As a business owner, you have a lot on your plate. You have to manage your profit margins, your employees, and put out fires throughout the day.
One thing that you also have to worry about is your network. So much in your business depends on your IT capabilities.
That’s why so many companies trust SADOS as their Managed Service Provider (MSP). The business functions smoothly and there’s not much that the business has to do.
Read on to find out exactly what IT managed services will do for you.
What Exactly Are IT Managed Services?
Managed services is really a broad term, and it can be difficult to understand at times. It can lead to confusion down the road, because of a lack of understanding as to what a service provider will do.
When it comes to IT help and managed services, it refers to outsourcing one aspect or all of your IT needs to a third-party contractor.
If you’re a small business with a limited budget or a larger government organization with a full IT staff, you can benefit from outsourcing IT services.
Types of Service Providers
There are three primary types of IT service providers. They range from low-level service providers, mid-level, and high-level service providers.
Here’s how you can tell the difference between each one.
Low-Level Service Providers: These providers focus on monitoring your IT services and do the basic tasks of making sure your IT is running. They’ll alert you if something is down.
Mid-Level Managed Service Providers: A giant step up from merely monitoring your IT infrastructure, these providers offer a wide range of services. You can typically hire them a la carte and scale up as your business needs change.
High-Level Managed Service Providers: On the high end, these service providers provide the IT infrastructure, giving your business even more flexibility. It also lowers your risk because you don’t have to invest in the IT infrastructure yourself.
You also have a larger range of services, such as what a mid-level provider would provide along with having the ability to completely outsource your IT needs.
What Does a Managed Service Provider Do?
Now that you’re familiar with the various levels of IT managed service providers, let’s dig deeper and discover what managed service providers typically do for clients.
The services will vary by provider and by the level of service provider they are. These are the most common types of services that managed service providers will offer to their clients.
Security
Security should be the biggest concern when it comes to your IT networks. One data breach and your business could suffer major damages that can be difficult to recover from.
Security is a matter for businesses of all sizes, and a data breach or security issue could force a business to close. About 60% of businesses have had to shut down within six months of a security issue. You don’t want yours to be one of them.
Cloud Management
Businesses are starting to rely on the cloud for just about everything. Accounting services, CRMs, and more are migrating to the cloud. About 83% of business operations will be in the cloud by 2020.
What if you have a lot of information to migrate to your cloud solution? Managed IT services can help you with that.
IT Infrastructure and Networking
You need to get the most out of your network to ensure that your business runs at its maximum capacity. An IT managed services provider will work with you on building a network architecture and deployment of your network.
Communication
Believe it or not, you also rely on IT to communicate to the outside world. Businesses are increasingly relying on video calls and voice-over IP for phone calls. In some cases, that will include data as well for email. Your managed service provider will provide you with these services.
Technical Support
There’s nothing worse than having a major IT issue and to find that you can’t get someone on the line to help you resolve it. It can be a major issue if you’re in Tyson’s Corner and the place you need support from is three hours behind you.
Using a locally managed service provider can provide the appropriate help you and your team.
How to Choose a Managed Service Provider for Your Business
Do you recognize the need for any of these service areas? How can you hire the right It managed service provider for you?
For starters, you need to know what your needs are. Do you just need assistance with cloud support, or do you need something more involved, like completely managed services so you can focus more on the core functions of your organization?
Come up with the list of services you need and what kind of support you’d like to have in your organization.
Price Isn’t Everything
You’re in business and you have a budget. You have a responsibility to get the most out of every penny spent. That’s fine but remember that you get what you pay for.
If you shop for service providers based on price alone, you could wind up with a provider that’s not fully meeting your needs. They may only provide some of the services that your business actually requires.
Get to Know Your Service Provider
It’s also tempting to use your service provider as a band-aid solution to your IT issues. See your IT managed service provider as a trusted partner in your business. You can rely on them to develop long term plans for your IT setup.
They can also look at resolve long-standing IT issues and develop a clear backup and recovery system should something happen with your network. You have a team of experts at your disposal. Use them wisely.
Do they Provide Reporting?
You want to have clear expectations of your IT managed service provider from the very beginning. That includes the specific tasks they will do for your business. It may be the number of tickets resolved or the level of service provided.
Managed IT Services Has Its Advantages
IT managed services can be a lifesaver for small businesses and large organizations. They can provide essential security oversight, technical support, and data services.
The best thing about having managed IT services is that you can always start small and grow as your business grows. Plus, you have fixed predictable IT costs.
Are you ready to get started with outsourcing IT service or do you have questions? If you’re in the DC/MD/VA area, contact us today to find out how you can leverage IT managed services to grow your business.
