or the costs of a major hack.
If you need feel your business could benefit from managed it services, contact us today at Hybrid IT Group. Our unique holistic approach to your IT needs can help to reduce their costs, boost efficiency and create a stronger risk management culture in your business.
