When computer hackers steal customer data or hold your site ransom, and it’s happening more and more often today, liable companies can lose a small fortune making things right. A monitored and secure network is critical to protecting your business, your customers, and your professional reputation. Unfortunately, most small to midsize businesses lack the resources to maintain a highly qualified in-house staff to combat security threats, manage networks, and address ongoing IT issues.
With managed IT services, a professional third-party provider handles the issues that often get back-burnered such as data backup and recovery, network security, real-time systems monitoring, timely problem resolution, and a lot more.
Here are the top reasons why managed IT services are ideal for SMBs and should be considered for your business or organization.
1. Professional IT Knowledge
Employers who are not knowledgeable about information technology cannot make effective decisions when it comes to hiring in-house IT personnel. Managed services providers only hire qualified individuals and verify their credentials. In addition, they provide their staffs with ongoing education to stay current with the latest technologies and security threats. Having trained IT professionals handle complex tasks helps eliminate lost productivity and the potential financial loss.
2. Fast Response Times
When clients call their managed service company with a problem, question, or request, they do not have to deal with long wait times or the internal juggling of priorities. They essentially have ready access to enterprise-level support. With remote monitoring and on-going maintenance, information technology professionals can address issues quickly and, in most cases, prevent problems before they occur.
3. Disaster Readiness
When disaster strikes in the form of fire, flood, or vandalism, data loss can mean costly downtime for a business or organization. Some never recover. Managed services providers perform regular backups and test the integrity of those backups to make sure that in the event of disaster, data recovery is the last thing you have to worry about.
4. Better Security
Cybersecurity remains one of the top issues facing business owners today. Damage from global ransomware attacks could exceed $5 billion in 2017 alone. Managed IT providers use advanced security measures to stay ahead of threats and know how to minimize risks. They also stay current with compliance issues. By using the expertise of managed IT services instead of going it alone, businesses can reduce the security risks that can harm themselves and potentially their customers.
5. Predictable IT Costs
When in-house employees who are not trained properly attempt to fix thorny network problems or if they are not keeping up with the latest developments in IT technology, the resulting damage or lost opportunities can be costly to employers. With outsourced managed services, fee structures are outlined clearly. Your ability to accurately plan for the future, avoid costly surprises, and budget for capital expenditures is enhanced.
6. Stronger Competitive Edge
While large corporations can afford the high cost of maintaining a professional in-house IT staff, most small to mid-sized businesses cannot afford such a luxury. And yet, their technology needs are every bit as critical to their success as those of their larger counterparts. By teaming up with a qualified managed services provider, smaller businesses gain better leverage to compete effectively with other SMBs and even larger businesses.
7. More Time to Work, Higher Productivity
When computer networks and infrastructure needs are managed by third-party professionals, in-house personnel have more time to focus on the high-yield tasks that move your business or organization forward. Information technology tasks that require special skills or in-depth training can consume a considerable amount of time from in-house staff members who may struggle — with or without success — to find solutions to problems. Productivity drops and so does the return on investment each employee brings to the business. When employers maximize each employee’s ROI by making sure they are focusing on what they do best, the bottom line improves.
8. Lower Labor Costs
In addition to the fact that qualified IT professionals are in short supply these days and expensive to keep on staff when you find them, hiring and training individuals to become IT professional is also expensive. By securing the services of a managed IT provider, businesses pay set fees or pay based on usage. There is no need to hire and managed staff.
At Network One, our technology solutions improve security, scalability and reliability for businesses and organizations in Medford and throughout southern Oregon and Northern California. What this means for you is more stability and greater productivity for your business.
We can help you mitigate security risks, improve workflow quality, save money, and budget more effectively. Contact us to learn more. Call 877-256-2006 today.
