How easily does your IT team handle your company’s needs? Do you have a small team and need to call in extra help periodically, or do you have full-time IT experts who handle everything?
If you’re like most business owners, you probably have at least a few IT people working full-time. That might consist of one, two, or five people, maybe more.
However, with a smaller team, you won’t be able to get every situation handled in-house. At some point, your needs will be beyond your team’s expertise and you’ll need to hire an outsider to solve the problem. While you can hire IT experts for individual jobs, it’s actually easier to get managed services.
Managed IT services will provide plenty of benefits to your business, and here are several.
Multiple services from one company
The biggest benefit to getting managed IT services is having access to multiple services from the same company. For example, Converged Technology Group offers managed services in Long Island that provide customers with 24/7 support, 365 days a year. Typical services include monitoring, proactive management, and on-demand support for any tech-related issues that arise.
Don’t underestimate the value of on-demand support. When you’ve already hired a company you can call at any time, you can count on getting support quickly. Without this arrangement, you might have to wait days to get a problem fixed. Waiting for support can disrupt your revenue and adversely impact the reputation of your business.
Stronger cybersecurity
Part of managed IT services involves setting your business up with strong cybersecurity. This usually includes both hardware and software, but can also involve establishing secure company protocols and administering employee training.
Cybersecurity is critical because it’s never going to disappear. Cybercrime has been growing since computers first connected to the internet and you need to be prepared. Although true hacking does happen, the biggest security threat to your business is mistakes made by employees. Data shows that 95% of all security breaches are caused by human error. For example, cybercriminals gain access to company accounts when employees fall for phishing schemes and when databases are misconfigured.
Some security mistakes are unavoidable, but many of them can be prevented by creating a strong cybersecurity policy that you implement company-wide. Your managed service provider should be able to help you create and implement your policy. Some MSPs even provide training.
Long-term managed services benefit you even more
The longer your managed IT provider monitors your company network, the easier it will be for them to recognize anomalies in your system. For example, it will take time for an MSP to learn typical user behavior, but once routine behavior is established, spotting suspicious activity is easier.
If you’re going to switch MSPs, try not to do that unless it’s absolutely necessary. You’ll have to start over in establishing your relationship and trust, but also, you’ll lose the established familiarity with your user activity.
Greater ROI
Outsourcing your IT needs will contribute to a greater ROI for your company. First of all, it’s cheaper to hire a managed service provider than it is to maintain an in-house IT team. Not only that, but having an MSP on-demand ensures you’ll get access to a variety of technical expertise that will ensure your needs are met.
Hiring an MSP will also give you access to new technologies and strategies that will keep your company on the cutting edge in your industry. MSPs will know what’s new in tech and will probably be using new technologies before you even hear about them. This is a great way to stay ahead of your competition and increase your ROI at once.
Regulatory compliance
There are many different data privacy regulations and laws, so it’s difficult to follow all of them. For example, there’s GDPR, PCI-DSS, the NY SHIELD Act, CCPA, HIPAA, and more. Do you know which regulations apply to your business? If not, your managed service provider will know. They’ll also integrate compliance into every service provided for your company, including your employee policies.
A managed service provider will ensure that all third-party software meets the requirements of whatever regulations you’re bound by, and will continually assess needs as they change. This is critical because the consequences of violating data regulations can be steep fines and reputational damage.
Consider managed services to strengthen your company
When you hire an MSP, your company will be able to handle technical issues before they impact your business. If you want stronger IT security and efficiency, a managed service provider will give you everything you need.