Manage Your IT: What Are Managed Services for IT?

managed it services

Every year, companies lose 545 hours of staff productivity as a direct result of IT outages.

IT is an essential component of most businesses today, but it can cause a lot of headaches.

When you’re spending more time worrying about technical problems than managing your business, it may be time to consider managed IT services.

But what are managed services for IT and how do they benefit your business? In this guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know. Keep reading to find out more.

What Are Managed Services for IT?

IT services typically run on a break/fix basis. That means that when something stops working, these services fix it. It’s a reactive approach to managing your IT systems.

The same expert or group of experts that managed the IT problems likely built and installed the computer system itself. The knowledge for resolving issues was in the hands of a small group, sometimes located offsite.

The break/fix approach to IT management is both time consuming and labor intensive. On the provider side, it doesn’t allow for IT providers to grow without investments in infrastructure, which aren’t always affordable. Cloud computing has changed all that.

Today, businesses can outsource their IT to a third-party organization. These third-parties are known as Managed Service Providers (MSPs).

They handle all your IT responsibilities and computer network support. The result is business operations that run more smoothly.

What Are the Benefits of Managed IT Services?

Outsourcing your IT to an expert service provider carries many benefits. We’ve listed each in more detail below.

Security and Compliance

The number of data breaches in the US is growing. With over 22 million records exposed in 2018, security is a big concern for many businesses.

A managed IT service provider manages that risk for you. They use the best practices in terms of technology and security testing. This ensures that your information and the information of your clients is always safe.

But managed IT services also ensure that your company stays compliant. This is especially important for businesses in finance, healthcare, and education. An IT specialist stays updated on changing regulations, technologies, conditions, and markets.

Proactive Approach

The break/fix method of IT services was a reactive approach to IT problems. It’s an inefficient and costly way of managing IT.

Instead, managed IT service providers conduct maintenance and system upgrades. They watch your network so that they are aware of potential problems before they occur.

This proactive approach to IT reduces the risk of crashes and lost productivity. It also ensures that when something does happen, resolutions happen quickly.

Budgeting

Companies contract managed IT services through a service level agreement (SLA). The SLA outlines what services managed services provide, the cost of services, and how both parties measure success.

Usually, MSPs provide services based on a flat rate. There are different tiers of services that cost more or less depending on what’s offered.

That means that you have a great degree of flexibility over the service you’re provided. Your needs and budget determine what services you pay for. As you scale up, the managed services provider scales with you.

This gives you the ability to forecast your annual IT budget. Knowing any operational information ahead of time helps with business strategy and smoother operations.

The costs of IT managed services are relatively low if the alternative is to build this kind of expert team in-house. It also reduces business costs and increases productivity. In the long run, it reduces the risk of network disasters that can cost large sums.

The Latest Technology

If you’re relying on system tools to identify and fix your IT problems, you need managed IT services. They use the most up-to-date, innovative, and efficient solutions to diagnose and fix ITs problem.

As experts in technology, MSPs keep updated on the latest processes and software. They can make recommendations that help improve the technology you use in your daily business.

Because they manage all your client accounts, they also have access to data and information you didn’t know could be useful.

IT Team Efficiency

If you have an in-house IT expert, outsourcing your IT gives them more time and flexibility. This allows your IT team to focus on other projects and improve their productivity.

Availability

Most MSPs are available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. That means that they can fix problems that occur over weekends or late in the evenings. They can also ensure that updates that result in costly downtime happen during off-hours.

But 24 hour a day technical help is more than monitoring. It also means your team has access to expert technicians whenever they’re needed. Instead of taking time away from your in-house IT teams productivity, they can ask about processes and problems to an outsourced team.

Do You Need Managed IT Services?

Outsourcing support is a big decision that has a lot of potential benefits. If you’re wondering whether IT service is right for your business, these indicators might help you decide.

  • Are the costs for managing your IT becoming too high?
  • Is your IT becoming too complex?
  • Are you falling behind with innovations in software?
  • Are you keeping up with compliance and other regulations?
  • Are you spending too much time and effort on IT solutions?
  • Do you need more automation and standardization?

If you answered yes to more than 1 of the above questions, you should consider managed services. Service providers like The Scarlett Group can save you time and money by managing your IT for you.

More Business Resources

What are managed services for IT? It’s a cost-effective and efficient way to ensure that you can focus on your business operations and not on IT problems. By outsourcing your IT to an expert service provider, you’ll improve productivity and secure your data.

To learn more about the benefits of managed IT services, check out these seven benefits.