Why Use IT Consulting
Many small and mid-sized companies rely on Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to relieve their overburdened internal IT resources, or even allow the MSP to assume responsibility for their network altogether. Outsourcing IT services offers numerous advantages:
Lower Costs
Outsourcing converts fixed IT costs into variable costs, allowing you to only pay for the services you actually use. An IT budget can easily be blown by a single unplanned equipment repair, but managed services provides predictable monthly expenses. Companies can accurately budget for service costs and upgrades, while reducing or eliminating the expense of hiring and training an IT staff.
Increase Efficiency
Organizations performing all IT services in-house tend to have much longer research, development, and implementation times. It often takes weeks or months to hire the right people, train them, and provide them with the support they need. However, an outsourced IT service organization can implement new projects in a timely manner. A professionally staffed IT company will bring their many years of experience and expertise to your organization, saving you time.
Reduce Risks
IT professionals are risk reduction experts, due to their specific industry knowledge regarding security and compliance issues. Your MSP can analyze your current system, determine the primary risk factors your organization faces, and provide ideas to help you mitigate these risks. Compliance with industry and legal standards is a critical component of risk management, particularly in those industries with strict regulations regarding the handling of customer data. Your MSP has the expertise you need to ensure that your business is compliant.
Level the Playing Field
Many small businesses don’t have the resources to hire staff capable of providing the sort of in-house support services enjoyed by larger organizations. Outsourcing bridges this gap by giving small companies access to technology and expertise traditionally available to only the largest corporations. A MSP provides an entire team of individuals skilled in every area of information technology, allowing you to tap into their broad range of knowledge. Hiring a MSP to perform typical IT tasks frees you to invest your time and money in the core functions of your business.
Improve Security
Do you audit your servers and workstations? Have you installed a DMZ? Did you remember to update your firewall? MSPs do these things every day, and they have an entire staff available to tackle practically any issue that may arise. Security is a concern for any business, and having up-to-date network security is critical to the protection of your data. There are certain areas, such as cybersecurity, that particularly demand expertise. With proper planning and notification, security patches and updates can be scheduled during off hours to avoid disturbing the end user during the business day.
24/7 Network Monitoring
Most small businesses don’t have the ability to monitor their network continuously, and to be notified the moment a problem arises. This lack of monitoring increases network downtime, since the earlier an issue is detected, the faster it can be resolved. 24/7 monitoring by a MSP allows most issues to be realized and repaired before they become major disruptions that lead to significant downtime.
Comprehensive Reporting
Most MSPs can provide in-depth reports on error messaging, problem remediation, and user activity on a routine basis. Without this information, you won’t know which issues have been resolved, where problems still occur most frequently, or which areas of your network need the greatest attention.
Few problems are new for IT service companies since they are familiar with just about everything that can go wrong with technology. Hiring a MSP to perform proactive network monitoring, patch management, and desktop optimization on a regular basis allows you to prevent fires, rather than fight them. To learn more about IT consulting, contact us at 910-378-3868.