The average cost of network downtime based on a recent Gartner survey is $5,600 per minute.
Just one hour of downtime caused by a breach, a malfunction, or similar issue can mean a loss of up to $336,000.
Of course, this depends on many variables like risk tolerance, your vertical, access to resources, and your IT strategy, among others.
Nonetheless, one hour of downtime can be damaging if you do not have strong IT support.
These costs are simply an average that managed IT services could save you, not to mention the many other benefits that come with having a managed IT staff.
Let’s look at ten proven advantages to using managed services to maintain your company’s technology network.
- Capitalize on emerging technologies
One of the many responsibilities of a managed IT staff is to stay up to date with emerging and trending technologies, particularly those that could be advantageous to your business or industry.
If a certain technology has potential to grow your profit margins or increase productivity and efficiency, we perform research, implement it into your IT strategy, optimize its performance, and monitor the progress. Not only does this ensure your business is on top of trends, but it also means staying competitive.
- Proactive versus reactive service
Whether something good or bad happens, you want your best people on the job, which an outsourced managed IT service provider will provide. If there’s a breach, you know you have a team to protect your data and mitigate adverse effects immediately. If you encounter a malfunction, you know you have a trusted team of experts working to solve the problem and making sure it won’t happen again.
We’re all familiar with the old saying, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” While your IT is never completely predictable, you can plan and prepare for multiple possibilities and outcomes, feeling more confident knowing you have a team of professionals by your side.
- Reduce large capital expenditures
In-house tech staff tends to cost more than outsourced managed IT services. Think about the costs that accumulate month-over-month with an in-house tech department: salaries and payroll taxes, benefits, office supplies, additional tools, and resources for managing technology, and more.
Relying on outsourced managed services means not only saving money on the expenses we just listed, but also saving on your IT costs as a whole. A professional team like ours works to reduce your costs on generally expensive managed services like consulting, licensing, training, and even emergency repairs.
- Have expertise handy
When choosing your managed services provider, you are also choosing the level of care and management that your in-house IT staff and business needs.
If your business doesn’t require a full-time IT staff but does require technical support to make your business efficient, we can deliver end-to-end solutions with our outsourced IT services.
If you have an awesome IT staff that needs more time to focus on your business’s strategic needs, our co-managed IT services can support your staff by taking over day-to-day management.
If you’d like to be more proactive in identifying new technologies and finding new solutions, allow our virtual CIO to provide you with guidance, while also taking the lead on larger projects and priorities.
- Mitigate business risks
Owning a company is a risk. Owning a company that depends on technology is even riskier.
Technology evolves, market conditions change, and financial conditions shift.
Facing these sorts of challenges is not easy but having a team to mitigate these risks makes them easier to deal with. As a managed services provider, we make sure your IT strategy is built to handle these effects and changes with confidence, matching the right tools with the right people.
- Lessen cybersecurity risks
Knowing you are equipped to push through cybersecurity breaches and your business data will be protected provides more than simple reassurance. It also allows you to take on new opportunities that a less protected business would not be able to, such as implementing innovative technology.
Our services empower you to focus on other pressing needs in your business, rather than worrying about the “what ifs” regarding your IT security.
- Eliminate the game of telephone
No more wasting time on endless phone calls and rotating customer service reps, who have to relearn your technology and systems upon every new support request.
With our managed IT services, you can opt for 24/7 support. Going beyond simple support like fixing a technical issue, we can also provide guidance on your IT strategy, help you to build a roadmap for the future, and work with your team to ensure faster growth and bigger profit margins.
- Increase scalability
Scalability happens when you have a well-supported team, expertise in your industry, and a good strategy.
It happens when you have people who are dedicated to achieving the same scalability goal(s) that you have and when you have a team that knows your business’s inside and out.
There are two options for staffing that can help you scale your business using technology: managed services and shared services. Let’s compare the two options to see which is best for you.
Shared services, where one business unit identifies all corporate and operating needs and then delivers varying IT services as needed, is great for businesses that do not depend on technology as heavily.
Managed services, on the other hand, means having a dedicated tech department or an outsourced team like us to manage your technology on a daily basis.
- Stay compliant with data
There are rules and regulations in every industry that must be followed, and unfortunately, some of these rules change more frequently than we’d prefer.
Staying data compliant can be tough and time consuming, but it is necessary and important to keep your information secure.
Instead of worrying about it or spending money to have someone ensure you are compliant, enjoy this as a bonus of managed IT services.
- Minimize downtime
When your network is down, it could mean both customers and dollars lost, neither of which is ideal for a growing business. Network management is always on our radar, as one unmonitored hour could be detrimental to your business in terms of everything from customer service to productivity output to a security breach. We stay on top of everything related to your IT because we want you to succeed just as much as you do.
Reach out for a free consultation or give us a call at 949-236-7700 today to learn how our managed IT services can be advantageous to your business, too.