Virtually every business relies on computers to some extent to manage their operations. However, keeping your IT infrastructure running efficiently requires careful planning and extensive knowledge. So what are managed IT services and how can they benefit your organization?
What Is an IT Managed Services Provider?
Managed IT services allow businesses to outsource their computer maintenance, upgrades, and repairs to professionals who can perform them on-site or remotely, depending on the needs of the company.
Even if you have an internal IT team, they may not have the time or manpower to handle these kinds of tasks, and managing your computer network can be extremely time-consuming even if you do have the skill set needed to do it yourself. That’s why as many as 90% of Fortune 1000 companies rely on a managed service provider for at least part of their IT needs.
So what is the definition of Managed IT, and how do these services work?
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Managed Services Description
The managed IT definition encompasses any support plans that cover one or more technologies (including networks, servers, and end-user devices) for a predetermined fee. Hiring managed services for IT is common with small businesses with no internal IT staff to handle break/fix maintenance and minor issues.
They can also be used by larger organizations with full-time technical staff to augment internal resources with expertise in areas where it’s needed but not readily available.
Some managed services are provided by full-time employees of a service provider. Others involve contracts with third-party firms that assign workers when needed for repairs or other work.
Whatever your business’ needs may be, talk to vendors that offer managed IT services to understand what they can do for you before signing any contract. Find out how much responsibility they’ll assume in case of problems and what help they’ll provide in less urgent situations.
How Managed Services Work
With managed services, your business’s hardware and software are monitored by an external IT staff. This includes security monitoring for viruses and malware as well as software updates to ensure that everything stays up-to-date. The team will also be available for consultation if any problems arise with your systems.
If an issue is severe enough, they can also take care of all repairs or replacements without you having to worry about it. The managed service provider can provide ongoing support remotely to ensure your business operations are never interrupted by outages.
MSPs use a variety of pricing models and service levels to define exactly what they will offer you, as well as providing defined service level agreements, such as uptime and responsiveness to issues.
What managed services can provide:
- Remote monitoring and management of servers, desktops, and mobile devices
- Cybersecurity threat monitoring
- Managed printing solutions
- Network support
- Cloud services
- Data backup and disaster recovery
- Employee training
- Helpdesk technical support
Managed IT Services and What it Means For Your Business
Source: Deloitte
If reading the managed IT services description is still leaving you a little confused, you may be wondering how they can help. Hiring an MSP can offer incredible benefits to your company, including:
- End-to-End IT Support: One of the biggest headaches for businesses is keeping track of their IT infrastructure. Not only do you have to deal with repairs and replacement, but you also have to figure out what gets replaced first when new technology comes out. An MSP can help you plan your IT strategy and keep your current equipment working at peak efficiency.
- Reduced costs: Hiring an MSP can save you money on full-time employee salaries, but the cost reductions don’t stop there. They can help you invest in right-sized infrastructure, optimize your infrastructure for better employee productivity, reduce downtime, and prevent costly data breaches.
- Focus for your team: The more time your help desk spends on troubleshooting issues or dealing with less serious concerns like password resets, the less time they have to deal with high-value projects that can improve your business. An MSP provider will handle all of these issues for you so that your team is free to focus on what’s important.
- Rapid repairs: MSPs often offer 24/7 network monitoring, and they can handle issues any time of the day so your business is never on hold.
- Data Protection: MSPs can help your company protect sensitive data and offer employee training to prevent malicious actors from accessing your network.
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Managed Services Use Cases
Even if you understand how managed services work, you still may wonder what IT managed can do for your business. The following are some managed IT services examples that can provide some insight into how they can help your company optimize day-to-day operations and improve your customers’ experience.
Cloud Migration
Moving your data to the cloud can save you money on hardware and energy bills, as well as give you increased flexibility for your IT spending. However, moving to the cloud requires expertise to ensure your business operations can continue without interruption.
An MSP can help you plan your cloud migration and implement it safely, so you can focus on what your company does best.
Staff Augmentation
Finding skilled IT professionals in the competitive market can be difficult and, in many cases, companies don’t need full-time employees to accomplish their goals. Many managed services providers even offer staff augmentation services to help you manage short-term or long-term projects.
Data Security
Managed services can secure your data and help your organization stay compliant with regulations like HIPAA and PCI Data Security Standard (DSS). Another advantage of managed services is that they provide secure remote access to your network for customers and business partners.
They can also create regular reports that include security assessments and other types of insight into your infrastructure to ensure that everything is running properly. This will protect you and your customers at every step of the way so you can maintain your reputation.
High-Impact IT Infrastructure Services and Solutions
MSPs can help your company overcome IT obstacles efficiently and reduce the risk of wasted IT budget and data breaches. But finding the right one requires attention to detail. It’s important to understand your service agreement and find a company with experience in your industry so they can offer proven solutions to the issues you face on a daily basis.
Accudata Systems, A Converge Company, offers your business a full-service one-stop shop for all IT services so that growing businesses can simplify IT planning and consolidate IT needs to a single vendor. We do this by having dedicated lines of business in each operational area of service, with everything managed in-house.
Accudata has a 39-year track record as an MSP with a 92% customer retention rate. To learn more about the meaning of managed IT and what managed IT service providers can offer, contact us today.