Being able to successfully manage the bottom line means life or death for any small business – which is why so many small businesses are wary of outsourcing work that they can do.
However, companies that have no or minimal IT staff may benefit from having a managed services provider (MSP) handle their telecom and IT needs. Outsourcing IT tasks to managed service providers allows businesses to focus on running the business, rather than troubleshooting tech problems and provides five other tangible benefits.
What are managed services?
Managed service providers offer support for your company’s technology services. Typically, an MSP will monitor your network, provide data back-up, and address any problems that come up on the network. Because so much is on the cloud now, your MSP will remotely access networks and deploy solutions without being physically on-site. Typical services include mobile device management, software as a service, platform as a service, help desk and backup recovery.
Why MSPs Are Good for Business
- Problem Avoidance. Your MSP is able to help prevent technical issues from occurring and minimizes downtime when they do. Good MSPs will proactively monitor hardware, software, backups, network and access. They will ensure that all equipment and software are operating at the highest level by staying current with vulnerabilities and bug fixes. This proper maintenance of your technology helps avoid downtime due to IT failures.
- Higher-Level Expertise. Your business cannot work if your technology is not working. Many small businesses hire a dedicated IT employee or someone that splits their time between IT and Facility Management. Unfortunately, that’s not always the best answer, as these teammates may not have the time to keep up with the latest cyberthreats or groundbreaking technologies. MSPs, on the other hand, usually have skilled personnel dedicated to each function of IT, so they can curate the best technologies and be aware of the latest threats.
- Cyber Security. With cyber threats ever evolving, it’s difficult for in-house staff to keep up with the latest vulnerabilities. Your MSP will ensure that the latest cybersecurity updates are installed on everyone’s device and that best practices for cybersecurity are implemented and maintained. The MSP will also deploy ongoing monitoring and threat detection via a robust cyber security protection platform, such as the IronScales product which CM3 deploys.
- Business Continuity. One priority for your MSP is ensuring that you can restore all your systems and data in the event of a disaster. A good MSP will create a disaster recovery plan so if disaster does strike, your business can endure it.
- Proactive Approach. Managed services enable you to be proactive about your business. Rather than scrambling to find tech assistance when a problem occurs, your business relies on your MSP for consistent monitoring of the network, including updating and maintenance tasks. Your MSP is also your IT partner, evaluating current and future IT needs, keeping abreast of the latest technologies, and advising on what products and services should be implemented going forward.
Most times, small businesses find that partnering with an MSP pays for itself very quickly. For example: the first time your MSP calls to advise you they are implementing an update to ensure protection against a cybervulnerability, or when a storm strikes and your physical location is unavailable but your business must continue to operate, that’s when you’ll breathe a sigh of relief that you had the foresight to find an MSP.
CM3 does provide managed services, and you can learn more about that here.