Have you thought of hiring a Managed Service Provider? If you’re a small or medium business owner, you likely find it difficult to stay on top of all the responsibilities that go along with owning and running your own business.
You have to hire employees, handle marketing, training, billing, and more. Plus, there’s always the potential for unexpected issues that could affect your business.
That’s why you need a Managed Service Provider.
With just a dozen or so employees, you may think an IT company would be out of your price range. But in reality, the benefits far outweigh the cost, and knowing these reasons could convince you to reach out for help.
No wonder why the global IT spending in 2021 came to 4.24 trillion U.S. dollars and is expected to increase to around 4.45 trillion this year (2022). Let’s take a closer look at the reasons companies are investing this much in the IT services industry.
Pros and Cons of Hiring a Managed Service Provider (MSP)
It’s a team of experts who are responsible for maintaining your computers and other information technology devices. They’re responsible for making sure that everything—from IP phones and printers to servers and providing help desk services for internal and external staff is working properly and efficiently.
All these are for a monthly flat fee which is charged per user or device. They resolve IT issues when they arise and help your business function around the clock.
Why do you need a Managed Service Provider?
Every business needs an IT department or decision-maker that is responsible for standardizing IT to keep them running smoothly. To help you weigh your options, here are the pros and cons of hiring an MSP:
Pros of hiring a Managed Service Provider:
1. You will have effective data management.
Your data is the lifeblood of your business—your customer records, financial information, marketing information—everything you need to run your company. The best way to keep that data safe and secure is to hire an IT professional who can help you develop and implement an effective data and infrastructure plan.
They’ll set up backups, train employees on proper password usage, and make sure that everyone understands the importance of keeping their systems updated with the latest software patches and antivirus software.
2. Your MSP has up-to-date technology.
The MSP also allows your businesses to keep the focus on what you do. MSPs manage many networks and software systems for various clients. A good MSP will be well versed with years of experience and be process-driven while maintaining the best practices from data, remote, and physical security.
3. You can efficiently solve your business problems.
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If your servers crash or your website goes down, you’re going to have a hard time getting customers through your doors and keeping them coming back. That’s where IT support comes in. They’ll be able to get things running smoothly again so that you can focus on what matters most, which is running your business.
IT support can help solve major problems, from simple issues like fixing a printer or helping you set up an email account, all the way up through complex issues like making sure that your network is secure or making sure that your website runs smoothly.
4. You can keep your business secure.
IT support is incredibly useful for keeping your data safe from hackers or other malicious activity. If you’ve got a business that stores sensitive information, without access to IT experts could be devastating—especially in today’s world where hackers are more sophisticated than ever before.
5. You can get access to your MSP 24/7.
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Your business can’t afford to be down for even a few minutes, because your customers won’t wait around for you to get back online while they’re trying to make their buying decisions.
Being able to access technical support 24/7 means that you can get help when your system crashes, or when you’ve got a staff member who needs training on how to use the equipment.
6. You can reduce downtime and profit loss.
If your server goes down at 2 am and you don’t have an IT team on call 24/7 to fix it, then there is no way for your employees to work while they wait for the server to come back online. That means lost productivity, which means lost revenue and lost profit—all because you didn’t have an IT team ready when something went wrong with the system.
7. MSPs can scale on demand.
A managed service provider can take on more work if there is an uptick in your business, and they can scale back down when you need to reduce the workload. This way, your MSP is always ready for whatever you need them to do.
8. Cost-efficient.
It’s an easy way to save money on IT support and maintenance, which can help you reduce the overall costs of running your business. While outsourcing some tasks to a managed service provider may seem like it might cost more overall than doing it in-house or hiring a consultant, many companies find that the benefits outweigh the costs.
In addition to reduced overhead costs, you get access to better talent and greater efficiency when things go wrong without having to worry about dealing with those issues yourself.
Cons of hiring a Managed Service Provider:
- MSPs can be more expensive.
- Every MSP has a different business model, so you need to do your research accordingly.
- Not all MSPs have onsite field technicians.
In a Nutshell
We hope that you now realize that your business doesn’t need to take on these tasks alone and that MSPs can help you scale your business. The last thing you want is to risk your company’s stability due to a lack of IT support.
Meeting the needs of any business, from small to large, is crucial for a managed service provider. The unique solutions and strategies that are implemented may vary from service to service. Finding the best fit for you will require asking the right questions and understanding how each solution can meet your specific needs.
If you’re ready to take this route, schedule a call with our experts today. Let’s curate the best solution for your business.