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Managed IT services make the difference for Small & Medium Businesses future prospect

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Though not a conventional saying, it isn’t out of place to say: “technology is power”.

Now, many SMB’s across the world are embracing the possibilities that IT offers, especially with the emergence of cloud services and CRM softwares.

A recent study from ResearchandMarkets validates the claim as it predicts an 8.86% growth in the IT services market by 2026.

However, the demands of managing an IT department may be too much for SMBs to handle. These businesses usually have a small number of workers. The budget allocation is also limited, and workspace too.

Challenges that SMBs face with remote digitalization

Running in-house IT services is quite demanding. It requires excellent skills, consistent maintenance and monitoring. That’s not to mention the need to employ specialist engineers, operators, help-desk agents, etc.

Salesforce conducted a survey involving 2,000 small and medium business owners worldwide. The research goal was to determine the significant constraints of implementing new technologies in SMBs.

The results revealed three top challenges that business owners face.

  • Cost of purchase and maintenance of the technology.
  • Difficulty in getting an expert that can manage the new tech.
  • Insufficient time to dedicate to the latest tech.

Consider this scenario. A business has only one IT specialist who monitors the entire hardware, ensures network security, and handles the online customer care unit.

Such a worker will get overworked and become less efficient. That’s not good for any business. Likewise, hiring these extra IT specialists  will attract more operating costs.

The entire set-up consumes space, time, energy, and money to be diverted into other pressing needs. How then can small businesses harness the numerous benefits of IT technology? Read on to find out.

Choose the Managed IT services option.

After considering the limitations of in-house IT services, the troubles this model seems to match (if not outweigh) that of the regular remote businesses. Hence, outsourcing the duties to third-party service providers is the way forward for medium scale business.

Hold on for a bit. Let’s go over the basics again.

What are Managed IT Services?

They are IT services given to a third-party service provider to perform on behalf of the business. You can liken it to running an off-site department. For small and medium scale businesses, outsourcing transfers several risks and limitations to the service provider.

The cost of maintenance, repairs and other expenses automatically goes to the third-party firm. For example, if your computer or network develops some problems, it is the company’s job to get it back up.

Here are several advantages of outsourcing your IT services.

The budget becomes more predictable.

Running an in-house IT department comes with several risks. Networks and computers can suddenly develop faults. Also, other unexpected expenses and regulations may arise.

By outsourcing, you only pay a monthly subscription fee to the third-party firm.

The cost demand of operating a remote IT department can be high. However, hiring an independent support team reduces the business operating cost and many other expenses.

Expert support

Access to experts is another significant advantage of hiring an independent company. They provide expert and timely advice when necessary. They continuously monitor your network and provide swift solutions when issues arise. Some even offer 24/7 support.

Network and data security

Third-party IT service providers ensure that their client’s network is secure and free from malware and security breaches. They also provide cloud storage to manage your business data securely.

Added to that, the company provides regular updates on your network and ensures it remains up-to-date.

Now, you can focus on other aspects of the business.

Ultimately, growth is the goal of any business. With the outsourced firm handling the IT needs, business owners can easily focus on building other aspects of their business. In the end, better quality service makes all the difference to their customers.

Rules of hiring a third-party IT service provider

Business owners can only enjoy the benefits of managed IT services with an excellent third-party firm. The sad news is there are many companies out there with poor services and deceptive offers. Hence, business owners must be cautious lest they fall prey.

Here are some tips on how to choose an excellent third-party service provider.

  1. Review all the terms in the contract and point out what their services support and don’t support.
  2. Request for the certification documents of the firm.
  3. Ensure that they have skilled and qualified workers that can handle your needs.
  4. Check out the review and testimonies from actual clients.
  5. Be sure that the company’s services are scalable to meet future needs.

Tech is excellent, but it can be pretty complex. For SMB’s, managing an in-house IT department may be difficult.

It demands extra employees, maintenance costs, and even work spaces.

So, how do you deal with that? Outsourcing. Simple and accurate. Managed IT services that make all the difference for SMB’s prospects.

Keegan Beikoff is the Founder and Managing Director of KBIT Consultants working with SME and Enterprise Companies in Australia with a focus on Private Cloud Server Hosting, Migrations and Management.

Keegan Beikoff, Founder and MD of KBIT Consultants