We’ve discussed managed services in the past – why wouldn’t we? It’s what we do! But occasionally, it’s essential to take a step back and review the basics of the managed service model so that businesses of all sizes understand the options available to them.

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Many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) need access to the latest technology to maintain a competitive edge and sustain growth – but lack the necessary IT budget to meet their objectives. A managed services strategy at its core allows SMBs to compete with middle-market and enterprise-level companies without overextending their own resources. Here are some of the best reasons for working with a local Sarasota-managed services firm.

  1. Target Core Objectives: IT requirements grow along with your business,  and while the IT team may be able to handle the increased workload, they will likely become overwhelmed trying to scale appropriately. In these cases, the team may find it necessary to assign responsibilities to those not on the IT team, stealing resources from core business objectives. Managed services allow employees to concentrate on the jobs they were hired to do and your HR team to fill in any skills gaps.
  2. Access Needed Expertise: When adding new technology, your existing IT team may not have the knowledge or experience to address new issues. Recruiting new team members is always an option, but the cost of hiring and training new employees can be overwhelming, especially with the IT talent shortage driving salaries ever higher. Under the managed services mode, companies can hire an entire team of IT experts at a flat monthly rate. Many MSPs offer a shared approach to managed services, meaning companies can add or remove professionals from their teams as needed.
  3. Manage Expenses: One of the primary benefits of managed services is that it lowers labor costs and eliminates the expense of recruiting and onboarding new IT staff. The possibility of accessing skills on a scalable basis is compelling, especially as service-level agreements (SLAs) can be tailored to your company’s needs, and costs are never unexpected.
  4. Scale as Required: As technology requirements evolve, businesses must scale their systems to accommodate the changes. MSPs can respond to demand requirements in real-time, so companies never worry about system downtime.
  5. Support When Needed: When working with an MSP, availability is guaranteed. Most MSPs offer 24/7 flexibility, on-call options, and weekend support. When searching for the appropriate MSP, look for one that provides round-the-clock support so help is available whenever necessary.
  6. Prevent Downtime: Another one of the benefits of managed services is that they take a proactive approach to maintenance, utilizing remote monitoring to identify, diagnose, and troubleshoot potential issues before they escalate. Given the sobering statistic that network downtime can cost businesses as much as $5,600 per minute or $300K per hour, it needs to be avoided at all costs – and in the unlikely event that things do go wrong, an MSP can offer professional backup and disaster recovery services to get you going again.
  7. Support for Security Compliance: Data must be maintained and managed securely and in a way that is compliant with relevant industry regulations. While MSPs can’t handle corporate compliance requirements on your behalf, they can work with your legal department to determine which regulations they should be aware of so precautions can be taken to ensure your systems meet them.

There are many reasons that MSPs are intelligent partners for every SMB, and their growth does not seem to be slowing down. Alliance IT provides professional managed services offerings – including structured cabling, cloud services, and more – to Sarasota SMBs.