Today’s businesses are so dependent on IT and managing it well has gotten very complex. According to the latest National Small Business Survey, 43 percent of small to medium-sized businesses (SMB) owners are spending more than two hours per week on technology problems. Recognizing how important it is to keep up with new technology, many SMB owners and execs are questioning whether managing IT in-house is the best use of resources.
Tapping into the expertise of outside CPAs and attorneys is a common practice among SMBs, but outsourcing the management of company technology needs is a newer, yet rising, trend. In fact, research from AMI Partners predicts spending on managed IT services to grow by 28 percent annually through 2015.
Many companies look at outsourcing IT management purely in terms of the monthly cost to keep their computers up and running, but there are many lesser known benefits worth considering, including:
- Get an IT Staff for Less. Comprehensive IT support requires several different types of IT professionals. For example, a full time IT strategist (think CIO) could run you up to $200K/year. Add a help desk person for daily break/fix support and you’ll be paying another $50-70K/year. And, add an IT monitoring/security expert and you’ll need another $50-$60k. Bottom line: managed IT services give you the support your company needs at a fraction of the cost of full time, in-house staff.
- Align IT with Business Goals. A strong managed IT services provider will not only offer technology support, but it will also give you a strategy that supports your long-term business objectives. The benefit of this approach is better configurations and buying decisions up front which can lead to disaster prevention and reduced downtime ─ all of which save you time and money in the long run.
- Reduce Daily IT Hassles. When you add IT management to your employees’ “day jobs”, you’re pulling them away from the job they were hired to do. Managed IT services provide on-demand technical support from experts whose full-time job is to isolate and fix problems when they occur.
- Protect Your Business. Managing employees who are handling your IT can be really challenging if you’re not well versed in technology. Can you protect your company from incompetence or even sabotage? A reputable, long standing managed IT services provider can provide the reliable support your company needs.
- Get Hardware and Software That Works. A strong managed IT services provider offers integrated hardware and software solutions that are proven, saving you hours of time troubling shooting technology issues. They also have relationships with IT manufacturers that provide product insights that you won’t get from Internet reviews.
- Focus on Your Business, Not IT. Wouldn’t you rather spend your time doing what you love to do instead dealing with IT issues? Let the IT professionals handle technology, since it’s what they are trained to do.
- Integrating Technology Components is Crucial. Integration is key when dealing with technology. Whether it’s setting up e-mail, changing internet providers, setting up cloud –based solutions or installing software, a competent managed services provider knows how to make all the components work seamlessly together ─ behind the scenes.
- Deal with an Expert. Experienced providers will cascade their learnings from other clients. So, if the latest operating system upgrade is problematic, savvy managed services providers will give all their clients a heads up on this issue to head off problems. Also, they know how to talk to equipment providers to ensure your problems are resolved quickly and/or escalated to the next level of vendor support, if necessary.
arielMIS is a Managed Service Provider (MSP) providing businessCARE™ IT services designed to keep you and your employees productive and safe. Contact Us if you're interested in learning more about our services.