Would you believe that the most common cause of data loss isn’t due to crafty hackers? It’s human error.
Employees aren’t perfect. It’s not unheard of for them to accidentally delete a file that hasn’t been backed up yet. All it takes is one person in the office to click on a suspicious link to infect your entire network with a virus.
While you can’t always account for human error, you can plan for it with managed IT services. These professionals will ensure that your data is backed up every day.
They can also keep your company compliant with local cybersecurity laws and make your office more productive.
These are only a few reasons to contact a local IT team. Continue reading to learn more.
What Are Managed IT Services?
A managed IT service is a third-party company that provides IT support for other businesses. Most services provide round-the-clock network monitoring.
They’ll troubleshoot your systems and fix issues before you even realize that there was a problem in the first place. That’s only the tip of the ice burg.
- Focus on Your Business
Your in-house IT team will be able to handle your small business technology needs until you start to expand. When that happens, they’ll become overwhelmed by the increased workload.
You may have to pull employees in from other departments to keep your computer systems going. These workers might be computer savvy, but they’ll need more than that to monitor your networks.
Give your poor tired employees a break by hiring managed IT services near me. They’ll take care of your systems and free your workers up to focus on the jobs that you hired them to do.
- Save Time and Money
Technology can be fickle. When computers go down, you can spend hours trying to troubleshoot and fix the source of the problem. IT services management will take care of the issue quickly and efficiently, saving you time and frustration.
Time isn’t the only thing that managed IT services can save you on. You’ll also reduce your business costs.
When you stick with an in-house team, you’ll have to pay for your employee’s salary, benefits package, and training. If an employee you train leaves, you’ll then have to spend more money to hire someone to replace them.
While hiring a managed IT team will still cost you a pretty penny in some cases, it’s not quite as much. Most companies will allow you to save money by only choosing the services that you need. They also have flexible packages for you to choose from.
- Reduce Downtime
IT-managed services don’t sit around on their hands and wait for computer problems to happen. They perform constant system maintenance to stay ahead of issues.
If something does go wrong, say a natural disaster knocks out your systems, your managed IT team will work round the clock until your computers are up and running again.
Their efforts will reduce downtime and keep your employees productive. Your customers will be happy that they can access your site as well.
- Receive 24-Hour Support
Cybercriminals don’t halt their activity after you close your doors for the night. This is when your systems are the most vulnerable because there’s no one around to look for signs of hackers.
That is unless you have a managed IT company on your side providing 24-hour support. They won’t only cover you overnight. They’ll also watch over your systems during the weekends and holidays.
- Flexibility and Scalability
There will come a time when your business will start to grow. When this happens, you’ll need to upgrade your technology to meet increased demands.
Managed IT services will make sure all your data gets moved over to your new systems seamlessly. They will also put new security measures in place and upgrade your network.
You’ll have the chance to upgrade your service package to accommodate your growing needs as well.
- Stay Compliant
Different states have different laws as far as cybersecurity goes. The rules are a little stricter if you work in the medical field because you’re dealing with confidential patient information.
If you don’t stay compliant with the laws, you’ll most likely have to close your doors for good. The problem is that the rules change so much that it can be difficult to keep up with them.
That’s where your managed IT company comes in. If you hire one that specializes in healthcare, it will be their job to stay updated on the latest laws and keep you compliant.
What to Look for in a Managed IT Provider
Now that you know why you need a managed IT provider, it’s time to learn what you should look for when you’re shopping around for a company.
The main factors to consider are availability, adaptability, industry understanding, reputation, and location. You should also ask about the vendors that the company works with.
Availability and Fast Response Times
Again, you can’t always be at your place of business. There will come a time when you lock up at the end of the day. Find an IT company that’s available 24 hours, so they can be there when you’re not.
When your systems go down, you need to get them back up as soon as possible. You’re losing money every second that customers can’t access your site.
That’s why you should ask managed IT companies about their response times. How fast can they get to your location and get your computers going again?
Adaptability
Your managed IT company can give you advice when it comes to running your computer systems. They can make suggestions that will help guide you in the right direction.
They shouldn’t try to take things over, however. Instead, they need to be willing to adapt to your needs and wants.
Understanding of Your Industry
Every business has different computer needs. A general IT team will be able to meet them to some degree, but if you hire a company with experience in your industry, there will be a noticeable difference.
They’ll have up-to-date information that will keep you compliant with local laws and have baseline knowledge they can use to meet all your needs.
Third-Party Vendors
The beauty of managed IT services is that they can hire third-party technology vendors for you, which will save you a ton of time and effort.
That is unless the IT company doesn’t use the right vendors for your business. Ask the managed IT service who their partners are and do a little research on them.
Reputation
Reach out to your fellow business owners and ask them what IT company they go through. This will give you a few names that you can plug into Google.
Of course, you shouldn’t choose a company just because of its reputation with your friends. While an IT service provider might be right for one company, they may not work for you.
Look for reviews and speak to past customers. Don’t forget to talk to them yourself as well. If you get a bad feeling from a company while talking to them on the phone, you’re not going to be able to work well with them.
Go Local
You can outsource an IT company from pretty much anywhere in the world. However, it is better to go local.
If your IT company is only located 10 to 15 minutes away from you, they’ll be able to respond to problems quickly and get your systems back online in a matter of hours.
Certifications
Certifications show that a managed IT provider has undergone specialized training and taken tests to prove their expertise. This provides reassurance that the service will be able to handle everything that your business IT has to throw at them.
The main certifications that you should be on the lookout for are Microsoft, CompTIA, and Cisco.
Pricing Model
Some businesses charge by the hour and others charge a flat rate every month. One isn’t better than the other.
Some small business owners like the consistency of having a flat rate and some prefer the various price points that come with paying per hour.
Put Your Data in Good Hands With Managed IT Services
While your in-house IT department can handle most of your technological needs, eventually you may grow to a point where your employees become overwhelmed. Give your workers a break by hiring managed IT services.
Not only can they take some of the workloads off your employees, but they can also keep you compliant with local security laws, reduce downtime, and help you save money.
For more information on Managed IT services, visit the Tech News section of our blog.
