You’ve probably heard of the term managed IT services, but what exactly does it mean? Managed IT services are simply IT services that are handled by (or outsourced to) an external provider. Essentially, one company will employ another company to take over some or all of the IT services for their business. The company providing the IT services is known as a Managed Service Provider, or simply, an MSP.
MSP’s can typically look after all things IT. This includes key services such as infrastructure maintenance, cybersecurity, data backups, licensing, and end user support. Managed IT services gives businesses peace of mind that their IT systems are looked after and performing efficiently so that they can focus on the tasks that really matter. It helps ensure less downtime and disruption to end users so they can work with greater productivity.
Why managed IT services are in such high demand?
In the current digital age, collectively we are incredibly reliant on technology to perform daily roles and responsibilities. The way many of us work has changed tremendously, with a huge reliance on IT systems to aid us in doing our jobs.
The way we interact and collaborate with each other has also shifted. In fact, over 90% of SMB’s use digital tools for communication, and over 80% rely on them for internal management and operational activities.
Here’s a short example explaining how this digital shift has occurred in many businesses, as well as the issues it has created.
In the past, organising and attending business meetings would waste a lot of time and money. Employees would have to lease offices with boardrooms and travel distances just to communicate effectively. However, nowadays many businesses have adopted hybrid or remote working practices, therefore conduct a large amount of their meetings virtually. This saves time and money and increases productivity.
This shift has liberated many businesses from requiring large offices or boardrooms for their meetings. As a result of this, many businesses have managed to cut their fixed costs dramatically. However, this has come with the burden of forcing these businesses to rely on technology more than ever before.
For that reason, many employees who don’t have IT-related expertise have had to step in for their organisations when IT issues have occurred. As you can imagine, this makeshift approach probably isn’t the best way to solve an IT crisis. As a result of this, a lot of businesses have been struggling to solve IT issues effectively. For this reason, managed IT services are in such high demand.
Why do businesses choose to have managed IT services?
When a business seeks a Managed Service Provider, it hopes to find a reliable company that can manage all the aspects of their IT. This is so they can focus on running their business smoothly and without disruption.
These businesses could need something as simple as having someone manage password resets, to more complex needs, like data backup and recovery services, or infrastructure maintenance and enhancements. Either way, Managed Service Providers are there to provide IT services to these businesses. Irrespective of how complex or how simple their needs are.
Benefits of Managed IT Services
It’s a cost-effective solution
Managed IT services are typically cheaper than building a full internal team. Large businesses can utilise MSP’s to free up internal resources so they can focus on more innovative tasks and projects. Small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) benefit managed IT services because they may lack the budget required to hire a complete in-house IT team. So, by partnering with a Managed Service Provider to provide them with IT support, they can unlock the benefits of having reliable IT support – without having to bear the financial burden that would usually accompany it.
Access to industry knowledge and expertise
By utilising a reliable MSP for managed IT services, businesses gain access to specialist IT skills, processes and technologies that may not be readily available in house. A Managed Service Provider can enable a business to fill skills and IT resource gaps. Skills gaps are increasingly common, as the demand for advanced IT skills is so high, there currently aren’t enough skilled IT professionals to meet this. Your provider of managed IT services can work as an extension of your internal team to provide leading knowledge and expertise to improve IT experiences and performance.
Frees up time and resources
Utilising managed IT services will remove the burden of having to maintain IT systems, resolve end user issues, manage licenses, remediate security risks and more from your internal IT teams. This frees up time and resources for businesses to solely focus on the tasks that matter without getting side-tracked by IT issues. Managed Service Providers can also design and implement automated processes and workflows that streamline operations and repetitive tasks.
What Kind of managed IT services are available?
As you can probably guess, there are a variety of managed IT services out there. These varying from very broad services to very specific solutions. Here are some examples of managed IT services:
1. End User Computing Services (EUC)
If your business has adopted a hybrid working environment, then it’s crucial that your employees have secure and efficient IT systems in place that help them stay productive and connected. In addition to this it’s also essential that they have access to reliable technical support in case something goes wrong.
End User Computing (EUC) services ensure your business has the right support, tools, technology and guidance to help employees stay efficient. They also help reduce downtime and time spent on simple fixes
2. Infrastructure Management
Many businesses won’t have dedicated person that actively monitors their applications and system. This could present a huge problem if one of their systems unexpectedly crashes, or they get hacked, as they won’t know how to resolve the issue.
Infrastructure management is an aspect within managed IT services that ensures all systems and applications are configured, monitored and maintained for optimum performance. Managed Services Providers will put a team in place to monitor your IT infrastructure. As well as looking after its health, performance, and security. IT specialists can then respond immediately if an issue or threat is detected to minimise downtime or incidents.
3. Backup as a Service
Every day, businesses across the world lose countless amounts of critical data through accidental losses or data breaches. This is often due to it not being stored, secured, or backed up correctly.
Data backup services allow businesses to keep their data protected. As well as easily retrievable in the event of unexpected loss of data. This helps business owners and their employees work with the confidence that their data is secure.
Want to know more about managed IT services?
The 848 Group is an experienced and trusted Managed Service Provider. We deliver flexible support and technical assistance across a wide range of managed IT services and support offerings.
Access managed IT services and support you can trust. Get in touch with a member of our team today.