Business gets more competitive every single day. The never-ending onslaught of competition makes it imperative to find ways to cut costs and improve efficiency.
For many companies, the IT department is one of the most expensive and unpredictable assets. Over $154 billion is spent on managed services at North American companies, with the amount of money increasing each year. Learn how using a managed service provider can help IT departments run more efficiently and become markedly more productive.
Managed IT Services - Friend or Foe of IT Departments?
For many happily employed IT professionals, the term “managed services” can invoke fear and be perceived as a threat to their job security. However, managed services aren’t the enemy. Instead, these services should be seen by IT teams as a tool to make their jobs easier, not harder. When used in tandem with experienced, in-house IT professionals, companies and their respective IT departments stand only to benefit from Managed IT (MIT) services.
How Managed IT Services Can Make IT Departments Better
In Spiceworks' “2019 State of IT” annual report, the research company found that 89% of businesses expect their IT budgets to grow or remain steady in 2019. Furthermore, the biggest driver of anticipated IT budget increases in 2019 is the need to upgrade outdated IT infrastructure.
Budgeting & Infrastructure Refresh
There are many applications of managed services that can improve IT departments, but one of the most compelling arguments for incorporating Managed IT services is the subscription-based model managed services is built on. The flat fee for managed directly corresponds to your needs and usage, making your IT costs predictable and simplified. Managed IT service providers also work to craft your IT strategy and guarantee updated software, equipment, and up-to-date training for your IT service professionals.
Unburden Your IT Team
Another persuasive reason to implement managed IT services is to reinforce your overworked, stressed IT team.
When a company has only a handful of full-time IT professionals and the network fails at the same time as multiple PCs, there isn’t enough expertise to go around. IT departments that are spread too thin will end up creating bottlenecks in productivity. Addressing multiple issues, while keeping an eye on your network and remaining up-to-date on security protocols is taxing for a small team. Managed services are an excellent tool for IT departments to lean on. Managed IT services can take on the more time-consuming tasks, while the in-house team tackles more critical work.
Instead of decimating IT departments, managed services liberate them, allowing key IT personnel to get more done without being overworked. With the use of managed services, customer satisfaction is up, and complaints and help calls are minimized.
Around the Clock Support Without Breaking a Sweat
Managed services allow for 24/7 IT support, meaning that long after the in-house IT team goes home, support is still available. After all, when it comes to technology and IT frustrations, forcing your customers to wait until the next day to resolve technical issues can result in a slew of angry emails and phone calls.
Increased Compliance
One of the most exciting benefits managed services brings to the table is that they effectively absorb the liability of compliance. Hiring a managed IT service provider to shoulder compliance responsibilities can save firms vast amounts of money.
When working in conjunction with a managed service provider, not only do in-house compliance responsibilities decrease, saving businesses money, but it's also another great time-saver for your IT team. Businesses can't expect peak performance out of their IT personnel when they're unnecessarily bogged down with time-consuming compliance tasks.
Health, manufacturing, and finance businesses are heavily regulated and are in a unique position to benefit from these services.
Predictable Expenditures
In addition to the cost-savings benefits of shifting IT compliance responsibilities to managed services, they can also monitor your office supplies like printer paper and ink. When supplies are low, managed services will give you a heads up on what you need and what to order more before the technology needs to be replaced or upgraded.
Progressive Support
Managed services are continuously updated and striving to remain on the cutting edge of technology, ensuring your IT departments has access to the current technological advances based on the needs of your business and your customers.
In today's business environment, falling behind is not an option. Businesses who lag in technology suffer from sluggish growth while competitors who stay on top of advances forge ahead. Managed IT service providers makes it easy not only to keep up but to stay ahead.
Ease-of-Use
Training and support are key elements to managed IT Services. Not having to find the right “tech guy” for an IT department, or asking current employees to come in in the middle of the night to fix a computer or a problem make managed services worth it. The worry attached to your only in-house IT expert going on vacation or being sick is eliminated.
Securing Data
Regardless of the sector or industry, every business worries about information security, whether it’s client data or business information. In the first quarter of 2019, there have already been 1,903 publicly disclosed breaches and 1.9 billion records exposed. Breaches are becoming one of the highest security threats and can do damage to both your wallet and your reputation. With the help of managed services, new hacking methods are researched and addressed, and vulnerabilities are remediated with the highest level of safety.
Imagine having an entire army of cybersecurity professionals ready to go at a moment’s notice. With managed IT services, that's exactly what you get, along with potent security software protection.
Make IT Departments More Productive with ImageNet's MIT Services
Managed IT services aren't the enemy; they're the solution to make your IT department run like a dream. The benefits in security, efficiency, and productivity make these services essential for firms looking to optimize their IT departments and get the most out of them without breaking the bank. When it comes to managed services, ImageNet’s award-winning Managed IT services and, experienced consultants, and latest technology solutions offers our customers the excellent care and security they need.
Start with a free network assessment and learn what our Managed IT services can do for you. Make your IT simple, efficient and cost-effective today!