Understanding Managed IT Services Benefits

It's possible to budget for IT costs while better serving end-users

The term “Managed IT Services” is not new to Minnesota businesses, but its meaning might have different connotations to different people. We use the term to refer to outsourced Information and Technology services that are delivered for a fixed monthly fee. Ongoing technology support benefits companies because it provides a way to control and budget technology costs, while better serving the end-users who rely on technology to do business every day.

How Managed Service Providers Work

Managed service providers (MSPs) use remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools to keep an eye on the performance and overall health of the IT infrastructure that powers business operations. Your provider should have a Network Operations Center (NOC) acting as mission control to monitor servers, devices, hardware and software. When the system signals an alert, a response is initiated to quickly resolve the issue.

Monthly services should include regular systems maintenance such as:

• Automated tasks like cleaning of temporary files

• Applying tested security patches and software updates

• Installing virus and Malware protection

• System backup and disaster recovery processes

When you are choosing an it managed service provider in Minnesota, you should look for a company that has a Help Desk that directly interacts with your employees to address for user issues as needed.

Are Managed Services Better Than Other Ways to Manage IT?

In order to assess managed IT services benefits, you should look at the alternatives and then compare the end result.

Hiring In-House IT Support:

A company with 20 – 60 employees may feel that one person can manage their technology. While they may be successful in finding a degreed computer technology professional, this person will probably not have a broad enough skillset to handle all of the tasks that are needed to maintain a network and keep users happy. Additionally, employment longevity for an internal IT role is less than three years so you can expect to pause or even take a step backwards as you transition and train the next person.

Break/Fix Mentality

Many smaller companies oversee their Information and Technology themselves and only direct resources towards it when something breaks. Although they feel like they are saving money, a break has the potential to greatly disrupt business and end up costing lost revenue, and even customers. Resolving tech problems in this way can be expensive and depending on the issue, could extend downtime for the business. Being reactive instead of proactive is a costly mistake that could be avoided.

The Benefit of Business Value

Every company that describes what they offer as "managed IT services" is not going to give you the business value that you want from what they deliver. Only fully managed services that include IT strategy aligned with your goals will give you real ROI from your IT investment. How do you find that company?

Access our article "5 Questions to Ask When Evaluating an IT Managed Service Provider" to learn how to ask the questions that will help you compare companies.