9 Benefits of Managed IT Services for Small Businesses

Monica Morris • August 20, 2020

One key requirement to run a successful business is focusing your resources on the most important tasks. However, today’s companies require different technologies to function which makes it challenging to manage the various tools needed for growth. For this reason, a business may have to hire new hands and buy more equipment whenever a new IT service is needed. Unfortunately, the investment required to keep up with growth and change is beyond the capabilities of many small and mid-sized businesses, hence the need for a managed IT services provider. 

Managed IT Services

Managed IT services allow any business to outsource all or parts of their IT tasks to outside teams. It includes any IT service that is provided by an outside IT firm. 

They enable a business to have round the clock system monitoring, IT support, troubleshooting, and repairs. 

Benefits of Managed IT Services to Small Businesses

1. Reduce Equipment and Personnel Costs

Putting running costs in check can make the difference between a struggling or thriving business. With an IT Managed Service Provider (MSP ), you don’t need to buy expensive IT equipment or hire extra staff to keep your business running. 

Savings from lesser overhead can be redirected to more critical aspects of your business or invested in new technology for business growth. 


2. Unbiased Analysis and Reports

When your organization needs an overview of the current business and resources state, the best way to handle it is through managed IT providers. 

While employees may be conflicted in protecting a project or coworker, an MSP can provide an objective assessment of your organization’s resources and the best places to free up or redistribute them for better utilization. 

3. Consistent and Efficient Service 

Managed IT services help provide the necessary tools and resources to reduce downtimes to the barest minimum and save your business valuable time and revenue. 

Employees that are not working due to an outage still get paid. MSPs can help your workforce stay active through proactive planning and maintenance and disruptions prevention.  

4. Security and Peace of Mind  

IT equipment can go offline at odd hours. If you rely solely on your in-house IT team, they are likely to be unavailable to fix the issue. 

A Managed IT provider will be on the lookout 24/7 over your business network. They are likely to detect issues quicker and even fix them before you notice a change.  

5. Quick Scaling 

Growth should be good news for organizations. However, it may bring up problems if not well managed.

Growth may require expansion in personnel and IT resources which may be difficult for a small business to pull off.

With MSPs, an organization has to simply upgrade their contracts to handle the increased business needs. If growth reduces due to seasonal fluctuations or other reasons, businesses can go back to smaller service packages.


6. Regular Monitoring Via Centralized Management 

A centralized IT infrastructure run by an MSP ensures that your employees have similar technology experience regardless of their locations. 

A centralized system ensures improved access to your organization’s data for both employees and managers. 

7. Data and Cybersecurity 

Cybersecurity is a big issue for today’s business as threats are everywhere. Stolen or leaked data can damage a business’s reputation and brand.

Managed IT providers can enhance a company’s security through:

  • Constant monitoring of the network system
  • Installation of robust security system  
  • Prompt reporting and notifications of maintenance
  • Automatic data backup management

MSPs also adhere to strict regulatory requirements of data privacy and keep updated about changing laws and policies.

8. Easier Budgeting

The ability to predict spending and budget accordingly is crucial to a  company’s success.

Ordinarily, it can be difficult to predict IT costs to be incurred by an organization within a given period. Thanks to Managed IT services, you can determine your fixed cost in advance and break them down to fit within your budget.

9. Timely Update

An IT team working on other projects may be distracted from installing an important security patch. 

MSPs are focused on maintaining systems and networks and thus are able to respond quicker to updates and patches.

 

A managed IT services provider allows small and medium sized businesses to leverage the skills of technical experts at a fraction of the cost. They also help businesses stay safe and secure. Get in touch today to discuss your business needs.

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