5 Great Reasons to Choose Managed Services

As an SME or start-up, it’s very likely that you have more than a few balls in the air and are constantly switching your focus between sales, staff and the drudgery of administration. Getting your fledgeling business off the ground and prepping to join the high-flyers means you are going to be stretched pretty darn thin. And this is exactly why you need to consider managed services!

What Are Managed Services?

Managed IT services are, essentially, trusted third-party contractors who take the headache out of managing systems that you likely know little about. It essentially means handing over the responsibility for compliance, security, infrastructure, cloud deployments, data centre solutions, collaboration tools – and basically the whole bang shoot – to a professional managed services provider.

Does that make you nervous?

As a business owner, you probably have control and delegation issues (we all do!) and want to make sure that your IT solutions stay within your control. But let’s take a quick look at five reasons why you should give some serious thought to handing over the reigns to a managed services provider.

Five Key Benefits of Managed Services

Predictable Costs

Let’s be honest. The biggest thing keeping you up at night is probably money. Cash flow, unexpected expenses, the fluctuating Rand… all collaborate to rob you of your sleep.

Any business in today’s world will need some sort of IT infrastructure in place, even if it’s just you and two guys on their laptops. Data security, antivirus and antispam software, storage, and adequate network speed are just a few elements that SMEs and corporates share.

Many SMEs find that a managed service provider improves the reliability and uptime of their operation and allows them to rest easy knowing that their security is up to date. Ongoing maintenance means that there are no nasty surprises, and many issues are prevented from becoming major causes for concern. A fixed monthly cost means all this (and more) is managed quietly in the background by professionals who do this for a living.

Scalable

If you plan on growing your business then you will probably need more staff, more space, and more IT capacity. A managed services provider makes short work of defining the needs of your business, planning collaboratively with you, and then seamlessly implementing the requirements. Capital outlay becomes a steady operating cost with no “Surprise!” at the end of the month.

Moving offices? Downsizing? MSPs work with your shifting needs.

Efficient 24/7 Operations

A good managed services provider will offer 24/7 service. Can your IT department assure you of this? Remote monitoring and cloud computing have made it easy for them to stay on top of your systems and resolve issues at any time of the day or night.

SMEs who can’t afford dedicated IT staff will soon see the value of having a “go-to guy” who has the answers and can quickly and efficiently solve IT issues. Downtime is a killer for a small business, especially if you are operating an online store. Having dedicated IT professionals there to swoop in and solve your web woes will always be money well spent.

IT Capabilities

The fact is, we don’t know what we don’t know. IT is advancing at a staggering rate and there is simply no way for a small business owner to stay on top of his own business needs, as well as keeping abreast of IT requirements – notably in the field of security.

A managed services option allows you access to professionals who completely understand everything there is to know about migrations, data security, collaboration tools, disaster recovery, and maintenance.

Many businesses have found it beneficial to allow their IT staff to work alongside an MSP. Why? Simply because this frees up the internal staff to focus their energies on projects that they are better suited for, as opposed to trying to wear too many hats and deal with systems and procedures that may have no experience with.

Compliance & Security

Security is a constant and very real threat to small businesses. And compliance with local and international laws is a ball of red tape that very few business owners want to jump into.

Outsourcing these essential requirements does two things: It shifts the burden of responsibility to the MSP, and it frees you up to deal with your own pressing responsibilities.

Cybercrime is on the increase and shows no sign of abating. Therefore, having a qualified group of pros whose job it is to stay on top of (and squash) security threats to your network, allows you to breathe easy.

Are Managed Services Right For You?

While we have just touched on five reasons to consider managed services for your business, there are countless reasons why this industry has seen such phenomenal growth.

If you need help with your IT systems, then we’d love to chat with you. Huge Connect offer packages tailored specifically to businesses just like yours, and we know exactly how to take the pain out of managing your own IT systems.

Contact us now. We’re standing by to take your call.