It seems the long-awaited ‘new normal’ is eventually underway. The pandemic and resultant remote working phase have changed the world of business forever, with 47% of business owners planning to hire freelancers going forward.
Remote work results in huge cost-saving for businesses, but it also comes with certain logistical issues. They’re issues that no business could navigate without the help of managed IT services.
You might wonder why this is the case and whether the extra expense of hiring these professionals will pay off. There are several reasons why in-house IT support simply isn’t the answer for modern businesses anymore.
Keep reading to find out more about outsourcing IT services and how this service makes the future a better place for you.
What Are Managed IT Services?
In the simplest of terms, MSPs serve as a one-stop shop that meets all your business IT requirements. So, instead of hiring different vendors or employees to take care of each IT aspect, you hire just one company to take care of it all.
Managed IT services act as a single point of contact between your company and providers of other tech services you need, for instance, server management, data security, and helpdesk support. Managed IT services in Boston have trained IT professionals to fulfill all these functions.
Either way, it’s all the same to you. You have only one point of contact for all IT-related matters.
The Benefits of Managed IT Services
If you’re struggling to navigate between all your current tech providers or having difficulty managing your in-house IT team, an MSP is a good fit for you. There are numerous other reasons why you should consider hiring an MSP, too.
Let’s take a detailed look at each one.
Outsourcing IT Saves You Money
Managed IT services aren’t cheap, but they’re a lot cheaper than hiring an in-house team. When you opt for an in-house IT solution, you’re in for huge expenses.
For starters, there’s the cost of hiring and onboarding these employees. Experienced IT personnel are in high demand and can command hefty salaries.
According to the BLS, the average salary for an IT support specialist is $55,510 per year. That’s just one of the team members you’ll need, an IT manager will set you back around $151,150 per annum.
That’s excluding benefits and the cost of ongoing training.
What’s more, since these professionals are in such high demand, they don’t usually stay in a job long before accepting a better offer.
When you outsource your IT needs, you get a wide range of services for one set fee, and you never need to worry if you’re hiring the best person for the job.
Remote IT Support Offers 24/7 Service
When your IT systems go down in the middle of the night or over the weekend, your IT team is usually nowhere in sight.
If you do call them in for assistance, you’ll need to wait for them to arrive and pay them overtime for every hour they spend at the office.
Remote manages IT teams offer around-the-clock support included in your monthly fee. That means you can count on them to sort out any issues you have as soon as possible.
This is particularly relevant if you’ve decided to stick with remote working for now, as remote employees often work odd hours.
Often employees come across problems that require a simple, quick fix that they can’t do themselves. Remote IT experts can sort out these and more complex issues and get you back up and running fast.
Your business needn’t come to a halt while you wait for assistance from your IT team. A managed IT service technician can help you via telephone, email, or TeamViewer.
IT Services Help With Complex Problems
If you’re not particularly tech-savvy, there’s a good chance you’ve been running the same outdated software and hardware for years.
A managed IT services provider will perform a detailed audit of your current IT assets and suggest areas for improvement.
Managed IT services will help you upgrade your tech so that it’s in line with your current needs, and keep it updated so that it runs optimally all the time. This includes implementing advanced tools for data storage, processing, and presentation.
They’ll work with you on implementing a strategy to upgrade your systems to ensure your business goes from strength to strength.
Some of the latest smart applications you could enjoy with managed IT include automated processing, collaborative tools, and mind-mapping software. These tech innovations help you analyze and collate your data, so you can use it to best effect.
You Get More Bang for Your Buck
We’ve already discussed how managed IT services save you money when it comes to hiring in-house personnel. Yet, they also offer more perks in this regard.
These companies can afford to hire bigger teams since they split their costs between all their clients. That means, they’re able to employ highly-specialized and qualified individuals.
Their personnel also deal with many different clients every day, so they get maximum exposure to potential IT complications and accumulate diverse experiences quickly.
In this way, when you contact your support team for help, there’s a good chance they’ve already come across your issue before, so they don’t need to troubleshoot the problem first. All this adds up to faster service and less downtime for you.
These professionals undergo regular training updates on the latest available technology, saving you the time and expense associated with training your employees.
Improved Security With Outsourced IT
Hackers and cybercriminals are becoming increasingly active across the globe. Unless you’re protected against cyberattacks, you could face serious problems if they get their hands on your data.
They can bring your systems offline, access your clients’ sensitive information, and erase your files. Without adequate software to protect you from these attacks, you could face severe losses and even litigation.
A managed IT services provider will put all the latest security measures in place and monitor your systems around the clock to protect you from breaches.
