Managed IT Services and their role for Business growth and success

Types of Services provided by professional MSP

IT Managed services offer proactive support. So instead of spending time on fixing problems professional Managed Service Provider focuses on identifying potential risks before problems occur, keeping your systems up and your problems down.

Managed Service Provider starts collaboration with strategic planning that is based on customers’ business goals. Strategic IT planning is the key to the overall success, because nowadays being IT competitive means being competitive in general. Managed IT service provider will help you to decide what IT systems you will need in 12 or 24 months’ time to be one step ahead of other market players. IT Managed services help you see a perspective and give you advice on what you need to plan. This links to proactive support and ensures that your IT infrastructure and software is upgraded and updated to minimize risks such as downtime, cyber security threats and critical data losses.

Collaboration with Managed IT Service provider give you access to a high –level expertise when you need it. You don’t just get day-to-day IT support; you also get an IT manager and a virtual CIO so you can think strategically about how IT fits into your company’s structure. Apart of benefits there are some challenges to consider when choosing a Managed Service Company.

If the reason you go with IT managed services is a desire to improve your operational efficiency and remove some blockers that affect productivity of your team you need to hold providers accountable and make sure they are delivering the best quality services.

As part of a IT managed service you get advise on strategic IT planning. Make sure that your IT outsourced service management is proactive enough in planning for the next period of time. Keep in mind the future scaling of your business and related IT needs.

Key components of Managed IT Services for Businesses

An IT assessment is another essential component of collaboration with Managed IT Service provider. Make sure that IT outsourcing starts from IT audit and strategy elaboration.

When choosing a Managed service provider, make sure your future vendor meet your requirements. Often, if you are evaluating based purely on cost, you may not find the right partner. Remember that IT plays a significant role in your entire organization nowadays. It’s important to work with someone that has your best interests in mind and put customers’ interests first.

There are several types of services available on the market now. The first one is in-house IT department, another one is Fully Managed IT services and so-called hybrid option or Co-Managed IT model. All options have their benefits and disadvantages; the question is which one is better for your company’s needs?

Let’s take a closer look at the available models side by side based on different criteria.

Responsibility

While Fully Managed IT takes full responsibility and acts like your IT department, Co-Managed IT implies that responsibility is shared with your in-house IT staff. An internal IT team is normally more aware of business strategy, company’s goals, and industry specifics, while a Co-Managed IT service gives a strategic partnership and comprehensive reliable support.

Flexibility

Managed IT services for business are autonomous and fully accountable for your systems while Co-Managed IT is a more flexible option that can be easily adapted to changing customer needs or implementing new solutions.

Role

With Co-Managed IT, your staff will have more time for innovation and internal projects. With Fully Managed IT, your provider can act like a virtual Chief Information Officer erasing the urge to fill that position. It is not necessary to hire a Chief Information Officer if an organization quite rarely needs high-level expert consulting. Having a Co-Managed IT allows getting an advisory session with a vCIO only when it is required.

Productivity

Routine maintenance, upgrades, and patches take time and require additional effort. It is especially important during peak business season. With Co-Managed IT, the Managed Service Provider easily handles all these issues while the internal IT team gets more time to concentrate on major projects.

In-house personnel

While Fully Managed IT completely eliminates the need to hire IT staff, with Co-Managed model, you will be required to have people in-house.

Cost Effectiveness

Despite the fact that you work with both a full-time in house IT department and an external IT department, the overall costs will reduce because of more productivity through technology.

Reliable security and access to the latest solutions

Co-managed IT has the resources and skills to implement new technologies. Most of them are official partners of well-known IT solutions and systems developers.

How to choose the right Managed Service Company

Often, the preference depends on the current state, goals, needs and focus of the company. In the situation when a business already has a few IT people and wants outsourcing some or most of the tasks, then the best solution would be Co-Managed IT.