Hidden Benefits of Managed IT Services
We hate to be the bad guy, but we’re certain that you cannot multitask nearly as well as you think you can. Multitasking is just not how the human brain works, and whether or not you believe in the psychology of it, we think you stand to benefit by outsourcing some of the tasks on your plate to a managed IT services provider.
Managed services are effective to help you spend less time on your IT and more time on your actual job duties and responsibilities.
The Proof is in the Proverbial Pudding
To put things in perspective, only about 2.5% of people can effectively multitask, so it’s highly unlikely that you are in the minority who can do so without compromising the quality of your work.
What you think is multitasking is really just your brain switching gears over and over, and the more complicated these tasks are, the less effective it is at switching between them. Your performance is sure to suffer if you can’t keep up.
How This Shows Up in the Workplace
It’s difficult at best to do multiple tasks at the same time, so let’s take a look at some of the tasks that might be pulling you away from your important work:
- Managing employees to ensure they are reaching your organizational and operational goals.
- Managing the public face of the company, including how you appear to the community, clients, and vendors.
- Ensuring compliance with laws and regulations.
- Managing the sales and marketing efforts of your organization.
Notice how we haven’t even mentioned IT on that list yet; it’s a whole other beast to tackle.
Managed IT Services Removes Some of the Burden on Your Business
Really, you shouldn’t be managing your technology anyway—you should be relying on a professional like Point North Networks. Give us a call today and we can discuss how it’s beneficial for you to work with us.
Benefits of managed IT services
Now that we know that you can’t be doing everything and managed IT services do offer better streamlining and work management, let’s look at some of the other benefits of managed services.
Shweta, a member of the Forbes Advisor Council, aptly describes the benefits of hiring managed services. She says, “MSPs have expertise in the processes that they manage. So, when you hire an MSP for noncore processes, you and your team can focus on activities that drive growth while ensuring that other processes are also being run by experts and not getting neglected.”
Controlled, scalable spending (OPEX)
Establishing an IT infrastructure requires costly capital expenditure. It is an ongoing investment as it requires constant upgrades and scaling up as your business grows. So, predicting your actual expenditure and budget will remain a challenge for you. However, if you outsource your work to a managed service provider, you can be free of establishing, upgrading and managing your IT infrastructure.
With managed IT services, these recurring expenses turn into one single, fixed cost – your OPEX. Since managed service providers charge on a project or monthly basis, you will not have to worry about changing and increasing expenses. Also, hardware breakdown, server connectivity and similar issues like these will be taken care of by the managed service provider. You can pay once and focus on other more strategic responsibilities.
No more sunk and operational costs
Having an in-house team means you will have to provide for them. Managing their salaries, increments, benefits, insurance etc are all added expenses that you will have to bear. In addition to that, the operational cost of your day-to-day tasks will also add up to your budget. You will need to spend time, money and effort to train your staff and provide them with additional facilities and support to retain them.
However, outsourcing your IT initiatives to managed service providers will free you of these hassles and provide several business benefits. Managed services will help you with cost savings on consulting, licensing, training and emergency repairs. Reduced labor rates are another additional benefit as most outsourced services are priced at a much lower cost.
Faster response time
Downtimes and technical failures can hamper your business, which is a big setback in today’s fast-paced world. The managed IT services model saves you from such challenges as their personnel will be available to support you at all times.
Expertise and Experience
One of the biggest benefits of managed IT services is the experience and expertise they bring along. Your It department might not be equipped with that kind of experience and expertise. Outsourcing companies have professionals with the right qualifications, training, certifications, and experience that are specific to your industry, providing the best talent to work for you.
Proactive monitoring and fixing
Apart from getting access to some of the best industry talent, proactive monitoring and quick issue resolutions are the other benefits you get from hiring managed services.
Data shows that the average cost of downtime is $9000 per minute. However, a proactive approach helps in catching the issues and rectifying them before they become too big to handle. This also results in decreased downtime as you will face fewer obstacles in your operations and enjoy better business continuity.
Compliance with data security regulations
Most businesses are required to comply with regulatory standards regarding their IT infrastructure. These regulations require specific rules to be followed regarding finance, privacy, retail establishments, reporting, security and a lot more.
Your IT staff might not be completely aware or equipped to follow and comply with these standards. However, managed service professionals are and they can help your business be in compliance wherever necessary and keep the client data safe.
Heightened cyber security
Cyber security is a huge issue most businesses are facing in today’s digital world. Data shows that there are hacker attacks every 39 seconds. With most companies operating online and the huge of data being stored and transferred online, data breaches and cyber threats are more real than ever before. Familiarity with PCI compliance help businesses in a huge way, something that most managed services providers have.
Handling cyber security threats requires specialized knowledge and expertise that your IT team might not have. However, a managed IT services team possesses such expertise, making it capable of delivering the required solutions.
One point of contact
A managed IT services provider often deploys a single customer success manager who takes care of all vendor communications regarding all your IT-related equipment. So, you will no longer have to run behind software and hardware vendors to get things sorted. All this is done at their end.
Lower time to market
If your IT management includes Cloud Computing, then it will require high-speed resources to handle technical difficulties. Managed services provide such support, eliminating IT inefficiencies and lowering your time to market, increasing productivity and helping you take your business forward.
Reduced risk
Every business faces an element of risk. This could be regarding your financial conditions, government rules and regulations and changing technologies. A managed services provider will efficiently mitigate risks related to these aspects of a business, helping them operate effortlessly.
How can Point North Networks help with managed services?
Point North is an experienced managed services provider with years of experience and the right industry expertise. Our comprehensive knowledge of various industries allows us to provide the right strategic initiatives to our clients.
Our dedicated team of experts act as a reliable point to handle all kinds of serious problems. We offer managed services to both large and medium-sized businesses and the most cost-effective rates.
Frequently Asked Questions about Managed IT Services Benefits
What services do managed IT services provide?
The scope of Managed Services usually depends on the specific needs and the budget of your business. Some benefits that a managed services provider delivers include –
- Maintenance and monitoring of devices
- Management of IT systems
- Remote management of services
- Network monitoring
- Support services
Why managed services are important for my business?
In the present-day world, managing cyber security is getting more and more cumbersome. Not only does it need constant attention, but also a certain level of expertise for maintaining network security. Moreover, overlooking one or more aspects of cyber security, even for a few days can lead to significant harm to the business. All of this combined makes it essential for every business to have a reliable service provider on their side.
What do managed services look for?
Some of the most important services to look for in a managed services team include –
- Quick Response Time
- Annual and Monthly Budget Planning
- Disaster Recovery Planning
- Third-Party Vendor Partnerships
- Local On-Site Maintenance and Support
- Remote Monitoring and Support
- Daily Backups and Cloud Services
- Security Testing & Monitoring
Is managed service the same as outsourcing?
Outsourcing IT Services imply that an external company will offer assistance in specific areas of your business. On the other hand, Managed IT Services have a wider scope and aim at offering multiple technology services, complete with cybersecurity and other crucial aspects of network security.
