It’s said that few can get along without some help from others. If your business has grown, and your technology needs along with it, managing IT on a daily basis may be more challenging. Now may be the time to consider outside assistance. Read on to learn how supplemental IT support via managed services can help save time and money, not to mention help you reach your business goals.
Benefits of Supplemental IT Support
Supplemental support (also called “outsourcing” or “co-managed IT”), is the practice of partnering with a managed service provider (MSP), one that can provide help with one or more of a company’s IT functions. For companies with no IT department, or those with a small department overloaded with daily tasks, managed services offers numerous benefits. First, a Managed Service Provider (MSP) can help a company make the most of their technology investment by taking on responsibility for a company’s IT infrastructure via a flat fee subscription model.
What to expect from IT Managed Services
Indeed, according to a CompTIA buying guide, more than 6% of surveyed of companies using MSPs reduce their internal IT staff. These services–including helpdesk, data protection and network monitoring–can free up internal IT staff to help reach your company’s strategic goals. Network monitoring can be done remotely 24-7, detecting and solving issues before they become major problems. Monitoring also produces data analytics in real time, showing how the company’s network is functioning. With all these benefits, your business also needs to consider its goals, and work with an MSP to develop a service level agreement.
Considerations in Using Managed Services
Even with the real benefits (and perceived benefits like peace of mind), your company needs to take a close look at a managed service provider to determine if the MSP provides these benefits. How do they protect data and help your company comply with industry compliance regulations? What if a problem crops up — how will the MSP work to solve it? How much flexibility and control might your company need to give up in exchange for peace of mind? These are important questions to consider in formulating the service level agreement with the managed service provider.
If you have reached the point of needing supplemental IT support, and you don’t know where to start, contact us today.