In the past, it was only feasible for large multinational corporations to outsource their IT needs to specialist companies. Now, managed IT services are affordable for small to medium businesses to access.

The benefits of partnering with IT experts are numerous. You remain in control of your data and your business needs, while getting support to manage your infrastructure and digital operating environment.

It’s far less stressful for business operators to pass the technical responsibilities to a qualified third party. The realm of IT is getting more complicated. If you don’t have time to upskill yourself, or the budget to hire an employee, investigate managed services.

We’ve put together a list of ways a team can reduce your workload so you can make the most of your business opportunities.

Why should your business use managed IT services?

There are so many benefits to using managed IT services to support your business. Reducing costs is often the headlining advantage, but it certainly isn’t the only one. Some of the most common benefits:

• Have access to state of the art technology and hardware, without needing to understand how it works or how to maintain it
• Use the most up to date versions of software without needing to watch for updates or install them yourself
• Less downtime for your business, as larger servers are designed to stay operational, and updates can be installed outside of trading hours
• Manage unforeseen demands on the server with ease, with far less risk of your website crashing (if a page goes viral unexpectedly, for example)
• Have 24-hour monitoring and proactive responses to potential technical and cyber-security issues
• Have access to industry-grade cyber-security protocols and packages to protect your data, so you don’t need to respond to the latest malware attacks alone
• Your employees can spend time making money for the business instead of trying to manage IT issues

Types of managed IT services

Managed IT services can come in many different forms. There are various types of support a business can call on, depending on its needs. Have a discussion with your provider to establish which services could benefit your business.

Managed cloud infrastructure: If you operate in the cloud, your business stores some or all of its data on servers maintained by an IT company. If this service is managed, you may receive system management, database management, tech support, and analysis. Cloud storage is easily scalable to accommodate expansion and contraction.

Managed support services: Be supported in a traditional ‘help desk’ style. This is likely to be a routine contract that offers access to staff who are familiar with your IT systems. It reduces the cost of managing an in-house IT team, and delivers expert support on call.

Managed networks and infrastructure: Networks and accompanying infrastructure can be constructed and managed by IT support. Your business would lease access to this, rather than establishing and maintaining your own data centres and networks. There’s good opportunity to streamline services here such as data, voice and video. This can also be advantageous for call centre style businesses.

Managed security: Cyber-security is managed on your behalf, including safe and timely installation of software, updates and patches. Often 24-hour monitoring is provided which allows for quick responses to urgent issues. Security can be monitored from the end-user environment to the cloud.

Data analytics: Some businesses generate large volumes of data. The raw data can be extensive, and can take significant resources to translate into meaningful or useful reports. Accessing data analytic services can make the information accessible, and it can be curated to meet your business goals.

Managed software as a service (SaaS): Instead of businesses purchasing software that’s only required for a single, finite project, software can be leased or accessed for a period of time instead. This is often cost-effective when compared to an outright purchase. (SaaS is an agreement to lease software on an ongoing basis rather than a one-off application).

Managed wireless and printing: Wireless operations are very popular, but they can be difficult to establish and maintain. Having these technical services managed for you delivers more of the same benefits – less downtime, appropriate upgrades, increased reliability and trouble-shooting where required. It makes establishing printer servers and office tech easier. This service also secures the wireless transmissions in the office to reduce chance of malicious interception.

IT lead generation: Generating specific business leads helps with targeted marketing and often results in higher sales figures. Leads are often sourced using the latest social media and industry standard approaches. If lead generation is managed for you, your sales team can spend more time and energy on developing the new accounts and getting results.

It’s clear that there are many ways to access managed IT support. There’s a lot of potential to streamline services, which keeps things simple, reduces duplication costs and creates a leaner working environment. You’ll have the benefit of accessing expert technicians when required without paying for a full-time salary.

Managed IT services can save a lot of time and money for business operators. When an expert is taking care of your IT needs, it reduces stress and frees up time to focus on growing your business. You can trust that the clients and staff who expect smooth and reliable interactions with your digital spaces will get them. It helps your business to remain competitive, scale when needed, and adapt to sudden changes.

When you consider how much strategic support can influence your business, it becomes obvious that it should not be restricted to multinational corporations. It’s a potential boon to any start up, small to medium business and beyond.

About Mustard IT, your managed IT services partner

Mustard IT provide the design, build, installation and maintenance of secure managed IT servers and networks. We deliver reliable tech support and comprehensive cyber-security programs. Our trusted team are experienced able to explain complex issues to you in a language you’ll understand. Contact us today to find out how we can help you.