January 17
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IT proficiency is one of the biggest factors holding small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) back from growing. One may argue that smaller businesses lack the capital that bigger players have to advance their systems; but even still, many SMBs don’t focus on maintaining their IT environment as much as they should. Their primary focus is, understandably, on serving their customers. All the more reason to ensure their technical capacity can meet client demand.
We've found that the typical SMB owner takes a "firefighter" approach to IT, which means they reach out to an IT service provider only when they encounter a problem. We would highly recommend being as proactive as possible in an area that is changing and evolving as quickly as technology is. That's where a trusted managed service provider (MSP) like IT Voice can add immediate value to the equation.
Here are five (5) business benefits derived from Managed IT Services.
1. More focus time
Having a dedicated MSP partner on-hand to take care of any IT need that may arise helps businesses give 100% to other areas that help the business grow. With troubleshooting and routine IT maintenance off their plates, leaders can spend their time on clients, brand, and market expansion.
2. Lower IT costs
There’s no denying that an IT infrastructure plays a critical role in keeping any business up and running. Some companies have an in-house team to manage the infrastructure, but that can be costly. By outsourcing some or all of the operations to a trusted MSP, businesses will see cost benefits. Having an agreed upon service level agreement (SLA) in place will also be more cost-effective than engaging a partner on a transactional basis.
3. Greater flexibility
Businesses with in-house IT teams find it challenging to scale their IT team in tandem with their needs. IT personnel are expensive, but nevertheless important, especially as the business grows. However, in a smaller business, they may not be always utilized to their full capacity. Having an SLA with an MSP gives such businesses the flexibility and scalability they need to meet their growing IT requirements without worrying about additional resources.
4. Shorter time to recovery
Your MSP should be regularly monitoring your IT infrastructure. A typical service agreement will cover regular backups, periodic network monitoring for latency issues, timely security updates and patch application, etc. This means the chance of a severe issue catching your business off-guard is drastically reduced. Most of the time, the problem can be detected and resolved before it becomes a crisis.
5. Faster access to advancements
Businesses that have service contracts with MSPs have access to the latest and greatest technology has to offer. The IT industry is constantly evolving and your MSP should be keeping you current and competitive. This specialized focus also makes them a great asset to have at-the-ready when deploying new technology across the business.
Let's Raise the Bar Together
MSPs can bring tremendous value to SMBs, whether there is an internal IT team or not. Contact IT Voice today to learn more about how our managed IT services can help your growing business raise the bar.
