Reduce Costs With Managed IT Services

<![CDATA[Managed services is quickly become a buzzword as business owners and office managers look for cost-effective solutions to manage an ever-expanding technology infrastructure. Learn what is a managed service provider and what types of services they provide before you adopt a managed services approach.

What is a managed service?

A managed service is when a provider offers remote management of your business’s IT infrastructure. These services are based on a subscription model, with business owners paying a monthly fee. This contrasts to other IT services, which are often one-time and rendered at the point of need, as when a system component breaks.

Why should I choose IT managed services?

Many businesses choose IT managed services because they lack the time or the knowledge to do it themselves. Others find that managed services offer “more bang for their buck” than hiring an IT professional in-house. For business continuity, managed services offers a responsive, proactive and reactive IT approach that keeps systems running. Managed services plan for maintenance to prevent systems from breaking, versus a break-fix approach found in traditional IT.

What benefits does an IT managed services provider offer?

Benefits include reduced overhead, increased employee productivity, decreased downtime while problems are fixed, and a cost benefit. Instead of paying an hourly rate for services rendered, or having to spring for an unanticipated repair or replacement when something breaks, you pay a monthly flat rate and avoid unexpected costs. Money saved can fund growth in other areas. For a SMB, managed services offers the company access to IT expertise they may not otherwise be able to afford. Managed services also keeps all equipment in good working order by applying patches, monitoring security, and performing backups regularly. This minimizes the losses that your business would face if something went wrong.

Is is true that managed services are more expensive than paying for services as I need them?

Not at all! Managed services is usually cheaper than paying for someone to come in and fix things when they break.

How should I select a managed services provider?

While this can be a lengthy process, we recommend that you identify providers that offer 24/7 remote support to protect you; that tailor their services to the needs of SMBs, which can be quite different from large businesses; that understands who you are and what you do; and that has a proven track record of success, with references to boot! If you have more specific questions about selecting a managed IT services provider, just call us and we will be happy to speak with you further. Do you have a question that we forgot to answer? Contact us to ask directly.]]>