Investing in tools and systems that improve productivity has long been considered a necessary cost of doing business – a better set of tools creates a more productive workforce. In the 20th century, those kinds of technologies were essentially production-enhancing tools (think faster writing tools like the typewriter and word processors). Not all these improvements were required. Some companies did not feel the need to keep up with the latest trends. If you could afford them, great, but if you didn’t you still managed to get by.
Today, there is a new paradigm. Technology infrastructure is at the center of every business because technology is a part of every employee, social transaction and business communication. No longer can businesses look at technology as a “nice to have” luxury. The need for properly functioning technology is universal. Most businesses depend on business-critical software and the IT infrastructure to support it.
In the current landscape, businesses need to have a strong online presence, along with digital integration and cloud transitions if they want to grow and thrive in their respective industry. Businesses use email and communication applications for everything they do. Technology is everywhere and not everyone knows what kind of support their business needs. Just like a trusted accountant or legal expert, forward thinking executives know that having a technology expert as a part of your executive team is vitally important to your business.
Fortunately, managed IT service providers have made it easy for companies to leverage from the skills and expertise of highly trained IT professionals and technologies.
The evolution of IT support has undergone incredible advances since the 1990s. Small to midsized businesses today cannot afford to be tangled up in the highly complex IT systems. They instead need to focus on their core business operations. Therefore, most of them end up seeking IT help from outsource firms like Managed Service Providers that essentially take over the entirety of the IT infrastructure, operations, support, and maintenance duties so that business leaders do not have to occupy their minds with IT-related issues.
When organizations and their managers transition from being very small to becoming a mid–sized business, it is very likely that they will end up outsourcing some of their IT support needs. Managed service providers touch a wide variety of services that you cannot get from simple IT support. They can manage your IT infrastructure from top to bottom, both onsite and remotely. This means that you will not have to become the expert on your technology, you can focus on whatever your company does best. In other words, they offer businesses a one-stop solution for all their IT needs.
There is long list of areas that an MSP can manage. For instance, one of the most key services they provide relate to cyber security. Other important aspects of IT that they can optimize, manage and maintain include network and infrastructure, datacenter support services, security, print services, software, cloud infrastructure, analytics, wireless computing and more.
Lately, cloud service providers are being interchanged with managed service providers. This is largely because much of the business operations are moving to the cloud to support the new-found demand for remote and hybrid work models. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated this demand, along with other digital integrations.
Managed service providers or MSPs rely heavily on remote management and monitoring software. This is a tool that allows them to remotely access your data centers. This discreet monitoring capability helps them look at different software, patches, updates and suspicious activities in your network.
They can also proactively be alerted with any issues that are recurring within your enterprise network. Concerns over cyber security, dropped services and others are a highlighting feature. Thanks to their highly specialized monitoring capabilities, they can respond to errors and issues very quickly.
This prevents any shutdowns and disruptions. It can also be a preventative measure that saves businesses from hefty downtime costs. Not to mention, remote access means that they do not have to physically be present in your organization to solve any issues. This is another way that businesses can save money with the help of managed IT services.
When evaluating whether you need a managed service provider, you need to look more closely into their key qualities. One of the important aspects involves responsiveness, which refers to how quickly they respond to IT challenges. Other important aspects that you need in the virtual sphere involve security and backup recovery options.
Doing business with a managed service provider will overall provide incredible benefits for a business. Data today is an asset, and cyber-attacks are not only increasing but also evolving. Any malicious interference to your data will not only put a halt to your operations but also greatly damage the integrity and reputation of your enterprise.
For this reason, having a strong monitoring system, with a well-maintained security framework will minimize your chances of a cyber attack. Managed IT services are more than just resetting passwords and fixing hardware. Managed service providers can help your company have a 24-7 monitoring, alerting and help desk service, which adds to your customer and employee satisfaction. Data backup and disaster recovery strategies are also key benefits.
Outside threats to your business technology are a real problem with costly consequences. Leveraging the services of an MSP means that you can protect your business from unwanted data breaches, ransomware, and malware attacks and respond more quickly when problems occur. Thousands of small businesses each day face cyber security breaches. With the costs of downtime increasing, a large majority of small businesses that face a data breach never recover because they do not have the right preparations in place and the cost of replacement is too great. For this reason, it is critical for businesses to collaborate with a managed service provider.
PulseOne is a nationwide Managed Service Provider specializing in end-to-end IT services for Small and Mid-sized businesses. Want to learn more about what preventative steps you can take to protect yourself and your business? At PulseOne, we put our insight and experience in IT management solutions to work for you. Receive enterprise-level IT support from a company that passionately works for your success. Start by contacting us here.