The Importance of Managed IT Services for Small Business Operations

Financial administrators studying numbers

Engaging with a managed information technology provider and outsourcing your tech support is highly cost-efficient for small business operations and can increase overhead costs for other essential business needs.

Third-party managed IT services are staffed with incredibly experienced teams wholly trained and focused on managing and safeguarding IT infrastructure and processes – with the added benefit of not requiring an internal IT team.

The outsourcing of tech support services is recognized for reducing overhead costs and increasing efficiencies. There are multiple other perks for companies considering bringing in managed services, which are explored in greater detail below.

Managed IT Services Promotes Huge Cost Efficiencies

As mentioned above, considerable cost-savings can be actualized by outsourcing third-party managed IT services. I’m sure your office is sparkling clean, yet your company likely does not utilize an in-house cleaning team – managed IT support should be regarded in the same fashion.

Outsourcing all elements of managed IT support services, such as cybersecurity, software updates, platform monitoring, and security awareness training, frees up vast expanses of time and staffing resources.

Obviously, it is best to dedicate a team to be responsible for working alongside your firm to assist with their work, but this should only be from a support and proactive monitoring perspective, allowing that internal team to be utilized on focusing upon other tasks.

Similarly, third-party remote support is often much more economical for small business owners than hiring a full-time employee and all the benefits they would require, such as paid time off, dental, and health.

Business efficiency icons

Ask the Experts

Another excellent perk to outsourcing IT services to a managed IT service provider is that it is their sole focus, and the access to training, tools, and professional development within the IT industry is unparalleled to what a company can offer an in-house employee.

If you are contemplating hiring an internal resource vs. outsourcing tasks, then the employees would require access to further education, and training is an essential part of their employment benefits and development.

As a non-specialist firm, these training costs would be high. With a dedicated IT firm, their employees can access a wealth of knowledge, training support, and professional development materials.

Similarly, should your dedicated resource face a challenging IT issue, they would have the recourse to rely on in-house expertise to help them troubleshoot. Should an IT employee have the same issue, they would need help finding support to help them resolve the issues, which could lead to burnout or unexpected resignations.

With a managed services provider, staffing changes have a manageable impact than smaller companies face. Your team gets another resource, and the transition is much more seamless.

This is not the case when you hire directly. In particular, this is an issue if notice periods are not worked, and the transference of knowledge and information needs to be captured and shared with new staff.

Security Improvements

According to CISA (Cyber Infrastructure Security Agency), 47% of Americans have had their personal and financial information exposed to cybercriminals. Modern workplaces are responsible for ensuring that their networks, cloud services, and emails securely host their client’s personal details.

In an ever-evolving cybersecurity world, relying on the best-trained teams to handle your cybersecurity responsibilities is always best. Firms today can find themselves in legal hot water if they do not follow the latest guidelines or adhere to best practices regarding handling clients’ personal information.

Outsourcing to a professional agency is the easiest way to ensure that training, guidelines, and updates are followed.

Productivity, Efficiency, and Uptime

One of the greatest benefits of outsourcing your managed IT solutions needs is customer support and MSAs, which protect you regarding guaranteed uptime. If you have ever experienced an IT outage in the workplace, you will recognize the enormous cost and customer inconvenience this causes.

Recently, a hospital in Florida was offline for multiple days following a malicious cyber attack. This outage resulted in a considerable loss of business, potentially life-threatening scenarios for emergency patients, and the delay of scheduled surgeries.

The press attention around the event was intense, and most of it was negative attention – alongside a loss of revenue. Outsourcing this pressure greatly benefits small businesses and allows the experts to take the wheel on support and uptime guarantees.

Scale to Suit

When evaluating a company investment, it is always wise to consider what is needed today and what will likely be needed tomorrow. Third-party managed IT services can always create customized solutions for your business, and when growth occurs, they can scale with you.

The helpful thing about managed service is that the subscription-based approach allows management to make incremental growth changes without substantial overhead cost increases.

Illustration of two businessmen shaking hands

Conclusion

A managed IT service offers many advantages for small businesses looking to keep their overhead low and their IT infrastructure robust! Outsourcing helps companies grow and scale, increases cyber security measures against harmful malware, offers expert guidance across all IT applications, and significant savings.

Although outsourcing can seem like a big decision, it shouldn’t be. Leave it to the true professionals. Reach out to schedule a discovery call to learn what professional services are available to support your flourishing business.