Business today creates an overwhelming environment for in-house IT departments who are already trying to respond to continual requests, stay in front of 0 day cyber security threats, and manage day-to-day hardware malfunctions and misconfigurations. A vicious cycle results: the IT department faces a lack of time and resources to keep up-to-date with these advancing technologies, causing problems that there is never enough time to solve.
64 percent of companies have decided to use Managed Service Providers (MSP) to monitor, repair, and help with all IT issues. Why? Perhaps your business has a well-run internal IT department that is instrumental to your success. Suddenly a server crashes, but the IT department is already engrossed in other projects. That’s where Co-Managed IT Services come in to augment your internal IT department, helping to meet the growing demands in cost-effective and efficient ways.
Managed Service Providers Increase in Revenue and Productivity
Many companies employ a “break/fix” methodology, which is a “reactive” model: when a network goes down, for instance, an already busy in-house IT staff are scheduled to fix the problem. As a result, time is wasted and there may be losses in revenue.
On the other hand, MSPs monitor and manage IT systems around the clock. It is a more “proactive” system of management, which generally prove vital to most companies. Time is money. When something happens on a network that poses a risk, an MSP will know immediately and resolve the issue. The internal IT department can continue its own projects without having to worry about problems like these, significantly reducing lost time and productivity, as well as lost revenue.
MSPs Give A Feeling of Security
Cybersecurity is a rapidly growing industry, with good reason. In the first four months of 2018 alone, over 260 million records containing private and sensitive information has been jeopardized. On top of that, the average timespan it takes a company to become aware of such an attack is 200 days.
Eight-hour workdays for IT network security are a thing of the past. MSPs stay on top of your company’s IT systems 24 hours a day. With an MSP, your company’s network is constantly monitored, preventing and taking care of any possible security risks. When any threats are discovered, patches are developed to solve the issue, whether it be a data breach or attempts to use the system as “bots”.
Does your company accept credit cards or e-checks? With this ability comes responsibility. Having a Managed Services company working with you, especially one knowledgeable in PCI Security Standards and up-to-date on the best practices in the industry, provides peace of mind that client data, credit card numbers, and other sensitive information is secure.
A Partnership is Created
The most productive partnerships occur when the parties share the same goal. When working with an MSP, both the provider and your business want to see a business function smoothly and to reach success. MSPs offer flat-rate monthly fees, providing “your business with exceptional security solutions”. In addition, neteffect technologies works with companies to come up with a plan that fits your schedule and your budget. They learn about your business to tailor strategies to meet your specific and unique needs.
Perhaps your in-house IT department would benefit from “Streamline IT”, provided by neteffect technologies, as a service to keep up with internal ticket requests. Your IT department is better able to keep track of and keep current about any maintenance requests and issues. In addition, ticket times are improved with both companies able to complete the work. “Streamline IT” lets your employees track their tickets’ progress, keeping them secure in the knowledge the issue is being taken care of. This proactive approach prepares your IT department to solve any issue in a more timely manner and refer tickets to neteffect technologies when outside services are necessary.
Conversely, an outsourced company offering “break/fix” services only makes money when problems arise. 80 percent of small IT businesses fail because if they do “too well”, there is no reason for them to come back. Therefore, such companies do not have your best interest in mind.
Managed Service Providers Are Cost Effective
Hiring an MSP when you haven’t worked with one before may seem more costly than a company that is hired as needed to help your IT department. However, an MSP remotely monitoring, performing maintenance, and preventing issues saves time and money. This is especially clear when compared to “break/fix” companies that need to be notified and scheduled, on top of traveling out to your business.
In addition, the financial difference between proactive and reactive goes beyond the easily predictable “flat-fee” IT budget. There is a high cost that results from downtime caused by system outages and issues ends up costing your business even more.
Rather than spending large sums of money on keeping hardware up to date, neteffect technologies provides access to their arsenal of resources. The neteffect team works with your team to deepen our understanding of your business. Your IT manager can rest assured everything your business needs is available through an “as a service” model.
The Focus Stays on Your Business
Time and resources needed aren’t always present. By working with an MSP, you have somebody else in your corner to help you focus on the what’s important: your growing business. An MSP relieves some of the stress that comes with having to keep up-to-date and knowledgeable of the latest advances in technology.
Your IT department is complemented by an outside resource. An MSP can monitor the day-to-day management of IT, freeing up your IT department to focus on projects to aid your business’s growth.
In every business, quickly resolving issues to be as productive as possible is a primary goal. Unfortunately, employees are sometimes stretched too thin due to overwhelming work loads and not enough resources. Utilizing an MSP to take some of the burden can easily increase productivity and efficiency. Peace of mind and more money coming in? It’s a win-win.
