Whether the mention of computer systems sends shivers up your spine or you’re a seasoned professional, one thing is for sure having a managed service provider can help you and your business.
But what exactly are managed IT services? That’s something we will talk about in detail within this article. We will also look at the benefits of hiring a managed service provider and we will also look at the downsides.
What is a managed services provider?
A managed service provider is a technical support company like ours that can help with the design, implementation and maintenance of your computing needs.
A managed service provider or MSP for short can help with:
- Network architecture.
- Data storage and security.
- Data backup and disaster recovery.
- Cabling services.
- Virus and malware removal.
And much more.
The main reason someone would hire another company to provide managed IT services is that it frees the business up to work on actual business problems rather than having to take their focus from the main business goals.
An MSP can monitor a network and prevent problems from occurring. When a network or system is down and it doesn’t work as it should it can have an effect that is felt business-wide.
For example, a system that regularly crashes could stop your salespeople from having productive sales calls which will, in turn, affect your profits. A network that isn’t secure on the other hand could leave you vulnerable to hackers that could steal critical information and lock you out of your systems.
In our experience, companies often look for managed IT services when they notice their business isn’t as efficient as it used to be. This could be anything from slow computers to downtime within a system.
Does your business need managed services?
We have said many times on our blog that building an in-house IT team is great if you can afford to do so. If you can’t afford to build a team of IT experts then hiring a managed service provider is a great alternative.
Managed IT Service providers like ourselves can lower your costs, improve the efficiency of your systems, improve uptime, and ensure your business is compliant with the latest legislation.
If your business is reliant on your computer systems and you find yourself stuck or losing time when your systems go down then there is a good chance you could benefit from hiring a managed service provider.
How much do managed IT services cost?
Managed IT services costs can range depending on the service you are being provided with. Some companies will charge per device, some will charge per user and others will sell you a block booking of hours.
When paying for managed IT services it’s important to know what you are paying for because if you don’t understand it then there is a good chance that when you need your managed services to fix something it may not be covered.
At Firewall Technical we are very open and clear with our pricing and what is and isn’t covered, so if you would like to speak to one of our technical experts we can talk you through some of the options open to your business and what would suit you best.
What are the benefits of managed tech services?
Firstly the main benefit is that your business is covered as the result of a disaster. This could be anything from your network going down to all of your data being deleted or even worse being ransomed back to you in a ransomware attack.
Most businesses will go out of business within 6 months of a cyber attack so having a form of protection via managed IT services is going to allow you to keep your data safe and also sleep a little better at night knowing that in the worst-case scenario your data is safe.
Secondly, managed IT services are cheaper than building an in-house tech support team and for the price of one employee in-house you can often hire a managed service provider that has experience in all areas of tech support.
Often businesses don’t have the resources to hire 10 different staff members to look after various parts of their business when it comes to tech support.
A managed service provider often has more than 10 members of staff yet you only pay a low monthly fee to access all of this knowledge.
Hiring an MSP also allows you to budget for the service without any nasty surprises. As I mentioned earlier some companies will charge per device or sell hours of service to you. This makes it much easier to budget for as you know how much you will need to pay each month to keep your system secure.
Are managed IT Services future-proofed?
One of the main problems in hiring in-house staff is that they often get bogged down with work so they don’t have the time to keep up with the latest industry trends, news and compliance issues.
Managed IT service providers on the other hand need to be at the forefront of technology so they can keep their clients happy. Because MSPs have many staff they can easily arrange training to keep up with the latest technologies while providing their services to keep your systems running efficiently and securely.
Hiring a company to provide you with managed IT services is going to help your business stay secure and run efficiently while being cheaper than hiring an in-house IT support team.
Ready to hire a managed service provider?
If you have heard enough about what managed IT Services are and want to hire a MSP to improve the efficiency of your business please get in touch with us. We have provided IT support and managed IT services to businesses in the Ottawa area for many years now and I’m sure we can help you too.
Call or email us today and one of our tech support staff will be in touch to discuss your business needs.