Now more than ever, how you choose to manage all of the moving parts of your business’ IT infrastructure is critical to the success of your business.
Traditionally, IT has been that of a “break-fix” model where you pay for support on an as-needed basis. A growing trend for small and large businesses alike, is a proactive, subscription-based model where you pay a flat monthly fee for on-going support so problems never happen to begin with.
Shifting your IT mindset from a break-fix model to a proactive service can bring a number of benefits to business owners. The short list includes:
Whether you have your own IT department or rely solely on a third-party, break-fix provider, more and more organizations are making the shift to a managed IT model and here are the reasons why you should too:
According to Gartner, an unmanaged PC costs $5,000 a year. Even with just a few workstations, maintenance and support expenses can add up. This method provides no real way to predict IT expenditures especially when problems and repairs can come with very different price tags. This unpredictability can leave an organization with no other option than to pay the repair estimate when something goes down.
With a managed strategy, you pay a set monthly fee, like that of a subscription, for a predetermined level of support. Subscription-based services are becoming the new norm in a variety of products and services. From how we listen to music, care for our vehicles, even purchase software applications, subscription-based services offer a measured approach to spending so things that have historically had hefty price tags are more affordable to consumers.
One of the greatest benefits of managed IT is 24/7 network monitoring. With network monitoring, network issues are handled proactively, before problems arise, so you experience less downtime.
Less downtime also means a competitive advantage because your network is stable and secure, and ready for business, not waiting for the arrival of the IT guy or gal when your server crashes.
Just because your office may close for the night doesn’t mean cybercriminals go home for the night too. Securing your network should be a 24/7 priority. Is your organization equipped to handle that kind of monitoring?
A managed provider will manage your firewall and anti-virus solutions, backup your data, and provide security protection from the latest threats around the clock. Is your IT department “on” 24/7? Would they even want to be?
Staffing an internal IT department with all of the areas of expertise you need to support a small business can get expensive quick. Likewise, an IT department is only as strong as their lowest level employee, and in most cases, it’s the unknowing end-users who are making the company most vulnerable to a cyber attack.
The best IT departments are those with strong leaders who know how to manage their resources, both internally and externally, wisely. With a managed provider, clients have access to a global network of expertise when (and if) they need it. No more scrambling to recruit someone when a project calls for a professional with a specific area of expertise.
The best way to think of Managed IT is as an extension of your own IT department—a team of professionals with direct experience in supporting IT infrastructures for business so you don’t have to. You can focus on more important things like running your business, or getting ahead of you competition. In a managed IT partnership you can expect:
More than any other department, IT is frequently called on for help in other departments because technology is the common denominator driving operations companywide. Think of all of the things your IT department handles in a given day, week, or month—Helpdesk support, printer malfunctions, computer problems, application development, reporting, server management, security patches, software updates.
With so many balls in the air, it’s easy for the IT department to reprioritize tasks and put long-term strategic initiatives on the back burner just to get through the day. Run your business, not your IT department into the ground.
Ready to learn more? Start today with a free assessment from one of our managed IT professionals.
Beyond copiers and printers, CDS offers a full suite of technology solutions ranging from Managed Print Services, to Managed IT Services, and Project-Based IT Services, providing our customers a Single Source for all their business technology needs.
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