A managed service takes over the responsibility of equipment or different operations or organizations in an organization for a price. It is not very different from outsourcing and involves you hiring a managed service provider for a particular service that would otherwise be too costly or time consuming for you to perform internally. Coming to Managed IT services, it is a popular concept where the MSP or Managed Service Provider performs the regular maintenance and management of your IT infrastructure and duties.
So how can managed IT services benefit your business and what makes them so popular especially with SMBs?
Cost Saving
As a small business or even a medium sized one, having a fully functioning IT department can be too much. Your resources and budgetary limitations often do not allow you to have the solutions to all your IT needs. A managed IT services agreement helps you save on the cost of having an IT department, as well as the many costs associated with it. You save on physical office space as well as the regular update and maintenance costs of hardware and software. Your IT service provider charges you based on an agreed fixed rate per month which also helps you visualize costs.
Saves Time
Outsourcing the operations of something as important and integral as IT takes a lot of load off your mind. As a business owner, you want to spend time making your business better, and not fretting over IT related issues. When managed IT service providers take over the responsibilities of all things IT related of your business it leaves you free to function in the best way possible and make the most out of your time and resources to focus on your business goals.
Proactive, Not Reactive
The traditional approach to IT problems is one that is reactive, where your IT services department or provider waits for a problem to occur and then works on a solution to fix it. A managed services agreement saves you from that since modern managed IT services follow a proactive approach. It is the most cost-effective way of dealing with technology, to deal with problems before they occur and that is what managed IT services are all about. Your MSP monitor your systems for signs of potential problems and apply countermeasures and fixes before the problem alleviates.
Avoid Business Downtime
Now that your IT needs are being looked after by certified IT professionals which are trained and experienced in solving problems, your business is much more likely to avoid downtime altogether. With your MSP fixing problems in your system proactively, it significantly reduces chances of major breakdowns that could cause downtime and result in a loss for your business.
Service Level Agreement
Most IT MSPs include an SLA or service level agreement in their offered programs which dictates how often they will service your service system. It is like a contract which shows what services will be provided to you and how successful delivery of those servi