Technology is always evolving. New threats emerge. You need to focus on your business. An experienced Managed IT Service Provider (MSP), like us, keeps your IT systems up to date and identifies and mitigates cyber risks for you. Thus giving you the peace of mind that your systems and data are secure. Simply put, an MSP, like Communication Solutions UK, is a specialist IT organization that offers IT services to businesses. These services may include consultancy, network design, maintenance and support, server administration, software installation, user support and more besides.
In our recent posts we have discussed how important technology is in an office environment, irrespective of the working model you have chosen for your business. We all rely on digital tools to connect with customers, plan schedules, keep records and process sales. These tools are critical to our business processes. As technology is always evolving, there is always something new to learn, a new threat to face, and a new update to do. If as a business owner you take care of this yourself, you will soon find it eats into your time, or gets neglected for lack of time.
The old adage, ‘focus on what you’re good at and leave everything else to someone else who knows better,’ has never been truer. A reliable Managed IT Service Provider (MSP) will take on the responsibility of securing, monitoring, and maintaining your technology and systems so you can keep working on your business.
In this article, we explain
- The benefits of using a Managed IT Service Provider (MSP)
- How to choose the best MSP for your business?
- How to get started with an MSP?
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The top 5 benefits of using a Managed IT Service Provider (MSP)
If you have read our article “Hybrid Work Model Evolution”, you already know about the huge impact of technology on businesses and how it has changed them. It is not only about the arrival of Bell’s telephone, elevators, desktop computers, the Internet and networks, but also about how incorporating these technologies into the office environment forever changed the way of doing business. Technology has changed the way we work, is still changing it, and will continue to change it.
In a technological world, it doesn’t matter if your team is working from the office, in a remote way or in a hybrid model; technology has come a long way and is now an important part of the office.
Ok, by this point, I’m sure you already understand this, but right now, in the middle of the flexible work trend …
Businesses of all sizes will benefit from using managed IT services. Some of the key benefits include
- Access to IT expertise. MSPs have consultants and engineers trained on the latest technologies.
- Your staff have a point of contact for queries or issues to avoid frustrating ‘downtime.’
- 24/7 monitoring to make sure that your systems are secure and running smoothly.
This all contributes to increased business efficiency, cost savings, and improved system performance. Let’s now explore the top 5 benefits of using Managed IT Service in more detail.
- Stronger IT security
With the rise of cyber threats, ensuring businesses are secure can be a daunting task. With managed IT services, security solutions are continually updated to keep pace with the latest threats, and every layer of defence is managed for you – from password management to firewalls and external vulnerability scanning.
Good practice to safeguard your business from a cyber-attack, if you don’t have managed IT services in place, means that you should continually monitor networks and computers, institute regular virus scanning, ensure passwords are refreshed regularly, develop clear security policies and train staff.
The consequences of a cyber-attack can be severe. These typically include damage to your reputation, lost time and revenue due to system downtime and disruption, costs associated with recovery and legal efforts, plus regulatory fines.
Investing in managed IT services for many clients is a key component in safeguarding their business and ensuring a secure digital environment.
- Strategic budgeting and predictable costs
Managed IT service enable you to budget and control your IT expenses. By partnering with an MSP, you will have planned maintenance and preventative measures in place to reduce the risk of unexpected costs associated with breakdowns or system failures. Moreover, managed IT service consultants will advise on technology investments that best serve your business and its goals. This means that these expenses can be planned and budgeted for in advance.
- Operational efficiency and business growth
A Managed IT service provider is your IT Team. They are tasked with making sure that you get full value from the technology investments your business has made. They will optimise your existing tools, minimise downtime and guarantee performance. By staying up to date with the latest technologies, an MSP also ensures that you have access to information on the latest solutions for your business. Working with a managed IT service provider helps organisations save time, effort and money while maximising productivity and ROI.
- Disaster recovery to guarantee business continuity
In today’s digital world, if disaster strikes – be it a power outage, a fire or even a pandemic – having an effective and well-designed data backup and disaster recovery plan in place is essential to minimise business disruption. Without a disaster recovery plan, the impact of a sudden accident, or unexpected event, could be catastrophic for your business. At a time when the business is under pressure, you would be forced into spending time rebuilding your systems and restoring data. Having a managed IT service provider on hand to take charge of this, gives you the chance to focus on other issues and the peace of mind that you are in expert hands.
- A proactive approach
A Managed IT Service Provider proactively manages and addresses any potential problems or security risks before they become an issue. They will report routinely to you on how your systems and devices are performing. Highlighting aging devices that need replacing, or network components that are under pressure due to increased network traffic. In this way managed IT service help increase productivity, ensuring your technology investments are performing at the highest level possible and providing much-needed peace of mind for you. Proactive managed IT service ensures that you see a better return on investment through higher-performing networks, with greater uptime and fewer problems.
Choosing the right managed IT service provider for your business can be a challenging task. There are many different options available. These range from break-fix to monitoring, to proactive and fully managed services. It is important to consider your business needs and evaluate the services available. Not all MSP services under the same ‘heading’ will be the same.
How to choose the right Managed IT Service for your business?
Choosing the right managed IT service provider for your business can be a challenging task. There are many different options available. These range from break-fix to monitoring, to proactive and fully managed services. It is important to consider your business needs and evaluate the services available. Not all MSP services under the same ‘heading’ will be the same.
Here are some key pointers for how to choose the right MSP for you.
1. Consider your business and what specific services you need
Be clear in your mind about your requirements. An MSP will have a lot of questions for you. For example, How many employees do you have? Will they all need support? Do you have multiple locations and staff working remotely? What industry sector do you operate in? Do you have compliance requirements? What is your attitude to risk? What device standards do you have in place? What are your company values and objectives? What do you want and expect from your chosen IT partner?
2. Research your short-listed providers
Narrow down your list of providers to those that best suit your needs and share your company values. Take the time to read about them, to know their values and the way they work. Read customer reviews and assess the quality of service offered by each provider. Remember that whilst cost is an important factor, ‘best value’ rarely equates to the cheapest.
3. A Managed IT Service provider will be your IT Team
Your MSP will be your IT team, an extension of your company with an insight into your business. Before you choose the IT team that you want to work with make sure that you are clear about your needs and goals and confident that your chosen partner understands them and will be by your side when you need them.
An Managed IT Service Provider as your partner
The managed IT service provider you choose will be your trusted partner. You want to be able to communicate with them easily. They should report back to you routinely on their preventative and proactive service, as well as on any on-going issues. You should be able to talk to them about infrastructure upgrades and business plans. An MSP needs to understand your business, and where you want it to be in the future so that they can help you achieve your business goals.
Partnering with an MSP provides business benefits. Delegating responsibility for IT operations to experts, saves you time and resources internally. You can have the confidence that you are in save hands.
Remember that when choosing a Managed IT Service Provider for your business, you are choosing a partner, ideally for a long-term relationship. Make sure that you consider all your requirements. Research the suitable managed service providers carefully. Meet face to face with all the stakeholders on both sides.
If you need assistance, contact us! We have the experts and strong credentials as a reliable managed IT service partner to assist you and your team to achieve greater success.
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We want to hear about your challenges. Talk to us! Our consultants can audit your systems, plan changes, implement improvements and support your people.
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