Signs your business could benefit from a managed service provider
IT has become a key performance factor in today’s business environment. Businesses must quickly adopt the latest technologies to keep up with modern trends, remain competitive, and drive growth. However, this rapid digitization leaves many companies juggling IT management and day-to-day business operations. The problem is, when you’re focused on running the business, it’s easy to neglect the IT side of things inadvertently. And that’s where a managed services provider comes in.
What does a managed services provider do?
A managed services provider (MSP) lets you outsource all or some of your IT support services to a third-party contractor. An MSP may take over these responsibilities:
- Systems servicing and maintenance
- Cloud management
- Network monitoring
- Cybersecurity
- Data backup and disaster recovery
- Telecommunications
- IT planning and budgeting
- Helpdesk support
- IT consulting and advisory
If you’re still on the fence about hiring an MSP, here are four telltale signs that your business could use professional IT assistance:
You need a cybersecurity policy
Cybercrime is a real threat to all IT-dependent organizations worldwide. Worryingly, cyber incidents are becoming more frequent and devastating. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), the number of breach incidents reported in just H1 2021 accounts for 76 percent of those recorded in all of 2020. The ITRC reckons that at this pace, 2021 is on track to set new cybercrime records.
Without a robust cybersecurity framework, you’re gambling with your organization’s safety. Get an MSP to help you put together a solid cybersecurity policy along with all the necessary IT protection measures.
You experience downtime often
Do your servers, workstations, networks, web services, or phones crash all the time? This is a sign that you need a more proactive approach to maintaining your IT systems. The traditional fix-break approach is an unreliable and costly IT support model. In today’s fast-paced e-commerce landscape, even a single minute of downtime matters. In the ITIC 2020 Global Server Hardware, Server OS Reliability Study, most firms said that server downtime alone costs over $150,000 per hour.
You don’t have usage tracking
IT usage tracking gives you valuable insights into how IT resources are distributed and utilized across the organization. From there, you can identify and resolve IT performance bottlenecks and unnecessary redundancies.
It’s also important to monitor user behavior. Doing so helps flag unusual activities that might indicate an imminent threat or a peculiar workflow worth investigating.
With round-the-clock IT monitoring from a managed services provider, you can maintain a commanding bird’s-eye view of your entire IT infrastructure.
You don’t have efficient support
Your digital performance largely depends on how well the IT systems are being looked after. Technical skill, creativity, and experience are all necessary when it comes to running an IT setup. Remember, IT management is not just about fixing problems; it also involves careful planning to cover all current and future technology needs.
However, your in-house IT support team may lack what it takes to optimize your IT performance and efficiency. If that’s the case, managed services can help bridge the skill gap and fill the holes in your IT support structure.
IT is a delicate resource that needs constant care and fine-tuning to work correctly. Plus, your IT strategy must also align with the business’s core objectives. This means making goal-oriented IT decisions and having a dedicated team of highly skilled experts on hand to ensure that everything works as expected.
Partnering with KME Systems brings all these capabilities within your reach. Our managed services empower your business by increasing IT productivity and ROI, minimizing downtime, and streamlining IT labor through industry-leading expertise. Contact us today to learn more.
