Searching for a managed IT staff is a great first step to gaining more understanding of your finances, decreasing costs, increasing productivity, and improving your security.
But what sets apart a good managed service provider from an excellent one?
Let’s define “excellent” in our own context here. Excellent means a professional team with experience in your industry. Most of all, excellent means providing a well-rounded approach to your managed IT services.
What makes up a well-rounded managed IT staff?
The key is having a team or at minimum someone with qualifications to successfully handle each unique role for managed IT services.
Day-to-day technical support
Imagine not having to worry about anything tech-support related on a daily basis. Outsourcing your managed IT services means knowing that your business will run efficiently and your staff will be more productive without you being present every moment for technical support. You can count on one provider to handle it all and continue to do so (the important part), without re-hiring and reassigning the same tasks continually.
Network Design
It only makes sense for the person or people who designed your network infrastructure to continue to manage the network. As we say, this is a fundamental cornerstone to anything tech-related in your business. And truthfully, what’s not affected by the technology you use nowadays?
Having an IT team member for network design leads to a better understanding of your data, a greater ability to communicate and collaborate within your organization, and a more efficient business operation.
IT Security
There’s always something, right? Whether you’re worried about a potential data breach, concerned about internal processes getting leaked, or caught in a continuous struggle for optimal, updated security company-wide, there is always a reason to have better IT security. The right managed service provider can help alleviate these concerns.
A role like this includes everything from providing privacy and sensitive data to server security, security audits, data backups, and more.
Strategic Planning
An ideal managed IT staff will have your best interests in mind and help your company grow beyond your current success. With technology at the center of your business, welcoming relevant feedback and suggestions plays a key role in strategic development.
Having IT project support is crucial. A second opinion, a well-planned strategy, ideas for long term goals, and current understanding of emerging technologies can be just what you need from a managed service provider.
Cloud Services
Time for elevated capabilities and efficiency in your business? Your managed IT staff should include a cloud service expert to set up technology for your company to access, share, and back up data through the internet rather than a homebase server. But, is the job really that simple?
Cloud service providers go above and beyond here. No more dreaded budgeting for hardware refresh cycles or deciding between IaaS, SaaS, PaaS, or MaaS for your business. Help from this provider will take care of it all.
Structured Network Cabling
Structured network cabling starts with your design. How are your internal systems connected? Should your security systems have access control or AI access? Should fiber optics be single or multi-mode?
A managed IT provider will work from the inside out to not only ensure that your network is perfectly integrated into your systems, but also to maintain the usage of fiber optics, low voltage cabling, security systems, wireless networks, audio visual and conference room systems, and more.
What qualities or abilities should you look for in an excellent managed IT staff for your business?
More goes into choosing a perfect-fit IT staff than simply professional experience. Qualities and abilities are important factors that apply here as well. Let’s dive in:
- The ability to troubleshoot online from various offices
Your managed IT staff should have the ability and training to oversee tasks from a distance. The point in hiring a team is to eliminate the on-site visits and timely disruptions, not add to them.
- The ability to provide day-to-day support
Nothing is worse than almost signing a contract and then discovering that “help when you need it” does not mean full-time assistance, but rather limited “support-when-asked.”
A good managed service provider notices issues, ideally before they occur. They participate in strategic meetings and therefore understand your company’s technological needs and wants daily. Their availability is based on a contract that defines everything from service response time to weekly support.
- Strong communication
When you pay for any service, you deserve to know the results of that service. What happened, how was it fixed, and how will it be prevented in the future? You shouldn’t have to hunt down answers.
Another aspect of effective communication is the need for fast response time. Again, you shouldn’t have to wait for a response to a problem. What would be the difference between an IT staff and a one-time hire provider if the wait time and level of professionalism were the same?
- Industry experience
A team who understands your industry will also understand your business and your goals. This is a better fit than a team who is not experienced in your industry. A professional IT team with industry experience will have the right plan, the right tools, and the right people to help you grow your business.
- Involvement in technology
Technology changes every day and it does not have to be up to you as a business owner to keep up with it all. A managed IT staff who engages in current technology, participates in tech events, follows trends, and keeps up with best practices will know of emerging trends and tools and be able to successfully apply them to your business.
- Well-rounded team
We said it above, and we’ll say it again. Your managed IT staff should be a TEAM. All roles, all abilities, all hands on deck.
If you’re looking to expand your IT team and grow with confidence, we invite you to reach out to us at RNIT Solutions. We’d love to help!