What’s the Right Fit for Your Business — Managed or Unmanaged IT?
The idea for managed service providers is a means to outsource the day-to-day management of your company’s technology in a proactive, secure and reliable way. IT staff can be difficult to source, maintain and keep challenged, often wanting to focus on creative software applications or growing tired of performing the same mundane tasks over and over.
Hiring an MSP oftentimes removes the need to recruit, hire and retain your own IT staff, freeing your staff up to focus on filling other important roles. It also can provide continuity of service and improved documentation, as MSPs often have more elaborate operating procedures than individual IT departments.
When looking for an IT partner, business leaders can consider a proactive agreement with an MSP or a traditional, reactive relationship with a resource that charges for time and material.
Essentially, this is the difference between visiting a general practitioner and medical specialists to safeguard your health, providing routine care and monitoring — and visiting the emergency room when you have a health crisis.
Both can get the job done, but one will require less energy and bring about fewer surprises than the other.
Managed Services vs. Time-and-Materials Resources
Before IT companies evolved into MSPs, shade-tree technicians provided businesses with technological fixes and only charged for their time and the materials used.
But as technology has become more sophisticated, trusting your company’s IT to a one-man shop could put you in a precarious position. Your entire company’s technology program will be limited to one person’s expertise and understanding, often creating a band-aid scenario over time.
On the other hand, partnering with an MSP means a monthly budget item, but can provide a cost-effective option for continuous monitoring, help desk services, and general oversight of your company’s entire network.
An added benefit is that an MSP allows your company’s IT staff to focus on core activities — often the ones that help your business produce revenue.
Any quality MSP will be available at all times to receive instant notifications of possible data security threats, and to react in the appropriate way.
Never Opt to Do-It-Yourself
Sometimes trying to fix your technological issues yourself is tempting.
Perhaps you’ve been successful in the past, but beware. Keep in mind that today’s technology is more complex than it has ever been.
Your IT infrastructure has dependencies between its factions and inter-operability can be an overwhelming challenge to understand. Plus, security needs change all the time.
Even though you may have security mechanisms in place, you still need to make sure they work and are consistently updated.
MSPs Provide Accuracy and Precision
When you partner with an MSP, you have their full attention dedicated to keeping your network up, efficient and secure. MSP technicians complete continuous training, staying up-to-date on new technological advances and the latest patches and upgrades.
MSP clients are not limited by the understanding of one person — whether it’s an in-house IT staffer or an outside time-and-materials technician. You can tap into the knowledge, experience, and expertise of a team of experts, who are oftentimes intimately familiar with your specific industry and its demands.
Be Sure your Back-Ups are Sufficient
Data back-ups must be a key piece of your company’s disaster recovery (read: DR) planning. Part of the responsibility of an MSP partner will be to analyze your back-ups, provide indexing and a process for access and ensure you’re protected if the worst happens.
Don’t find out the hard way that you weren’t prepared for the worst.
Expertise is Available with the Right Partner
At On-Site Computers Inc. we work hard to ensure that your colleagues can do the same. Our goal is to operate seamlessly in the background, so that you can maximize productivity and efficiency, knowing that cyberattacks are mitigated and DR plans are ready to execute.
Our process starts with a conversation. We want to understand your business and your goals, then put your technology to work for you.
Book a meeting with us today or reach out by phone at (800) 669-8513. We would be honored to talk with you and share how we have helped other Minnesota colleagues put their IT to work for them.
