There are many good reasons for which companies choose managed IT services. Some purchase these services because their existing IT staff is not adequate. Others might do so because they want to streamline the network for maximum performance. Some others might be focused primarily on the security advantages, which are pretty large. However, we are going to talk about one of the less-obvious benefits that can come from the use of managed IT services. When used intelligently, they can actually help to drive the growth of small businesses. Let’s examine the main ways in which this can occur.
1. Prevention Of Data Disasters
A data disaster (such as a breach or an extensive data loss following a system crash) is definitely one of the things that can hold a small business back. Thus, managed IT services can serve to boost growth by addressing one of the biggest dangers to that growth. Customer confidence is an essential thing for any public company, and that includes their confidence in your ability to protect their data.
Every time a customer swipes their debit card and enters a password (as one example), they are entering very sensitive information and trusting that you will protect that information. If you fail to do so, they will probably decide to stop patronizing your company.
Managed IT services help to prevent data loss through the use of a carefully managed backup schedule, allowing that important data to be duplicated and stored in a secure location. Thus, if a data disaster does occur, you can simply restore the system from the most recent backup and continue as normal. At this point, there is probably no need to re-state the fact that data breaches can be ridiculously expensive.
2. Cost Savings On Labor
When you go with managed IT services, they will take over at least some duties from your in-house IT staff. This means that they will not have to work as many hours, and those hours will be more productive because they won’t have to waste time with routine network maintenance. In the end, the result is a more streamlined labor setup.
The services of top-tier IT people can sometimes be pretty expensive. Those people are in demand, and most of them are aware of that fact. As such, the best ones will want to be well-paid for their services. If you are a small, up-and-coming kind of company, you might not be able to afford those top-tier IT people.
This is where a third-party service fulfills its function nicely. By offering those top-level IT people more work and opportunities than they would normally receive, they make it possible for other companies to employ the best people at a reasonable price. The amount of money you save can definitely help to fuel the growth of your company.
3. Cost Savings On Infrastructure
In most cases, the biggest cost savings will come in the form of infrastructure savings. When you decide to run your entire network in-house, that means you will have to supply and configure your own servers. You might even need multiple servers, and that doesn’t even include all the network peripherals like cables, switches, etc. If you want some dedicated security hardware (like a firewall box, for instance), or some subscription-based security software, the costs go up even more.
By the time you add all of these things together, it can add up to a lot of money. Using a managed IT provider allows you to change all of that silliness into one monthly expense with a predictable fee. If you are thinking about creating an in-house network, you really should consider managed IT services before you put out all that money.
4. No Need For Expensive Upgrades
This benefit is somewhat related to our last item, but it is a little more specific. When you choose to create your own network infrastructure, it will not be a one-time expense. In fact, information technology tends to become obsolete rather quickly. Thus, certain aspects of that infrastructure will need to be frequently upgraded. In case you are wondering, the old equipment can’t really be re-sold to make up for the expense. Not only will it be hard to sell obsolete gear, but it also represents a potential security breach.
When you go with a managed IT provider, on the other hand, upgrading your network technology is not much of a concern. You might have to do some upgrading on your end-use devices once in a while, but the maintenance of the network itself will be handled by an outside company that will be liable for its performance. That includes any fees for new equipment, of course.
5. Less Down Time
When you go with a “home-brew” network, there are no real guarantees in terms of performance or uptime. “Uptime” refers to the amount of time each month that your network is fully operational. Most third-party IT providers will give you a service-level agreement (often called an SLA) that guarantees a certain percentage of uptime per month. If the terms of that agreement are not met, your IT provider will be liable for any resulting losses. However, when you choose to do everything in-house, you will simply have to eat the costs of any network downtime that may (and likely will) occur.
Conclusion
All of these factors come down to one simple point: Managed IT services can drive the growth of small businesses by saving them money in key areas. Thus, these resources can then be turned towards more productive purposes like overall business growth.
Anything that helps a business to run more smoothly and efficiently is also going to fuel growth by increasing productivity and profits. Managed IT has proven to be one of the most effective ways of doing those things. If you would like to learn more about managed IT services, you can call PCH Technologies at (856) 754-7500.