What are managed IT Services and what are the benefits?

Managed IT services are a way for companies to access a range of IT skills without having to hire any permanent staff. 

Managed IT services encompass a suite of different types of IT support that you may need to operate your business effectively. They are often used in place of in-house IT staff, particularly for small businesses who are on a budget and wanting to scale. But they can also be used to support your IT staff, bring additional skills, expertise and capacity to your team.

Your managed services provider (MSP) can look after your network, backups, network security, manage your communications, assist with compliance and provide around the clock IT support.

When are managed IT services a good fit?

There are various situations in which managed IT services may be a good fit for your company.

Below we look at some of these examples, which may signal that you have a need for a MSP.

1. If your IT support response times are slow

If your current IT support times are slow, or only available during limited hours of the day or week, then you may want to consider an MSP. 

There’s nothing worse than knowing you’ve just had a privacy breach or your site is down, and you can’t get hold of anyone to fix it. Even just a few hours of downtime can wreak havoc on profitability and productivity of an organization. 

That’s where managed IT services can be a good fit. They are often available 24/7 and have fast response times. That means your issue can be resolved efficiently and you can access a team of experts to figure out the right solution.

2. If You Can't Afford full Time IT Staff

IT professionals are often some of the highest paid professions. If you’re a small business, you may not be able to afford to hire the best IT staff for your company. But that doesn’t mean you can’t access the best talent. 

By hiring a MSP, you can have access to the best IT staff when you need them, without having to commit to a monthly paycheck and benefits. That can be a significant cost savings, especially for small businesses and startups. 

3. If you don’t have enough IT skills internally for all your needs

Even if you already have some IT staff on your payroll, you may find that they don’t have the expert skills and knowledge to deal with all your IT issues. 

In these instances, your IT staff can liaise with contracted professionals through an MSP, helping them to solve the issues at hand.

4. If you require additional IT capacity and skills

There are so many IT skills and niches nowadays, that it’s challenging to find staff that have all the skills you may require. 

At times you may need additional IT skills and capacity to support your IT staff’s work and projects. Whether you’re dealing with AI, cloud computing or data analytics, your MSP can also educate and train your staff on how to manage these aspects of your business. 

And if you need additional capacity, your MSP can support your IT department, as and when needed. That way your company can maintain efficiency and meet project deadlines. 

5. If you’re trying to keep to a tight IT budget

When you hire an MSP to provide you with IT services, you can usually choose between a monthly subscription retainer, or a project-based fee. 

Whichever option you choose, this can help you save money by not having to employ your own internal IT staff. 

6. If you need to transition to, and learn, new tech tools and skills

Software is rapidly evolving and changing and it’s commonplace to need upgrades, new software and training on how to use new tools. 

If you want to learn how to do this, your MSP can assist and can help to train your staff on how to use new tools, whether it’s using Microsoft 365, choosing a VPN, or installing antivirus software. 

An MSP can also provide invaluable advice about the best and most cutting-edge tech and tools to use so that you can remain competitive and productive.

7. If you want to scale but can’t afford extra full time staff

You may feel like you’re between a rock and a hard place if you need to scale your company but can’t afford to hire additional staff. That can be a serious roadblock, especially if you have many IT service needs. 

Luckily, managed IT services can help you scale your business by providing you with the support you need, when you need it.

By outsourcing some of your IT functions, you can remain agile and lean and save money while your profits grow.

8. If you’re unable to manage all your own IT needs and requirements yourself

If you already have internal IT staff, but they are so busy that they don’t have capacity to deal with all your requirements - one solution is to hire a MSP. 

If your team doesn’t have capacity, then relying on them could hamper their productivity. 

And if you opt to hire an external consultant, you may have to wait several weeks for a budget and proposal to be approved. 

A faster solution is to have a dedicated MSP who can collaborate with your company on a long-term, but outsourced basis.

9. If you’ve been plagued by cybersecurity threats

If you’ve been experiencing a variety of cybersecurity threats and breaches, then you may not have the defenses you need to protect against current vulnerabilities. 

Cybersecurity expertise is in high demand but there is a shortage of experts. That’s why partnering with an MSP that has those skills can give you access to the latest cybersecurity solutions and best skills to tackle your problems.

An MSP can also provide you with ongoing cyber defenses and solutions, and can help you to monitor and flag any potential threats so that your business operations are not jeopardized.

10. If you have high IT staff turnover, hampering business continuity

Some companies have high staff turnover. When this happens in your IT department, you may be spending considerable amounts of time on training and onboarding new staff.

That can affect your ability to maintain your network adequately, to keep up-to-date with cyber threats and to manage your instructure - all of which can put your business at risk.

By hiring an MSP, you can partner with an organization that you can depend on to provide consistent service (as long as they’ve been vetted correctly that is).

That means that when your IT team is not available, you can outsource some work to your MSP. And your MSP can also help train new staff and bring them up to speed.

11. If you require IT services and support around the clock

When you hire an MSP, they typically provide services around the clock to deal with any urgent requests you may have. 

Compared with in-house staff and consultants who may have set office hours, an MSP can provide you with support at weekends, during evenings and on holidays. 

That gives you peace of mind that any emergency or problem you may encounter will be handled efficiently.

12. If you want to ensure data compliance

Every country has their own data compliance laws that companies need to adhere to. It can be overwhelming and time consuming to keep track of all the different laws and updates that you need to comply with. 

Breaching these can lead to serious consequences, both financially and in terms of your reputation.  It’s therefore critical that you have a dedicated team to ensure data compliance for your organization. 

Examples of some of these laws include the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Luckily your MSP can help you to maintain ongoing compliance, so you can focus on your core business. Your MSP can continuously monitor for potential breaches and can train staff on how to maintain compliance. 

Final thoughts on hiring an MSP to provide you with managed IT services

There are many instances in which it’s prudent and good to hire an MSP to provide you with managed IT services. However, not all MSPs are equal and you’ll need to carefully vet any prospective providers.

Choosing the right IT partner is critical to your business success. 

You’ll also need to ensure you have a good service level agreement in place, to manage your business relationship. This can detail what types of services you expect your MSP to provide, so you can manage expectations from the outset. 

It’s also important to choose an MSP with a good reputation and one that has the experience and skills to take on the work you require. Another important factor, particularly for startups, is to find an MSP that will allow you to scale your operations as needed. 

Contact us on (704) 644-1220 to find out more about our Managed IT services and how we can help your North Carolina business thrive and grow.