Nowadays, different scales and sizes of businesses worldwide are outsourcing services to third-party companies as they realize that they can't be able to perform optimally if they do everything on their own. This is where managed services came into the picture, supporting modern companies today.
If your information technology (IT) department lacks the expertise and experience in mitigating too complex risks, it's handy to take advantage of managed IT services. These hired supports allow you to upgrade your systems without you having to hire more heads to your IT department, saving on training and compensation costs.
Managed IT services are a perfect fit for entrepreneurs who can't afford to manage their IT network and systems by their own. If you're still on the fence about whether it's best to invest in such services, this post will guide you.
Here are the pros and cons of hiring managed IT services. Carry on reading to learn more.
Pros Of Managed IT Services
Business people are bound to enjoy a number of advantages. They include the ff:
- Decreases Workloads
A business needs to handle a lot of workflows and tasks that they might not be able to spot important IT tasks anymore. By hiring managed services, they can focus more on the crucial roles, and your hired dedicated IT company will be the one in charge of more lucrative IT operations.
As a result, your company's in-house team will be required to do fewer trivial and irrelevant tasks. You'll see a spike in productivity by removing unnecessary work and stress from their plate. Not to mention this will also boost employee morale and satisfaction in their jobs.
- They Can Be Available 24/7
You can always contact managed IT services providers if you encounter issues that may affect your business. Nothing beats the feeling of having someone to rely on when issues and hurdles arise. Hiring managed IT services will give you the option to take advantage of their services at any time of day, depending on your contract.
Managed IT service providers offer 24/7 availability, which contributes to maximizing uptime. You can improve your business operations when there are fewer downtimes. Keeping your systems up and running all day and every day is essential to minimizing downtime.
- Very Active IT Management
Managed IT services are in charge of monitoring your IT infrastructure all the time. This is something that is hard to be delivered by your internal IT team. Because they have too many other job roles, proactively managing the IT systems should be harder to achieve for them.
Most in-house IT teams consist of only a few department members who are always battling technology problems and can’t plan, strategize, and execute. By managing proactively, you can almost eliminate downtimes, which are costly and damaging to your reputation.
- Cost-Friendly
Contrary to what some business owners think, managed IT services are actually less costly in the long run. It requires an initial investment, but all the benefits will translate to savings later. If your business is on a budget, especially when it comes to hiring a workforce, a co-managed IT is a financially wiser option.
You can save nearly 50% of your IT salaries by using managed IT services versus hiring in-house technicians. Also, you don't have to invest in expensive and luxurious IT systems because your provider already has them and can use them for your services. Since they operate remotely, you shouldn't worry about accumulating electricity and other utilities.
- Guards Against Security Breaches
One of the biggest advantages of hiring MSPs is that you can secure your data from theft and hacking.
Despite the growing number of cybersecurity issues, outsourcing your IT needs to a provider allows you to take advantage of the expertise of experts who know the latest defenses. By providing security strategies, your business will be able to ensure that it’s up to standard in terms of data security. You can confidently operate your daily operations, knowing that all your systems, software, and data are protected and secure.
- Systematic Resolutions
Your IT is under constant watch with managed IT services. Your service provider will provide you with real-time solutions to any problems that may arise. As a result, technical issues can be addressed at an early stage, preventing them from becoming major headaches that could impede productivity and harm your brand. Your hired IT services can easily resolve any issue without compromising anything in your system.
As a result, you can expect your system downtimes to be lessened. Of course, there will still be technical glitches along the way, but rest assured, managed services will be able to spot them early and resolve them in a timely manner. IT queries will be responded to more quickly too.
- Committed IT Personnel
A managed IT service gives you access to technology engineers who are trained and knowledgeable in specific IT fields and are constantly up-to-date on the latest industry trends. This is something that is very expensive to create and hire on your own. Such experienced and expert employees demand hefty salaries, and you won't be able to afford to create an internal IT department like them.
With managed services, they’ll be the to supply these IT personnel who are committed to helping you with your IT operations. Your IT infrastructure is maintained using industry best practices, and issues are quickly resolved. While your internal IT department has a limited scope of study and experience, this is the opposite for hired IT services staff.
- Business Continuity
Your business needs to operate successfully for a long time. MPSs can be incredibly helpful in this regard. Your managed service provider must create an effective disaster recovery plan, which will help you sleep at night, knowing that if disaster strikes, your business will be able to recover from it. They’re also scalable, so you can include more features and services in your IT package whenever you need them.
- Allows You To Stay Competitive
Since your IT can keep up with your business's growth, all its key points can be highlighted effectively. With cutting-edge technology at your disposal, your service will be cut above the rest. Unlike your competitors who rely on their internal IT department, you'll experience fewer downtimes than them.
Modern business models are reliant on technology, perhaps even overriding their other components completely. You open up more opportunities for your business when you stay up to date with all the latest tech trends. Even when your business is new and smaller than your competitors, you can leverage MSPs to help you operate more successfully than others.
- Data Compliance
Today, businesses must adhere to strict data privacy regulations as cybercrime continues to rise. Fortunately, managed IT services have strict data compliance that meets industry standards. It’s common for companies either to be unaware of or to forget to comply with these requirements. But fortunately, you can transfer responsibility for data compliance to experts in the industry if you hire a provider's services.
- Better Support For HR
Another department in your company that can maximize your hired IT services is the human resource (HR) department. With their usual recruitment and retention, the managed IT services can help them handle these job roles. The HR team doesn't have to manage more heads, as MSPs will be responsible for managing their own team.
Cons Of Managed IT Services
Although they bring forward a lot of benefits, managed IT services have different disadvantages. Some of them that you should know of are:
- Remote Operations
Like most business models and strategies, there are cons too when it comes to availing yourself of managed IT services.
One of the common disadvantages of managed IT services is their remote operations. Multiple managed IT service providers operate off the grid, which may negatively impact the hands-on involvement you’d prefer. You might have difficulty solving IT problems face-to-face if they’re absent from your workplace.
Although the reliability of your managed IT provider will ultimately determine this, you should prepare and account for the possibility of not working in the same office space. Managed IT personnel are less accessible to fix urgent issues since they aren’t physically present in the office.
The MSP can’t provide on-site support if it doesn’t have a local office. Nonetheless, this disadvantage can be handled effectively by coming to terms before hiring their services. Perhaps you can meet halfway to resolve this disadvantage.
- Lack Of Synergy For Both Parties
Due to their external nature, providers may be unable to fully grasp the client organization's problems, pain points, and concerns. It’s also possible that they won't fully understand the urgency and scope of the IT task, which could lead to significant delays.
There could be a chance that the internal IT department and MSP won't be able to agree on terms for some solutions and IT system upgrades. Find a managed service provider that caters to businesses in your industry to alleviate this issue. By understanding your industry needs, your business and MSP will be able to provide more reliable IT services.
- Limited Scope
It’s uncommon for a managed services provider to cover every aspect of technology in the same way as an in-house IT department. Depending on your MSP package services, they might be unable to provide the services you want or need. Sometimes, you may be forced to choose which applications you want support for. This means that if you have a problem outside the services you enrolled in, you may not be able to get assistance.
Conclusion
In addition to reducing costs and increasing efficiency, managed IT services offer many advantages, as listed above. Yet there are downsides as well. By carefully assessing both points, you can decide better as to whether hiring managed IT services is better for your company.
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