How to Get Great IT on A Tight Budget
For small and midsize businesses, the idea of a managed service provider (MSP) might sound expensive and unnecessary. It’s better to invest in an IT specialist, isn’t it? The reality is that MSPs are IT specialists, but they also offer a whole lot more. An MSP can provide you with quantifiable data and security audits that will improve your business performance and keep your customer data safe for a fraction of the cost of an in-house IT team. In this article, we look at some of the main advantages of investing in a suitable MSP.
Cost Savings
Almost every business operating today will require some form of IT management, whether internal or with an MSP. If a system or network fails, your business will lose revenue and its reputation. That’s why businesses traditionally hire a team of internal experts. But this is costly and unnecessary in today’s digital world.
These days, outsourcing for managed services is far more popular as an MSP reduces IT costs and provides a more reliable service. Instead of a dedicated team of expensive employees, you are given access to a large pool of experts on call 24/7. Furthermore, MSPs are usually cloud-based subscription services meaning you can easily predict the annual costs of your IT service.
Bobby Guerra, CEO of the full-service IT provider Axiom, commented, “A managed service provider will offer modern, affordable services. Your IT provider should be a committed member of your team that is dedicated to helping your company reach its long-term goals.”
IT Strategy
MSPs are not only for maintaining your IT operations and ensuring your operations don’t fail; they are also for growing your business and protecting it against cybercrime. An MSP will start by getting to know your industry and aligning itself with your company’s goals; it can then audit your business and use a range of analytical tools to help it grow.
Furthermore, your MSP will ensure that your network and IT systems are fully compliant with industry regulations and that you’re running the best software for your business goals. The MSP will also assess your security protocol, search out weaknesses and reinforce your network to make it safe from cybercrime.
Get Quantifiable Results
Obtaining the services of a good MSP provider will level your business, not just protect it from network failures. It does this by improving your uptime rates and supporting better productivity and increased revenue. This excellent uptime rate is further supported by streamlined processes that make digital collaboration easier and more secure.
Imagine a scenario in which your business is operational 100% of the time; your co-workers have 24/7 access to their digital workstations and collaboration is seamless and highly secure. This is not something you can gain from hiring a team of IT experts, but it comes as standard with a good MSP provider.
As we move into a new decade with more digital evolution on the horizon, it makes sense to stand back and evaluate your IT infrastructure. How efficient is it? And are you benefiting from some of the advances in technology? Could you switch your IT team to an MSP and grow your business while saving on vital services? As a business operator, you should be asking these questions, and others, if you want to stay relevant in the years to come.