In today’s increasingly digital world, it’s not easy running a small business IT department without managed IT services.
In many cases, a sole IT manager probably is the department – a one-man band scrambling to take help desk calls, log service requests, monitor networks and firewalls, install patches and updates, back up servers, fix printers, and manage office email, all by themselves.
On top of all that, he or she is supposed to keep up with the latest technology trends and advise the business on how to improve productivity, save money, and meet its strategic goals. If time allows.
But, it rarely does. With resources stretched thin, it’s easy for a small business IT department to fall behind. However, managed IT services – i.e. the right technology, combined with the right services – can be the recipe for success in building an agile business in today’s world.
Stop Worrying about Applications
Today’s intersection of technology and business processes is increasing the need for managed IT services. In fact, it’s now looked at by company leaders as not just an instrumental asset, but a strategic business asset.
Because of this, businesses are increasingly lowering their risk and improving efficiency by using managed IT support services to handle some of the load. More than two-thirds of businesses surveyed by CompTIA, a computer technology trade association, said they used external IT providers within the past year.
Many providers offer services a la carte. Most companies get help with one or several applications, such as email hosting, CRM applications, storage, network monitoring, or backup and recovery. These providers augment in-house IT a collaborative effort.
Chances are, your small business IT department (or person) will appreciate some support. It takes a load off their plate by having enterprise-grade service monitoring desktops, servers, and networks, not just during business hours, but 24/7.
Hosting is another big benefit. Managing an in-house email system is an enormous time sink, and employees probably complain that it’s clunky. Letting a cloud provider host it not only frees up IT, it gives your staff a better product.
Modern cloud services also take much of the legwork out of keeping applications up to date by pushing automatic patches. This can go a long way toward keeping your business safe and remove a time-consuming and tedious process for IT.