It’s a known fact that outsourcing has become the norm for most small-to-medium enterprises. And especially for London-based businesses, the mounting responsibilities of an internal IT department is simply not feasible. Therefore, the most efficient choice your company can make is to seek support from an experienced managed IT services provider (MSP).
We believe it’s essential that your employees remain productive with their tasks at hand – prioritising services for your customers. So, with today’s business operations being so heavily dependent on technology, it’s no surprise that many companies’ staff are distracted from their client’s needs.
From a breakdown in your digital office procedure to a full-blown network disaster, tech issues will prevent your staff from doing their work. After multiple incidents, this can not only diminish your staff productivity and morale but impact your business’ client response rate and reputation. And unless you’ve got a dedicated IT staff member, getting a quick emergency fix can be costly and unreliable.
For SMEs, outsourcing to managed IT services can save you up to 40% compared to maintaining an in-house team. Yet the cost is only one advantage to utilising a managed service.
As proven experts in the MSP sector, we want to offer you the right knowledge so you can be confident in your search for outsourced IT support. So, here we cover the basics of managed IT services and how they can support your business needs.
Why can you depend on managed IT services?
A managed IT service is a type of outsourced IT support which is tailored to your business’ specific requirements. Your MSP will assume responsibility for an agreed set of services and manage your IT system accordingly. This allows you to focus on core operations and lessens the burden of handling IT internally.
Not only that, but managed services are also more dependable, efficient, and cost-controlled. Rather than taking a break-fix approach, MSPs work proactively and strategically to plan for disaster. This helps mitigate problems before they occur and spreads costs over time. Additionally, where tech problems may cause sudden disruption, managed IT services will quickly resolve them and work to minimise downtime.
MSPs are also hired on a fixed-cost basis, meaning there won’t be any surprise fees to consider in your budget. On average, hiring an MSP will cost you less than the salary of a technician or an in-house team. Alongside the cost of hiring in-house, you would have to factor in maintaining your staff. This could include a range of staff benefits, as well as paid holidays. Instead, you can save with managed services and allocate those finances to advance other areas of your business.
What services do Managed Service Providers (MSPs) offer?
Take a moment to consider all the technology your business depends on every day. Imagine the reassurance you can have in knowing that your IT systems are all under expert supervision and operating at peak efficiency. Plus, any concerns about cyber threats or risk to your security are managed day in day out. That would be enough to guarantee total peace of mind, surely?
Well, with managed IT services, you’ll benefit from a full host of services, dedicated to relieving your tech worries.
Here are some of the key areas where MSPs can support your business:
- Email management and hosting
- Hardware and software
- Internet, broadband and wireless
- Wireless networks
- Device management
- Cloud solutions
- Data management and backup
- Disaster recovery
- VoIP
- Web hosting, administration, and domain management
- Antivirus
- Security
- GDPR
And this is only a small handful of the essentials that apply to almost every business. Luckily, your managed IT package is customised to your requirements, so any specialist applications related to your area of expertise can be covered.
Once you’ve started actively listing your IT basics it’s easy to see why continual monitoring and management is vital. Particularly for SMEs looking to rapidly expand, it is imperative that you have a team to keep you running around the clock at full speed.
A team of specialists to cover every area of expertise
Another benefit in choosing managed IT services is that you’re employing a complete team of experts. So, if you’ve only ever had one tech employee at hand, you may not realise the difference an MSP can make in how your technology runs.
To receive the highest level of support over various specialist fields, you’ll need a range of experienced professionals. Therefore, it’s unlikely that you’re going to find one person who will have every skillset. Plus, the issues you may face will have been dealt with time and time again by multiple team members. Essentially, what can be lacking in one staff member you will gain in hiring a whole range of expertise.
Your managed service team will include trainers, engineers, software specialists, hardware purchasers, managers, consultants and more. Every one of them will provides you with their individual expertise, when you need it.
This also means there’s no need to hire in an expert for additional projects you’re engaging in. Opting for managed IT services means you’ve already got them on your team. They will be constantly considering the future of your technology. So, there’s no need to worry about your next project, as it will be strategically aligned with all your other systems.
Round-the-clock care comes as standard
With most of our business operations dependent on highly functional IT, having a committed support team is a must. So, to ensure downtime is limited and business continuity is maintained, your business requires constant monitoring and care.
A managed service offers 24/7, around-the-clock support, which means help is always there whenever you need it. With continual availability you can be sure your provider is operational when you are, guaranteeing attentive response.
Managed IT services for London based companies
Many IT providers now offer remote solutions for their clients. It’s not only fast and efficient, but the flexibility of remote setup is designed to get your systems up and running with minimal on-site intervention and disruption.
But what if your problem is bigger than that? For example, you could be experiencing a sudden hardware issue which requires immediate replacement. In this case, you need an engineer who can be onsite promptly to troubleshoot and undertake any technical fixes. But this may not be the only instance where local IT services outshine a remote provider.
Undoubtedly, a provider based far away from your offices can’t offer the same speed of service as one that’s local to you. Wherever hands-on-assistance is required, your local managed IT service provider will offer much more personalised support. They will become better accustomed to your workflow and infrastructure by conducting regular maintenance visits. In the long run these onsite checks will reduce any business downtime significantly.
Even early in the process of hiring an MSP, face-to-face communication is vital for building trust and understanding. Although initial remote consultations are convenient, when negotiating services and making wider decisions, you’ll want a team based nearby. Having your dedicated Account Manager, alongside a host of other professionals near you helps facilitate a stronger relationship.
So, why partner with a provider who can’t reach you in time? These are just some of the reasons why a local MSP is much more valuable to your business.
Managed IT services are tailored to your needs
Any managed IT service should start with an in-depth investigation into your business operations. Your provider should consult with you to understand and assess your specific needs. From there, they can structure and devise a plan best suited to your goals and projected development. This will ensure that all the systems they incorporate into your package are scalable as your business expands.
Your customised plan will have a fixed price that includes continuous monitoring, regular observation, and consultancy to keep you updated on opportunities for tech improvements. This proactive and flexible approach enables seamless support of your current infrastructure whilst accommodating to changes for future growth.
Proactive managed security for your business
Security has never played a more important part in digital operations than it does now. This is true not only for the safety of your clients’ data and staff’s online movements, but also for the smooth delivery of your operations.
So, when you consider the combined demands of an interconnected business and increasingly complex data-protection legislation, your current protection may be lacking. This means you must prioritise enhancing security in your managed IT service plan.
Despite the increased reliance on security, the value of face-to-face communication is still greatly overlooked. Having a team of experienced professionals that can meet to clarify your system security makes a difference to how it’s run. These consultations can provide deeper insight into your specific vulnerabilities, and what can be done to mitigate risk. Additionally, your dedicated team can break down any complex issues of security compliance to guarantee adherence to all regulations.
A complete managed IT service plan is priceless
What we’ve discussed are only a few of the invaluable benefits managed IT services can deliver to your business. Continual support, monitoring, maintenance, dedicated account management, futureproofing, installations, staff introductions and exits and much more are all taken care of for you, and at a fixed cost.
Want to kickstart the process and seek expert managed IT services? Then look no further!
As a London-based MSP with over 10 years’ experience in the sector, we can offer you a free initial consultation with one of our specialists to get to know your requirements. We aren’t simply an IT provider, think of us as your go-to IT partner for end-to-end support, security, and consultancy services.
So, to get a better idea of what your service package could look like, feel free to book your free audit with totality services today!