Thinking of upscaling or ramping up your IT services? This is usually the point where business owners have to choose whether to boost their in-house IT capabilities or opt for managed IT support.
This is one of those important “crossroad” decisions faced by every growing business at some point in its development journey, and getting it wrong can be costly.
A third option is a hybrid or co-managed approach which includes a combination of in-house and external IT skills to fulfil your business technology needs.
So how do you know which option is right for your business?
When using an IT managed support provider (MSP) – your company outsources some or all technology functions to an external provider. This frees up in-house IT staff to focus on core IT tasks and allows other employees to get on with core business functions instead of struggling with everyday issues.
Here are 5 Signs Your Company Needs Managed IT Services
Repeated Network Problems and System Failures
When your company is constantly facing network issues or system failures, it’s time to consider another way of working. Not only is downtime highly frustrating, but it’s also very costly.
At this point it may be time to consider outsourcing your network monitoring and systems maintenance to an MSP. A good provider’s service offerings usually include routine IT infrastructure monitoring and around the clock management of systems. An experienced managed IT provider will cut down on company downtime, providing business continuity and helping to ensure consistent levels of service. In the long term, higher productivity resulting from less downtime will save your business money.
Your Internal Team Struggles to Cope
When your internal IT team struggles to keep up with business demands and is constantly under pressure, this is a clear sign they could do with some help. They may initially try to resist change and may not be able to see for themselves how much they’re struggling. They will soon realize how an external provider can make life easier.
For example, having a cloud-based, managed IT support company take over some of the daily problems will help free up internal IT staff. This helps alleviate pressure, allowing them to focus on core IT tasks.
Your IT Spend is Consistently Too High
Qualified and experienced IT professionals don’t come cheap and the industry is highly competitive. Even if you do manage to find the right IT staff for inhouse positions, which is by no means easy for smaller companies and SMES, the chances of losing them to better positions or salaries elsewhere are usually very high. This means you have to regularly re-invest in recruiting, training and onboarding new staff.
The solution? Managed IT support pricing – this means you only pay for the IT services and expertise you really need, when you need them. Perhaps your company only needs cloud-based support with an occasional site visit, for example when a computer breaks and needs to be fixed. A quality managed service provider MSP can also offer different levels of managed IT services pricing, often tailored to your company’s individual needs. This could be in the form of an hourly rate or monthly rate or even a custom-made package deal.
The cost of technology can also put pressure on business margins, especially for small businesses or SMEs – this can be alleviated by using cloud services and solutions offered by MSPs. These solutions drastically reduce the need to purchase expensive hardware or software.
Your Company Has Outgrown Existing Infrastructure and Skills
At some point during every business’s growth, it’s normal for the company to need more advanced infrastructure which can be very costly. The cost of outsourcing IT needs to a managed IT support company is often much more affordable than constantly having to upscale IT infrastructure and inhouse skills to keep pace with your business development.
When your company reaches a point where existing infrastructure and staff no longer support the level of growth required for business development, this is the obvious moment to consider outsourcing of IT skills and cloud solutions.
Vulnerability to Cyber Threats and Attacks
Cyber security threats to data and systems are on the rise in every business environment, regardless of the business’ size. An experienced external provider will usually be very well versed in the risks and latest threats companies face. Externally provided services will typically include strategies for countering cyber threats and can also extend to disaster recovery solutions for worst case scenarios, if required.
Crimson IT offers managed IT Support solutions tailored to fit the needs of every size and type of company. Our IT services include managed helpdesks, network monitoring and systems maintenance, cyber security strategies and disaster recovery solutions. Find out more about our services and about the cost of managed IT solutions to see how we can help you save money and time.
Contact us today to get started.