Some small and medium-sized business owners think Managed IT Services are only for larger enterprises. They may believe they can’t afford the professional services that larger companies have in house or outsource to IT vendors. The truth is quite the opposite; managed IT Services are a perfect fit for a growing business, and the costs scale to fit a business of any size, making it affordable even for small companies. A small and growing business needs to take IT just as seriously as the big guys. There are many reasons to pursue outsourced, professional IT support if you own or run a small business.
Quality Support
Computers and other technologies are supposed to help employees do their jobs more efficiently, increasing productivity and ultimately adding to your bottom line. However, if staff are constantly dealing with computer problems, these tools can end up being a hindrance to productivity. A Managed Services Provider (MSP) can provide outsourced HelpDesk support, allowing your employees to quickly move past technology quirks and focus on their jobs. A growing business should never overlook the importance of keeping their staff on track and using the best technology available to do their jobs efficiently.
Network Security
Many small businesses think they are immune to network breaches and hacking attempts because they’re too small to be worth going after. However, hackers are increasingly targeting smaller businesses because they know they won’t have the sophisticated security infrastructure common at larger enterprises. Don’t make yourself an easy target-–working with an MSP to ensure that your network meets best practices and industry standards for security is critical.
Disaster Recovery
Could your business survive being down for 2 days? What about 2 weeks? A month? If you don’t know how long it would take to recover from a significant technology failure, then you have a major risk floating out there that you haven’t even quantified. Some businesses can survive more downtime than others–-it’s all about your organization’s tolerance for risk. But small businesses should know what their disaster recovery plan looks like and how long it would take to execute. A good MSP will provide disaster recovery services that can keep you up and running in virtually any scenario.
Remote Monitoring
This is an essential component of what any MSP should provide. Remote monitoring means that your computers and servers are monitored 24/7/365 by a team of trained professionals, watching for errors and problems that could snowball into bigger issues. Taking this preventative, proactive approach is far superior to simply reacting to problems as they arise. Whether your business is big or small, it’s better to pay to prevent problems from happening in the first place than to pay to have problems remedied when it’s already too late.
Affordability To Scale
It might be a mistake to think that Managed Services are out of your budget. Most Managed Service plans are priced based on the number of computers and servers your company has. If you’re a smaller company, your bill will be smaller too. Mankato Computer Technology offers three tiers of Managed Services so that there are plans affordable for businesses of every size. Notably, outsourcing IT to an MSP can represent considerable savings for small businesses, because it saves having to hire someone to handle technical issues internally.
Technology can either help or stand in the way of your business’s growth. Working with a quality Managed Service Provider is a vital step in the direction of quality technology for your business. If you’re interested in hearing more about what Managed Services could do for your business, call Mankato Computer Technology for a free consultation.