They also back up your data every day and store it offsite, so you’re protected in the event of catastrophic system failure.
IT Services Offer Marketing Support
An online presence is vital for modern businesses, and your company website must look and act at its best all the time.
Managed IT services can set up an efficient, SEO-friendly website that helps you improve your online presence and win more customers. They can monitor your site’s performance, keep it updated, and make sure it’s in line with industry standards at all times.
They can help you collect and analyze data from your website that provide critical information for your marketing efforts, too.
On a housekeeping level, managed IT services can also ensure the information on your website is always up-to-date and accurate.
Outsourced IT Can Assist With Customer Support
Outsourced IT providers can help ensure your business offers the communication channels expected by modern-day consumers. These include:
- Social media messaging
- SMS
- Live chat
- Telephone systems
In addition, they can help you monitor communication via these channels to help you upgrade your systems as needed and improve your customer service levels.
During busy periods, you know help is at hand if your systems start to malfunction under the abnormal call loads. With the correct modern communication channels in place, it’s easy to enlist the help of temporary remote workers to assist during busy spells.
Better IT Improves Productivity
Thanks to all the above benefits offered by managed IT vendors, you’ll soon notice your employees become more productive than ever before.
When they’re working with the latest software, updated systems, and constant support, it’s much easier for your employees to work efficiently.
They’ll miss fewer deadlines due to IT issues and downtime, and perform more accurate work, too. That means less stress and greater job satisfaction for them.
Happy employees who have all the tools they need to perform effectively are more loyal and work harder, so your business benefits in the end.
Finding the Best IT Service Agency
If you want to get the most out of hiring an MSP, you must ensure you’re working with the best one available to you. It’s never a good idea to trust an unknown third party with your important IT infrastructure, trade secrets, and data.
Here’s how to find an MSP that won’t let you down:
Hire a Local Business
The best place to start your search for an IT service provider is by asking for references from other businesses. This word-of-mouth process is a reliable way to find out which companies do the best work in your area.
Don’t limit your inquiries to in-person referrals, though. Go online and search for ‘Managed IT services near Me’, or ‘MSP in my area’.
While there’s nothing to stop you from hiring a reputable agency from elsewhere, there are a few reasons why it’s important to hire a local business.
Firstly, hiring locally helps to grow the economy where you live. Next, local businesses are familiar with all the most common IT quirks of your area.
Finally, it’s a lot easier to vet a business and arrange future consultations when they’re close by.
Search For Reviews Online
Speaking to your peers is a good way to sort good from bad service providers, but their opinion is only one of many. Rather, expand your research to include online reviews about various MSPs.
That doesn’t mean you should choose or discard a company based on good or bad reviews.
Pay attention to the way the MSP responds to reviews. This will give you a good idea of their service levels.
Keep Your Budget in Mind
Whatever you’re buying, you’ll pay more for high-quality goods and services. So don’t automatically assume cheaper is better.
If you don’t have a lot to spend on IT right now, look for a company that offers scaled packages according to your current needs.
There’s no reason to pay for services you aren’t using right now. You can always upgrade later.
Besides, you want to work with a provider who intends to grow with you.
Naturally, it makes sense to know what your budget is before you start your search. Keep an ideal cost as well as an absolute maximum cost in mind, and stick to these figures.
Your budget is also a quick way to narrow down your options. There’s no sense in engaging with a company you can’t afford.
Review Their Offering
Likewise, there’s no sense in hiring a service that doesn’t cater to all your requirement. Peruse their services to ensure you are getting a one-stop experience when you work with them.
While you’re on their website, try to find out more about their qualifications and services too. The ‘About’ page can often yield a lot of information regarding these aspects.
The owner or CEO of the company should have an IT management degree. Ideally, you want to work with a company that has many years of experience working in the field of managed IT.
You must also consider the type of experience they have. For instance, if the company has been masterminding external data storage for decades, this only applies if you need these services.
Consider the areas where you require assistance and check if they have the relevant qualifications and experience for dealing with these areas.
Finally, you should arrange an in-person meeting with a representative from the company to thrash out the finer details and get answers to any questions you might have.
Better Technology Means a Better Future
Managed IT services are a wonderful cost-saving convenience in modern times, but they’re just one of the ways technology has improved our lives.
Nowadays, tech infiltrates a wide array of aspects when it comes to work and play. From earning our daily bread to brewing our morning coffee, technology makes things easier for us all.
If you want to make the most of the technologies on offer today, you need to stay updated on the newest advancements. So, bookmark our website and check back regularly to see what’s on offer in the realm of tech.
