Are you trying to bring your business up to date with the times? Read this article to learn how managed IT services can completely change your business.
Are you debating whether or not to hire a managed IT services provider?
Your predicament is understandable. A managed IT service costs money, so if you’re on a shoestring budget the idea might not look appealing. Or you believe your business isn’t big enough to outsource its IT functions.
Well, regardless of your circumstances, there’s no doubt more and more business are resolving to hire these providers. Since 2015, the IT consulting industry has been on a 3.1 percent, year over year growth.
You also need to stop sitting on the fence and bring a managed IT service provider on board. Not just because your competitors are doing it, but also because these services can completely transform your business.
Keep reading to learn how.
Increase IT Efficiency
You know that technology can accelerate business growth, but how efficiently are you using the available technologies to give your business an edge?
If your business is anything like most small businesses, you probably aren’t making the most of technology. You could argue that you have a couple of computers in the office and maybe a business website, but those alone aren’t enough to make you a tech-forward company.
If you want to fully leverage the power of technology, you need an expert advising you on how to do it. A managed IT service provider is the expert you need, especially if you’re a small business that doesn’t want to incur a lot of stuffing costs.
A managed IT service company will audit your business’ current state of technology and recommend the changes you need to make. Within a short time, your business will record increased IT efficiency, which will result in improved productivity.
Lower Your Operating Costs
One of the things that keep you awake at night is your company’s operating costs. If you’re burning through more cash than you’re bringing in, your company will collapse.
There are several steps you can take to lower your operating costs, including relying on technology.
The right business tech gives you multiple opportunities to cut costs. For example, you can use software to automate functions such as accounting and inventory management, which means you don’t need to hire accountants and stock managers. Taking even one full-time employee off your payroll will have a big impact on your operating costs.
A collaboration software, like Kanban Software, enables your employees to work remotely while maintaining their productivity. What this means is you can hire independent contractors instead of employees, which will save you a lot of money.
On your own, though, it’s hardly possible to use technology in a way that helps lower your operating costs. You don’t have the expertise. But when you work with a managed IT services provider, you’re bringing in experts who know how to implement tech processes that help a company save money.
Keep Your Eyes on the Ball
Let’s say you’re a business owner who oversees many functions, including IT.
There’s nothing wrong with this, but as your business grows, you’ll find that it’s harder to keep both eyes on all these functions. This puts your business’ growth at risk because you don’t have enough time to focus on the one thing you do best: making your product or service better.
Many small business owners keep wearing multiple hats even when it’s evident that it’s time to delegate. You might be thinking of the cost-savings, but when it comes to IT, you’re better off outsourcing the function to a managed IT provider.
The more tasks you delegate, the more time you’ll have to keep your eyes on the business and keep it on a steady path. You’ll be in a better position to identify small issues before they morph into serious problems, something that might not have happened had you no delegated some tasks.
Comprehensive Online Security
Now that the vast majority of people in the United States are shopping online, more small businesses are taking their operations online. While this exposes your business to a vast market, your risk of cyberattacks also increases.
You’re probably wondering why a hacker would waste time target a small business like yours.
First things first, 43 percent of online attacks target small businesses. Why? They are easier to penetrate.
If you were a hacker, would you spend your time trying to attack massive corporations with solid firewalls? You would go after small companies that don’t have any repulsive security technologies, right?
What are you doing to protect your business online? Do you even know where to start?
A managed IT service provider will develop a comprehensive cybersecurity policy and deploy tools that will ensure your business is able to thwart online attacks.
Considering that most businesses that fall victim to cyberattacks go out of business within six months, you can see why it’s important to let your IT functions be managed by professionals. You can consider reading our view on cyber security.
Minimal Outages
As powerful as technology can be, it’s not immune from malfunctions. In fact, your IT infrastructure will suffer outages from time to time.
An IT outage doesn’t just bring your business operations to a standstill. It also hurts customers’ confidence in your company.
What makes the difference is how effectively you’re able to minimize the outages and how quickly you get back online.
A managed IT service provider will help your business minimize outages. They do this by ensuring you have technology that’s less susceptible to outages and constantly monitoring your networks. If there’s an outage, they will get to it immediately, ensuring your business goes back online as soon as possible.
If your business is solely dependent on your online website, then you should make use of tech tools in order to check whether your site is online or not. A little website downtime can hurt, not only in terms of sales but also in terms of SEO.
Managed IT Services Will Give Your Business an Edge
You began the article by debating whether to hire a provider of managed IT services. Now it’s time to close the debate. There’s no doubt these providers will help your business gain an edge and grow tenfold. Your job is to find the right provider for your needs.
Also Read:
Managing Digital Risk in Business
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This post was last modified on May 8, 2021 11:24 AM