Most organizations have challenges managing their IT infrastructures. These difficulties may stem from ineffective cost management, cybersecurity concerns, scalability issues, and more. This is where a managed IT service comes in. The service allows you to outsource your company’s IT activities to a provider as a subscription or contracted service.
Managed IT services come in handy when seeking to lessen your in-house team’s workload or supplement their efforts if they cannot meet the high IT demand. Adapting managed services can ensure all your organization’s IT needs are taken care of. Discussed below are four signs that your business needs managed IT services.
1. A rise in cybersecurity issues
Today, businesses run via intricate computer networks, which are susceptible to cybersecurity concerns such as:
- Difficulties keeping up with evolving threats
- Missing data backups
- Social engineering and phishing
- Ransomware
- Poor patch management
- Insider threats
If you notice an increase in these or other cybersecurity issues, it could be time to reach out to a Managed security services provider. A managed security service can help boost compliance and security by safeguarding against cyberattacks like ransomware.
This may include monitoring your network for malicious activity and scanning for vulnerabilities to deploy the proper corrective measures. In addition, a managed IT service can offer regular penetration testing and security evaluations to spot any weaknesses attackers can exploit.
2. High IT costs
Managing an in-house IT department isn’t cheap. While establishing an in-house IT team comes with the benefit of dedicated and specialized resources, attracting and keeping such expertise is expensive. This is because specialized IT experts are in high demand, meaning top talent commands premium pay, benefits, and incentives. In addition, IT training and onboarding aren’t cheap. In-house IT also comes with hidden costs like:
- Software license fees
- Office space and utilities
- Unplanned downtime
- Hardware refresh cycles
- Backup and redundancy solutions
Managed IT services can lower your IT expenses. They reduce or eliminate the need for on-site hardware while allowing you access to the newest technological trends without paying for new computer hardware and software.
3. Frequent downtimes
Frequent downtimes are a symptom that your in-house IT department can’t efficiently manage the IT infrastructure. IT downtimes are not only costly but disruptive as well. They also impact your business reputation, revenue, and productivity, which can be damaging. A managed IT service helps cut downtimes by:
- Actively monitoring your IT infrastructure for functionality, enabling providers to identify and address potential issues before escalating into problems that cause downtime
- Performing routine IT maintenance to keep your IT network running at optimal efficiency
- Providing rapid response to disasters to lower downtime by resolving issues immediately as they arise
- Optimizing your IT system by routinely evaluating its performance
4. Your in-house IT department is overwhelmed
Most small businesses don’t have dedicated IT teams, and if they do, they wear many hats. As your company grows, demands for IT staff also rise. This results in your team getting overwhelmed by work, especially if they don’t have the resources, personnel, or technology to deal with heavy workloads, leading to burnout. Hiring a fully managed IT service can help avoid the problems associated with an overwhelmed IT department. It also helps resolve business scalability issues.
Endnote
Managed services can streamline and improve your organization’s IT operations. Familiarize yourself with the signs that your business needs managed IT services.
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