To keep a business running smoothly you need a stable core IT infrastructure and one that is constantly monitored and managed to proactively identify potential failures in networks or your equipment. There’s always a certain amount of hype surrounding a new tech product launch, like the latest iPhone or games console for example. For businesses and the IT world, the spotlight is shining on managed IT services. Across the UK, small and medium sized companies are partnering with Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to support their growing IT needs. So, what’s motivating SMEs to use a MSP for managed IT? We’ve listed five good reasons below.
1. Reduced Breakdown Cost
No IT service provider can set a budget for an unpredictable breakdown situation or reactive IT expenses. It is common that a breakdown situation can lead to many negative impacts on your business. For example; the cost involved in fixing the issues could be quite sustantial and will undoubtedly take a chunk of your budget that you wanted to allocate elsewhere. Constant monitoring helps in the swift diagnosis and fixing of the root cause of any network issue which will result in substantial savings in time and money.
2. Reducing Downtime
It not only affects your end user’s experience and interaction with your business, but downtime also has an adverse effect on your bottom line. Time is money for all business owners. Constant monitoring of your IT environment can make it easy to identify trends and patterns that might lead to any disruption. Sometimes warning messages or error signs go unchecked as there is nobody to take care of your network all of the time. With an MSP proactively monitoring your IT networks, they can ensure that every error message is investigated and rectified early on, therefore averting a possible bigger issue.
A critical breakdown doesn’t generally happen in a few minutes. Your software or hardware failure usually gives many errors or warning signs beforehand, but if they remain uninvestigated, they will surely result in the breakdown of the system and therefore your business could be affected by prolonged downtime. All your parallel processes will also be affected too until the defect is fixed. With proactive Managed IT Services, the prior warnings are checked instantly and your MSP will carry out systems and network health checks on a regular basis, reducing the chances of prolonged downtime due to breakdowns.
3. Increased Reliability
Keeping equipment at full functionality is easy when your network is under continuous surveillance and only Managed IT services constantly monitor your network. 24/7 monitoring of your system and network ensures everything functions smoothly as expected. With real-time monitoring,
4. Saves Money
Some SMEs prefer to go with an hourly rate based reactive IT support model as the cost seems to be more favourable at first glance, but this can sometimes be a false economy if the early signs of a problem aren’t identified and by the time you call in your IT support company the crisis may already have become a major fix issue, therefore costing you more per hour. Prevention is better than a cure and therefore a pro-active model will save you money overall.
In the past a proactive managed IT service was reserved for very large organisations, but today, SMEs and Corporate clients are choosing the Managed Services route with Remote Monitoring Management (RMM) because of the benefits in time saving, staffing resources and dealing with stretched budgets. The Managed IT service route is paid for in one easy monthly subscription.
5. Peace of mind
Ultimately, having an expert look after your IT and providing 24/7 support gives you peace of mind. A reputable Managed Service Provider’s priority is to ensure that your network is running optimally and effectively. They will be responsible for all system performance, managing any potential downtime, software installations and updates, meaning you can focus your attention on other business.
Sprint are a well established and experienced Manged Service Provider, with teams of experts in three locations offering IT Support Services in Essex, London, Surrey and wider South East region. We’ll be happy to chat to you about our service offer to manage this crucial part of your business.
