September 9, 2022
Business in the 21st century moves at the speed of light. Staying relevant and ahead of the competition means keeping your business technologies up-to-date and able to propel your company forward. When these systems become outdated, their performance can adversely affect productivity.
Today's IT professionals are tasked with following rapid advancements in technology and determining how companies can keep up with industry best practices. It’s no small task, especially when most organizations have had to adopt new ways of working in the last few years.
So…how can your company stay relevant and successful without breaking the budget?
6 Ways Managed IT Helps You Keep Up
A top managed IT provider has seen what solutions have worked well at other organizations like yours. Generally speaking, they can save you a tremendous amount of time on research, and keep you from having to reinvent the wheel. And even if you have an internal IT team that’s completely capable of performing any of the following tasks, their time might be better spent helping you strategize for growth.
1. Software Applications
With the rise of remote and hybrid work, companies are using more third-party apps. Many new apps work extremely well at boosting productivity and creativity, but they don’t always work well together. Incompatible tools could slow your entire system down or cause disruptions.
A skilled managed IT provider can help avoid ongoing issues with a tiered Application Programming Interface (API) that can better configure your tools so unnecessary functions are turned off, helpful functions are optimized, and apps can better share data amongst themselves.
2. Cloud Migrations
The cloud can open up a whole new world of capabilities with scalability, flexibility, and additional security. Most things are easier once you migrate, but getting there can be complicated.
Even if you already have an internal IT department and don’t need additional ongoing support, many managed IT providers will take on specific projects like cloud migrations. For most organizations, a cloud migration is a complicated process that they’ll only do once. But managed IT providers do this all the time, and will be able to help keep the process as quick and easy as possible.
3. Automation
These days, many tasks can be automated, allowing your organization to save time, improve productivity, and increase responsiveness. You might be able to get more work done without hiring additional staff; a managed IT provider will know what tools to recommend.
4. Agility
A skilled third-party provider can conduct a thorough review of your network to evaluate your infrastructure and its capabilities. They’ll be able to tell you if your technology can easily accommodate future changes and if it’s in line with your organization’s short and long-term goals.
5. Data Analysis
Modern data extraction and analysis tools can help your staff avoid making costly mistakes and head off many disruptions. Not only that, but if your organization needs help maintaining data integrity, modern technology can help you remove inaccuracies from your apps and systems on an ongoing basis.
6. Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is a significant source of stress on internal IT teams that often leads to burnout. Furthermore, because of the rise of cybercrime associated with the pandemic, the same cybersecurity solutions that were considered best practices years ago are no longer sufficient. A managed IT provider can help you respond to the additional cybersecurity challenges associated with remote work and more sophisticated attacks.
If you don’t know where your current vulnerabilities lie, a managed IT provider can also help you identify them quickly with a cybersecurity assessment, and provide a roadmap to help you prioritize what upgrades are needed now and which ones can wait.
How Managed Services Provide Scalable Business IT Solutions
When it comes to staying ahead of the curve on technology investments and building out a strategic vision for technology advancements, more and more businesses are turning to managed IT services for some or all of their IT needs. Organizations can let providers manage their entire infrastructure, or simply take on cybersecurity, provide help desk support, and more. Even if you already have internal IT staff, without those additional tasks, they’d be better able to focus on initiatives that are central to your core business.
When businesses hire a managed IT services firm to handle their IT infrastructure, the responsibility for future-proofing that infrastructure becomes theirs. Let them manage the data centers, keep servers up-to-date, and maintain hardware and software programs that keep your company running smoothly. Not only will you have fewer responsibilities, but you’ll also probably save quite a bit of money.
Finally, a managed IT services provider can also take responsibility for strategic vision and plan for your business technology. Because IT is their area of expertise, they keep a close watch on trends and upcoming changes that impact many different industries. With this knowledge, they can recommend infrastructure plans and upgrades that keep your business technology industry competitive.
Wondering if your business would benefit from managed IT services? Download your checklist now.
